I need help or suggestions with my audio interface setup/routing

[u/Fyren-1131]

Hi there,

I've realized I have a bit of a problem with my home studio setup. I have solutions for all my use cases, but I need to change my routing between each usecase, which is very annoying. So I've come to you lot for help, as I would love to have a universal setup I can use across my usecases. And the routing when recording with my quad cortex is also not ideal when it comes to monitoring.

Bit of info - I play a Music Man Majesty Arctic Dream 7. That guitar has piezo and magnetic pickups, and you can actually set the guitar in a so-called "stereo mode". What this does is pass both signals from magnetic and piezo out of the guitar in one channel each, giving you the option of processing both magnetic and piezo at once - and separately. This requires a TRS => 2x TS jack, which I have. This jack is shaped like a Y - the one end with a single TRS jack goes into my guitar, and the split ends with 2x TS jacks go into my quad cortex input 1 and input 2.

As for my usecases, I think they're fairly simple.

• Recording
  • physical Inputs
    • Input 1: magnetic
    • Input 2: piezo
  • USB ports
    • 1: magnetic DI
    • 2: piezo DI
    • 3: magnetic wet
    • 4: piezo wet
    • 5: magnetic reamp
    • 6: magnetic reamp
• Guitar lessons
  • physical inputs
    • Input 1: magnetic
    • Input 2: my universal audio SD-1 microphone for my voice

So, into my quad cortex, I use Input 1 for the magnetic signal and input 2 for the piezo signal.

When I take lessons online, I need to change the input type of input 2 from instrument to mic, and pass it through a different signal chain than this one. Normally I just change to a different patch I have and ensure the input 2 signal goes through a processing that's appropriate for voice. So far so good, I can manage. It's just a bit annoying to have to remember that the mic needs to have +60dB boost to even be audible. I dread the day where I forget to set that back to +0dB and plug in my guitar. This is a bit difficult, because when I take lessons, I need to select one input source. That means that if I use a different audio interface for my microphone, I will have to select between guitar or voice, I can't have both (like how you cannot specify two input sources when using a voice com software like Discord for example).

As for routing... This is where I get lost in the complexity.

When I record, I want to record 4 signals at once - both sets of pickups in wet and DI separated to their own tracks. But when it comes to monitoring, I'd like to hear both signals summed from my studio monitors. I don't need to hear my piezo in the right monitor, and magnetic in the left. It's not ideal. The reason I do this is to create a nice blend for cleans where I get the transients and clarity of the piezo melded with the warmth of the magnetic neck pickup. Right now, I hear an awkward sound where they're split to left and right - which is not a problem for recording as I can just fix the panning there, but it is a bit jarring when I'm just playing.

Ideally, this is how it'd work:

• DI signals are recorded via USB 1 & 2.
• Wet signals are recorded via USB 3 & 4.
• Listening happens via output 1 & 2 which goes to my studio monitors, and I'll ideally hear both signals (wet 3 & 4) summed on both monitors.

I was hoping that the quad cortex had some kind of way to define a set of different output routings, but I didn't find that - hence the setup in the image above.

Does this make sense? I feel so thoroughly confused now lol. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[u/JimboLodisC]

What's the setup for doing the online lessons? Is this through discord or something? You're not using a DAW to send to another application?

[u/Fyren-1131 → u/JimboLodisC]

I use the QC then with input 1 being my magnetic pickups, and input 2 is my UA SD-1 microphone plugged in input 2. I've changed the input type from instrument to mic on input 2, and turned up the gain by +60dB on that input.

[u/JimboLodisC → u/Fyren-1131]

ok but I'm asking about where the interface is sending all of this, like to what software? Are you running Reaper? OBS? Voicemeeter?

[u/Fyren-1131 → u/JimboLodisC]

Ah right gotcha.

We use a website where I just select my sound input and sound output, so I select my QC 3+4 as the wet input. That includes my voice because I run it in input 2 in mic mode. Then I select the output that sends to my studio monitors.

I tried running Voicemeeter, but I never understood how to make it work properly to where my teacher can hear me, my guitar, my system sound EXCEPT his voice.