can't freaking moniter...

[himynameistweek]

when i'm recording, it's these 2 buttons on my mixer that are giving me trouble... "2 tk to mix" and "2 tk to control room". if i have mix pushed down and control room up, it moniters everything and i can hear what i'm recording, but everything i'm hearing is what goes onto the new track. every track i've recorded. if i have control room down and mix up, i hear the other tracks but not what i'm trying to record. only what i'm trying to record gets recorded. if i have both down, i can hear the other stuff, and not what i'm recording, and everything gets recorded. if i have both up, i can hear and record myself, but not the other tracks. i know this is a little hard to understand, but any help is greatly appreciated.

[airborne50caliber]

help with what? you didn't ask a question.

They are monitor controls to route the 2 track RCA input to different busses.

[himynameistweek]

i'm trying to figure out how to moniter what i'm playing and the other tracks, without recording it all on one track. I want to hear everything, but just record what i'm playing.

[airborne50caliber]

aux sends, buddy, aux sends. your mixer certainly has at least 1. It will do. Make sure its "pre-fader". each aux send has a row of pots, 1 on each channel. You will use these to construct a monitor mix, while the large faders construct the mix you are recording.

So connect up all your stuff, if you want to monitor from a tape deck or something then connect up your tape deck to a stereo channel. Now turn up the aux send 1 pots for all the channels you want to monitor. Only the channels with the large faders open will record.

[himynameistweek]

edit: ok, so my aux sends are letting me hear what i'm trying to record. now how can i listen to the other stuff without recording it?

[airborne50caliber]

1. bring up aux send 1 pots on all channels you want to HEAR.
2. bring up faders on all channels you want to RECORD.

[himynameistweek]

ok, each channel has aux A pre and aux B post.i have an aux send a and aux send B. whichever one i'm trying to use to moniter, if i turn up the pre knob, i can hear what i'm trying to record. the post knob does't do anything.

[airborne50caliber]

post means post-fader, which means the signal is picked up after the fader. You are not hearing anything because the fader is closed. what you want is the aux A pre. Turn up the knobs for aux A pre on any channel you want to hear in the headphones, and open the faders for anything you want to record. Stick your phones in the aux A output.

[himynameistweek]

i'm only using one channel... i'm just trying to record one thing, and listen to the stuff that's on my computer, already recorded. i want to hear what's already recorded on my computer along with what i'm playing.

[himynameistweek]

by the way, it's an alesis USB8 mixer.

[airborne50caliber]

you are really not someone who takes initiative. I hope you have figured out how to monitor what's already playing in audacity or whatever while you're recording.

OK, assuming you have that done.

1. CONNECT YOUR COMPUTER TO STEREO CHANNEL 5/6 ON YOUR MIXER (Via a stereo minijack to 2xRCA with 2 RCA-->1/4 TS adaptors or whatever otherway you want)

2. Connect the stuff you are playing to CHANNEL 1. Now you have TWO channels. One with the stuff you want to record (1), one with the stuff coming from the computer(5/6).

3. Bring up BOTH the big blue level pot AND the red aux send A pre pot on channel 1.

4. bring up ONLY the red aux send A pre pot on the stereo channel 5/6.

5. Connect your headphones to the Aux Sends A output jack.

6. Connect your MAIN MIX OUTS to your computer INPUTS.

Now play the instrument, only the instrument on channel 1 will get recorded but you will hear everything that is already on the computer in your headphones as well.

[himynameistweek]

the mixer has a USB port that i use, i was hoping that would be the only connection i would need. that's why i'm all conused.

[airborne50caliber]

I don't know anything about deriving audio signals from usb inputs, just try if what I said works.

[himynameistweek]

it looks like it will, now i just have to figure out how to get a stereo 1/8" into 2 1/4". shouldn't be too bad though. thanks for all your patience and such.

[airborne50caliber]

nah no problem, I see the point you had with the usb.

http://service.pcconnection.com/images/inhouse/463844.jpg

with these two

http://www.midweststereo.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/hosgpr_101_L.jpg

will do it.

[himynameistweek]

yesterday i went to radio shack and got 1/4" mono - 2 1/4" mono. of course i meant to get 1/4" stereo - 2 monos, i'll exchange it next time i'm around there. i already had a 1/8" - 1/4" stereo adaptor.

edit: post 666. woo.

[airborne50caliber]

i think you should be going for 1/8 stereo to 2 1/4 monos

[himynameistweek]

yeah, i looked and i couldn't find one, so i'm just going to use 1/8 stereo to 1/4 stereo, then the 1/4 stereo to 2 1/4 monos