Hello GMC! I just joined the GMC community and must say that it's an incredible place filled with knowledge...that's why I'm asking for a bit of help. I'm completely new to the amp simulators and have an issue that I can't seem to figure out. I'm running my guitar in to a Focusrite 2i4, which is connected to my computer. I use Overloud TH2 for my amp simulator. My problem is this.....if I were to Skype with someone or record a video, I get the clean guitar sound if I use my 2i4 as the input. The only way I can hear the distorted guitar is if I use the exterior microphone of my computer....which sounds really crappy. Can you tell me how others record videos or Skype and get such great sound? Like I said, I'm completely new to this. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Thanks again!!

Rob

Todd here!! Welcome to GMC!! I have to say you are spot on!! This place is just AMAZING!! I've yet to find anything like it anywhere on the web. Also, I LOVE OVERLOUD TH2!! It's my fave plugin Let's get this sorted!

Here is the trick to getting your TH2 sound in to skype. It's more simple than you think Your FOCUSRITE has a Headphone output jack and an RCA output jack I think yes? so you take a quarter inch stereo cable and run that in to your line input on your computers on board sound card. Here is a picture. of an 1/8th inch stereo cable. Put a headphone adapter on one end for your focus rite and put the other end in your computer line input on the built in sound card

$5 @ amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Stereo-Audio-P...e/dp/B0014299NW




or run from the RCA (phono plug red and white) outputs to the line input on your sound card. Here is the cable for that. Also cheap at amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Mini-Plug-Comp...o/dp/B000LMFS7M



Third options is to get a nice microphone (SHURE SM58 would work fine @ about $100) and plug that in to your focus right and let it pick up the output from your monitors/speakers and your voice and again run the output as described above in to your line input (small 1/8th inch input) on your onboard sound card.

Make sure you change the SOUND option in SKYPE To your onboard sound card. Thats all there is to it




That way the processed sound will go in to skype. You can also then run a microphone in to another input on your FOCUSRITE. That way you have the output from your plugin (active standalone or inside your daw) along with the microphone to pick up your voice.

Hi Rob, great to see you in the forum!

Todd has posted a very cool answer which helps you solve this using "hardware". The problem lies in the fact that when you connect to Skype, in the audio settings where input device is selected you have your input channel to which you have connected your guitar. This sound is clean guitar sound going into the audio card. In order to get this setup working, you need to route the processed sound (output) of TH2 to another, different input in the audio card and select that one as input in Skype (sorry this is a bit complicated ). This is called audio routing and might get a bit too technical. Some audio cards have a solid built in audio mixer that comes with them which allows for such flexibility. I don't have direct experience with Focusrite card to provide details in the mixing software included. I know my audio card (Line 6 UX2) unfortunately doesn't have this possibility.

BUT - there is always a solution
I have done some search and it seems this software might help you achive the desired signal routing: http://jackaudio.org/downloads/

Please note that I haven't had a chance to use it myself and from reading around it seems a bit technical to setup.
There is also a Mac software with similar functionality which I think is called Soundflower.

I think Todd's hardware solution might be easier to pull of in general but if you don't have the necessary cabling available, you could try setting it up with jack audio software to see if it is doable.

Please let me know how this goes, I'm really interested to know the outcome as I have often thought about how this can be done but never got a chance to practice it on my setup for real (software routing). Also, I'm here to help along the way if you get stuck

Thanks for the advice Todd. I will definitely give #1 and #2 options a try. I do have a nice condenser Mic that I use to pick up the distorted sound and my voice when Skyping with people, but since I can't actually hear what it sounds like on the other end, I'm not certain it's a great sound. I'm trying to get this figured out so that the sound will be the best it can be when I post my first video lesson response asking for critiques.

Thanks again!!

Rob




Thanks Bogdan...I will definitely give Todd's options a try. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and lend a helping hand. That's just one more thing that is so great about the GMC community....the willingness to help out!!


Rob

So if I were to sum it up, while using Skype you would like your caller hear the guitar straight from Th2 and your voice from the computer mic?

I'm not certain but two things come to mind. The first: on you audio interfaces control panel software there may be a setting to link processed or bypass. I had a problem where I heard both signals and it drove me nuts. I found that fix in there.
Next is the dual input: on Mac there is an application in utilities called Audio/midi manager, in there you will create a new setup named something like Skype and in there you manually add the input and outputs. Hopefully Skype will allow you to use your "Skype" setting you just made.
Not certain if this helps. Good luck!