Alexis 8 mixer set up

ok...First thing to do is to plug in your mic into channel 1.(Labeled as "mic input on the diagram)
then before hooking anything up to the PC,we will do a test to set your "gain" or "trim".
("gain" and "trim" are the same thing)
On the "channel level dial",set it at 0( noon )
Set main mix dial also straight up at 0 (Noon)
start out with your gain on the channel turned all the way down.
While talking loudly into the mic slowly turn the gain up and watch the indicator lights to the far right.continue increasing
the gain until you can get the red lights to light up,then ease it back,just a touch.
This will set your gain to the best possible level for best performance with no feedback or distortion for that mic.
Now....turn the "channel level dial" down to about half way or nine oclock
Your gain is set and after running this test,you won't need to move the main mix level or the gain..If you need to adjust the
output on your mic,you will use the "channel level dial".Do not exceed O(noon)this will cause distortion.By setting the gain,you are setting up the mixer so it will not clip as long as you don't turn the channel up more than 0 (noon) on the dial.
You should do this test on any channel that you input a mic as all mics send at a different level.
In the mic channel,you will see equalizer dials (high,mid,low)I start out with these all in the "straight up" position
and adjust them to my liking.It's all about playing around with them till you get the tone that you want.

Now you are ready to hook up the mixer to the PC.PLug the RCA jacks into the "tape/cd output" and then into the "line in"
on your soundcard.
I suggest using "line in" on your sound card because a mixer sends at a different frequency than a microphone plugged
directly into your PC.This also eliminates issues with windows "mic boost"
Don't forget..If your soundcard was set to record "mic" or "what you hear" or "stereo mix" you will have to go into your windows sound settings and select the appropriate recording device.In this case it would be your "line in".You will also have to rerun the singsnap wizard and watch for recording input device in step 2 (microphone set up)Make sure that it is also set as "line in"

OK..When recording on singsnap..All you want to capture is your voice.
So...Your headphones will be plugged in to your computer while recording.
The mixer will be used as an input device only,during recording.
Once the vocal is recorded,You will advance to the singsnap mixer to save it.Click on "enable music" and this will add the "dingerless" stereo music track(mono for blue members)

You can still have the control room out to your speakers,but be sure to turn them all the way down when recording so your voice isn't coming out of the speakers and back into your mic,causing a loop,doubled up music tracks and distortion.When you plug in the headphones to your PC..it will cancel out the music from coming out of your speakers anyway.(assuming that you have a line coming from "speaker" output on the back of the PC to a channel in your mixer. and you are plugging your headphones into the headphone jack on the front of the PC).When you want to listen to recordings or any music on your PC ,just unplug the headphones and this will send the sounds through your speakers via the mixer
--Barry--

Without using the control room outputs on the mixer,I don't think it really matters,as you are not using that function

As for the buttons,on this particular model there are only 2 buttons......There is also an Alexis 8 USB 2.0 that has the 3 buttons.all 3 buttons should be in the 'Up" position.

Here is the mixer that I used for this reference,assuming this is the one that you had

--Barry--

All I can suggest is that you experiment
These buttons are simply different ways to route the sound through different outputs on the mixer

If you are using the RCA outputs(which work best for singsnap) to the "line in" port on your soundcard,the buttons shown on both these mixers will have no bearing on the output of your mixer to the computer.

When using a mixer on singsnap it is best to use it as an input device only.If you route your computer sound through it for playback,there is a chance that you will be recording the music along with the vocal,which is not neccessary on signsnap.All you want to record is your voice.This way you can select "enable music' and this will place a fresh dingerless stereo(gold members) music track and it will also give you access to the "make me sound better" button to add some compression to your recorded voice.This helps to level out the volume on your recorded vocal.Bring up the lows and soften the highs,for a cleaner sound
--Barry--

Hi sdslancs
The RCA jacks of which I was speaking are on the mixer
If you have the older model Alesis,they are called CD/Tape output.The newer model is called 2 track output.Located in the top right corner of your mixer.

I suggest running most mixers to the computer via the RCA to 1/8th inch stereo jack which plugs into your computer.
(line in is usually the best input,but not available on most laptops) By using this type of set up for singsnap, the signal as an analogue signal which can be read by your soundcard and sent to your headphones.
When you use a USB cable to hook your mixer up to your computer it sends a digital signal and some soundcards can't recognize the digital signal on your computer as being an audio track and then your soundcard can't reproduce the sound for your headphones.

You can check in the windows playback settings to see if the level on the "microphone" input is not muted and that it is turned up.On some laptops these level sliders are not available.A driver update MAY add the controls for the microphone playback..More info will be required to assist you with this (operating system,laptop make and model,soundcard )

Please feel free to message me for further assistance
--Barry--

The RCA jacks don't plug into your laptop...they plug into the mixer

the other end of the cable would have to have the 1/8th inch stereo jack that will go into your laptop...in the "microphone" input,since you don't have a "line in" on your laptop
Here is a picture of the cable you will need

The USB cable will not be used with this set up
--Barry--

P.S........When recording on signsap all you wnt to record is the vocal track,then when you get to the singsnap mixer,select "enable music" this will place the fresh music track into the mixer.By keeping the music and vocal in seperate tracks,this allows you to use the "make me sound better" button to add compression and echo to your recorded voice.
By recording the music and vocal as one track (together) then you won't be able to click on "enable music" to add the MMSB button.If you do ..this will add a second music track,causing the music to sound doubled up.

Hi Jack

With some soundcards you will find a software program installed on your computer.
Soundblaster(creative) uses a program called "EAX console"
Realtek uses a program called "realtek audio manger"

You can check in the control panel to see if these programs are installed.If they are,you may have more audio controls in there,which occasionally do not change when changing the windows settings.

Check in the playback settings of this program to adjust the amount of your voice you are hearing in your headphones (Microphone adjustment).
Also...check in the recording settings of these third party programs to see if "what you hear" or "stereo mix" is enabled.
--Barry--

Hi Barry, I have the 1st mixer above and that rca jack,,,all is plugged like you say ,but i use what u hear and works ok but ive tried using line in on my pc in my settings and doesn't work ok i'd like info on how to make it work etc thanks CarolCalol

I will message you privately for more info Calol
--Barry--

Hi Barry Thank you for your support. I appreciate it very much. I have totally and very happily have it running right..

Lordi I was brain dead, it was the playback properties, shesh...

All fixed...Thanks Again

JackJack58

If you have been using the mixer connected through the USB cable and never had a problem before now,then I would suggest you continue using the USB cable

In some cases,when using the mixer through the USB cable,you may not be able to hear your voice in your headphones,which are plugged into your computer's soundcard.....
OR...The USB connected mixer will become an input device and an output device,the music could be routed to the mixer and then mixed with your voice and sent back out to your computer and recorded together. When recording on signsnap,you only want to record your voice.
By recording only your voice and selecting "enable music",this will place a new music track along with your vocal track in the singsnap mixer.This "new" music track ,does NOT include the singsnap ring-in "dinger"
By keeping the tracks seperated,you are able to adjust the volumes between the voice and music. Also, as a gold member you can use the MMSB button to add effects and compression to your vocal track

A good test to see if you are recording just the vocal is......

Record a song and then go to the "preview".With the "enable music" turned off.....All you should hear is your vocal track.

If you feel that your mixer is giving out a good signal,then I think we should check the adobe flash player recording settings and the windows settings as well

Adobe Flash player
RIght click on any singsnap player and select "settings"
This will open the adobe flash player settings box
Across the bottom of it there will be 5 icons,(as seen in the picture below)
Click on the microphone icon and check to see if the slider is at about half volume and that "reduce echo" is selected

For Windows XP using a mixer please follow this link to the info needed
http://www.singsnap.com/snap/r/c8d09392
In this tutorial it will tell you how to select "line in",but in your particular instance you will be selecting your USB

For Windows Vista and 7
http://www.singsnap.com/snap/r/c9fb4a12
In this tutorial it will also tell you how to select "line in",but in your particular instance you will be selecting your USB

Feel free to contact me personally and we can set up a meeting to run through your settings if you like
--Barry--

Hello Bernadette
I went to have a listen to one of your recordings and noticed that the singsnap "ring-in" dinger is present.......this tells me that the music track you are using to record along with, is also being recorded with your voice
When recording on singsnap it is best to capture only the vocal and then ,when you get to the singsnap mixer and select "enable music" this places a fresh "dingerless"music track along with your vocal track.It also gives you the ablility to adjust the difference between the vocal and music tracks by keeping them separated.This also allows you to use the MMSB button.If you recording the way you are currently set up and then selecting the "enable music" then you are adding another music track along with the one that you recorded and mixed with your vocal track in your peavey mixer.

I usually suggest using the analogue outputs on most mixers,this way you can send only the vocal to be recorded through your soundcard as an analogue signal.This way you can plug your headphones into the soundcard ( some computers come with front jacks)to be able to hear yourself and the recording track while you are singing.
As far as the rest of the dials on your peavey.They are entirely up to you and how you want your vocal to sound.
The first 3 dials are your equilizer settings
High--amount of treble
Mid--amount of mid
low--amount of bass

Mon---this is how much of the sound you want to send to a monitor if you were using this as a stage mixer,the monitor is the speaker(s) that are placed on the stage facing the singer,so you can adjust how much of the vocal the singer will hear while performing ( does not apply when using singsnap)

FX--This adjustment will adjust how much of the effects you would like to add to your channel.

If you would like to set up so that you are recording ONLY the voice,I have tutorials on the recording support profile page that will help you set your computer up this way.Look for the tutorials marked "recording using a mixer with XP"
"recording using a mixer with Vista and windows 7"
By doing this...you will only be recording your voice and you will have to switch your windows settings back and forth between "stereo mix" and "line in" for singing in chat and recording,as they both require different set ups.In live chat,you want your computer to capture all sounds present on your computer and send it into the chat room.(music and vocal together)BUT...when recording on singsnap ,you want to only capture your voice to be recorded,then you would use the "line in" or "mic" as your windows recording device.I suggest using the "line in" on your computer's soundcard to avoid issues with "mic boost" when using the "mic" input.Also I believe the "line in" runs at a better frequency response for input devices.

When using the USB cable,this creates a 2 way connection,the music being played on your computer (singsnap site)is entering your peavey mixer and being mixed with your voice and then being sent back out to the computer as one track.
In order to connect your mixer to your computer through the soundcard,you will need to get a Y-cable to go from your 1/4 inch outputs (L&R) to the 1/8th inch input on your computer's soundcard (line in)

This is what the cable wil look like...obviously you would need a longer one to reach from your mixer to the computer,if you wish to hook up this way
--Barry--

Hi Bernadette
I looked up the manual for your mixer and found out more about it
There may be a way to record just your voice,without changing the way it is hooked to your computer.

There is a button that may stop the music from going back to the computer and just record the voice

I want you to try this for me
On your mixer you will see a button called "tape/USB to mix"....try placing this button in the up position and record a song on singsnap (or portion of)
Once you are in the singsnap mixer,DO NOT place a checkmark in the "enable music" box.If all you hear is your voice in the recording,then this means that you are set up to record only your voice.
Please let me know if this works for you

The button I am talking about is labelled as #14 in the diagram below

--Barry--

Johnny
As far as i know there aren't any mixers that have a USB input.
USB mics are mostly used in studios for recording a FLAT(no effects) signal,then the effects are added in the program being used (cakewalk,sonar,cooleditpro...ect) after the track(s) are recorded
You can try at the local music store and see what they suggest,be sure to tell them that you want to add live effects to your USB mic,they may have something that can be used as an adapter to hook it up to a mixer.

USB mics are a digital output signal and dynamic mics put out an analogue signal and all mixers (to my knowledge) use analogue inputs.
There are always new items out there,so I wouldn't rule it out.
--Barry--

Great job Thelmaharper

I sent you a message about changing the setting in cakewalk to be able to record through your "line in".This way you won't have to change the cables back and forth between Singsnap and cakewalk
--Barry--

Question: As opposed to singing over your own voice again as can be done in the site 'Harmony' feature,can my Alesis multimix 8 usb mixer be used to do the same thing automatically???wellfield

I think the only way you could get a double track "live" would be to use two microphones into your mixer in seperate channels...This is an old studio trick used for years.Try adding effects to one track and leave the other one "dry",this will give a thicker sound to your vocal track.Be sure to leave the mics a fair distance apart to avoid feedback between them (using headphones will help with the background noise and distortion or feedback)
The track with effects, if set with a very slight delay,will help to stretch the sound a little to give a thicker,fuller track.
When I record in cooleditpro(home recording program),I will record one track and then copy it to make 3 tracks .The first track is then panned to the left and the 3rd track is panned to the right.The center track is centered in stereo and carries most the volume and effects.This gives a very thick full sound to the vocals,similar to what you are looking for with double track recording,by using two mics.
OR ,if you have 3 mics......leave one centered on the alesis mixerand pan the other two (one left,one right).Play around with it and see what works best for you.
--Barry--

You will definetly get plenty of use out of a mixer.Some people like to add the effects and have control of their tones and gain on their microphone for a cleaner clearer sound.I would much rather listen to a clear recording on the site.This is mostly my reason for volunteering for the recording support team,so I could learn the singsnap system and help as I go,to give the members assistance in getting better quality recordings,because i love to listen as much as I love to sing
As far as the singsnap mixer...Well I have no problems with it and I get just as good of recordings on it as I do from my cooledit pro program,recording with effects "on the fly" .Using my recording program is time consuming and with singsnap they are automatically posted online,making it easy for my friends and family to share in my music.Or if I want to audition for some local or distant bookings.I simply send them a link so they can have a listen to what I have to offer.So I want my recordings to sound professional and this is where a mixer and microphone play an important roll ,FOR ME

We're not forcing anyone to run out and get a mixer or expensive microphone
This thread was first introduced by me as a way to give some assistance to people who own this mixer and would like some further tips on how they can use their mixer best FOR SINGSNAP.

--Barry--

Here's the info you requested Barry...My Mixer is the one at the top of this page...Alesis Multi-Mix 8 USB...I have a RCA cable red and white at one end 1/8th male,and orange green and black at other end 1/8th male......red and white are plugged into the red and white slots at the top right of my mixer in the 'out' section.....the three 1/8th males at the other end of the cable are orange,green and black,and they are plugged into the rear of my computer tower in the orange,green and the black is in the only slot left,which is blue.

My SoundBlaster (when hooked up) is a separate issue that I sent you a PM on...Thanks ....Campbellwellfield

HI Campbell
Let me make sure I understand here

You have one cable that has RCA (Red & white) that plugs into the line in on your soundcard
Now you mention another RCA cable with (3)..1/8th inch jacks on it (this I don't understand)How is this connected to your mixer and/or soundcard or computer.
Do you have an external soundcard or an interface that attaches to your computer?
--Barry--

Wellfield thanks for bringing this thread up as I never knew it existed.

To SS support: I just recently upgraded and have been trying to connect the Alexis 8 mixer (shown in first pic) through my sound card to see how it sounds vs. USB.

What I don't understand is another person on SS has the same mixer and uses a Y cable (two 1/4" to one 1/2") to connect from Main Out to Line In on his sound card. I bought the same cable thinking it would work but the music is very low and after troubleshooting with him, it just will not work. Also my voice went through the speakers along with the music and this didn't seem right to me.

I don't have a Y cable with two RCA jacks to hook up as described above, so is there any other known way to hook this mixer up with the cable I have?

I'm also confused about only recording my voice and having to wear headphones. I would like the option of doing both, with headphones and without like others I've seen. This is new to me going from USB having the mixer take the place of the sound card. Amazing I can build a PC from the ground up but can't figure this out. Sighronnie67

The reason for using the RCA jacks is because,they use the cd/tape input..WHen you use your mixer as an input and output device,it is best to use the RCA because this will bring the music into the mixer which allows you to assign the input to the headphones without it going back out through the RCA outputs.This allows you to send ONLY the vocal back to singsnap to be recorded.
In order to have the music come from the computer and JUST the voice return to the computer,then the music from the computer must enter the mixer through the RCA cables (2TR).By Using the 2TR,input you are able to assign whether you want the music to return to the computer while recording (for chat for instance) by selecting 2TR to main,which then sends the music back to the computer via the RCA cd/tape output along with the voice for use in the chat rooms.

The reason for ONLY recording the vocal on singsnap is as follows
When you record,singsnap has a music track that is there,just as a guide while you sing.(complete with the ring-in tone at the beginning ,I call it the dinger).When you click on "enable music in the singsnap preview mixer,this add a "fresh (dingerless)music track along side your voice.By keeping the tracks separated,you are able to adjust the volumes between the music and vocal and add the MMSB button to add the effects to JUST your voice.
If you record the music and voice together as one track and then add the "enable music track" then this will result in a double music track,which 9 times out of 10,won't line up ,leaving you with an echo to the music and effects added to the music track that was recorded along with your voice.
The point of headphones is to avoid feedback and also to avoid recording the music that is playing while you record.This again would result in two music tracks after adding the "enable music" feature.
AS far as using the cables you have.....You could use them if you are only using your mixer as a way to send the vocal to the computer.

AS far as having speakers plugged into your mixer.....Well,this is fine,but unlike a home stereo or radio,mixers do not bypass the speakers when a set of headphones are plugged in.Therefor,you must manually turn off your speakers or unplug them from the mixer while recording
--Barry--