Hi guys,

I'm trying to figure out how to input my guitar to my laptop while listening to music (through iTunes or VLC media player).
I'm using Zoom H4 as an external sound card, plugged in by usb to my laptop.
The problem is, I can't find any software (or software setting on programs i already got) which allow me to listen to my guitar playing simultaneously to any other music.

I use FL Studio, easy to use compared to many other DAW's, and it needs ASIO4ALL to be able to accept input. However, ASIO4ALL can only support one output at the time, being FL Studio, and mutes anything else (iTunes, Firefox, everything).
I can insert audio clips in FL Studio and jam along like that, but its a pretty clumsy solution and eliminates being able to quickly skip between songs, using youtube without taking a long route of dowloading and converting files or while watching movies.

So in short; does anyone know a solution for enabling live play of guitar with other music software simultaneously ?

Cheers

Hi Scorpiotic,

are you sure this is an ASIO4ALL problem?
I connect my guitar via USB (the device is called UCA222 by Behringer) and the use Reaper and in Reaper the VST plugins TH1 or guitar rig 4.
I can still listen to music on itunes, in my browser etc. while playing guitar.
Did you enable ASIO4ALL as your output device in the system settings? This is the only solution I can think of now.

Christian

pretty sure its an asio problem, i've found a lot of threads online describing the very same problem, but their fixes hasn't worked for me.
the only way for FL studio to accept input from the Zoom h4 is through ASIO. I have tried using reaper as well, however the buffer size needed in Reaper makes a significant delay on the guitar sound from playing to hearing in headphones, which is really distracting...

Yes ASIO is set for output, but there seems to be a general consensus on internet that asio wont deliver sounds for multiple programs at the same time... =/ thanks for ur suggestion though. i'll have another look at reaper, see if i can fix the buffer issue. Its a bit weird; even though I use ASIO for both reaper and FL studio, fl studio can work on a lower buffer size, making sound transmit with 10ms, while reaper cant get faster than 60ms... lower buffer sizes on reaper just makes the guitar disappear/mute completely

No problem!

Step 1: Go download Reaper! (free)
Step 2: Put your backing track on track one.
Step 3: create a track for your guitar on track 2.
Step 4: Hit play!

BINGO!

Todd

Hey Todd

Thanks for your reply. Yea Reaper is great, however I can't get the latency down In FL Studio using ASIO4ALL I have about 11ms latency, which is virtually non-detectable to me. However, this won't let me use more than just the FL Studio app for sound.

In Reaper, I can't get the latency below about 60ms, which makes jamming and "play-along" pretty hard, with both the backing as well as for me to hear what I play - it really messes up my feel of rhythm...

I've played around with sample and buffer size, but setting those values to provide a playable latency, my sound just completely disappears, or in the "borderlands" between huge latency or no sound, I get sound that is deep and chuggy/smoldering, as if bass and drive would be maxed out with no mid or treb I imagine - in any way "non-understandable" and can't be good for my speakers either...

My laptop has 16gb RAM and 2ghz i7 CPU, so I reckon it should have the capacity...

So if you, or anyone, know how to decrease the latency, please shout out

In that case, you realize you don't have to use a DAW for this right? You can play music from a phone, ipod, etc. Whatever. Just put it to speakers and play along. For practice, it's quick and dirty and works

For recording, that's another story. Sounds like what your saying is that your gear won't let you do what you want. Your chained to FL from the sound of it due to issues with reaper, so sadly it may be time to think about either getting a new interface, or a new computer. But if niether of those are gonna be possible, you need to find a daw that will work without the limitations you are having in Fruity Loops but that doesn't have bad latency.

PC PEOPLE: Cheap/Free DAW that ISN'T Reaper?

I don't need a DAW, true, but I have to get the sound from both backing and guitar into a single headset, cus my house is far from soundproof and my housemates are less than excited about the volume (the desire to play also kicks in after 10pm, not helping the case). I have tried using a split cable, running output from each device into a single cable then connect to headphones, but one always dominates the other, just cant seem to get a good balance.

Yea my gear/software is being stubborn lol. The idea is primarily for jamming, but also being able to switch quickly to recording if I play something that I think could be worth saving....

So yes please - driver and software suggestions; I'm all ears

Gotcha, one easy way to do that would be to get a really, reallly cheap mixer and pipe both in. But at that point, you may as well just get a better interface that will allow multiple active inputs.

Being a Mac guy I can't help you with Driver and Software fixes for this but it doesn't sound like a driver/software problem to be honest. But maybe someone with a PC will have more info?