Tracktion Software

shredders · Post by **shredders** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 10:46 am

Hi,
I am new to Tracktion (7) and just learning the ropes. One thing I'm having an issue with is using my Blue Yeti microphone as an input device. I can add it fine in settings > audio devices > input and the sound monitor shows sound is being registered from it, but when I record there is nothing on the track and playing back gives no sound. I'm sure it's an easy fix but I can't work it out. What am I doing wrong?

thanks

shredders · Post by **shredders** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:22 am

Possibly related but when I try to record drums from a drumkit plug-in. In that case it gives me the yellow warning triangle with the message "This track contains wave clips which may be inaudible as the audio will be blocked by some of the track's filters". It doesn't like showing or playing back wave files for me then.

mikoatkvr · Post by **mikoatkvr** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:34 am

make sure to arm the audio track you wish to record on ( click the red record icon on the left of the track )

shredders · Post by **shredders** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:44 am

Yes, I'm doing that. Then hitting the main record button. The current position line starts moving along the timeline and the sound indicator moves showing there is sound being picked up but nothing appears on the track and when I end the recording there's nothing there. I was expecting the type of wav pattern you see in something like audacity to be there for recorded sound but there's nothing. I've been able to successfully record tracks using soft synths etc but the wav type input seems to be an issue somehow. I must be getting something basic wrong.

mikoatkvr · Post by **mikoatkvr** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:41 pm

(1) make sure and check in the drop down list in the input selector that your usb mic is selected. (sounds like it is if you are getting a signal )
(2) don't have any instruments on your audio track, this is why you are probably experiencing the yellow triangle warning, remember generally to keep MIDI and Audio tracks separate ( there may be exceptions for example using a MIDI based FX plugin that passes through audio e.g. Glitch-2 vst & Redux that I know of personally )

mikoatkvr · Post by **mikoatkvr** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 12:45 pm

for number (1) above you can set your usb mic as the default input device in settings > Audio devices ( well in waveform-10 you can, I'm assuming the same for Tracktion-7

shredders · Post by **shredders** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 1:14 pm

Ah, ok, that gets me closer. If I create a new project I can get the drum VST to output onto a track (not sure why it has to go onto a different track than the plugin is loaded onto but ho hum). It outputs as a wave form, like I was expecting. If I then go to a different track, add a soft synth and record a midi passage, this seems to work but on playback that is silent. Is it impossible to have midi tracks and wave tracks in the same project?

mikoatkvr · Post by **mikoatkvr** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 1:21 pm

can you take a screenshot of Tracktion and post it here with the above mentioned project please?

Distorted Horizon · Post by **Distorted Horizon** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 1:37 pm

shredders wrote: Sun Jun 16, 2019 10:46 am How to get a USB microphone set up properly

Toss it to the trash and get one that goes to audio interface.

Watchful · Post by **Watchful** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 1:44 pm

I've given up on USB mics. They take some finagling to get set up, and even when you get it to work, the output is unusable due to the low volume they produce. An inexpensive dynamic mic with basic audio interface...even though that's USB, you can increase the overall output....is so much easier and flexible. I'm with Distorted Horizon.

It's not a Tracktion issue, it's a USB mic issue.

Peter Widdicombe · Post by **Peter Widdicombe** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 4:02 pm

While I don't disagree that getting an inexpensive dynamic mic might be easier to work with overall (and in most cases you have to get a small audio interface or mixer, which also can be a useful thing...), a USB mic should still work, particularly if you have a good one.

I actually have tested 3 different "cheap" USB mikes, and all work within Tracktion - a webcam, a dollar-store desk mike, and an MXL desktop/meeting room mike. All work, although with somewhat restricted audio range (particularly the first two).

The fact you see the meters registering, to me, would indicate it should record. Some caveats, thought...

1. Make sure it's plugged in and recognized by the OS before loading Tracktion/Waveform.
2. Make sure it's enabled in audio settings
3. If it's the selected device on a track you should see the meters moving.
4. Make sure the track is armed.

At that point, recording should "record" and give you a clip on completion. DO make sure you don't have any MIDI VST's on either the track, or in the master output section at the bottom !

shredders · Post by **shredders** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 4:57 pm

hi, I can now record from the microphone and get wav format sound from the plug-in drum VST to record to a track. All I'm struggling with now is being able to hear both midi tracks and wav tracks in the same project. I'll try to post some screenshots as requested to show what I see. It goes wrong in different ways, depending on whether I add the wav track or the midi track first.

1. New project, add MT-PowerDrumkit to track 1. I have to point it at track 2 to be able to record it but I think this is normal

1-setting-up-drum-track.jpg

2. After the drum track is recorded. Wav shown on track 2. Playback is fine.

2-drums-recorded.jpg

3. Then I add a track using Dexed. I set track 4 to take the output of this as midi. As I'm recording the midi I can hear both the wav drum track and the midi I'm playing (just using a mouse for now).

3-added-a-midi-track.jpg

Looks like you can only have 3 images a post so part 2 follows...

shredders · Post by **shredders** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:00 pm

ah, for some reason it wont let me add any more screenshots. Just as it was getting to the good bit!
I'll put them somewhere else and link to them. Bear with me...

shredders · Post by **shredders** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:29 pm

It did take the screenshots, just didn't show me them on the interface! They are attached above.

4. is the error message shown on the midi track after I finish recording that one.
5. Is the same screen but showing the destination
If I take mute off everything at this point all I hear is the wav track.

6. Might not be the best example screenshot of this but if I start by adding the midi track I can play it back fine but then adding a wav track gives me this error and nothing appears on the track when I record.

Peter Widdicombe · Post by **Peter Widdicombe** » Sun Jun 16, 2019 8:15 pm

Hmmm... Do you really WANT to record the audio for playback and make loops that way? Or do you want to have the MIDI drum's simply played through a VST?

Unless you want to get really fancy or looping, MT works just fine creating MIDI patterns, which you put on the track - the same track with the VST. The MIDI input to that vst then IS the midi clips preceeding it in the track. Only one track required. MIDI events IN the track, and final output from MT is the AUDIO mix of the MIDI drum events.

If you do it this way, then it's much easier to change tempo, as the MIDI events are "pitchless" and will still trigger the same drum sounds.

Similar for a VST synth - MIDI note events in the same track trigger the synth at the end of the track, and produce audio.

If you RECORD audio (i.e. voice, bass or guitar), then you work through with audio - pure audio - all the way.

In your scenario, it looks like the synth is on track 3; but the note events are on track 4. The midi notes on 4 will "flow through" to the volume control, and will be dropped (?) or ignored, as there is no vst to play them. If you put Dexed on 4, it would play the notes.