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I have no idea what I'm doing...

Sponson Thrisby

Sponson Thrisby

Feb 15, 2019
461
839
#1
First, I must apologize for my ignorance: I know nothing about recording stuff, DAWs, plugins, etc. I've always been an analog hardware guy - instrument to pedal to amp with cables. TBH, I'm not sure I even understand the terminology at this stage.

A while back I bought a used Roland Quad-Capture from a friend's son. I have yet to be able to figure out how to get the sound from it to come out of my computer speakers. I can get the software to show that it's getting a signal, but getting noise out has gone nowhere. A test in Windows sound setup will play back, but I can't get live sound.
It looks like I need some kind of amp sim or DAW or something, but I'm not really interested in putting out significant money until I know it's something I'm going to want to do. Also, I'm not going to need pro level stuff with a million channels or anything. If I do end up composing someday, I'll deal with that then. For now, I'd just like something simple and cheap so I can muck around with basic effects on my PC.

What do I need? What's a good value whatever-that-is?

Thanks in advance.
 
#3
EvilJ said:
Did you install the drivers? There are some downloads for this on the Roland site.
An amp sim won't help.
Click to expand...
Yes, latest driver is installed. The Quad-Capture Control Panel shows bars on the preamp and mixer side when I play, but no sound coming through the computer speakers. The QC is connected via USB cable. It appears in the Windows sound settings, selected as input, with speakers as output.

Weird thing: I can go into sound devices troubleshooting and do a "microphone test", which will audibly play back after. So it's getting the signal, but won't send it to the speakers live.
 
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#6
Absolutely check for sound coming out of the headphone and other outputs on the unit as @EvilJ said. Do the same with an audio file on your computer. Will it play back a file through the unit or the computer speakers? It could be a routing issue.
Don't let this stuff intimidate you. It is very similar to plugging stuff in with cables. You are just telling the computer to do the cable connections.
 
#7
EvilJ said:
Do you have speakers or headphones connected to the Roland?
Click to expand...
No. The only headset I have is USB and connected to the computer. Likewise, the only speakers are through the PC sound. There is definitely signal getting to the PC, just not getting out through the speakers.
Using the built in Windows sound recorder, I can definitely record and play back. Just need to figure out how to output a live signal, as I play.

Edit: found in the troubleshooting section of the manual that the Q-C does not play back through the computer speakers - that's just the way it works. Dang.
Maybe through some other software like a DAW or amp simulator?
 
Last edited:
#10
Hopefully you figured out a setup that works for you by now - but to add my 2¢:
I would suggest live monitoring via a DAW if there isn’t a proprietary software offered by Roland.
As MonetBass mentioned, you can use Audacity for a free, simple setup that isn’t hard to use. Reaper is a great choice also.
You could also download the trial version of FL Studio, in which you will open up your mixer, select any channel (or master), select your Roland as input (Microsoft Default should work too if you don’t have another input connected)
Arm the recording and bam - you should have live, clean audio. I do this with my Roland SP404 and Boutique modules all the time as its easier to setup/tear down for me.

Best of luck!
 
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#11
Still no luck.
Installed Audacity. Started a new mono track. "armed" it by record, pause. Getting input bars when I play, but no sound from computer. However, if I record I can hear the playback just fine.
I've tried every combination in the audio settings for host, recording device, playback device with no result.
Also tried playback through my USB headphones - no result there either.
 
#13
Sponson Thrisby said:
Still no luck.
Installed Audacity. Started a new mono track. "armed" it by record, pause. Getting input bars when I play, but no sound from computer. However, if I record I can hear the playback just fine.
I've tried every combination in the audio settings for host, recording device, playback device with no result.
Also tried playback through my USB headphones - no result there either.
Click to expand...
I could be wrong, but I don’t think Audacity offers live monitoring when not recording. You have to be recording to actively hear your input.
REAPER or FL Studio evaluation copies, among others i’m sure, will allow for live playback without recording or hogging your computer’s resources in my experience.

Reaper is a lighter-weight program, a little harder to use but if your sole goal is live monitoring it will do just fine.
To set up for this: Open Reaper, press Ctrl+T to insert a track, and arm it for recording by clicking the icon on the track. You should be able to hear your device at this point, and nothing else should be needed

Verify your desired output (headphones or speakers) is selected by clicking the speaker icon in your taskbar>mixer icon. Reaper should inherit this selection without having to manually select within the program

If you’re still having trouble, I can help walk you through it or do it side-by-side with you. Can be a pain to set up but it’s like riding a bike once you get it figured out
Best of luck!!
 
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#14
Ok, Reaper did it! I'm getting "live" sound out. But with latency. I've turned down the Roland's buffer size to minimum, and the smallest buffer and samples Reaper will take before distorting. Down to 46ms, according to Reaper. I certainly notice it while playing, but better than it started with.
There are probably some other settings to tweak as well.
 
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#15
Sponson Thrisby said:
Ok, Reaper did it! I'm getting "live" sound out. But with latency. I've turned down the Roland's buffer size to minimum, and the smallest buffer and samples Reaper will take before distorting. Down to 46ms, according to Reaper. I certainly notice it while playing, but better than it started with.
There are probably some other settings to tweak as well.
Click to expand...
There are efficiency settings in your computer operating system that you can change to help that. I don't remember how, but I'm sure there is a video on YouTube for that. For Reaper tutorials Kenny Gioia's channel "Reaper Mania" is excellent.
 
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#16
Sponson Thrisby said:
Ok, Reaper did it! I'm getting "live" sound out. But with latency. I've turned down the Roland's buffer size to minimum, and the smallest buffer and samples Reaper will take before distorting. Down to 46ms, according to Reaper. I certainly notice it while playing, but better than it started with.
There are probably some other settings to tweak as well.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear it’s working better now!
Try switching your Asio within Reaper to WASAPI or download Asio4All if you don’t have either of them already. It should lower latency drastically. Double check your Windows Task Manager to make sure no other programs are eating your CPU.

If you end up wanting to dive deeper into setting up your digital workstation and this doesn’t get you a desirable (or at least lower) latency, I would recommend getting an audio interface. Doesn’t need to be anything crazy or expensive - just something to pick up the slack and lighten the load on your computer. Most of them nowadays have their own ASIO drivers and are able to process audio separately from your computer, and do a better job at it. If you’re only interested in live monitoring, there should be ways to get by without them though.
 
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