Model 12 Stereo headphone mix from PC return

[20consenses]

Hey all,

Recently picked up the model 12, and it seems really great, but this issue is bugging me. I set up my monitors on the sub mix and downloaded the usb driver and everything sounds normal. However, when I use my headphones in reaper im not getting the true stereo monitor. I had a mono track solo'd and when I pan L-R I still get the sound in both of my headphones, whereas when I use my monitors it pans normally. I know I must be missing something here, any ideas??

 

[Hammarlund]

Have you checked your PFL / AFL settings?

 

[20consenses]

I believe so, unless there are more options under the hood than just the buttons. I have two channels of PC return coming in channels one and two. I also tried routing the output to a stereo track (9/10), but it still gives the L/R center panned and the pan knobs on the model 12 don't affect the audio in the phones. Is there a way to use the onboard panning for monitoring?

 

[20consenses]

Thanks @Hammarlund, it was indeed PFL/AFL settings

 

[Chanel Cochrane]

Hi all,

I have recently purchased the Model 12 and I am getting the exactly same issue as 20consenses. I tried changing the settings of PFL/AFL as suggesting but it doesn't seem to solve my issue. It seems I only get mono in my headphones using it through the main> I even tried using it as an Aux 1 send but no luck.

I'll be honest and say I am a rookie engineer studying my degree and the change from a little focusrite has been challenging but I am getting there This is the last issue I hope LOL

I looked through most of the forum post and this is the only one I could find with a similar issue.

I'm in the middle of an audio mixing assignment and desperately need to be able to hear stereo in my headphones so any help would be a life saver please!

 

[AltTuning]

The only time I've been able to hear stereo in the headphone output is via the Master bus -- i.e. the PFL/AFL light is off. If I switch the headphones over to the AUX 1/2 buses or use the Solo bus I get an mono signal in my headphones (I actually use this intentionally to check my mix in mono).

One thing I just tested is changing the Solo bus setting from the default Pre-Fader-Listen (live-mixter-like behavior) to Solo-In-Place (DAW-like-behavior). When in the default PFL the signal is mono -- which makes sense because the pan setting is part of the fader section and you're listening to the signal before the pan. When in SIP however, the Solo bus sends stereo to the headphones via the Master bus.

This still doesn't help the mix-minus challenge, so I'll have to live with the mono AUX 1 bus when I need mix minus for Zoom calls (or run my headphones through the sub bus) since the SIP solo mode takes over the master bus output like it does in a DAW.

 

[-mjk-]

It's normal to use an Aux bus for special feeds like mix-minus (that's what Aux buses are for). Put everything you want to send to Zoom on that bus and keep the sources that are not going to Zoom on your stereo bus for monitoring.

There seems to be some confusion with headphone monitoring on the Model 12. The headphone source is selectable. From the user manual, Page 14:

"PHONES jack (1/2) Use this standard stereo jack to connect stereo headphones. Use an adapter to connect headphones with a mini plug. Use these to monitor signals from the MAIN MIX L/R, AUX 1, AUX 2/FX and SOLO L/R buses. (see “Block diagram” on page"

The Solo bus is stereo, and it looks like Tascam intended users to monitor on that bus when recording. But you will only hear stereo when in Solo-in-Place mode.

 

[AltTuning]

MJK, as far as I know there isn't a way to get the AUX bus or SUB bus back into the computer. I can only find ways to get either the individual inputs of channels 1 through 10 plus the stereo mix on 11 and 12, or the full mix on 1 and 2, so if I send my mix-minus to AUX1 I can't get it to Zoom. Am I missing something? Maybe there's a setting I haven't found yet.

For the solo bus, in PFL mode it sure sounds like mono -- even if I am using SD Play mode to play a stereo track to 9/10, if I solo 9/10 it sounds like it goes mono in the headphones.

In INPLACE SOLO mode it sounds stereo, but it takes over the main mix, including what goes back to the computer. The only two ways I've been able to hear something different on the headphones than what is being sent to the computer (and subsequently Zoom, Teams, Discord, etc.) is to either use the AUX1/2 button for the headphones (mono) or the Solo bus in PFL mode (sounds mono to me).

Still, to me it's worth it -- my primary focus is music, including needing a live mixer and I feel for everything it does the M12 is the best fit for me. If I was a streamer, the Zoom L-8, L-12 or L-20 may have been a better fit, but I don't think they are as good of a fit for musicians from what I know of them.

 

[-mjk-]

I don't own a Model 12 (never seen one in Taiwan), so you would know. With Windows, if you want to do anything with real multi-channel audio it pretty much has to be ASIO. Even Dante Virtual Soundcard is limited to 16 channels in WDM mode.

 

[Sam Geppi]

I have the same issue here, only getting Mono playback. Faders, etc do not work.
I don't understand why people are saying they could change the PFL/AFL settings. All I see is the AFL button, on the Tascam 12 - and that must be pressed in when using SOLO mode.
That is my only option to even use the headphones.

I have tried to route the playback/return through the Main output and that will not even work.
I am using Logic and my only option is to send the playback/return through the SOLO, and press the AFL button near the phone section and listen to the mix in mono headphones.

Not very rewarding and by the way, a bad design. I mean, who thought of this and making something so basic, so damned hard to accomplish.
Send the return back through 1 and 2 and have the channel strip on full unless you do something intentional to bypass it.
Bad design!
Any suggestions?
Am I missing something?

 

[AltTuning]

Sam,

I'm guessing that Logic let's you change the outputs to create a send to specific channels? I switched my Reaper projects so that instead of sending from 1/2 in Reaper to 1/2 on the M12, I send 1/2 in Reaper to 9/10 on the M12. Then I can hit the solo button on 9/10 and get stereo sound on my headphones.

With 1/2 from the project going to 1/2 on the M12, the only way I can get stereo is to pan 1 hard left and 2 hard right, then send 1 & 2 to the MAIN bus, or the SUB bus where I have my speakers connected. Note that for me this causes some clipping if I set the faders to unity, so I drop them down to -5DB and all is good (this does not happen on the stereo 9/10 channel for me). Also note that in order for audio to go to the MAIN and then to the headphones the "PFL/AFL" light needs to be off, the "MAIN" button pressed on the channels you want to hear and the "AUX 1/2 MAIN" button needs to be in the up position for the headphone jack you're using, and of course the volume needs to be turned up for that output as well.

If audio is going to 1 & 2 on the M12 and I try to use the solo bus, I hear it as mono in the headphones -- best I can figure is since the solo bus is picking up pre-fader, which includes PAN, it doesn't matter that I panned 1 left and 2 right, they both go to the center on the solo bus.

Apologies if I'm just repeating myself -- I just know that when learning to use the M12 I got frustrated because if any one of the many buttons in the signal path is set wrong, audio doesn't go where I wanted it to go.

Hopefully this is helpful.

-Alan

 

[Sam Geppi]

Thank you Alan,
"I'm guessing that Logic let's you change the outputs to create a send to specific channels? I switched my Reaper projects so that instead of sending from 1/2 in Reaper to 1/2 on the M12, I send 1/2 in Reaper to 9/10 on the M12. Then I can hit the solo button on 9/10 and get stereo sound on my headphones."
I will try this

 

[Sam Geppi]

This worked. First Time,.. easy.
It is incredible that Tascam does not just recommend setting the output from Logic to one of the stereo pairs, rather than tie up 2 channels for the return path.
So it also freed up another channel.
C'mon Tascam, up your game.
There are even video on youtube about setting up Logic and a complicated explanation about the headphones.. that never even mentions this easy fix.
Really stupid!