STEINBERG UR242 INTO MIXCRAFT

[geobee]

Hi all, back again after having a huge interstate moving house. I have a couple of interfaces, namely a UR242, and a Behringer unit, of similar ins/outs etc. Using the Steinberg, I find it absolutely kills my electric guitar signal, as in tone, and drive, and overall sound quality. Even just monitoring from the unit, not through Mixcraft. The Behringer unit is a different story, no sound quality loss, and what goes in, comes out. I feel that the problem with the Steinberg could be all the built in preamps, effects etc, could require setting up to get a decent signal through it. I like the Behringer because you just plug it in and it does everything straight up, no fiddling required. If anyone is using a 242, maybe they could give me some clues on how to get a direct signal out of it, similar to what goes in, without it ''choking'' the sound. I use an external Vox Tonelab effects unit before whatever interface I have set up, so I dont require any of the Steinberg things within the unit, just the signal I put in, I want out.

[Mark Bliss]

I havent used that specific unit, so I can only point out what may be obvious.

I would suggest experimenting between hi-z and line input.
Generally hi-z is for the direct input of passive guitar pickups. But since you are using an effects processor in front of the interface, you are boosting the signal and may find you need to be set up for line input, not inst/hi-z.
You also may need to experiment with the input level to find what works.
The output of some effects processors can be high enough to need some tweaking to get a good result.
Try line, and a moderate level to start with maybe.

But in the end, you may just find its not the ideal interface for what you are doing. It does happen. And you might want to try contacting Steinberg support with your issue.

[geobee]

Thanks Mark, yes, I run it out of the line outputs already. It doesn't appear to be a level clipping issue, more like there is too much happening to the signal within. One would think, if you were to turn off the three internal devices, it should just pass what goes into it, but it dulls the sound somewhat. I read in some of the forums that the 242 is tailored to suit the Cubase DAW, more so than other makes, so I might just unload it and get another Behringer, as I have two recording setups in two different rooms, and it is a pain swapping things over all the time.

[JonInc]

.. I read in some of the forums that the 242 is tailored to suit the Cubase DAW, more so than other makes, so I might just unload it and get another Behringer...

There should be no difference in sound between the interfaces. Steinberg (Yamaha) makes some of the best hardware out there. I've certainly never heard of this problem. Beyond pressing the hi-z button for input 1, there shouldn't be anything else special you need to do (for elec guitar).

As far as Steinberg interfaces being "tailored" for use in Cubase, that's kind of misleading. Yamaha owns Steinberg so yes, they added a few extra features in their hardware that are implemented only in Cubase, but these are advanced features and have nothing to do with basic operation, and certainly don't change the sound.

The only thing I can suggest is check to make sure you have the latest firmware and software for the 242.

How long have you had the unit? If it worked fine before, then obviously something has changed. Of course it's possible that input one has gone faulty.

[JonInc]

Also, it seems the ur242 comes with an AC adapter (though the unit can run bus-powered). If you don't have the AC-adapter plugged in, try that.

Or, if you're using AC power, try it bus-powered instead.

[geobee]

Thanks Jon, I will try the bus power. My son also has a 242, Mk2, and he feels the same way re the choking of the hutar sound. I will go into the software again and double check all is set the way it should be. Cheers

[geobee]

I think I have it sorted. Silly me wasn't saving the setups after I adjusted the gain etc, so every time I switched it off, it was reverting back to the ''hot'' settings that were giving me the problem. Many thanks to all.