UA-25EX: can't hear the mic and music stops

hey!
i just bought this interface.
connected and installad to my pc (windows 7 x64), everything went smooth.
i connected it first via usb, and then i connected my phones to the phones imput...so i can hear the sound of my computer.

now i've 2 problems:

1. i can't the mic imput (nor see it working in the pc). i've an AKG 220 perception. i connected it to the input 1, switching to phantom power...but i don't hear me
2. when i listen to music, it sometime has this little and short stops...very very annoying!

thanks!

Chappel


You aren't using this with recording software, just Windows sounds?

What Sample Rate is the device switched to? Is the Digital Input switch set to Off? Make sure the Direct Monitor switch is set to On.

ok sorry for me being such a noobie lol i just didn't set the ua-25ex as input ;)
now everything is working just fine!
but i still have a problem with the midi, because it has too much latency time!! now my buffer is set to 6, and i checked the direct ASIO monitoring...maybe i'll try to lower the buffer and see what happens ;)
or maybe i can check the option in the "MIDI IN" option.


oh and i also have a problem with the mic...since i just plug the xlr input, i press the mono button (in this way i can here the monitor in both the headphones...but when i rec myself the sound just come out from a single speaker! so i've to balance the sound in the 2 speakers...is this normal?

Chappel


Which input are you plugged into? Here is what the manual says. 

"STEREO/MONO select switch (direct monitor section) 
This selects whether the input signal from the combo input jacks (1) will be monitored in stereo 
(STEREO) or in monaural (MONO). If you’ve connected a guitar only to INPUT 2/R, set this to monaural (pressed inward). Even if this is set to monaural, the audio signal sent via USB to your computer will be stereo. If the 
digital input switch (6) is on, operating the STEREO/MONO select switch will not do anything." 

What midi device are you using to playback midi? What software are you using to record with? If you are using the very limited midi playback feature of your computer's original audio interface (soundcard/integrated sound), you are never going to get the kind of results you are looking for re: latency. If you are using Cakewalk software and software synths, or external synthesizers, you will have much better results. (and much better sound quality). 

i just plug a AKG 220 perception in the 1st input ;) and i press the MONO button, because otherwise i would listen the monitor only in one headphone ;)
my problem is that when i play the song i recorded, i hear my voice only from a headphone (in this case the left one i guess). so i've to give 50% of the sound to the right manually...is this normal?


for recording i'm using "Mixcraft"...i found it very easy and handly...then i guess it has a nice quality.
I also tried Cubase, but it's kinda hard...i'm stuck with it since i can't set the correct imput...i changed all the options there, but it still doesn't work...i'm probably doing something wrong eheh


as midi OUT i use the silent device installed on my acoustic piano...it's a thing that if activated, transform a normal piano in a digital one...and this thing also has a midi out ;) so i connect it with the midi cable to the UA-25EX...but the signal has too much latency...i still have to try to lower the buffer.
anyway, for the midi output i'm still using mixcraft ;)


do u think i've to change program? because at the moment i found that mixcraft works for me :)


thanks!

Chappel

Try plugging your mic into the #2 input on the right, making sure it is set to Low-Z. The manual says that will send a stereo signal to the computer. It uses a guitar as an example but it should work the same way for a mic plugged into the XLR plug. Also, check the status of the track you are recording into.  Can you elect to use one input and record a mono track? Is there a reason you want a stereo vocal track?


yes i can select one input and record in mono track ;) that's probably what i made wrong...because i selected stereo in Mixcraft. Tomorrow i'm gonna try the 2nd entrance. there's no reason why i want a stereo vocal though eheh i was just curious ;)

Are you using your midi capable piano to trigger soft synths while playing live and this is where you are noticing excessive latency? Latency is a feature of audio, not midi, so latency is delay of audio being processed through your computer. While the audio interface is a very important part of the process, your computer's capabilities also affect the audio signal. In addition to tweaking the settings for your interface and software, you should also run a latency checker to see if there is a problem with your system that may be causing longer latency times. Below is a link to the one I, and many others here, use. It is free and easy to use.

I also suggest seeing if you can get your hands on a synth/midi controller so you can compare the results with your piano's midi triggers. If you use a device made to send midi information and still have the same problem that tells us something. If you have any significant difference in the result that tells us something else.

DPC Latency Checker

wow thank u very much...this will be the first thing im gonna do tomorrow morning...here in italy is over midnight now, so i've no time for this tests :D anyway, i planned to use my piano in this way: connect it to my interface via midi cable (OUT from the piano and IN the interface). after that i create a new midi track into Mixcraft, selecting the sound i wanna use. here, when i play the piano, i notice this latency. and i also notice it if i don't select an instrument and i just use the midi sound my piano comes with. so the thing is that i wanna use my piano to rec a lot of differents midi tracks :D 

I don't know anything about that program so I can't comment as to whether you should change or not. I do suggest you list here your computer specs as well as what audio settings you are using in Mixcraft so we will have a better idea of what is going on.  If you could post screencaps of Mixcraft's audio settings that may save a lot of time.

ok tomorrow i'm gonna post everything. for the moment i can tell the specs of my sony Vaio laptop:

cpu: i7-720QM (1,6GHZ)
ram: 6GB 1333MHz
hd: 320GB 7200rpm
gpu: NVidia GT 330m 1GB

thanks!

Right off the bat it seems like your number of buffers (8) and buffer size (2048) is a little high. Have you tried using fewer buffers? I use 2, and that's what my Cakewalk software defaults to. Try using a smaller buffer size like 256.

I would also recommend using the ASIO setting in your Sound Device tab.

I am unclear as to why you would hear any latency when you record midi using your keyboard's sounds. It should sound the same as when you aren't using it for midi. What kind of keyboard is it? Is it an electronic device like electric piano or synthesizer or is it an acoustic piano that has been modified to send midi data? Does it have a MIDI IN and if so, do you also connect that to your interface?

hey,
in this last month i've worked on how to properly set all the stuff, and now i'm quite satisfied ;)
the only problem i'm having it's that sometimes, when i'm using Cubase 5, i get the ASIO driver overload, so i can't really work since the audio is all crackling...anybody knows why?

regards,
Alessandro