Overall volume setting . . .
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Hello Troikatronix team,
I’m using the ‘sound player’ actor with a MOTU Ultralite MK3 Hybrid. The updated version of the actor allows me to set an output to individual channels with specific levels. Fantastic!
The problem I’m having is the overall volume. I have to run the level on the sound player actor at 5% or less. In other words, as the actor feeds directly to the MOTU, there seems to be no way to set an overall output level in Isadora so the actor can run at a reasonably normal volume . . . and because the signal is so hot, I run the risk of damaging my speakers if I’m not super careful.
The Mac Studio Audio settings has the volume control to the MOTU grey-out, assuming it will be set by the program using it. Am I missing something? Is there another setting that would allow me to control an overall output volume from Isadora to the MOTU (in settings or elsewhere)?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
William
Isadora: 4.0.2 (arm)
Chip: Mac Studio M2 Max
Mac OS: Sequoia 15.1.1 (24B91)
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@wjmackwood Hi- I use a similar system. As far as I can tell the audio coming out of Isadora is standard line-level. I adjust the overall volume using the "main" volume knob on the front of the MOTU. Right now with my M1 MacBookPro, I have the MOTU at -15db setting and with my speakers (QSC10), that's a good volume to work with. It depends on the speaker what the final level is. Perhaps that helps a bit. - John
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Hello John,
Thank you for your response. The main volume on my MOTU has no effect on the speaker volume. I can run it to -infinity and the volume is still outrageous. The individual channel assignments in the 'sound player' seems to be the only way I have to control volume . . . well and the 'sound player' master volume which I currently have at 3.5%. I'm not sure what the difference is in our setups. Hmmmm.w
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@wjmackwood there should be control in the audio midi settings section of pax that will let you adjust the output. However ideally I would make a line up track at -20db FS and have a scene within isadora that plays this. Then you can calibrate whatever the output chain is to this. If you are going to to a mixing desk you should be able to alter the input gain so that the -20 output reads at -20 on the input of the desk. If it seems really loud in the path I would suspect that you might be sending a balanced output to an unbalanced input which will give you a substantial increase in volume.
With the controls greyed out it suggests that your pathway might be digital? If so whatever is receiving the signal might have some adjustment that needs lining up.
Do other signals going into whatever your amplification/output system is also come through very loud?
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Hi!
The above replies are all very valid; and good overal practices. However, it is an active conversation that we have within the team that a overal volume slider / with an option to turn off the volume completely + a meter would be lovely.
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@wjmackwood Not having control over volume is most unusual. That is, at some level, the whole purpose of an audio interface... I assume you are hooked up to the MOTU through USB and Isadora is routed to the interface. Have you used the internal mixing app CueMix to investigate? Sorry you having troubles. John
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@wjmackwood said:
The main volume on my MOTU has no effect on the speaker volume
That seems really odd that the MOTU volume knob isn't affecting the speaker volume. I don't meant to suggest you don't know how your hardware works, but it's a funny knob: it controls the headphone volume unless you push it in twice, when it controls the master volume. From the user manual:
Turn the VOL knob to control the headphone volume.The
LCD provides visual feedback for the headphone volume
setting as you turn the knob. Push the knob once to view
the current volume setting in the LCD display; push it
again to control the UltraLite-mk3’s MASTER VOLUME
setting. From the factory, MASTER VOLUME controls the
(TRS) MAIN OUTS 1-2 on the rear panel, but MASTER
VOLUME can be programmed to control any combination
of outputs. See “The Monitor Group” on page 84 for
details.https://cdn-data.motu.com/manu...
HTH
Mark (no, not that Mark)
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Hello Mark,
Thank you for your clarifying note. Though I do know how the master volume on the MOTU works.The issue is that Isadora is sending, through the Sound Player Actor, directly to individual channels on the MOTU. And although I can control each individual channel through the Actor Player Mixer, the overall signal is extremely 'hot'. And the Master Volume on the MOTU does not affect this.
w
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Hello Juriaan,
Yes, it seems to me that the master slider you refer to could be in 'Audio Panel' and be associated with the selected audio output device. So that once you set an overall volume for that device, it is the default setting for that device unless you change it. And that setting would be universal to Isadora, not individual show files.
This would prevent the surprise explosive volumes I'm experiencing if I forget to lower the 'Sound Player' actor volume before hitting 'play'.
Cheers,
William
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If you follow the instructions on pg 90 of the manual, you'll see that you can use the CueMix FX software to create groups of the individual channels - which you can match to the channels you're outputting from Isadora - which you can then control using the CueMix FX software OR the Master Volume knob on the MOTU.
That would solve your problem of outputting too high a level to the speaker, as you can then use the Master Volume knob on the MOTU (or the CueMix FX software) to control the master volume of your chosen channels. You can then refine the levels in Isadora, and not have to worry about setting the level of the sound player actor. Which you should not have to do anyhow, as there ought to be an overall level control from the Mac to the MOTU. As @JJHP3 suggests, not having control over volume is most unusual.
