I have a major confusion with the Wami Rack about input monitoring.
The usermanual states:
"Outputs go to Output ports 1,2/3,4/5,6/7,8 directly as you set on your application, unless you click the MONIT button above the Output1,2 fader to activate input monitor function through the Output1,2 ports. Even in Input Monitoring mode, rests of the output channels are still in direct out mode."
"Another relay is operated by the Monit button, which routes the input signals with zero latency directly to analogue outputs 1 and 2 when lit, while any playback signals sent to these outputs are also mixed in."
My question is that during input monitoring, are the Outputs 1 and 2 available as outputs or not. If not, does this essential mean that only 6 analog outputs are available to be fed to, say, a mixer? But on the other hand if these are available as outputs then I am unable to understand the SOS review statement above.
The way I read it, you can either use 1 & 2 as simple outputs from software or you can, by use of the "MONIT button," mix the input into whatever is playing on 1 & 2. So, either you get simple program playback on 1 & 2 OR you get program playback plus input monitoring, your choice. If nothing is playing on 1 & 2 from within the computer, the MONIT button will allow you to just monitor the input via outputs 1 & 2.
Thanks Andy but still unclear. Would love to have pointwise answers if possible.
1. I am totally confused as to what is really possible. Say I want to record 2 or 4 inputs into the WR and want to do input monitoring to know what I am actually recording. When I am recording I do not need the eight outs but only two outs 1 and 2 which I will use to monitor inputs through switching in software. So if I were to record 4 inputs at a time, I should still be monitoring these 4 inputs through 1 and 2 outputs, right?
2. In that case what could you mean by program playback + input monitoring? Do you mean stuff already pre-existing on the HDD which will play along with any inputs that are being recorded?
3. And if I were playing back to record 8 outs from the interface to another recorder (or mixer), how do I monitor those eight outs? Through outs 1 and 2 or at the XLR monitors?
The most common input monitoring is of a mix of all the input tracks on just two output channels. So the answer to your first question is yes.
Apart from other options that external hardware might give you, such as a mixer in front of the soundcard, the two means of getting monitoring access to the input signal(s) is through the soundcard’s control panel or through software monitoring from the recording program -- if the recording programs supports that. An external soundcard may include hardware mixer facilities to allow direct access of the input(s) in addition to, or instead of, through its driver control panel.
The soundcard’s control panel (or its hardware switches) may allow you to easily switch individual tracks into and out of that monitoring mix without effecting what is going to the recording applications, thus allowing you to focus on particular inputs.
The same facility can usually be done via the recording application in those programs that provide software input monitoring. There are generally controls to mute any given track(s) or to sole an individual track, muting all others.
You interpretation is correct for question 2. It is very common to listen to already recorded tracks as you record new ones. That monitoring often includes the new input mixed into the prerecorded playback, depending upon your needs.
I am not familiar with your soundcard and I have not had a need to transfer multi-track recordings to other devices, so there may be considerations that are not occurring to me. Exactly what you should or could do depends on what you need to accomplish.
If those eight tracks are to be transferred to another devices as eight individual tracks, there must be an additional output pair for monitoring purposes or there is no way to gain access. Possibly you can monitor from the destination device or if there is an external mixer in that playback chain, it should provide some monitoring facilities that are independent of the soundcard and playback application. If those eight tracks are to be transferred as a stereo mix, then you can monitor on the normal monitoring channels.
One might also ask why you need to monitor a transfer. Are you making interactive adjustments in levels, EQ, or some other characteristics during the transfer. Does the computer have playback problems that you must be on guard against? Without those considerations, the transfer is a static operations. Once things are set up correctly, you should always get the same result. It is the same kind of considerations as monitoring the write to CD-R, it just isn’t something to do.
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