VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

BALKY · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:57 am Post subject: I got a MacPro! YEY!

Hey, guys and gals! Smile

How is everyone doing ? Smile

I finally got myself a Mac Pro! YEY!
Just was curious if anyone have the same setup and switched to mac from windows…

So far I love ALMOST everything… I was a bit disappointed in how sound system is designed in mac…
I use persons StudioLive mixer and source-connect/skype/phone in sessions. While in windows, I could rout Skype or SC anywhere I needed. I could use SC stand alone.

Now, it seems impossible, and I am disappointed… Skype won't work at all… cannot route sound to and from mixer. Neither does SC…

To work with SC can I only within DAW (Cubase) in my case. I have Logic, but a totally different interface, so I need to learn it…

Presonus interface for windows had this routing feature for sound… not present in mac version. Same goes for SC interface.

Basically I am, how to politely say it, shrewd! It's a good thing, I have Windows installed on Mac as well, so, I guess, I could use windows when necessary if there's no way to do it in mac.

Open to any suggestions Smile

Do any of you have similar issues?
_________________
Best,
Pavel Kuklin
(Russian native vo artist)
*****
Greeting: https://vimeo.com/216249549
Source-Connect: voservices
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/channels/russianvoice
AUDIO: http://audio.russianvoice4u.com

Jason Huggins · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 9:26 am Post subject:

I have noticed that with some interfaces, you can't route to separate channels. I had that issue when I tried to use a couple of interfaces. If you go to the Audio Midi Setup tool in Mac, you can sometimes send things where you need them to go, but sometimes not. Have you messed with the Audio Midi Setup program?

BALKY · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:18 am Post subject:

Hi J!

I have… the weird thing is that if for output (speaker setup) it is somewhat manageable, for inputs (when I click on Edit inputs) all check boxes and sliders are not active.

And another thing, I managed to bring Skype sounds to the mixer… BUT, when a call is placed, the party's voice is not getting there. Weird!

and for inputs… when I open sound preferences and persons is selected for all: input, output etc. I see meter moving when I speak into mic. BUT, in Skype sound preferences, the mic meter is dead.

Very strange. I tried every knob and slider on mixer to figure out what feeds my voice into computer… beats me!
_________________
Best,
Pavel Kuklin
(Russian native vo artist)
*****
Greeting: https://vimeo.com/216249549
Source-Connect: voservices
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/channels/russianvoice
AUDIO: http://audio.russianvoice4u.com

Jason Huggins · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:39 am Post subject:

I've had the exact same experience. You have the inputs greyed out, and then in Skype, you can only choose the interface, not the input ON the interface you want to use. I believe Skype will choose one input to accept from the interface, for mine it was Input 1 (L).

If you're using a mixer that is also the interface, it is possible that Skype will only pick up what is physically going into Input 1 on the mixer. You might end up having to create a submix and physically plugging the output of the submix (aux mix) into Input 1 on the mixer. That's just a guess though. I have an external mixer and then a 2-Channel interface, and that is exactly what I had to do. That is also why I couldn't get mix-minus to work with Skype without the hardware mixer.

BALKY · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:01 am Post subject:

it is such an annoyance!!!

This is a fire-wire interface, so in windows everything was routing beutifully.
I do not know why Presonus did not implement this WDS routing into mac edition of Universal control.
I wrote to them, so far no response…

the mixer itself has another panel where you can send sound from talkback to a certain virtual aux channel. I've tried to manipulate it every each way… to no avail.

All I could accomplish was setting up source connect within cubase… at least it works that way…

Will be waiting for Presonus' reply… but I do not get my hopes up. It will probably be same as SC' reply:

>>> What version of Source-Connect are you using? The current version of Source-Connect Standard 3.7 for OSX/Mac is a standalone application that can optionally be used with the Source-Connect Link plug-in (VST, AU, RTAS, AAX) to integrate into a DAW like cubase.

When directly interfacing with audio hardware connected to the Mac, Source-Connect Standard derives its input and output from what is selected in the system preferences/sound -input or -output dialog box.

I believe what you are referring to is the fact that the system control panel doesn't allow its user's to directly address anything other than channels 1-2 of any sound card. Thus for Source-Connect Standard to access channels beyond 1-2, a secondary program like Cubase must be used to manage the i/o and then integrate via the previously mention Source-Connect Link plugs.

This is different than how Source-Connect Standard is in the Windows environment. For Windows the default sound hardware is not defined in such a manner and driver access is on the application level instead. Because of this it maybe possible to access channels beyond 1-2 with out needing a second application to access the sound driver.

Source-Connect Pro on the Mac does have direct access to the sound driver and can rout directly to any input or output presented to it. I'm sorry I am not able to provide any information about if and when Source-Connect Standard for the Mac will be able to access the sound driver directly and not via the facilities in the operating system preferences.

The only solutions I can think of are:

1- Reordering the use of the i/o within the StudioLive so that Source-Connect can route properly using channels 1-2 and then use the other channels for monitoring, mic inputs, etc
2- Using a program like Cubase and SC-Link.
3- Set he system preference and thus Source-Connect Standard to use the built in digital audio ports on the Mac Pro. Connect the digital (optical spdif) ports on the Mac to an AtoD/DtoA (like a Behringer UltraMatch Pro) and then uses the available analog inputs and outputs on the StudioLive to route the audio to/from Source-Connect as desired. Note, the external AtoD/DtoA is required because I did not find any external digital audio inputs or output for the StudioLive (just the firewire port). <<<
_________________
Best,
Pavel Kuklin
(Russian native vo artist)
*****
Greeting: https://vimeo.com/216249549
Source-Connect: voservices
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/channels/russianvoice
AUDIO: http://audio.russianvoice4u.com

WillMWatt · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 12:04 pm Post subject:

Hey

I just got a Mac Pro, too! Arrived last week. I was a mac user beforehand, though.

Try looking up how to create an "aggregate device" in your system preferences. Might be of some help. Smile

BALKY · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 1:01 pm Post subject:

I tried…

no help.

the audio to and from Skype goes on channels 1-2

to SC on ch 1-2
from I could set it up to any channel…

I can't believe that shitty windows were designed so much better for that matter! really pisses me off Frown

_________________
Best,
Pavel Kuklin
(Russian native vo artist)
*****
Greeting: https://vimeo.com/216249549
Source-Connect: voservices
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/channels/russianvoice
AUDIO: http://audio.russianvoice4u.com

Jason Huggins · Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 1:08 pm Post subject:

Ya, I've had my frustrated moments with this issue myself. I unded up just physically routing to Channel 1 and calling it good. It would take some re-plugging, but you could probably do the same. Just use one of physical Aux outs on the StudioLive board as a bus to the physical Channel 1. I don't know what your setup and requirements are, but I was able to make it work with the 2 aux outs on my board going to the 2 inputs on the interface. One is designated as my output to any patch software, and the other goes into my DAW. I have the Skype (and system, and thus SC) output set as Built-In output, and then just have a L/R Splitter to feed that output into a stereo channel on my board. That way I can do the mix-minus thing.

georgethetech · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 2:37 pm Post subject:

Source-Nexus should fix all of that, but I agree, it is one area in the Mac system that falls short of Windows. Then again, it's so much less complicated and more stable than Windows sound drivers in general, I can deal with this inconvenience and just "patch around it" like Jason does.
Enjoy your new Mac Pro, Final Cut Pro X was used as the primary test application in its development, so it should be sick for audio tasks.
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If it sounds good, it is good.
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GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
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BALKY · Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 6:33 pm Post subject:

Thanks guys...

I already set my mind to just drive a cable from one of 6 auxes into channel 1.... and ch two use for input... no other choice here.

Final cut is great, it crashes for some reason when I try to drag third party audio plugins onto a sound track... such weird crap!

Don't know if it is something with my mack, or the program itself is messed up, or plugings, or all of the above for that matter LOL....
_________________
Best,
Pavel Kuklin
(Russian native vo artist)
*****
Greeting: https://vimeo.com/216249549
Source-Connect: voservices
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/channels/russianvoice
AUDIO: http://audio.russianvoice4u.com