Audio leaks on track I am recording to

[DEXTERITY]

Hi,

I am using Pro Tools LE 6.4 on a Macintosh dual 2.0 G5. I am recording from a CD player (or turntable - technics 1200) through a mackie mixer onto a stereo audio track. For some reason I am noticing whatever track I have audio recorded on leaks on to the track I am presently trying to record to. For instance, if I have a song on track 1 and goto record on track two, some of the audio on track 1 will show up in the levels on track 2 (almost like if had the headphones turned up while doing vocals and they bled onto the track) when I engage the record button but don't actually start recording (hope that makes sense).

I have the latest upgrade for LE but have yet to install it as everything is going well so far with 6.4 and I dont want to risk anything going wrong in the middle of a current project. Am I doing something wrong or is this fixed in 6.7?


I have all the audio from my mackie routed to the mic/line inputs 1-2. I am mostly working on remixes and mix CD's so I don't need each individually sound on a seperate track. I simply go through the same input and select which track I want the audio on..


Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.

[David Klausner]

Which Digi interface are you using, and are you taking the main outs on the Mackie into your Digi interface? Do you have anything else (like an output from the Digi interface) routed into the Mackie? What you are experiencing is certainly not common in ProTools, and I think it's probably more likely that there is crosstalk somewhere in the hardware.

BTW, when you just want to import audio from a CD, you can put it in the CD drive on your computer and use the "import audio to track" feature.

[DEXTERITY]

I am using the digi 002. I am running the main outs from the mackie to the 1 and 2 inputs on the digi 002. Then I dump out of pro tools to channels 3 and 4 on the mackie (sub out). I am aware of importing from the CD directly. Thanks for mentioning it, but I was pitching the shift up on some songs to beat match. Wish there was a plug in that handled that. It is so much faster just importing everything.

appreciate your help, hopefully I supplied you with enough info to help me.. thanks again

[David Klausner]

I suspect the leakage is from the Mackie. How do you have signals routed within it? Also, what is it giving you that the Digi002 is not - meaning, why don't you plug the CD player directly into the Digi002?

[DEXTERITY]

I have everything (turntables, akai mpc2000, cd player, etc) going through the different line balanced inputs. I then have the main outs of the mackie going into the digi 002. but no matter what I unplugg, mute, etc I can still see the bleed if I engage record but aren't actually recording within protools.

I don't really have a reason as to why I am not plugged directly into the 002 other than I dont always want to have my computer on in order to work on music and It is easier to go through the mackie and stay more organized. I wonder where the problem is.. thanks again..

[dpd]

I know this is really stupid, but do you have the panning set 100% left on track one and 100% right on track two?

[DEXTERITY]

it's not stupid. I am using stereo audio tracks. Track one has left and right panned 100% left and right and track two has the same..

I still can't trace the leak. I have unplugged everything and muted everything. I dont get how it can bleed from a track if I am only recording one thing in at a time and one track is playing the other is recording. I am monitoring through the headphones so I can hear track 1 as I record track two. Is it possible I have the i/o's routed incorrectly although I didn't really change anything..

[David Klausner]

Do you have the output of the Digi002 going into the Mackie? If so, how is it routed within the mixer?

[lvjazzman]

Can you hear what is bleeding or are you just seeing the meters dance a little during silence in the recording track? It may just be the meters reading some line noise in the input from the mixer. It doesnt take much to see it in the meters, even if you cant hear it.

[DEXTERITY]

Hi,

I narrowed it down to this. If the mackie is off it does not bleed at all. However, when I turn on the mixer I will see track one bleed onto track two in pro tools. So if I have track one playing and select record in track two, but don't actually record yet I see the levels bouncing a little bit. I only hear it if I actually record and do not record anything on top of it. However, it is very low and I do not hear it if I record something on track two. But I guess this isn't good because it is still recording into the music at some level?


If I unplugg the main balanced/unbalanced out (goes into 002) the bleed stops. If I unplug the 3/4 input of the mackie the bleed stops. Muting or deselecting the sub 3/4 mix or main/mix , nor muting any channels fixes the problem.


edit.. oh crap.. If I turn down the master on the mackie it stops. omg.. what an idiot.. but I have to have it turned down. Muting does not help at all..

Does anyone think I should re-record everything. I honestly do not hear it on top of a song, but I am paranoid.. thanks for all your help and time.

[lvjazzman]

I wouldn't worry about it. It sounds like it is the noise floor of the Mackie mixer you are seeing/hearing. If it doesn't bug you when there is recorded material on top of it, then leave it. It doesn' t sound like it is too loud from what you describe.

[DEXTERITY]

thanks again for the help. appreciate it..