Apache Labs Community Forum

JJ4SDR wrote:Scott,

Was reading your VAC tutorial on how "Audio Interface and Digital Audio Workstation Software with openHPSDR" work. Although it is quite dated it certainly provides a good reference. I am using VMB ver.2.0.5.8 although I am also looking at ASIO Link Pro Tool that has been recently patched and it seems quite stable. Terminology is somewhat confusing to me and I don't always understand which In/Out needs to be connected to which In/Out.

I don't use a full-fledged DAW but a VST Host called Live Professor 2 (64 bit) which I have used quite successfully for many years. However, I do have actual DAWs downloaded as well, just in case.

I am at a point where I am ready to have my VST Host feed audio into Thetis. However, it seems like this isn't happening based on the fact that when I activate the Host nothing happens to the audio (there is no change whatsoever no matter which plug-ins I have engaged in my virtual "Audio Chain". I have a pair of head-phones plugged into the front of the 7000 DLE MKII.

Below, see a few screen captures (VMB, Thetis, WMM audio settings and settings inside the VST Host).



Must be something elementary that I am not getting !

Using Thetis v.2.8.1/Windows 10/PC i7-10700 CPU 2.90GHz, 32GB RAM, 512 GB NVMe SSD

w-u-2-o wrote:Our posts just crossed in the mail The following response is aimed at your first set of posts...

Embedded additional images on my 3RD ATTEMPT at this.



JJ,

You are making a basic error with respect to getting audio into and out of Live Professor.

Live Professor needs to be assigned to the Voicemeeter Insert Virtual ASIO device. Think of that device as the patch cords that loop audio out of Voicemeeter, into Live Professor for processing, and then back into Voicemeeter. Those patches are assigned in the Patch Insert section of Voicemeeter setup.

Also, you do not need to involve Voicemeeter channel B2, Voicemeeter Aux, in anyway (for now).

And, because you are only interested in processing mic audio in Live Professor, the Patch Inserts do not need to be activated for Voicemeeter channel B1, shown as "IN #4" on the Patch Insert settings.

JJ: my goal is to be able to use audio processing taking place inside Live Professor 2 (LP2) only AND also doing some audio processing inside LP2 AND audio processing inside THETIS.



In Voicemeeter:

- Turn off send B2 on channel B2, Voicemeeter Aux.
- Turn off all patch inserts except for In1 Left.
- Turn off the A1 send on channel 1, Hardware Input 1

In Live Professor:

- Select Voicemeeter Insert ASIO as your device.
- Get your audio from channel 1 of that device, and return it to channel 1 of that device (you don't show those settings in your screen shots, not sure what they are really called inside of Live Professor).



This should have the effect of the following signal routing:

Steinberg UR22 Mic L (or 1) --> Voicemeeter Hardware Input 1 Left (IN1 Left) --> Voicemeeter pre-fader output to Live Professor channel 1 input (or whatever it calls that channel) --> Live Professor processing --> Live Professor channel 1 output to Voicemeeter Hardware Input 1 Left pre-fader--> Voicemeeter Hardware Input 1 Left fader --> Voicemeeter channel B1 (Voicemeeter VAIO) --> Thetis VAC Input.

Finally, the A1 send you have selected on Voicemeeter channel B1 (Voicemeeter VAIO) should have you hearing Thetis receive audio OK on any speakers or headphones you have plugged into the Steinberg.


JJ: I can hear the audio but now the Thetis doesn't key up like it did yesterday when I could hear that audio processed inside LP2 made a difference in the audio out from Thetis.

Be sure to match your Thetis VAC buffer size to the Steinberg buffer size. It's not clear from your settings if the Steinberg is set to 512 or 128.

Leave exclusive mode OFF and engine mode NORMAL.

JJ4SDR wrote:

w-u-2-o wrote:Our posts just crossed in the mail The following response is aimed at your first set of posts...

Embedded additional images on my 3RD ATTEMPT at this.

DISREGARD 2ND LAST IMAGE. BUFFER SIZE IS SET TO 128 SAMPLES AND SAMPLE RATE TO 48kHZ

JJ,

You are making a basic error with respect to getting audio into and out of Live Professor.

Live Professor needs to be assigned to the Voicemeeter Insert Virtual ASIO device. Think of that device as the patch cords that loop audio out of Voicemeeter, into Live Professor for processing, and then back into Voicemeeter. Those patches are assigned in the Patch Insert section of Voicemeeter setup.

Also, you do not need to involve Voicemeeter channel B2, Voicemeeter Aux, in anyway (for now).

And, because you are only interested in processing mic audio in Live Professor, the Patch Inserts do not need to be activated for Voicemeeter channel B1, shown as "IN #4" on the Patch Insert settings.

JJ: my goal is to be able to use audio processing taking place inside Live Professor 2 (LP2) only AND also doing some audio processing inside LP2 AND audio processing inside THETIS.



In Voicemeeter:

- Turn off send B2 on channel B2, Voicemeeter Aux.
- Turn off all patch inserts except for In1 Left.
- Turn off the A1 send on channel 1, Hardware Input 1

In Live Professor:

- Select Voicemeeter Insert ASIO as your device.
- Get your audio from channel 1 of that device, and return it to channel 1 of that device (you don't show those settings in your screen shots, not sure what they are really called inside of Live Professor).



This should have the effect of the following signal routing:

Steinberg UR22 Mic L (or 1) --> Voicemeeter Hardware Input 1 Left (IN1 Left) --> Voicemeeter pre-fader output to Live Professor channel 1 input (or whatever it calls that channel) --> Live Professor processing --> Live Professor channel 1 output to Voicemeeter Hardware Input 1 Left pre-fader--> Voicemeeter Hardware Input 1 Left fader --> Voicemeeter channel B1 (Voicemeeter VAIO) --> Thetis VAC Input.

Finally, the A1 send you have selected on Voicemeeter channel B1 (Voicemeeter VAIO) should have you hearing Thetis receive audio OK on any speakers or headphones you have plugged into the Steinberg.


JJ: I can hear the audio but now the Thetis doesn't key up like it did yesterday when I could hear that audio processed inside LP2 made a difference in the audio out from Thetis.

Be sure to match your Thetis VAC buffer size to the Steinberg buffer size. It's not clear from your settings if the Steinberg is set to 512 or 128.

Leave exclusive mode OFF and engine mode NORMAL.

JJ4SDR wrote:Scott,

Here's my thinking of the audio flow and routing on VMB (remember, I am still steeped in traditional analog/hardware thinking....it's like a swamp that has sucked me in) in sequence:

1. Audio from MIC goes into LEFT Channel on my Steinberg UR22 Audio/USB Interface ( = Hardware INPUT A1 on VMB) ==>

2. Audio from UR22 goes OUT from Hardware OUT A1 on VMB to Audio IN (VIRTUAL INPUT #1/Voicemeeter VAIO on VMB) of my Live Professor 2 (LP2) ===>

3. Audio OUT from LP2 goes into Virtual OUTPUT #1/B1) ===>

4. Audio from B1 is routed to VAC1 IN to Virtual INPUT/ Voicemeeter AUX on VMB)

If the above simplified thinking is correct, shouldn't I select B2 as the Virtual OUT and Voicemeeter Virtual ASIO as audio INPUT for use on the VAC1 Tab inside THETIS? If this is correct, then I should be able to use VMB as a digital "mixer" in correctly routing my audio.

w-u-2-o wrote:You are getting closer with your third set of screenshots.

You certainly are patient! Our messages crossed again and you had not seen the 4th set of images.

I noticed one screenshot that showed 44.1KHz sample rate--be sure to have everything set to 48KHz across the board.

JJ4SDR wrote:Scott,

That was an old image. Everything is set to 48kHz.

Here's my thinking of the audio flow and routing on VMB (remember, I am still steeped in traditional analog/hardware thinking....it's like a swamp that has sucked me in) in sequence:

1. Audio from MIC goes into LEFT Channel on my Steinberg UR22 Audio/USB Interface ( = Hardware INPUT A1 on VMB) ==>

Correct!

2. Audio from UR22 goes OUT from Hardware OUT A1 on VMB to Audio IN (VIRTUAL INPUT #1/Voicemeeter VAIO on VMB) of my Live Professor 2 (LP2) ===>

Incorrect. Hardware OUT A1 is audio coming from whatever channels in VMB are routed to A1 (have the A1 button selected ON).

I have B1 set to ON there too.

When using the Voicemeeter Insert ASIO device to get to LP2, and the proper VMB Patch Inserts turned on, audio comes out of a pre-fader send on VMB Hardware Input A1 and goes to LP2 for processing.
You lost me when you write "proper VMB Inserts..."

3. Audio OUT from LP2 goes into Virtual OUTPUT #1/B1) ===>

Incorrect. Audio OUT from LP2 goes into the Voicemeeter Insert ASIO connection, back through the properly selected VMB Patch Inserted, and then into the fader of VMB Hardware Input A1.

4. Audio from B1 is routed to VAC1 IN to Virtual INPUT/ Voicemeeter AUX on VMB)

Incorrect.

If the above simplified thinking is correct, shouldn't I select B2 as the Virtual OUT and Voicemeeter Virtual ASIO as audio INPUT for use on the VAC1 Tab inside THETIS? If this is correct, then I should be able to use VMB as a digital "mixer" in correctly routing my audio.

It's not correct at all.

Again, just as I posted above, the transmit routing you are looking for is:

UR22 Mic L (or 1) --> VMB Hardware Input 1 Left (IN1 Left) -- In an analog world this would be a cable from the mic preamp to the mixing board.

VMB Hardware Input 1 Left pre-fader output via Patch Insert In1 Left and Voicemeeter Insert ASIO to LP2 -- in an analog world this would be a cable from a mixing board pre-fader effects send on that mixing board channel to a rack of processors.

LP2 processing -- in an analog world this would be rack of cool stuff with a bunch of cables.

LP2 output to Voicemeeter Hardware Input 1 Left fader input via Patch Insert In1 Left and Voicemeeter Insert ASIO -- in an analog world this would be the cable back from the rack of processors to the pre-fader effects receive on that mixing board channel.

Select Send B1 on VMB Hardware Input 1 to send audio to Thetis VAC on VMB channel B1 (Voicemeeter VAIO) -- in an analog world this would be route button on that mixing board channel to send to a submaster output, and that submaster output would be cabled to a radio mic input.

Send B1 was selected (in the 4th set of images)
Get the transmit side sorted and then we can handle receive.

JJ4SDR wrote:Scott,

Below, see images of the configuration right now (VMB, Live Professor 2 and THETIS).

All seems to work well EXCEPT that I am not sure why I have the "Radio" label showing (I did rename the default in an earlier iteration of my trials)

and NO signal showing there and no LED bars lighting up ( = moot point). Nor do I see the LED bar-graph lighting anywhere else where it says "VST Host", "MIC" and in the "Cassette Recorder" window. I should see bargraph lighting up in the first Virtual INPUT though......

Trying first with 512 buffer size to work my way down eventually and when the audio start dropping out. I really wouldn't want to monitor myself as the latency is a bit annoying. To make adjustments to the audio inside the VST Host I will play an audio clip from the mic in a loop I am using now so that I can focus on the audio and not speaking.

JJ4SDR wrote:Scott,

Yeah, it took a while but I guess I am not qualified to say that "an old dog can learn new tricks."

Meant to write "I guess I am NOW qualified to say that an old dog can learn new tricks."

Thanks!
JJ