After have been using Audacity for some time I decided to try out Ardour.
Software looks very promising in terms of features, but I’m struggling with the basics, getting audio to work.
I have two USB interfaces:
Behringer USB Audio
Focusrite Scarlett Solo
I want OUT from Scarlett, and IN from Behringer. Using ALSA in Ardour I can only choose either Behringer OR Focusrite, even if there is one selection for IN and one for OUT.
Anyway if I stick to one of the interfaces Ardour works with ALSA (playing and recording)
BUT I need both interfaces to work with my setup so I tried with JACK which I am unfamiliar with. After some struggle I was successful in getting JACK to work in Renoise with exactly what I want, however Ardour are giving me an error message when I open my project.
I did use a few hours yesterday to get to know Ardour. I’m mostly recording stereo samples, edit and arranging them around.
I’m must say I’m REALLY impressed with all the features that are there (although I use a small portion of it).
Once I understood the basics for my need, the logic in user friendliness, shortcuts, performance and stability is fantastic.
I just love software when I can say THIS does it for me.
The link paul provided explains how to do this, but I agree it is far from ideal
to do it at all, I would sell the smaller interfaces and get one with more in and outs.
I have a Steinberg UR22, that is usb powered.
I can use this unit without a computer,
just power it up via usb, hook a mic into it,
and take a TRS out to my powered speakers.
Would doing something like this solve your problem.
I can also string two of these units together and then connect
only one of them to the computer, I can only control one of them from
the computer though I get an extra in and double my outs, but as I said only two channels, not four in the DAW,
so limited use, and you need to be careful with your gain from the first unit into the second one.
We cannot and do not recommend the use of multiple digital audio interfaces unless they share a common sample clock. This is not a professional way to work, and will lead to problems because the clocks on each device will drift. This is why Ardour's ALSA backend does not offer this option.
If you insist, you will have to use JACK. FAQ entry here: http://jackaudio.org/faq/multiple_devices.html
You should rethink your workflow. One of the reasons to use a good audio interface is to avoid this kind of issue.
Thanks guys! I really appreciate the feedback.
In my workflow I will never do recording and playback simultaneously so I don’t see how timing would be an issue for me but point taken.
I will try out Ardour with one of my interface then to see if I like it. If it works for me then rethinking the gear might be the best way going forward.