Audiobox USB

Ok, I'm confused!!!


I have an Audiobox USB interface but it's not working the way it's supposed to. Let me briefly explain what's happening.



I was trying to record an electric guitar part on a song yesterday and I plugged into channel 1 but the gain/level knob does not control anything as far as input gain goes. I can turn it completely off and still have the same volume level. The only thing that will do anything is the MIX knob and when I turn that to get a level that I can hear my guitar then lowers the sound coming out of my monitors. I also tried it with headphones and the same thing, I have no control over the input level at all from the interface itself.



I've been over and over everything to do with it in X1 preferences and nothing seems to change it. 



Another thing I noticed on the track I'm trying to record to is that it always defaults to STEREO rather than to left or right input channel. Am I missing something in the setup somewhere?? I've got a major project coming up, doing a Christmas CD for a local band, and I need to get this figured out before we start the sessions. We will be recording a lot of guitar and other instruments direct. 



I'm pretty new to computer recording so I'm sure I've missed a set up thing somewhere....



Thanks in advance for any advise.....



The Teleman

Beagle


for the problem of "stereo" verses MONO, you need to select the correct input in sonar.  you're selecting a stereo input instead of a mono input, otherwise sonar wouldn't be recording stereo.  on your input selection, you should have something similar to this:
Audiobox 1 L
Audiobox 1 R
Audiobox Stereo

1L = channel 1, 1R = channel 2, Stereo = both of them recorded on the same track.

as far as your input levels remaining the same; are you saying you're adjusting the KNOBS on the audiobox or are you saying you're adjusting the fader on the track you're trying to record?  if you're trying to adjust the fader on the track you're trying to rercord that won't work.  sonar dose not affect the input volume at all, the fader is ONLY for the mix volume.

use the knobs on the audiobox for input volume adjustment.

  if you ARE talking about adjusting the input volume knobs on the audiobox itself, and can't adjust the volume, there's a problem there and nothing INSIDE sonar can fix that.  that's a hardware problem of some kind.


Thanks Beagle for getting back to me. No, I'm not selecting stereo input, when I go to set the input on my track it's defaulted to the stereo input and I manually changing it to 1L. 

As for the knobs, that's what I meant, the knobs on the Audiobox itself. I've got my guitar pluged into 1L but I can totally turn the knob for that channel to 0 or move it all the open and it changes nothing. The only 2 knobs that change any levels is the 'mix' and the 'main' and if I move the mix knob so I can hear the guitar at a decent level in my headphones it lowers the playback level of the rest of the song, very hard to get an even balance. It's worked that way ever since I got it and I know that's not right.

I've uninstalled and re-installed the software that came with the unit and went to their website and downloaded the latest ASIO drivers. I didn't buy the unit new, bought it from a friend who had had it for a month and upgraded to a bigger rackmount unit. So I've know it worked properly when it was hooked up to his system. So it's not like it was abused. So I'm still stumped as to why.

If anybody else has any ideas I'm open to hearing them....

The Teleman

Hi I have Audiobox USB too. Input on this device is very hot, even when input gain is set fully ccw, recording 15 watt guitar amp with dynamic mike will peak. You need some kind of pad/preamp/comp/direct box in front of it. Then it will sound fine. Thats Presonus hardware.... not sonar or your system. I hope this helps Tapsa

chuckebaby


return it,plain and simple,i cant believe they can actually still be selling those things,you know what customer service said to me?
they told me to buy a D.I. box to lower the hot levels from distorting my tracks..ya sure,another 50 bucks on a di box.
let me ask you,did you do any research on interfaces before you bought this or did you just go with the cheapest one they had?
sorry to sound blunt here,but i tell everyone here,buying an interface is the second most important part of your set up,so do some reasearch.

a simple google search of this topic will pull up 100+ threads of the worst interface ever made.they sold me one(when it first came out) and when i brought it back and said why did you recomend this..the salesmen actualy told me "the big boss is trying to push these  because theres something wrong with them"
i almost freaked out on him,i got my money back and said im not doing business here anymore.i researched it and found the one i like the most,its auesome,i have two the the saffire usb6 and the cakewalk v studio 20 both work flawlessly.

so to answer your question i wouldnt be to concerned with recording that band as i would be returning that audiobox.

do a search here on the forum and you will also find many threads on it.including a guy about a month ago that went through the same as you and returned it.

it took me a while to grip the concept but beagle and ffb helped me understand this is not like a mixing boar where you just turn down the volume,
volume is controled by sonar and sonar only.
sorry to hear about your problems though,hope it all works out.

Actually I did research and the Sapphire was my 1st choice but didn't have the money to buy new. As I stated in my original post, I bought this from a friend and it worked perfectly on his system, seen with my own eyes and ears several times.  I was in Guitar Center with him the day he bought it so I know it was only a month old. The only reason he sold it to me cheap was because he'd upgraded to a bigger 4 input unit. He doesn't use Sonar but I don't think the DAW would have any bearing on it anyway. 

I guess I'll just live with it until I get back to work this summer and can afford to get a different unit, preferably the Sapphire as that seemed to me to be the best overall. I'll just do my recording the old fashioned way for now, with my Fostex MR16HD,  and transfer the wav files over to Sonar for the detail work. 

Thanks for the info....

I had the Presonus FirePod and it worked fine for years.  I doubt if the inputs are too hot - the Pod preamp maxed out about 55 dBs.  If it works like the FP the mix knob adjusts the volume between the direct, 0 latency hardware mixer in the audiobox (direct from the input to the output) and the return signal from your computer/SONAR.  Turn that to input - the direct signal coming from the audiobox.

The combo inputs run through the preamp - there should be a resistor or some electronic thingamagig (electrical term there) that "sees" when an instrument plug is inserted.  Are you using an unbalanced guitar cable from your guitar?  The thingamagig might be confused by a mic cable or balanced cable being plugged into it.  And, of course, turn your guitar down.  If that doesn't fix the problem plug into channel 2.  If the problem persists, try another guitar and cable on both inputs.  Next, try a mic and see if that works.  If it doesn't and the guitar is still loud, talk to your friend and see if he got the dern thing to work.  If he didn't, have him return it as damaged.  The input knobs should bring down the volume, but you need to methodically go through the possiblities of user error before throwing a hissy fit.

I had some problems w/ presonus years ago and they treated me right.  It does take time.  If you don't have any response in a couple of weeks email tech support again.  And put something up on the forum.  If those don't work, write the president - that usually gets people's attention!  Just realize having bought the unit used Presonus probably doesn't have to make it up to you - your friend is responsible (which is why he needs to return a defective item to the dealer!).

If you do get it working you'll need to learn how to work SONAR.  There is a "input on" button on each Channel of SONAR's track view.  If you want to listen to your incoming singal from SONAR that needs to be engaged.  In order to play and hear your playback of already recorded signals you'll need to use the direct mixer (mixer knob) and adjust SONAR's volume on the recorded tracks.  All the tracks should go to the master bus.  Sonar sends the master bus back into your interface (the audiobox), but can also send individual tracks, too, if you don't set them to the master.  It is better if interfaces have software mixers too, but that gets confusing (even on simple 2x2 interfaces).

Hope you get it working.

I was in Eugene a couple of years ago - how is the mushroom capitol of the world?  It was dry when we were there checking out the school for my daughter.

@

AT


I had the Presonus FirePod and it worked fine for years.  I doubt if the inputs are too hot -
 
AT,that was the firepod,not the audiobox.
now you can say what you want and i think your advice was hopeful.
but i bought the audiobox,and the three other people here on this thread confirming what im trying to say?
have at it man.
we're not just making this up for a good topic.trying to save the guy some agrivation.
and also maybe realize the guy who sold it to him after only owning it for a month...a month..
might be a caution to the wind why.
 
is the firepod the same as the audiobox?
not even close.
 

The presonus VSL stuff is supposed to be good.

AT


Charlie,

yea, all that gave me pause - and I have no experience w/ the audiobox.  Still, I find it amazing anyone would release a product that was unusable because the volume knobs didn't work and resulted in too hot of a signal.  a low signal would make sense, but too hot.  However, wonders never cease. 

I do know a lot of people slag Presonus but they made some good stuff, esp. at the low end.  And the people I dealt w/ there were good (tho it has been years yet at least one is still there).

Anyway, I gave the advice of what I'd do myself.  If it doesn't work one needs to do all that before kicking up a fuss.  And I said if it didn't work have the guy take it back - not himself as a third party.

best,

@

AT,
i hear ya man,i own the saffire 6 usb...i love it man..
hopefully this will clear everything up i have stated in this thread..i hope it helps,(check out the link) 
 
to the op:
this is my thread from over a year ago when i bought the audiox and what i went through..i hope this helps a little bit.
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2233313&high=audiobox