Connection confusion

[drashkum]

Hi all, iam new here and am a noob to home recording. I have been a musician and just now setting up home studio.

My equipments

.1. PC with Maudio audiophile 2496 ( 2I/2O) soundcard
2. Yamaha Mg10xu 10 channel mixer stereo output of which i have connected to my MAudio 2496 soundcard as input
2. Motif XF6 synth which acts as my midi vsti trigger/ Cubase controller through Direct USB to PC and also have connected the audio out to my mixer to record onboard sounds
3. Yamaha PSR 2000 connected to my mixer to record audio
4. The out put from my computer is fed to my SM audio nano patch passive volume controller, and its output is connected to A pair of Yamaha HS80M studio monitors
5 Audio technica at2035 condenser mic connected to XLR input of mixer

I face a few problems

1. Since i have an soundcard connected to my computer, i have to boot up my computer each time to even hear the audio in monitor if i play my keyboards. If i connect my monitor to my mixer directly there is a problem, the tracks created with VSTi in cubase as a part of mix will not come as out put to monitor. I dont know if i can connect the output from soundcard to my mixer? If so where? As an input in one of the channels? Would that not mean it will go back to computer for processing again as my mixer output goes back to daw

2. When i record vocal tracks it also outputs realtime to my monitors. I dont have a separate vocal booth. So how to route this connection too in such a way that i can cut off the monitor to preven bleed.?

3. I also need to feed click tracks or backing tracks to singers through in ear monitor. How to do it.

Experts here kindly advice. Im in a fix.

Below is a Line drawing of the connections

https://pasteboard.co/IzF3aHT.jpg

Thank you in advance

[James Perrett]

My first thought would be to connect the monitors to the mixer output and the output from the soundcard to one of the stereo line inputs on the mixer.

Alternatively, it might be simpler to ditch the M-Audio soundcard and use the USB interface on the mixer. The MG10u manual shows Yamaha's suggested connections which looks sensible to me.

[drashkum]

My first thought would be to connect the monitors to the mixer output and the output from the soundcard to one of the stereo line inputs on the mixer.

Alternatively, it might be simpler to ditch the M-Audio soundcard and use the USB interface on the mixer. The MG10u manual shows Yamaha's suggested connections which looks sensible to me.

I thought about that first. But connecting the the output from soundcard to line input would take back the same sound to the soundcard back right? ( since all the audio recording is mixed into stereo and inputted to soundcard.)

If i connect the monitor alone to mixer without output from soundcard, i may not hear my vsti sounds at all

Also if i ditch my soundcard how can i routeback my midi vsti sounds as cubase vsti are triggered by maudio delta asio

I may be wrong... Im confused too

Pls do reply

Drashkum

[Arpangel]

To avoid that feedback loop back into the sound card you need a mixer with an "Alt Out" like the small Mackies, or a mixer with sub group outputs, then, in the monitor section you can select the outputs to go to your monitors, and make sure the input from the computer isn't going to the main stereo out, it goes to the Alt, or the Sub Group outputs, anything that's being recorded through the mixer like a hardware synth, goes to the main output, you monitor previously recorded tracks or VSTi's on the computer by selecting the appropriate group in the monitor section.
This is great, because you can use hardware effects etc to process VSTi's, and record them through the sub-groups.

[Sam Spoons]

You don't need to entirely ditch the sound card, just use it for it's midi capabilities and use the USB from the mixer for audio.

But,do you use the midi connectors on the sound card? if not and you already have you midi controller keyboard connected by USB you don't need midi, your VSTi's send audio to whatever you are using as a sound card so will play through the mixer's USB just like they do through the 24/96.

[Wonks]

You don't need to entirely ditch the sound card, just use it for it's midi capabilities and use the USB from the mixer for audio.

Not sure about that on a PC. To get the M Audio card working, it will need its ASIO driver loaded, even just for the MIDI. The Yamaha will surely need some form of ASIO driver for low latency, and you can't have two active ASIO drivers in Windows. As the Motif is connected up to the PC via USB for MIDI, the M Audio card isn't really needed for MIDI (unless the PSR is driven by a hardware MIDI link).

[Sam Spoons]

Yeah, did cross my mind but I'm 10 years out of Windows (Win7 was new when I got my first Mac) so assumed it would have been sorted by now

[Wonks]

Unfortunately, no.

[Sam Spoons]

I'm glad I stuck with my assorted Macs then. They are a very long way from being free of frustration but, since I got them I have spent much less time playing computers and much more playing music than I ever did with Windoze machines

[Aled Hughes]

I think the mixer should do what you want on its own via USB so you wouldn't have to use the Nano Patch nor the soundcard.

But, to answer your first question fully - you are right in that you will create an unwanted loop if you just connect the soundcard outputs to any mixer input.

Looking at pictures of the mixer, channels 9/10 offers a switchable 'To Mon / To St' option. If you connect your soundcard to these channels, and choose 'To Mon', then this channel will only be sent to the 'monitor outputs' (and phones). You should then connect the 'monitor outputs' to your speakers. You then use the 'monitor / phones' knob to control the level (so you won't need the Nano Patch).
I'm not entirely sure how your mixer works, but toggling this switch might allow you to choose what's going to your speakers from either the mixer output, or the soundcard output.

However, the same channels (9/10) also has a 'Line/USB' switch. It seems to me that if you install the Yamaha drivers and use the mixer as the soundcard (ie hoose the Yamaha ASIO drivers instead of the M-Audio ASIO), then set this switch to 'USB' the audio from your computer will appear on these channels same as before, but without having to use the M-Audio soundcard.

If your Motif is connected direct via USB as a controller, Cubase will still see that, and will send all the audio back to the mixer over USB.

[James Perrett]

You don't need to entirely ditch the sound card, just use it for it's midi capabilities and use the USB from the mixer for audio.

Not sure about that on a PC. To get the M Audio card working, it will need its ASIO driver loaded, even just for the MIDI.

You just need the MME driver for MIDI so there's no problem having both working at the same time for MIDI. However, if both keyboards can send MIDI over USB there's no need for the MIDI on the M-Audio card.

[ef37a]

Son and I ran a PC with a 2496 and a mixer for a couple of years
Together with an Evolution keyboard controller, Ek49.

The 2496 has a pretty versatile control panel and you can select what is recorded and what is monitored.

Yes, the 2496 needs to feed the mixer, not looked yet but I suspect it has a TAPE/CD RCA return? That can be monitored without going back to the record channel.

The mixer could be used as a USB interface but for MIDI work will not have such low latency as the 2496 which has only been beaten by external AIs in the last few years. I also doubt the mixer will be as good for dynamic range.

The 2496 is an excellent MIDI device but does not of itself generate and sounds, only software does that.

I am sure you have all the kit you need (headphones?) just need to sort out the routing. Do not be afraid to experiment.

Dave.

[drashkum]

Thank you guys everything is sorted. I have plugged in the output from Maudio Audiophile 2496 to 9/10 channels and used the To Mon button. Now all is routed via the mixer.

Should i keep the SM audio Nano patch or sell it

[Arpangel]

Thank you guys everything is sorted. I have plugged in the output from Maudio Audiophile 2496 to 9/10 channels and used the To Mon button. Now all is routed via the mixer.

Should i keep the SM audio Nano patch or sell it

I'd keep the Nano, you never know how things may change in the future, ways of working, it can happen, as we all know!

Don't sell it.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Should i keep the SM audio Nano patch or sell it

If you're not too desperate for the cash, I'd keep it as it has myriad uses! It's obviously useful as a basic monitor controller, but also very handy for adjusting the output level of external hardware, effects etc, or the input level going in to any device with a fixed input sensitivity. Just anywhere that you need to adjust a level...