Issues with Sound

[Scrunchy]

Hi everyone. I am a newbie to Ableton and I am hoping someone can help me please as I am on the verge of a breakdown with a little hair left on my head .

I recently purchased Live 9 (intro) and connected it up to my audio interface, which is rigged to my laptop and mixing desk, however, although it's very clear that sound is registering on Ableton's Midi track strip I cannot hear any sound coming through the speakers and the sound is definitely going into the laptop.

I dont know if it's a setting in Ableton or the audio interface may not be connected up correctly into the mixing desk, but the laptop sound settings are set to the US-122mkii.

I am using a Mackie 24-4 mixing desk which is linked to a US-122mkii audio card (via the line out to the inserts on the mixing desk). I am also using a controller and a sampler. The 'Driver type' in Ableton audio settings is set to 'ASIO' with the 'Audio device' set to US122 and the inputs/outputs config as mono & stereo highlighted (I have tried the DX and Wave settings).

The'Midi Sync' settings are set to 'none' in each of the 3 dropdowns (my midi equipment is not listed in the 'control surface' section but the US122mkii does show under the input/output dropdowns). In the 'Midi ports' section the US122mkii is listed (but not sure whether DX or Wave should be selected), and 'track' is set to ON for both 'input and output'.

There is a 'line in' on the US-122mkii, which I hooked first into the mixing desks 'subs out' then 'aux returns & sends' but still no sound. I am not sure if this connection was correct.

I would be so grateful if someone can point me in the right direction please cause I cannot find anythin in the help section/tutorials. What should the audio settin be on Ableton and if/where does the 'line in' from the US-122mkii goes into the mixing desk (if it needs to go anywhere) please? It is so annoying that I cant use my equipment.

Thank you in advance and I apologise for the long post.

[Angstrom]

If the midi track strip has dots on the level meters you need to add a MIDI instrument, a vst or Live instrument.
What you are seeing is raw midi data. Not audio.

[outsidesys]

@Scrunchy check out the tutorials here: https://www.ableton.com/en/help/learn-live/

And start with a simple setup without the mixing desk. Once you have Live working with just your audio interface, then incorporate the mixing desk.

[Scrunchy]

Hi Again

Thank you so much for your replies Outsidesys and Angstrom.

I have looked at the tutorials and watched the videos but it does not cover what I need.

What do you mean by 'add a Midi instrument/VST/Live instrument'? Does the midi source I am using have to be selected from the 'Control surface'? If so I do not own any of those listed.

When I play sounds via my keyboard (controller) & record them into Live I can see it playing back (the strip is showing 'dots' though) but I cannot hear the sound back. My set up hasn't changed and it should still play the sound back as it does in other softwares I have used before.

I don't think it plays back the audio either but I'll try it again including your suggestions and see what happens.

Thanks again guys. All the best.
Scrunchy

[Richie Witch]

Hey Scrunchy,

The question that needs answering is: what instrument are you using on the MIDI track?

Those dots you're seeing are just data points. Your MIDI controller supplies data to the MIDI track, but unless you put a virtual instrument on that track, that data has nowhere to go.

It will look like things are happening, but there will be no sound, just as you describe.

Look in the Instruments folder in your Live browser, there won't be much in there at this point, but those are your instruments. If you have "Simpler", try loading one of its preset versions. Something like that will convert your MIDI data to sound.

[Stromkraft]

I don't think it plays back the audio either but I'll try it again including your suggestions and see what happens. :)

If you're using an external sound source expecting it to be both triggered from MIDI recordings in your MIDI track as well as heard in your mix inside Live, you also need to route the sound into the track with the "External Instrument" that you'll find under "Instruments" in the browser to the left of all tracks.
If you want to record the sound as audio, you need to make an audio track and route the sound pre-fader from the MIDI track. This is set up in the in/out section.

You are well-advised to read the manual, that I find to be excellent for getting the concepts as well as minute detail.

[Shift Gorden]

And just to double-check there is nothing else wonky going on - drag an mp3 onto a track in Ableton and hit play. Can you hear that?

When I play sounds via my keyboard (controller) & record them into Live I can see it playing back (the strip is showing 'dots' though) but I cannot hear the sound back. My set up hasn't changed and it should still play the sound back as it does in other softwares I have used before.

Like these guys have said, it sound like you're playing your controller but your not actually triggering an instrument - therefore no sound. On the MIDI channels that you are seeing stuff being recorded on but not playing back, do you have an instrument loaded on it?

[Scrunchy]

Hello again

Thank you for your responses. I have tried sounds under the Browser and I can hear the playback.

Like these guys have said, it sound like you're playing your controller but your not actually triggering an instrument - therefore no sound. On the MIDI channels that you are seeing stuff being recorded on but not playing back, do you have an instrument loaded on it?

As an example, I sample a sound (say from vinyl) into my sampler, play the sampled sound using my controller (the sound comes through loud and clear), then I record the sampled sound into one of the midi tracks in Ableton, which is triggered on the midi strip as dots.

How do I get my own sampled sounds into Ableton using MIDI platform if my controller and sampler are not listed in the control surface?

From reading all the advice given above it sounds like I am way way off????

I really appreciate all the advice given. Thanks again.
Scrunchy

[Shift Gorden]

Hello again

Thank you for your responses. I have tried sounds under the Browser and I can hear the playback.

Like these guys have said, it sound like you're playing your controller but your not actually triggering an instrument - therefore no sound. On the MIDI channels that you are seeing stuff being recorded on but not playing back, do you have an instrument loaded on it?

As an example, I sample a sound (say from vinyl) into my sampler, play the sampled sound using my controller (the sound comes through loud and clear), then I record the sampled sound into one of the midi tracks in Ableton, which is triggered on the midi strip as dots.

How do I get my own sampled sounds into Ableton using MIDI platform if my controller and sampler are not listed in the control surface?

From reading all the advice given above it sounds like I am way way off????

I really appreciate all the advice given. Thanks again.
Scrunchy

I think it's just hard to communicate stuff like this sometimes, mate! So, I think if you're hitting your controller and the lights in the midi strip are coming on, that at least means your controller is talking to Ableton. So, I don't think you need to worry about that.

Your external sampler (what you using, btw?) - so you record the sample onto that, then you're recording from the sampler into Ableton. Cool.

I don't suppose you could upload a screenshot, mate? That might make this a lot easier!

[Scrunchy]

Hi Shift Gordon

Thanks for understanding, it is hard.

I am using an emu esi 32 sampler (I know, old skool .

I don't suppose you could upload a screenshot, mate? That might make this a lot easier!

Please let me know what you need a screenshot of you need and i'll sort it out.

Thanks a lot.

[Shift Gorden]

Hi Shift Gordon

Thanks for understanding, it is hard.

I am using an emu esi 32 sampler (I know, old skool .

I don't suppose you could upload a screenshot, mate? That might make this a lot easier!

Please let me know what you need a screenshot of you need and i'll sort it out.

Thanks a lot.

You and I are from the same school it sounds like! I have an old Akai S2000 and a Yamaha A5000 in the garage, mate! Awesome!

I think just a screen shot of your session view so I can see how you have your tracks set up, mate. I've got a feeling there is some funky routing going on mate!

[Stromkraft]

How do I get my own sampled sounds into Ableton using MIDI platform if my controller and sampler are not listed in the control surface?

From reading all the advice given above it sounds like I am way way off????

What is that you want to do? Record MIDI and play back sounds in your external sampler trough and from Live OR is it move the individual samples (i e the small recorded audio bits making up a sound patch), from this external sampler to Live? Nothing you have said before indicates the latter.

As I understand what you're saying you have been able to record MIDI from the Sampler keyboard into a MIDI track in Live, but you can't get it to playback sound from the Sampler back into into Live. Correct?

If this is true all you need is to route the sound from the external instrument into Live.

[Stromkraft]

What you want in the MIDI preferences is your MIDI interface US-122MKII to show up and be set up as a controller. This is explained here:

14.3 External MIDI In/Out

After this you need to set up the audio route from the audio interface inputs that takes the audio outs from your mixing board (or Sampler). I'm assuming the Sampler is connected to one channel "X" in your mixing board and this channel "X" is set to an audio interface channel in your mixer with a pre-assigned number probably just by pressing a button on the mixer connecting this channel to its' own audio interface channel (if the mixer is the audio interface, if not the you do the same in the Tascam US-122MKII, i e route the sound to a channel), and this audio channel you can choose in Live preferences. This is explained here in the previous section (Read the whole chapter):

14.2 External Audio In/Out

After this in order to get sound into the Live mixer the audio channel needs to be routed to the MIDI track you're using. This is done with "External Instrument" and is explained here:
24.4 External Instrument.

After this you need to either arm the track for recording, as explained here:
16.2 Arming (Record-Enabling) Tracks or just change the I/O setting of the track to "in" as explained here: 14.1 Monitoring

[Scrunchy]

Hi everyone

YEEESSSSSS!!!! I can now hear sound from midi playback

I took the advice from all your posts, stripped everythin back and started again (out of Keyboard/controller into audio interface midi in, sampler midi in to audio interface midi out, with sampler into mixing desk).

I noticed that I then could not hear sound from my sampler when I pressed the controller, which was the opposite to what was happening before (could hear midi playin/registering into laptop but could not hear it playing back through speakers).

One thing I tried which I did not try before was press the 'in' button on the midi strip, then the sound from my controller/sampler came through when I pressed the keys. Hope this all makes sense.

There seems to be a bit of a delay and slight feedback when pressing the controller, but Im sure that can be sorted with a few tweaks here and there.

Thank you sooooo much every single one of you guys for all your help and advice. I really really appreciate it. I dont know what I would have done without your input.

All the best and thanks again.
Scrunchy

[Shift Gorden]

Hi everyone

YEEESSSSSS!!!! I can now hear sound from midi playback

I took the advice from all your posts, stripped everythin back and started again (out of Keyboard/controller into audio interface midi in, sampler midi in to audio interface midi out, with sampler into mixing desk).

I noticed that I then could not hear sound from my sampler when I pressed the controller, which was the opposite to what was happening before (could hear midi playin/registering into laptop but could not hear it playing back through speakers).

One thing I tried which I did not try before was press the 'in' button on the midi strip, then the sound from my controller/sampler came through when I pressed the keys. Hope this all makes sense.

There seems to be a bit of a delay and slight feedback when pressing the controller, but Im sure that can be sorted with a few tweaks here and there.

Thank you sooooo much every single one of you guys for all your help and advice. I really really appreciate it. I dont know what I would have done without your input.

All the best and thanks again.
Scrunchy

YUSS!!!!! Good job, mate! So you toggled in the input button on the track and BOOM! ESI32 and Ableton in the house!

Glad you figured it out, mate