A newbie guide on kX's (DSP) concept or "How to setup your DSP".

Russ

@latuman

What version of kX are you using?
What do you want to use for recording (ASIO or MME)?

The default DSP setup is not the best for custom recording.
Additionally, I am not sure that plugging the MIC into line_in would work, as the line_in does not have an amp. It expects the signal to be line level.
FxBus and Prolog are not the same thing. FxBus contains the software inputs, while Prolog contains the hardware inputs.
The top 2 outputs of Prolog are the AC97 inputs (AC97 into the DSP). AC97 contains both the mic and line_in, which one, will depend on how you set up AC97 in kxmixer (you select which AC97 source you want to use in the dropdown box on the AC97 page of kX mixer). Any sliders in kX mixer labeled AC97 will effect both (depending on which one is selected), as they are both part of AC97.
Using both the MIC and Line_In at the same tme has its limits (both would be mono). To do this, your best bet is to use the ProFx ADC/AC97 plugin (which BTW: eliminates the need to manually change the kx mixer settings, as the plugin does it for you (i.e. you can change settings using the plugin's GUI instead of kx mixer)).

latuman

I think this is the latest one. I dont know the difference between ASIO and MME. I use dBPowerAmps aux input to rip my vinyls, and perhaps Goldwave and Audacity.

I kinda thought that too

Well, vinyls really must be stereo. I have no trouble clicking Line-In for recording. So if I want Line-In with stereo, I just select it and use the two first inputs in prolog and drag them to... somewhere :/

EDIT: They're now dragged to "in0" and "in1" in xrouting and "asio0" and "asio1" in epilog.

I'll wait for the amp to arrive in a second and try amplified signal

Russ

ASIO is for low latency recording, best for live setups/recording. MME is the standard Windows recording interface, which has higher latency times, but may be a better choice if you need to record in different formats (formats other than 16 Bit / 48 kHz).

3538i is the latest version, but unfortunatley the newest version of ProFx is not yet available for this version (and the version that comes with 3538i has some bugs), I would skip xrouting all-together, and connect the top 2 Prolog connections directly to epilog (RecL/RecR for MME recording, or any 2 ASIO connections for ASIO recording).

You might take a look at the following post:
http://www.driverheaven.net/showpost...05&postcount=2
It is about setting up the MIC for use with Teamspeak, but it includes an explanation of how the various sliders in kxmixer effect it (line in would be very similair) when connected directly to epilog (for MME recording).

Also, as you understand more about how it works with kX, you may want to take another look at the guide, and some of the example setups posted by other users, and maybe it will make more sense to you. Maybe someone else can offer a more optimal setup for what you are doing (transferring vinyl recordings to some other medium).

latuman

Got the sound. I think it's fine now. For some reason I THINK goldwave records it at some decent level but all volume level meters in dbpa show really quiet sound. I dont know if this is a problem.

I would also like to hear what I record as it goes on. Any easy way to wire it straight to my speakers too?

EDIT: Yes, it is quieter than my other MP3 files. Is there any remedy, or is it just how Vinyl is? The volume knob on my amp does not do a thing

Russ

If you want to hear what you record, you can just unmute the Line_In slider on the AC97 page, and the dry signal will be present on your front speakers. Optionally you can use one of the mixer plugins (like MX6, which has monitoring ability... I think that is what most people do), I personally have not used them much myself, so I cannot offer an optimal setup for that, but I am sure someone else can (I usually just montor it from the recording software itself).

<edit>
Connect a Peak plugin to the Prolog ouputs so you can see the signal level, and then use the recording Gain slider (on the AC97 page) in kxmixer to tweak it to your desired level.

BTW: I am not an expert on this, many people here in the forum have way more experiance with recording then I do. My hope is to just get you started, and to try and help explain how it works with kX, but someone else should be able to offer a better setup and maybe some tips.

latuman

Unmuted, cant hear a thing.

Should I drag something from prolog to epilog?

Russ

Hmm, that is strange (what is you speaker setup (i.e. Digital or Analog)? I think that only works with Analog Front).
You can connect it directly to your speakers on epilog (as well as the recording inputs) if you want.
Just connect it to whatever pair of speakers you want to use for monitoring (i.e. Analog Front Left/Right or Analog Rear Left/Right, etc). Just remember that the volume will be different from the recording volume (i.e it is effected by the Master Volume, and individual channel volumes in kxmixer).

BTW: The default setup (with it connected to xrouting) is setup so that you can hear what you record. So you may want to go back to the default setup (until someone offers a better one), but you will have to also adjust the AC97 slider on the Recording page of kxmixer if you do so. (again, using one of the mixer plugins and a custom DSP setup would proabably be the best choice, I am just not familair with such a setup (i.e. using the mixer plugins), so I cannot recommend anything in particulair).

latuman

Fixed. Didn't work for some reason, tried again unmuting, and voila.

Russ

Ok good.
Make sure that the 'AC97' slider on the 'Recording' page is muted when using a custom setup (i.e. Prolog directly connected to the recording inputs of epilog).

i.e.
With the default DSP setup, the AC97 signal is taken directly inside of epilog (using the settings from the 'Recording' page of kxmixer). Prolog, when used under this setup is used more for monitoring the signal and is not used for recording. This can make it more confusing, especially if you want to filter the signal (or add effects that you want recorded, etc). That is one of the reasons why I said that it is not the best setup for recording (although it may be OK for what you are doing). I personally prefer to wire it all up myself, so that I know exactly what is going on (in which case, (again) make sure that the AC97 slider on the Recording page of kxmixer is muted, otherwise a second copy of the signal will be mixed in (the one from Prolog, and the one taken inside of epilog)).

<edit>
BTW: Occasionally, something might cause the AC97 settings in the mixer to get out of sync with the settings the driver is using, so if you notice odd behavoir, you might try clicking the 'Reset AC97' button and see if that fixes it.

ruight50

good, man!

alexOne101

thanks man, ur short setup actually taught me a few things! i was using epilog and stuff but all i neeed was the setup as you have in your short 'pro' guide
this will serve as excellent reference material for all the people i try to convert to kX

Thanks Again
Peace
Hire

Lex Nahumury

Glad to hear that!

Cheers,

/Lex

silvertones

What abt PROFX for the new version L

Slippers

HoWdY!!

OK .. now I've downloaded the ProFX and installed it, what do I do now?
I see all the nifty new gijjy-goos and add-ons and such .. but where do they go?
Groping in the dark!
Slippers

Maddogg6

Start menu > KX MIXER - 'KX DSP' (lower left most 'button')

Opens up the KX DSP window Shown in the guide.

Are you able to get up to that point.

Slippers

Yes I've been working with the DSP ... I just don't know what I gotta connect and where!

Slippers

Lex Nahumury

Have you even read/studied the guide??? or just DL-ed the ProFx plugins

/Lex

jecat

hello @ all...

please sorry for my bad english...

do i understand that threads rigth to say, that there is no way to record LineIn and MicIn on 2(4) different asio-channels?

or in my example, i have a drum synth, that can output bassdrum und hihats on seperat channels. so i want to connect bassdrum out to LineIn and HiHatOut to MicIn, then route LineIn to asio0/1 and MicIn to asio2/3 and record this into 2 different files containing the different signals from bassdrum / hihat.

i understand this thread in that way, the ac97 input signals are alway the sum of all physical analogue inputs of the soundcard (due to that they have to go through the a/d-converter to get 'into the dsp'), so that my idea will not work. is this rigth?

thanks for answering
jecat

edit:
i'm using a sb0090 10k2 (e000) card with the kx 5, 10, 00, 3537 - debug - version

Russ

I *think* you can with your card, if you use the ADC plugin from the latest version of the ProFx pack (but you would also have to use a newer version of kX, in order to use the new ProFx).

See the following thread (as well as the ProFx thread) for more info:
Problem about the Mic and Line-In

Tril

Does the drum synth produce a mono bassdrum signal and a mono hihats signal and they get out of it by two connectors (1/8 or 1/4 or rca or whatever)?

If that's so, you could combine the two mono cables to get a single stereo cable (use some adapters or make a custom cable) to connect to your soundcard. You could use only linein and connect the left input to asio0/1 and the right input to asio2/3.

jecat

the drumsynth produces only mono-sound, so my short fix is to use the 'special-cable-version' posted by tril
but i will also try to install latest kx.drivers and proFX-plugin.. cause there it should be possible to connect up to 4 mono or 2 stereo signal simultanously...

but thanx a lot for answering...

can someone say exactly, wether solution 2 is possible with this card or not

Russ

I did a quick seacrh and can confirm that your card does have the UDA option and thus solution 2 will work with your card model.

jecat

i've got all that working:

the adc-plugin(line-in and uda-mic) goes into the asio-plugin (splitting lineR(adc-out0) to asio0/1 and lineL(adc-out1) to asio2/3, micR/L(adc-outs2/3) go to asio4/5)
fx-bus 0/1 go to mx6-ins0/1
mx6-outs0/1 go to k2lt-ins0/1(rear out)...
functioning wonderful...

for "direct monitoring" i've connected the adc-out0 also directly to the mx6-ins2/3 (so without the asio-driver-latency).
if i mix these 2 signal together, i can hear the asio-latency (the bassdrum is doubled)...

my big question is:
how "direct" is this monitoring, or in other words, how much time needs the dsp for adc+mx6+k2lt (so a-d-changing, routing and d-a-changing)??? the signal does not go thru any driver-modell...

thanx a lot...

Maddogg6

Well - I don't have that answer - but 'direct' or 'hardware' monitoring does NOT equal ZERO LATENCY - as some may indicate.
'software monitor' - *seems* to double what ever latency I have set in KX ASIO ASIO control panel - but Im not sure.

jecat

i know that this 'direct' or 'hardware'-(dsp)-monitoring does not mean ZERO LATENCY, i want to know, how much is the latency of the 10k2-dsp, when i use the dsp

i can hear that 'software monitoring' the asio-ins gives me the at least the asio-latency as time-difference between 'direct' and 'software' and i can hear the differences between 2,5ms, 5ms or p.e. 20ms...

but, like i said above, thats not my question:

the fact, that the 'on-dsp-hardware-monitoring' gives back the sound with its own dsp-depending-latency i think i can feel, when i try to play live-tappings to programmed patterns on a drumsynth: if i tap the bassdrum on a programmed bassdrum i nearly never get the tap on the step...

summary:
i want to know the latency of the dsp, without any driver modell....

please sorry, if this sounds too 'loud'

Lex Nahumury

I once measured a CT4832 (10k1);

AC97LineIn -> DSP -> RearOut =~21 samples @48kHz =~ 0.4375 msec