The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I have a Behringer Q502USB mixer. And it works. I can plug my guitar into it and get good sound in the headphones.
    I have a Windows 10 laptop with only one input (-for headphones, not a mic).

    [I am not using a digital audio interface, so I'm trying to go straight from the mixer to the PC.)

    I have Reaper installed on my PC.
    I have downloaded the drivers from Behringer. (ASIO)

    About the input on my laptop. Older PCs had (still have) two inputs, one for a mic and one for headphones. Mine has only one input, for headphones. So the standard approach of running RCA cables from the mixer's LINE OUT to dual inputs won't work, at least not immediately. I searched YouTube for videos about this and found one that says I would need an external soundcard with two inputs (mic and 'phones). I got one.

    How to put this? The laptop is not receiving any sound this way.

    When I open Reaper and select "Insert New Track," ARM it, and play my guitar (a Squier Tele, plugged into a Direct Box and then into the mixer's XLR input) signal registers but it is weak.(Around -42 dB, with peaks a bit higher when I strum a chord hard.) When I unplug the mixer and play my guitar, the same sound level registers. So I'm thinking, "This is the sound picked up from the laptop's mic, not from the mixer's LINE OUT.

    Yet I have chosen (in Reaper's Options / Preferences) the ASIO sound system, the ASIO4ALL v2 driver, etc. Yet no signal from the mixer is reaching Reaper (or the laptop at all, AFAIK).

    I have chosen USB Audio Codec on the PC's sound settings. (For the hell of it, I also chosen the RealTek setting---same result both ways: no sound from the mixer reaching the laptop.)

    This may be due to something too-obvious-to-mention to a tech-savvy person, but I have no idea what to do.

    What do you think I should do, or might try?

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  3. #2

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    You aren't going into your pc via usb cable?

  4. #3

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    What cosmic said. That mixer sounds like it has USB connections, if so you should use the appropriate USB cable to connect it to the laptop USB port.

    Any other input method will probably go via the laptop soundcard, which is crap and noisy.

  5. #4

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    I have the next model up from that, the Q1002USB and I plug into my Mac via the USB port. I do have to fiddle a bit with the buttons on the right-hand panel to get head phone monitoring as well as sending the mix out to the Mac. Then when I play back, I have to change one of those settings to hear.

    But you should certainly be using the USB output for your mix.

  6. #5

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    Your mixer *is* your digital audio interface. When you get the USB cable you will need (it’s a standard cable - one should have come with the mixer but if not, this is the type you need) then your PC should recognize the audio interface and Reaper will be able to send and receive audio through it.

    (If you have a printer that uses a USB cable, you probably have one of those cables already ;-).

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
    You aren't going into your pc via usb cable?
    Yes, the mixer connects to the laptop via USB. But Reaper was not picking up that sound. It was only picking up sound from the laptop's internal mic.

    I worked with this yesterday. No, make that, Frank (fep) called me and walked me through some things. There is still a problem with drivers but not the mixer. Using the "WDM kernel streaming" option for audio system I was able to record into Reaper with a strong signal. A bit of latency but I could live with it.

    The ASIO4ALL option somehow just wants to work with the laptop's mic and speakers. (I started watching YouTube videos on ASIO issues and it turns out there are several, most of which can be fixed but some of which are far from intuitive. That looks like my weekend.

    Shakespeare said the course of true love never did run smooth---that's been my experience of learning to use recording equpment!

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by lukmanohnz
    Your mixer *is* your digital audio interface.
    Yes, it came with the cable. That works. But for some reason, THAT signal was not getting to Reaper (or my laptop, period.)
    Somehow---I'm not clear on all this yet---my laptop was not recognizing that signal.
    At first, of course, it was because I hadn't changed the settings on the PC to recognize an input other than the laptop's default. (RealTek)
    But after switching to "USB audio codec", it still didn't work right.

    It was only after choosing the "WDM kernel streaming" option for audio system that the laptop was getting the signal from the mixer.

    There's still some problem with the ASIO4ALL driver. I uninstalled and reinstalled it. That didn't immediately fix anything. I guess it's back to YouTube videos, but this time about ASIO troulbe, not mixer trouble.

  9. #8

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    Fiddle with the buttons on the front too. I find that makes a difference. The "To Phones" and "To Main Mix" buttons interact in ways I don't entirely understand and I always have to use trial and error.

    Here's a clip I did of the "Practical Standards" tune for this month using the Q502USB itself, which I had but had set aside because for one project I needed 48 Volt phantom power. But using it today, I'm impressed with it.


  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    Fiddle with the buttons on the front too. I find that makes a difference. The "To Phones" and "To Main Mix" buttons interact in ways I don't entirely understand and I always have to use trial and error.]
    Nice playing, Lawson! "Out of Nowhere" is a lovely tune.

    I use "To Phones" for guitar practice lately. I have an amp in my room but usually practice unplugged. That doesn't produce as much volume from my Tele as it does from my archtop, so it's nice to use headphones and hear it through the mixer. I could go with an amp, of course, but this is easier and I don't have to worry about disturbing anyone else.

    I use "To Main Mix" when I want to hear BIAB tracks I've input to Reaper AND my guitar, as I play over them. (I'm working on a lot of my own songs lately.)

  11. #10

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    A few videos on ASIO drivers. The first is about what the ASIO driver does. The second is about troubleshooting various problems.





  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    Nice playing, Lawson! "Out of Nowhere" is a lovely tune.

    I use "To Phones" for guitar practice lately. I have an amp in my room but usually practice unplugged. That doesn't produce as much volume from my Tele as it does from my archtop, so it's nice to use headphones and hear it through the mixer. I could go with an amp, of course, but this is easier and I don't have to worry about disturbing anyone else.

    I use "To Main Mix" when I want to hear BIAB tracks I've input to Reaper AND my guitar, as I play over them. (I'm working on a lot of my own songs lately.)
    The point I was making though is that those buttons control whether or not your mix is sent out through the output jacks/USB port. I have made recordings that I knew were nice, heard everything over the phones, but wrong button meant it didn't go to the computer, audio lost.

  13. #12

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    Mark, I wonder if the driver is properly installed. If you haven't already done this you might want to restart your computer and see if that makes a difference. If that doesn't fix it I'd reinstall the driver and restart the computer again.

  14. #13

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    Mark I did make one mistake. In working with the bigger version, the Q1002USB, fiddling with the buttons in that center-right panel is important for where to send your mix. But with the Q502USB it looks like it always goes out the USB. Listening back from your computer through the mixer requires changing one button. I actually am enjoying using this more than the bigger one, even though the 1002 has two full channels with 3 band EQ, XLR or 1/8" plug. But the bigger one is really complicated (to me) to use.

  15. #14

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    Do you need to install dedicated Asio drivers for the Behringer on your laptop?

    When I got my focusrite Scarlett I think I had to register for an account, and then download the drivers for it from their website.

    Then whenever I want to use it with Reaper, I just need to ensure the ‘device’ in Reaper options/preferences is set to ASIO, this connects it to the Focusrite with the correct drivers.
    Last edited by grahambop; 09-04-2020 at 02:50 PM.

  16. #15

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    If you haven’t checked the Reaper forums, there is a wealth of information there on all these types of issues. I remember having some initial difficulties getting my audio interface playing nice with Reapet, but once I resolved that it’s been smooth sailing ever since.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    The point I was making though is that those buttons control whether or not your mix is sent out through the output jacks/USB port. I have made recordings that I knew were nice, heard everything over the phones, but wrong button meant it didn't go to the computer, audio lost.
    Right. If you want it to go to your DAW, you have to have the "To Main Mix" button pushed. "To Phones" means it goes only to your headphones. (Which is good for practice.)

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    Mark, I wonder if the driver is properly installed. If you haven't already done this you might want to restart your computer and see if that makes a difference. If that doesn't fix it I'd reinstall the driver and restart the computer again.

    I've done both of those!
    To some avail. Before, the ASIO driver (called "Unkown Device" by my PC's Task Manager) was not working and couldn't be updated. So I uninstalled that. I even downloaded ASIO again from scratch. It is installed. (But it doesn't show up like a program or app, as it is a driver that only shows up when called upon, as when one chooses it in Reaper.)

    Nevertheless, if I choose ASIO (or ASIO4ALL in Reaper---one for audio system, the other for audio device), the only Input / Output options are my PC's defaults.
    If I go with "WDM kernel streaming", I get the option for ASIO4ALL and it works. There is latency. (Not too bad, sounds like a bit of delay. Actually nice for practice, but that is not the sound that is being recorded when I press record, so what I hear on playback is not what I heard while recording. Not the worst thing in the world but it is a sign that things aren't working quite right.)

    As it happens, there are a great many YouTube videos and articles about ASIO troubleshooting. It bedevils many users.
    The Grail eludes me still....

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by lukmanohnz
    If you haven’t checked the Reaper forums, there is a wealth of information there on all these types of issues. I remember having some initial difficulties getting my audio interface playing nice with Reapet, but once I resolved that it’s been smooth sailing ever since.
    Will do! Thanks for the tip.

  20. #19

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    Is there an option in Reaper to enable direct monitoring? This would solve the latency problem but since it’s pre-DAW it would be the dry signal of the guitar, only. This is handy if you’re going for a more or less unaffected clean tone since the signal doesn’t have to go through Reaper before hitting your ears.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
    Will do! Thanks for the tip.
    I joined the Forum but I have not yet been allowed to post, so I can't ask about this yet. Any day now...

  22. #21

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    I have made progress here. The big problem for me was ASIO4ALL drivers. (Turns out they are problematic for many people, so there was help to be found for this issue on the Reaper forum.)


    First thing I recorded was this minor blues in G with an unusual turnaround (Ab7 G7 Gb7 F7). Head only.

    No fancy production. No mixing either, just the BIAB backing track and my guitar.

    I'll revisit this tune when I've settled in with the recording process and found a few other things to play over the turnaround. ;o)


  23. #22

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    I watched this video when I first got Reaper. Took me thru setup and it's worked ever since with no latency. Or, at least, I've never heard any and never had to deal with it.

    Don't know if it will cover your issue, but the part on setting up Reaper to find your interface is quick.