Basic routing with Ableton Live help

[JosephWhtrz]

Hi - I've hunted around for this and can't find anything. Does anyone have any resources for getting starting with routing audio to and from Live? I can't find any actual resources on this.

I'm completely new to working with mixers and that kind of routing. I cannot, for the life of me, work out how to route audio to and from Live.

Any resources on the basics of audio routing around the actual desk itself would be good as well, as what I'm doing doesn't make much sense.

EDIT - Figured out the routing to Live, but not back again. How do I set it up so that the audio going through the main is feeding back into Live's Master channel and not just through my monitors?

Thanks!

 

[shredd]

Suggest starting with the "sticky threads" at the top of the ModelXX category? Note that this will require "effort on your part"!

Or...perhaps...some relevant resource might help you figure it out??

 

[JosephWhtrz]

Wow, wildly uphelpful. Thanks. @shredd,

 

[-mjk-]

@JosephWhtrz so, none of the stick threads helped you?

 

[JosephWhtrz]

@-mjk-, No, sorry. I know you've put them together to be a useful resource, but when you are new to the product and have a really specific question, having to hunt through hours of irrelevant info isn't very helpful, especially when you don't really know what you're looking for.

It's a simple enough question - how do I get multitrack info from the mixer back to Live? And no one can answer it. I've watched countless videos where they do it, but its always with a different DAW. I've messaged youtubers, no response. I've emailed Tascam, no reply. I've out a post up on Reddit, and had users confirm that I should be able to do it, and my settings (the mixer, Windows and Live) all look right and yet it isn't working. I cannot send audio from the mixer back to Live, either as a Main out from the mixer, or as multitracks.

What am I supposed to do? Take some redditors' advice and take it back and swap it for a Mackie?

 

[Mark Richards]

I'm not an owner of the Model series nor a user of Ableton Live; but I do know what's required for successful troubleshooting.

As frustrating for you as this must be, 99% of the time these kinds of issues are user error.

To be of any help, we need to know the specifical details, starting with:
* The Model mixer you own;
* The installed firmware version;
* The version of the TASCAM interface software you've installed;
* The computer platform (model)
* The operating system and version;
* The version number of Ableton Live;
* The quality of the USB cable that connects the mixer and the computer directly; and

Once that's been established, you need to describe, step by step:
* The specific detailed process you've followed to set up your Model mixer, referencing from where in the owner manual you've obtained the information (so we can follow along); and
* The specific detailed process you've followed to set up Ableton Live.

That's how troubleshooting gets done.

With that information, any members using your Model mixer and Ableton Live will have a firm basis for evaluating and diagnosing your issue.

The rest who use the Model series but do not use Ableton Live may be able to make an educated guess that could prove helpful.

Hopefully, someone here can help resolve this for you.

EDIT
@JosephWhtrz , Have you watched the Ableton Live related video and any of the videos addressing PC interfacing in the "Information and Tutorials" sticky thread, even if not specific to your Model?

If you've "done everything right" with no joy, then it's reasonable to conclude something has been missed in the process, which is why we need you to list all the steps you've taken with your mixer, and not just say you followed chapters 10 and 11 of the manual.

Most likely you've got a switch, button, knob, or menu setting in the wrong position; which is a common error easily overlooked by the user, but easily spotted by someone else reviewing the steps you've taken. This is particularly true for sending multitrack from the mixer to the DAW.

 

[JosephWhtrz]

Hi, ok here are the details.
Model - Model 16
Firmware version - 1.33, the latest one.
Tascam interface version - 1.20, again, the latest one.
Platform - PC, Windows 11 Home, 22631.3737
DAW - Live 12.0.10
I'm not sure what you mean by "the quality of the USB cable", sorry.

I've set up the mixer in the same way as any other interface, following the steps in chapters 10 and 11 of the manual, which deal with USB/interface setup.

In Live, again, I've used it like any other interface. Choosing the Model 16 as the Audio Device, allowing use of all the stereo ins and outs. I can send multitrack audio out from Live to the mixer, but I can't get anything back.

I've posted screenshots of the windows audio settings, every audio setting in Live and the interface settings on Reddit and had it confirmed that they all look right. I'm totally willing to concede that its user error, as people obviously have no issue with setting this up, but I can't figure it out, and nothing I'm reading or watching is helping.

 

[-mjk-]

I'm not sure what you mean by "the quality of the USB cable", sorry.

Oh man, not only do USB cables go bad, they are not all created equal. That is one of the first things I check (by replacement) when troubleshooting USB related issues.

 

[JosephWhtrz]

@-mjk-, No, its not the USB cable. I've now been told by Tascam that this isn't possible at all despite finding videos of people doing it online.

Can anyone at least help me route the main out back into Live?

 

[Max Relic]

Though I don't like guesswork troubleshooting due to missing details, here are my two cents.

Does this paragraph apply to your case?

 

[Mark Richards]

@Max Relic , So it's possible setting the mixer to "MTR", and the menu choice to "multi input", might send the signals on the mixer channel inputs via USB from the MTR to the D.A.W.

That's something a user might easily overlook, and not be obvious to us when informed by a user that all steps in the OM were followed.

I think that's a good example of why it's important, when requesting troubleshooting help, for a user to write out sequentially each step taken when asking for help.

The OP logged in a few hours after your post last week, but hasn't returned since, so no clue if that resolved the OP's problem.

 

[Max Relic]

@Mark Richards, According to the manual it should be so. I'll have to check it myself for a confirmation.

 

[Mark Richards]

I was just watching post #20 in the "Tutorial and Informational Videos" sticky thread (this is one of the original Model 24 demo videos made by Sweetwater).

In this demonstration (starting at about 5:25) the tracks had been recorded on the Model 24; the SD card was moved to the computer; the tracks imported from the SD card to ProTools (to apply automation, plug-ins, etc. if desired); then using ProTools as a playback engine, the processed tracks were returned to the Model 24 channel strip inputs for analog mixdown on the Model 24.

If the menu choice option doesn't work for the OP, then the Sweetwater hybrid process seems simple to implement; and it makes sense since the 16 and 24 aren't control surfaces and the Mode switch only selects the source of the channel input signal.

 

[Max Relic]

@Mark Richards, bring SD data to the computer is indeed a pragmatic solution but the OP question remains open. Today I spent some time experimenting with my Model 12 connected to the iMac and had to go back and forth to the manual and the block diagram several times to make it work with Ableton. What I found is that in order to send recorded multitrack data from the M12 to Ableton tracks (1 to 1, 2 to 2, 3 to 3 and so on) I had to set the USB send point to POST-COMP; failing to do this (as I usually keep the Mixer Send Point set to PRE-COMP) results in no signal from the track when the Source switch is set to MTR; flipping the switch to LIVE sends the signal at the input according to the block diagram, but the MTR position is silent. Enough to keep me thinking for a while, I suppose.
Back to the Model 16/24, their USB Send Point is placed POST-COMP, PRE-EQ but primarily before the Source switch, so I don't see a way to send individual recorded tracks over USB. At least according to the block diagram.

 

[-mjk-]

Wow!

 

[Max Relic]

Due update: the Model 12 works as expected, a quick email exchange with TASCAM support vanished any doubt. Clearly I was overlooking two small labels (per-channel) in the block diagram that indicates separated send points for USB and REC data... they eluded me until I zoomed the pdf to a level I could no longer ignore them
This table acquired new sense to my eyes:


Live and learn

 

[Max Relic]

@JosephWhtrz, if you are still around it would be nice to hear from you.

 

[-mjk-]

Nice work, @Max Relic.

 

[Max Relic]

Thank you, @-mjk-
The more I learn about the Model series, the more I appreciate the depth of thought of TASCAM in designing music gear. They know how to do it.