[SOLVED] Qtractor recording from plugin synths doesn't work

[HosAdeeb]

Hi there,
In spite of reading Qtractor's manual, I can't find a way to export audio from my tracks, all using internal/plugin synths. In the manual, it's claimed that in modern version of Qtractor (I'm using the latest), one wouldn't need to insert busses or anything. Still, all I get a .wav file, the size of which matches the composition's length, but which contains just silence!

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Hosam Adeeb Nashed

[bluebell]

Hi there,
In spite of reading Qtractor's manual, I can't find a way to export audio from my tracks, all using internal/plugin synths. In the manual, it's claimed that in modern version of Qtractor (I'm using the latest), one wouldn't need to insert busses or anything. Still, all I get a .wav file, the size of which matches the composition's length, but which contains just silence!

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Hosam Adeeb Nashed

Why not simply recording audio from Master Out, e.g. with Audacity?

[HosAdeeb]

I did contemplate this route, but I found out that Audacity simply doesn't work through JACK. I can't even bounce the MIDI tracks on to an Audio track from within Qtractor, for the same reasons.

[bluebell]

I did contemplate this route, but I found out that Audacity simply doesn't work through JACK. I can't even bounce the MIDI tracks on to an Audio track from within Qtractor, for the same reasons.

Works fine here for over 10 years. Maybe you have a version of Audacity without jack support.

You can use jack_rec, too:
jack_rec -b32 -d10000 -f your_recorded_file.wav Qtractor:Master/out_1 Qtractor:Master/out_2

Do you get any audio output out of Qtractor when playing your songs?

[HosAdeeb]

I'm so sorry, you're absolutely right! I just discovered that Audacity needs to get launched while JACK is running for it to consider using it. So, yes it could be an option. I'll try using it.

[HosAdeeb]

Do you get any audio output out of Qtractor when playing your songs?

Qtractor plays my music just fine. It's only when I try to export my MIDI tracks to audio that no data is recorded.

[HosAdeeb]

OK, I've just tried recording to Audacity, and still nothing gets recorded.

Within Qtractor, the Audio Master Input shows all activity, but not the Audio Output, though. The MIDI Output is active, of course. Audacity now uses JACK, business as usual, but seems to get nothing as input.

[HosAdeeb]

Furthermore, on trying to put a Reverb plugin, I can hear no effect at all if I put it, as mentioned in the manual, within the MIDI Master out. The plugin even doesn't seem to get any input! But when I tried to move it into the Audio Master In, it could sense the audio signal.

This is driving me mad! Qtractor is plying the music, I can hear it alright! But the sound doesn't get anywhere but to my speakers!

[HosAdeeb]

At least, as the Audio Master In is receiving audio, I could finally record the whole composition to a new audio track.

Still, the fact that Qtractor is still unable to mix down all track using JACK freewheel mode, as expected when the MIDI tracks are internal plugin synths, signals something is wrong...

Besides, for me to reach the current situation, I needed to connect each individual MIDI track to the Audio Master In manually, which doesn't seem to hear "system"!

I have no idea what I'm missing here...

[bluebell]

OK, I've just tried recording to Audacity, and still nothing gets recorded.

Within Qtractor, the Audio Master Input shows all activity, but not the Audio Output, though. The MIDI Output is active, of course. Audacity now uses JACK, business as usual, but seems to get nothing as input.

With "recording" I meant playing your song with Qtractor, so that you can hear it, and recording this audio with Audacity.
You have to connect Audacity to Qtractor's Master out or using my jack_rec snippet.

[rncbc]

..., for me to reach the current situation, I needed to connect each individual MIDI track to the Audio Master In manually, which doesn't seem to hear "system"!

what's that for? how can you even connect each individual MIDI track to the Audio Master In manually ???

this makes no sense.

please start over from the simpler scenario:

• have all MIDI tracks with instrument plugins send their audio signal to default audio Master Out bus; check on each MIDI track plugin menu > Audio > Master Out, don't let anything else for now, most importantly do not use dedicated outputs, again for now.
• connect audio Master Outs to system::playback ports and Audacity input ports; you can now try playback and recording in Audacity;
• if that worked out as expected you can retry Track > Export Tracks > Audio... again, remembering to select the audio Master Out bus as the single output, of course; the resulting export file should be analogous to the one you got on Audacity, just way faster to produce.

hth.

[HosAdeeb]

Either from within Qtractor or Qjackctl, these are the only available Ins & Outs. Any one track's out can only be connected to the Master In (manually here, as they are all automatically connected to the system audio playback).

In the screenshot attached, I've been using external synths, but the audio connections in the case of internal, plugin synths are no different at all. That was what I meant in my description above.

[rncbc]

it's kinda interesting that you have several audio output buses named after "Master" something... you even have one of those output buses cleverly named as "Master In" ? (preposterous isn't it?)

please go with the suggested dumbed down plan: get rid of all buses but leave only the original default "Master" ones; have all your MIDI tracks with instrument plugins reset to Audio > Master as output, if not already (the real one, not those dang doppelgangers you made up, which you shall have deleted by now, if you're still following the plan)

remember to save as a different session file as needed to go back where you left off last time, just in case.
hth.

[HosAdeeb]

Please, note that none of the busses in the screenshot were of my making! It was Qtractor that made them: two for each track, and the other "Masters" as well. I didn't manually add any busses. I just tried to connect the outputs from the MIDI tracks to the Audio Master In, as a last resort, to get a signal. And it did work within Qtractor: I was indeed able to record the whole piece of music on a newly added audio track, albeit in the old way.

[bluebell]

Please, note that none of the busses in the screenshot were of my making! It was Qtractor that made them: two for each track, and the other "Masters" as well. I didn't manually add any busses. I just tried to connect the outputs from the MIDI tracks to the Audio Master In, as a last resort, to get a signal. And it did work within Qtractor: I was indeed able to record the whole piece of music on a newly added audio track, albeit in the old way.

This looks very strange. Maybe you should rename or delete ~/.config/rncbc.org/Qtractor.conf and try with a new song.