Behringer U-PHORIA UMC1820/UMC404

[wikter]

i am really tempted to buy this U-PHORIA UMC404 but before i do can somebody please tell me if the 4 inserts at the rear are for synths, or is it just for effects and compressors etc as it states on the Behringer website? (very poorly explained i may add!)

i have a Roland Gaia SH01 and a Novation UltraNova, i want to insert the Gaia in 2 conections (stereo) and the Ultranova in the other 2 Stereo and then be able to monitor/record in Ableton Live 9

i

"Inserts" are not the same as "inputs". If you want to record your two synths (in stereo) you would use the four inputs on the front of the unit. The inserts on the back are used to send out AND return an audio signal - say to effects box or compressor - just using one connection. (You can send and receive audio using the same 1/4" socket and TRS cable). You would do this if you wanted to send/return audio to a favourite external effects unit, perhaps something not offered by Ableton. Hope that helps.

Sorry, inserts do the job and allows for direct inputs but with the risk of getting noises because the signal input is not balanced.
Anyway, the risk of noises tend to 0 in home studios.

[wikter]

Regarding the inserts on the back of the UMC404, is there any way to use them to process soft synths? I'm trying to use them with an effects unit, and I can apply the effects to input signals, but nothing generated by my soft synths? I guess this means they occur just after the inputs in the signal path, but I think this is a real weakness if there is no way to apply them before the outputs.

Those inserts create an effect loop with the input preamp l signals. To create an FX loop with an external device the only way is connecting a hardware output to a hardware input, processing the signal externally.

[skinwalker]

Since Behringer apparently does not believe in manuals or documentation - the only thing available online appears to be a completely useless 2 page 'quick start guide' - I have some questions.

- How does Windows audio (for example, audio from my web browser) actually work with these? Is it hardwired to the MAIN OUTPUT 1/2?

- How do they present themselves to Windows anyway? Like can you use them freely with Skype? Is it a full list of all inputs and outputs as separate devices or something like one stereo in and one stereo out device? If so, are they just the 1/2 channels and that's it?

- Is it possible to route Windows audio to DAW? For example, I like process my web browser audio - in fact ALL windows audio - through my DAW in (near) real time. And I don't want to hear double. Sacrifice the MAIN OUTPUT for solely this purpose and use physical cable? Is it even that possible?

- What do the standard keyboard (pc) media hotkeys do? Do they control the Windows audio level or do they control the MAIN OUTPUT level or what? This is very important for me.

I would very much appreciate if someone can explain this even a little bit.

[foosnark]

It's going to depend on your Windows version, possibly.

For me (Windows 10 Home), under Settings/Sound there's a "Choose your output device" which I have set to "OUT 01-02 (BEHRINGER UMC 1820)". All sound from apps that aren't specifically using ASIO gets routed through there. (This is also where I happen to have my DAW monitoring routed to; they work simultaneously with no problems.) Windows also gives me the choice of other channel pairs (3+4, 5+6, 7+8, 9+10, or 11+12 over SPDIF, even though I am using ADAT instead...)

About inputs: I don't actually use any of the inputs with non-ASIO stuff, but I assume it's pretty much the same since there's an input setting on the same page. I have a USB mic I use for Microsoft Teams meetings when I need to.

Routing Windows audio into the DAW: not sure. You could probably set Windows to use outputs 3+4 (or whatever) and physically connect those to inputs that are NOT active in Windows audio but are used through ASIO?

Media hotkeys for me affect whichever outputs are assigned as the main outputs in Windows -- but it DOES also affect ASIO going through those same outputs. I use outputs 1-2 as my main DAW monitoring and all Windows audio, so the volume knob and mute button on my keyboard affect that. If I set Windows to use channels 3-4 as my main audio output, the knob affects channels 3-4, but not my DAW which is still set to use outputs 1-2.

[skinwalker]

It's going to depend on your Windows version, possibly.

For me (Windows 10 Home), under Settings/Sound there's a "Choose your output device" which I have set to "OUT 01-02 (BEHRINGER UMC 1820)". All sound from apps that aren't specifically using ASIO gets routed through there. (This is also where I happen to have my DAW monitoring routed to; they work simultaneously with no problems.) Windows also gives me the choice of other channel pairs (3+4, 5+6, 7+8, 9+10, or 11+12 over SPDIF, even though I am using ADAT instead...)

About inputs: I don't actually use any of the inputs with non-ASIO stuff, but I assume it's pretty much the same since there's an input setting on the same page. I have a USB mic I use for Microsoft Teams meetings when I need to.

Routing Windows audio into the DAW: not sure. You could probably set Windows to use outputs 3+4 (or whatever) and physically connect those to inputs that are NOT active in Windows audio but are used through ASIO?

Media hotkeys for me affect whichever outputs are assigned as the main outputs in Windows -- but it DOES also affect ASIO going through those same outputs. I use outputs 1-2 as my main DAW monitoring and all Windows audio, so the volume knob and mute button on my keyboard affect that. If I set Windows to use channels 3-4 as my main audio output, the knob affects channels 3-4, but not my DAW which is still set to use outputs 1-2.

Thank you! That answered pretty much all my questions. I wasn't able to find this info anywhere else.

I'm pretty sure I can make the 1820 work the way I want with perhaps a simple 'hack' or two if it indeed presents itself as multiple i&o devices.