Can not record my guitar

[Fminorpenta]

Hi I just bought Session with FAST TRACK USB and I have the guitar cable connected with the guitar/line in, in the back of it pushed out.

But when I go to a session and choose play and record your guitar nothing comes up, I can hear my clean guitar sound with headphones when I plug into the front of the M-AUDIO box, also there is no waves so I dont know, Iam pretty new to recording so any help please.

My specs are

RAM:886MB
CPU:3.2GHz Celeron D
Windows XP Home edition version 2002 SP2

if you need anymore info please ask, as I need any help! Also I have the latest version which I installed after I set everything up.

[Fminorpenta]

I noticed there is no singal or peak light coming no when I hit a string, maybe that will help,when I first connect the USB to my computer the light comes on so Iam sure it works.

I have also turned up the MIC INPUT, MIX, and OUTPUT knobs.

[Fminorpenta]

Good news bad news, I got my guitar to record but now after I record like once or twice or even add drum tracks or something it breaks up and is chunky like the singal breaks up, which is werid because when I start a new composition its pretty clear PLEASE HELP.

[Fminorpenta]

Ok now its not picking up my guitar anymore is it possible that I got a faulty M-AUDIO box? I know my guitar cables are good, I even tested them on my amp to double check so Iam clueless now............:confused:

[Fminorpenta]

can anyone help me here please?

I was thinking of taking the back plate off to see if the input jack for the guitar was lose as it would make sense, but if I do that I will probably lose my warranty and I wont get any help, what should I do??:confused:

[Fminorpenta]

Oh well guess Ill just be talking to myself then, I will call tomorrow the tech suppport they are closed today if they cant help then Ill get of rid of this thing which sucks because when it did worked for that brief period it was pretty good.

[Fminorpenta]

JA,may I ask why my thread never got a reponse or anything? It would have been nice to hear try this or something or even a sorry I cant help you would have been nice, but I didnt even get that.

:toetap05:

[JA]

The clip and signal led's are only affected by the microphone input. Don't open the unit, that will void the warranty.

When you stop getting input to the computer, do you still hear the clean guitar signal with the mix knob turned towards input? When the sound starts to break up, try increasing the buffer/latency from the Fast Track USB control panel (If you get an error while trying to adjust the latency while Session is open you will need to save your work, quit Session, increase the buffer/latency, then restart Session).

If the problem persists, try connecting the Fast Track USB to different USB ports.

As there are numerous things that can cause these types of problems, it may be best to troubleshoot this issue over the phone. Tech Support is available at 626-633-9055, Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm Pacific Time

[Fminorpenta]

Thank you JA, I didnt mean to be rude, I was just frustrated but I did finally get it to work again! I re installed it and I had success, the only thing now is I have to copy the extra tracks directly for some reason I tried the content folder and what not but thats not a problem, I also have been messing with latency I have it about 1024 or double that seems to work. (I get no error when changing it so thats good)

but even then it tends to just break up, also messing with the mix knob may help?

EDIT: I messed with the mix knob but it dosnt seem to do anything, and Iam not using a mic just the guitar cable straight into the back but its like there is no fade away. Like when its fading out when I hit an open string it will pick it up for a sec then just drop the singal and it sounds really crappy that way.

[JA]

The mix knob determines what you are hearing through the Fast Track Pro's output. Turning to the left brings up the Input signal, and as you turn to the right, it blends in playback from the computer. With the knob turned to input, you should be able to consistently monitor your guitar signal. If the signal breaks up while monitoring input, the problem is either the Fast Track, or your guitar/cable.

When you say "when its fading out when I hit an open string it will pick it up for a sec then just drop the singal and it sounds really crappy that way", do you have Session open? Or are you just directly monitoring the guitar with Session closed? Can you test w/ your amp again to confirm that the cable doesn't cut out?

[Fminorpenta]

Session is open, its the only thing I use to record and I tested my cables with my amp and they all work I have monster cable and live wire they all come lifetime warranties and they are good quailty cables.

Mixing knob still dosnt seem to have much affect.

I also need to know how to make loops and my guitar tracks to fade out in certain
spots instead of ending bluntly at the end.

Also I would like to know how hard it is to mic my amp but I dont want to get a mic and have problems with that too. A good mic cost $100 or more so yeah.

[Fminorpenta]

JA are you the only person working here, it seems unfair and an overload for one person (sorry that was off topic but I felt like I had to say it) I still have no luck with my last post problems any info on micing my amp should I do it?

[JA]

I'm working from home until next week and don't have access to Session at the moment, so I have to have others check certain things for me, so I apologize for the delay in response.

I believe you can right-click on recorded audio clips to convert them into loops. I don't know if you can do fade outs or not, I'm checking on that.

Since you're only experiencing the dropouts while running Session, it sounds like a system performance issue, especially since increasing the buffer helped. This means you'll likely experience the same problems when recording with a microphone. Check this guide (http://www.audioforums.com/windows-xp-optimization.php) for tips on optimizing XP and improving system performance.

[Fminorpenta]

Ok thats understandable I have already done a few things on that guide maybe I should get a separate hard drive for all my music,recording,etc....?

I still cant find anything for fading out loopps myself and also a upgrade in ram will help I assume?

[JA]

It doesn't look like you can fade loops in Session, only a fade out at the end of the song.

A separate HD for music/record can help, and more RAM can too. Before spending more money, check out the DPC latency checker (http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml) to see if you can identify where the problem may be coming from. You can disable devices that aren't necessary while recording to free up additional resources for Session. This includes devices like your built-in sound card, Ethernet, Modem, and Wireless controllers. They can often cause latency spikes simply by being active in the background. Your Ethernet/Wireless controls can easily be enabled after recording for when you need to go online.

[Fminorpenta]

You can only fade loops at the end seems a little dumb to me(if can at the end why not anywhere????)

Can they seriously patch that or something that just seems really dumb to me

anyways sweet info thanks man I will get on that, you rock Mr.JA :D