• Registered: 2011-08-03
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Newbie Babyface user suffering outrageous feedback loop?? HELP!!

Well I'm feeling extremely confused after two days of extreme head scratching with what so far I've found to be a deeply unintuitive TotalMix environment.

So here's the deal. I have off and on successfully tracked laid in Cubase 6 some guitars/bass via the instrument in on the babyface, but I'm still very baffled by the routing and while struggling (and eventually succeeding) to plug the analogue outs into my mixer, I don't know what I have done, but now every time I monitor the input channel on Cubase, I get the most horrendous feedback loop...

So on the Hardware Input section, the guitar is coming in on AN2, with the output set to AN1/2 . SOftware section is also routed to An 1/2, though confused as to why when you change it to phones 3/4, the outputs change on the Hardware side too, but no matter. I've now gone back to plugging headphones into the babyface, as that was the last way I had it when it worked, and so switched the monitor output to phones 3/4, and presumably cos that output is now taken up as the control room output, the first column on the hardware output switched to AN 1/2, and the loopback button disappears in the monitor column and re-appears in the AN 1/2 column.

As expected, when I engage the loopback function, the guitar signal appears in my input channels on Cubase, but as soon as I root I open up the monitor input button on the channel I'm trying to record on, I get the most awful feedback loop. And what's so annoying is that it was happening before, but somehow I got it to stop, but I've no idea what I did or what I've done since to make it happen again.

Can someone shed any possible light on the possible causes of feedback loops?

Thanks

Si

  • Registered: 2011-08-03
  • Posts: 4

Re: Newbie Babyface user suffering outrageous feedback loop?? HELP!!

Yeah, somehow I've managed to route the software playback back into the Cubase inputs, so when I hit record, it's re-recording the outputs of cubase, hence the feedback, so it's not just the instrument in that's feeding back on itself, but the who;e output of cubase is going back in, and I'm going quietly mad..:roll

  • Jeff
  • Jeff
  • Moderator
  • Offline
  • From: USA
  • Registered: 2007-05-21
  • Posts: 4,619

Re: Newbie Babyface user suffering outrageous feedback loop?? HELP!!

Turn off "loopback" on all your output channels (bottom row). If you still have problems, then it might be some routing in your mixer

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

Jeff's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 249

Re: Newbie Babyface user suffering outrageous feedback loop?? HELP!!

Maybe, read the 29.5 section of the instruction manual about "loopback"?

  • Registered: 2011-08-03
  • Posts: 4

Re: Newbie Babyface user suffering outrageous feedback loop?? HELP!!

Well now I'm very confused! That totally makes sense about the loopback button, and obviously in the manual, it clearly states feedback only occurs when monitoring the input channel, but I was sure it was hitting the loopback button that got signal in the first place.

And having done that, I don't appear to be able to get anything into Cubase at all. I have signal coming into the Babyface, the AN/2 meter is going nicely, with the output set to AN 1/2. The meter is registering too in the hardware outputs, but for some reason, nothing seems to be getting into Cubase. I don't know if this is a CUbase routing problem or a TotalMix, because at some point today, I managed to record the dry guitar signal, not re-amping the output of Cubase playback, but I have no idea what I did either o be able to get audio in, or what I've done to lose it again. I'm feeling very thick!

It would be so much easier if there was a basic walk through of the simplest and what must be the most common use of the Babayface, ie the project studio owner wanting to track lay instruments individually through the instrument jack. Iv'e seen it written in reviews, and can only concur, this is NOT an intuitive device, no matter how high the quality undoubtedly is!

Si

  • Jeff
  • Jeff
  • Moderator
  • Offline
  • From: USA
  • Registered: 2007-05-21
  • Posts: 4,619

Re: Newbie Babyface user suffering outrageous feedback loop?? HELP!!

If you see signal in the top row of the mixer, then it's only a problem in Cubase track input assignment.

And I disagree, it's as intuitive as possible given the flexibility, but you need to understand the underlying concepts. The tutorials for the old version of TotalMix should help to understand how routing works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=splW9OtTBYw

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

Jeff's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-03
  • Posts: 4

Re: Newbie Babyface user suffering outrageous feedback loop?? HELP!!

Well I don't know whether to feel vindicated or simply further confused... I backed up the CUbase project and transferred it onto my Macbook pro, which I hadn't yet installed the Babyface onto, loaded it up and set the device inputs/outputs on Cubase exactly as on the iMac, plugged in my guitar and lo and behold, it works! So am I to assume that's somehow my install of the Babyface has somehow been corrupted on the iMac for it to behave so strangely? Or will I wake up tomorrow and find it works again? But for now, I need some shut eye!