One has to go...
Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz
- OccinticLady
- Established Member
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 am
- Location: 127.0.0.1
- Has thanked: 194 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
One has to go...
Hi all,
Some saw my setup.
Basically, there are two laptops. One is for all the synths. I use QTractor to do the MIDI recording. Once happy, I transfer the MIDI info to audio by letting the synth play the MIDI and recording the audio. So I double the tracks. Well, some MIDI tracks dont make it, but...that is the process.
Then I mix in QTractor.
So far, I have a good recording with no noise, hum or hiss...
Then, I transfer each track individually to the other laptop. And then...the hiss comes in.
I transfer into Ardour, so I can further work with the tracks.
I noticed that the hiss and noise build up as I unmute tracks. If all are muted, there is no hiss, or noise...or...hum...
There are two things I can do, here.
Either, I look into cables. But, the trouble happens as I unmute already existing tracks. I tried TAPE type recording, with the same problem as result...by the way.
Or, I concentrate everything in one laptop.
As things are now, the mixdown laptop (Ardour) receives the signal from the mixer, the input is from the mine, the first laptop and the Korg (so far).
Clould'nt/should'nt I just bypass the second laptop and route the input BACK int he first laptop so the external sources (mike and Korg...so far) can be processed in the first (and only) laptop?
The real goal of this setup is to split the workload somewhat...but the hiss in Ardour becomes unacceptable. I grow into more details and quality, after all...
If at all an option, I'd prefer not to change anything , as the setup now suits me fine...
Thanks for meditating with me...
Melissa
Some saw my setup.
Basically, there are two laptops. One is for all the synths. I use QTractor to do the MIDI recording. Once happy, I transfer the MIDI info to audio by letting the synth play the MIDI and recording the audio. So I double the tracks. Well, some MIDI tracks dont make it, but...that is the process.
Then I mix in QTractor.
So far, I have a good recording with no noise, hum or hiss...
Then, I transfer each track individually to the other laptop. And then...the hiss comes in.
I transfer into Ardour, so I can further work with the tracks.
I noticed that the hiss and noise build up as I unmute tracks. If all are muted, there is no hiss, or noise...or...hum...
There are two things I can do, here.
Either, I look into cables. But, the trouble happens as I unmute already existing tracks. I tried TAPE type recording, with the same problem as result...by the way.
Or, I concentrate everything in one laptop.
As things are now, the mixdown laptop (Ardour) receives the signal from the mixer, the input is from the mine, the first laptop and the Korg (so far).
Clould'nt/should'nt I just bypass the second laptop and route the input BACK int he first laptop so the external sources (mike and Korg...so far) can be processed in the first (and only) laptop?
The real goal of this setup is to split the workload somewhat...but the hiss in Ardour becomes unacceptable. I grow into more details and quality, after all...
If at all an option, I'd prefer not to change anything , as the setup now suits me fine...
Thanks for meditating with me...
Melissa
- raboof
- Established Member
- Posts: 1855
- Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:58 am
- Location: Deventer, NL
- Has thanked: 50 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
How do you transfer the tracks from the one to the other laptop? I guess you export them from QTractor, put them on a disk, pop that disk in the other laptop, and import them into Ardour? What file format to you use? Silly thing to check, but is the sampling rate consistent everywhere (first recording, QTractor project, QTractor export, Ardour project)?OccinticLady wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 6:20 pm I mix in QTractor.
So far, I have a good recording with no noise, hum or hiss...
Then, I transfer each track individually to the other laptop. And then...the hiss comes in.
I transfer into Ardour, so I can further work with the tracks.
I noticed that the hiss and noise build up as I unmute tracks. If all are muted, there is no hiss, or noise...or...hum...
- OccinticLady
- Established Member
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 am
- Location: 127.0.0.1
- Has thanked: 194 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
Hmm, quite some things to think about (did I mention I'm learning ?)raboof wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:24 pmHow do you transfer the tracks from the one to the other laptop? I guess you export them from QTractor, put them on a disk, pop that disk in the other laptop, and import them into Ardour? What file format to you use? Silly thing to check, but is the sampling rate consistent everywhere (first recording, QTractor project, QTractor export, Ardour project)?OccinticLady wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 6:20 pm I mix in QTractor.
So far, I have a good recording with no noise, hum or hiss...
Then, I transfer each track individually to the other laptop. And then...the hiss comes in.
I transfer into Ardour, so I can further work with the tracks.
I noticed that the hiss and noise build up as I unmute tracks. If all are muted, there is no hiss, or noise...or...hum...
Anyway, what I do is mute all but one track in QTractor, then I set up one track in Ardour for recording. Then (dont laugh) I press both the play and record spacebar simultanuously to record in Ardour what QTractor plays...and I bet I lose quality there...
I do this for every track. That (most likely) carries its own load of noise...be it a little bit, still, if all tracks are "open", that amounts to a lot...
Edit - the point that I use two DAWs, two laptops and transfer like that starts to become silly...I noticed that QTractor has (perhaps not as wide as Ardour) all the trimmings needed...I lose too much quality and time in that transfer...
- sunrat
- Established Member
- Posts: 926
- Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 2:08 pm
- Has thanked: 152 times
- Been thanked: 247 times
Re: One has to go...
I get a slight feeling you are using headphone outs and mic ins rather than real audio interfaces. They will never give anywhere near clean audio as they are mismatched in impedance. It would certainly be a vast improvement to use one laptop and patch all the Qtractor outputs directly to Ardour inputs via JACK. This eliminates one stage of DA/AD conversion as well.
- Linuxmusician01
- Established Member
- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 2:38 pm
- Location: Holland (Europe)
- Has thanked: 784 times
- Been thanked: 144 times
Re: One has to go...
This might not be the answer you're looking for, but why? Both are capable DAW's. I'd use only one.OccinticLady wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 6:20 pm [...] I use QTractor to do the MIDI recording. Once happy, I transfer the MIDI info to audio by letting the synth play the MIDI and recording the audio. [...]
I transfer into Ardour, so I can further work with the tracks.
[...]
Oh, and what @sunrat said.
- OccinticLady
- Established Member
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 am
- Location: 127.0.0.1
- Has thanked: 194 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
Wait... this can be done??? On ONE laptop? If so, I'm in!sunrat wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 10:42 pm I get a slight feeling you are using headphone outs and mic ins rather than real audio interfaces. They will never give anywhere near clean audio as they are mismatched in impedance. It would certainly be a vast improvement to use one laptop and patch all the Qtractor outputs directly to Ardour inputs via JACK. This eliminates one stage of DA/AD conversion as well.
And... @Linuxmusician01 because...I did'nt know any better, ROFL....I had NO idea of the potential...
Hey, I only took one sip of the Holy Grail so far..
Here I am, scuttlin' data from one machine to the other while, as @sunrat noted, it can be done on one laptop...
This would improve my workflow a lot.
I notice that I'm really growing in this, becomming a lot more serious about this. So..NOW...I noticed the quality flaws, that I need to address...
So, yea...ONE will have to go, because of quality
-
- Established Member
- Posts: 2059
- Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 6:56 am
- Location: Kangasala, Finland
- Has thanked: 375 times
- Been thanked: 209 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
And if you need to use two laptops (for example memory or cpu power low, so that you cannot run 2 daws same time), it is possible to use netjack to connect daw@laptop1 to daw@laptop2.
Linux veteran & Novice musician
Latest track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycVrgGtrBmM
- sunrat
- Established Member
- Posts: 926
- Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 2:08 pm
- Has thanked: 152 times
- Been thanked: 247 times
Re: One has to go...
And what @Linuxmusician01 said - do all your mixing in Qtractor. It supports plugins and busses so you can do EQ, dynamics, effects like reverb and more. Keep it simple.
- OccinticLady
- Established Member
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 am
- Location: 127.0.0.1
- Has thanked: 194 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
What I did with my new video...sometimes, it's good that a "bad" thing comes our way
- OccinticLady
- Established Member
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 am
- Location: 127.0.0.1
- Has thanked: 194 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
Hmm, this is for the next step, if called for.
Indeed, I tried to spread the workload a bit. But...I can use the other laptop for administration...why not? I used it to make the videos, but I came to the sticky bit of the envelope of what it can do
- LAM
- Established Member
- Posts: 992
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:16 pm
- Has thanked: 141 times
- Been thanked: 349 times
Re: One has to go...
@OccinticLady
Beside the good suggestion given by @Linuxmusician01 and @sunrat, this has been already discussed in one of your topics some months ago:
viewtopic.php?p=131829#p131829
Beside the good suggestion given by @Linuxmusician01 and @sunrat, this has been already discussed in one of your topics some months ago:
viewtopic.php?p=131829#p131829
in mix, nobody can hear your screen
- OccinticLady
- Established Member
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 am
- Location: 127.0.0.1
- Has thanked: 194 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
Ow dear, I forgot about that post, sorry. A lot happened since then...LAM wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 12:42 pm @OccinticLady
Beside the good suggestion given by @Linuxmusician01 and @sunrat, this has been already discussed in one of your topics some months ago:
viewtopic.php?p=131829#p131829
- OccinticLady
- Established Member
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:04 am
- Location: 127.0.0.1
- Has thanked: 194 times
- Been thanked: 74 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
And...one of them went....
I popped a 64 bit OS on one of them and just tested. And yes...the Airwindows plugins show up!
It's kinda weird seeing only one laptop, but now I have space for more gear...
Feels like a new car...
Melissa
I popped a 64 bit OS on one of them and just tested. And yes...the Airwindows plugins show up!
It's kinda weird seeing only one laptop, but now I have space for more gear...
Feels like a new car...
Melissa
-
- Established Member
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2019 11:12 pm
- Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
- Been thanked: 11 times
Re: One has to go...
You could get another monitor and plug it into your laptop so you have two screens. Would look like having two laptops.
- Michael Willis
- Established Member
- Posts: 1460
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:27 pm
- Location: Rocky Mountains, North America
- Has thanked: 71 times
- Been thanked: 169 times
- Contact:
Re: One has to go...
Hear hear! Dual monitors are great. I split up ardour with the editor view on one monitor and the mixer on the other monitor. I don't know about where you live, but I can find a 19 inch LCD at a thrift store for $5-$10.