Routing internal audio for sampling

Analogic · 2017-02-27T02:34:34.744Z

I would like to route my IMac’s internal audio out of my (motu) interface to sample with the OT. Id like to maintain the Motu as the computer’s audio device in doing so. This is for sampling from youtube, etc. I downloaded Soundflower to try making this happen but it turns out I have no idea what I’m doing.
Anyone have experience doing this and care to pass on some instructions? Happy to clarify if the above seems a bit jumbled. Thanks!

RoyShade · 2017-02-27T02:43:44.408Z

can you take a headphone out of your interface into your ot for sampling?
Or, if you set the ‘dir’ settings on the ot mixer to max, and hook your computer speakers to the output of the ot, you can live sample and still hear what you are doing.
Or, how about using audacity on your computer to live record the YouTube and trim it, then upload to the ot via USB? (Oooh, iMac, sorry, I don’t think you have audacity available.)
Or, use one of the YouTube downloaded web sites to convert the audio to MP3 and download it to your computer as a file and slice and upload to the ot via USB.

Analogic · 2017-02-27T02:48:03.848Z

Thanks for the speedy help! Headphone out won’t work since the Motu is the audio device for the computer. This disables the speakers and input. Even if it didn’t, I’m all out of analog inputs on the Motu (I should have mentioned that…). Lots of digital inputs still left.
I’d reeeeally like to avoid recording in the computer and then transferring to the OT, if possible.
I have a feeling that Soundflower or something like it (internal audio routing app) would be the solution, I just don’t know how to implement it…

RoyShade · 2017-02-27T03:06:35.299Z

which motu? I meant headphone out of the motu into the ot line in so that the ot can record what the motu is sending to the speakers. You’ll need a splitter cable called an insert cable I believe. Or if the motu has multiple outs, I would think you could configure them internally to mirror the main outs. Does the motu have a configuration editor to set this up?

In any case you could still put the ot between the motu and your speakers and sample like that.

Or am I not getting it?

Analogic · 2017-02-27T03:35:42.689Z

It’s the Motu Traveler. No problems getting its audio to the OT as I have 4 of the Motu’s analog outs set up as a pair of stereo sends. Set up this way so I can send any number of instruments its way, with two mix options to boot.
The catch is getting the Imac’s internal audio to route to anything other than the Motu’s main outs…

Open_Mike · 2017-02-27T06:43:54.626Z

Do you want to route the system audio to the motu’s main outs as well as another output pair at the same time? There should be an option for this in the mixer software for the motu. Also in audio midi setup if you click configure speakers you can choose which outputs the system sound goes to and there might be a way in there to get it to multiple outs.

Analogic · 2017-02-27T16:59:51.361Z

Ok I feel like I’m getting closer after a bit of Motu Forum hopping and with your suggestion above to look into Audio Midi Setup.

So apparently the Motu has a ‘virtual’ stereo pair of inputs called Return 1/Return 2. I think the goal is to get system audio to route to this pair and for this pair to show up in CueMix (currently they don’t).

Here’s a screenshot of the tools I’m fiddling with. You can see the Returns show up both in audio Midi Setup and in the Motu’s Channel names, but not in CueMix:

Screen Shot 2017-02-27 at 8.55.17 AM.png2051×1315 428 KB

Open_Mike · 2017-02-27T17:05:07.775Z

Did you click on configure speakers in AMS, that’s where you should be able to select them…

Analogic · 2017-02-27T17:22:06.954Z

Hey it works!! Configure speakers was the answer (should have read your message more carefully) at least for temporarily swapping the main outputs to one of the set of analog stereo sends I have plugged into the OT. Thank you, sir!

I think I’ll satisfy myself with this setup of swapping outputs whenever I’m sampling off the computer. No huge need to have internal audio going to main outs AND the OT sends. (Didn’t see a way to get two set of stereo speakers)

…I do still wonder about those virtual returns on the Motu though… if they might be useful in some other way… Anyone else using those??

Hope this helps others with this nice, tidy way of getting internal audio to their OTs.

Open_Mike · 2017-02-27T17:38:38.819Z

I think you should be able to select the virtual channels in AMS and then use cuemix to route them to multiple outputs. I’m glad you got it working but I think with cuemix+AMS you should be able to get multiple outputs…

Open_Mike · 2017-02-27T17:51:20.662Z

I would try the above routing system audio to virtual channels and then using cue mix, but also there might be a way inside the AMS configure speakers to setup up quadraphonic or similar to get multiple outs if that doesn’t work. I know there’s a way somehow…

Analogic · 2017-02-27T19:34:25.109Z

Yeah I think feedback loops start becoming a risk if I’m trying to keep both pairs of outputs going. Maybe not, but I think I’ll stop digging now that I’ve got a workable solution. Tempted to fully explore AMS. Seems like a pretty powerful utility.