Direct Monitoring and building up recordings

[Nick Blair]

I have a Focusrite 4i4 3rd Gen which has no direct monitor switch/knob as I am used to on previous interfaces. So a really basic question...

I set up the 4i4 successfully via the Audio Gear test and hear the noise when the direct monitoring question comes up. And I have played in several sessions without a problem. Does that mean that direct monitoring is off? I can't get my head round the Focusrite Control manual which just does my head in.

Sign of getting senile I feel. The secondary is how would I know if direct monitoring was indeed on?

[marhdeth]

The recommendation that direct monitoring is turned of is primarily (IMO) so that you will know if you’re audio into JK stops/is not good quality. With direct monitoring you don’t hear what your sending to others, you just hear what the interface gets locally before the computer sees I and packages it to send out.

Quick google, it looks like direct monitoring is set up through the focusrite control software.

[Patrice Brousseau]

And you will experience delay or phasing as you will hear your computer sound (JK) AND your input...

[Nick Blair]

And you will experience delay or phasing as you will hear your computer sound (JK) AND your input...

Would I hear that in a solo session or only when playing with others? Sorry to be stupid but on my M Audio I knew it was either direct or USB but I am having trouble understanding the whole focusrite control thing which has been written by someone with the seeming intention of confusing me. I don't mean that it's just me not getting it!

[marhdeth]

You would hear it in a solo session as well. In a solo session, you're inputs still get routed through JK and back to you. So if you have direct monitoring on in your interface, you'll hear it as the input hits the interface, and then again when JK spits it back out. Depending on your latency, that will sound like Patrice said: either a quick echo or they'll be on top of each other and sound weird and out of phase.

[Nick Blair]

You would hear it in a solo session as well. In a solo session, you're inputs still get routed through JK and back to you. So if you have direct monitoring on in your interface, you'll hear it as the input hits the interface, and then again when JK spits it back out. Depending on your latency, that will sound like Patrice said: either a quick echo or they'll be on top of each other and sound weird and out of phase.

Thanks. Then I'm thinking that it is right. I'm sure I'll understand focusrite control one say and sing its praises when I understand how flexible it is. I think I must have a blind spot understanding routing as I find it a challenge in other programs

[Nick Blair]

If  I do the following

1 Open up a solo session
2 Record a guitar part
3  Go to Audio File in the session and choose C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Music\JamKazam\Recordings\[Big number]\[Another big number]\RT-mix.ogg (ie what I have just recorded)
4 Record a second guitar part over it

Is what I am hearing in my headphones all happening locally on my machine and I'm listening to my machine? Or is it going anywhere outside of my house and coming back again? I presume it's the former.

When I get a link back from Jamkazam that it is mixed that is coming from a link on a Jamkazam address. Can I get someone else to add another part to what I have recorded so far WITHOUT ME SENDING THEM THAT FILE? Do I just invite them to a session and play it to them and in that process (if they record it and keep it) they will have a copy? Or is there a way they can get to the current recording I have got to. I guess what I'm after is me being able to do things in my time (sometimes) and them being able to add things in a time suitable to them. I know it isn't live playing but it is just working out how to best use the (excellent) platform as I want to use it!

Presumably each time a compressed file is compressed again it gets worse so the more times I do it the worse the result?