Model 12 for Ableton Live 10

[colincam]

A few things...
---While in DAW control mode. The audio will play out of the fader that the track is on. Even though we think of channels 1-6 as mono and only 7/8 and 9/10 as stereo, in DAW Control Mode, things are different. Whatever is on the various tracks plays out on the fader aligned with that track, even if it is stereo. The mono "pan" becomes a "balance" control if the audio is stereo on a given track.
----I have not found any way to direct monitor inputs while recording in DAW control mode. As soon as you put the Model 12 in DAW control mode, it goes deaf except for what the DAW is sending it. The best answer to this that I have found so far is to set the buffers as low as your PC will tolerate and use the DAW's monitor return latency. I've been able to get the latency down to where this is useful. I've had it all the way down to 4 samples, as low as it can go and was able to monitor my input while recording to the DAW albeit with a very slight latency. It may not be wise to leave the buffer at 4 however, it may lead to clicks and pops depending on your CPU.
---It seems the intention here is that you would record your segments outside of DAW control and then use DAW control to do the final mix.

I wonder if there is some technical reason Tascam cannot provide direct monitoring while in DAW control mode, but that is how it is for now. The channels are monitoring the DAW tracks.

 

[-mjk-]

If you play back a stereo track in the DAW on a single fader in the console, the audio is summed to mono, is it not?

 

[colincam]

It is confusing. I use Adobe Audition CS6, the last perpetual license version. What I have found is that the best mixing/mixdown combination on the Model 12 is DAW control mode. In that mode, if you put a stereo track on track 1 in the DAW, it plays on the Model 12 on fader 1 IN STEREO. Only fader 1, fader 2 is not needed. The pan control becomes a balance control. If you move the audio to track 2, it plays on fader 2, IN STEREO, fader 3 not needed. And so on. While this works great, it seems impossible to reorient a track to a different output. 1 is 1, 2 is 2, 3 is 3, and so on. But the cool thing is that each track uses only one fader even if it is a stereo track. I like that. That seems to be how it is and if you try to change a track to a different fader, the scheme breaks. It doesn't work that way. All of this depends on you having a stereo session setup with stereo tracks. A mono track will play on the corresponding respective fader in mono. When NOT in DAW control mode, I can confirm that you CAN make your tracks come out stereo pairs 1/2 3/4 5/6 like normal, NOT JUST 1/2. In this scenario, it's best to NOT use the 1/2 to 9/10 redirect setting in the menus because that becomes confusing and disorienting. Under System->USB Audio, you'll need to select PC<-MULTI and PC CH 1/2->CH 1/2. I believe this is the default. I'm still experimenting and have been editing this post as I go. All of this is all in Adobe Audition. I need to, and plan on trying a different DAW but don't want to pay for something I won't end up using since Adobe Audition is fine for me, it's what I am used to after years of experience with it. (Former radio... we all used Audition in radio.)

I would like to see some work done on the Windows drivers by Tascam. I'd like a driver where Windows itself (non-ASIO) sees all channels. I've had other devices where that was true.

 

[-mjk-]

Your use of the term "pot" is a bit confusing. Are you saying that a stereo DAW track will play in stereo on a single channel of the mixer, and can be controlled with a single fader?

 

[colincam]

Sorry, old timer here. "Pot" is short for "potentiometer," a technical term for "fader" (or "control" if it is a rotary dial.) Edited above for clarity. Showing my age and radio heritage. Yes, in DAW Control Mode specifically, you can control a stereo track with a single fader.

 

[-mjk-]

Thanks for the clarification.

I had no idea that the USB interface on the device was stereo for each channel. Because the mixer is mono, I would have assumed that a stereo signal coming from the USB interface would downmix to mono.

"Can I make a lifeline call please?"

@Max Relic are you aware of the USB channel inputs from the DAW being stereo on the M12?

 

[Max Relic]

@-mjk-, I never explored USB connectivity so my knowledge on the subject is non-existent. Sorry to leave you helpless.

 

[colincam]

I want to be very clear. The stereo on each fader is only on the Model 12 and only WHEN IT IS IN DAW CONTROL MODE. When hooked to the PC and using a DAW, and in DAW control Mode, a stereo track will appear on the normally mono faders as stereo with the pan control becoming a balance control during PLAYBACK.

 

[Max Relic]

When the Model 12 is in DAW Control Mode it essentially becomes a control surface with limited audio capability (IIRC FW 1.40 introduced audio return options for channels 1-2, 9-10 or Main). In this perspective, channel faders (linear volume potentiometer) and pan pots (rotational potentiometers), and also mute, solo and transport buttons, act as remote controls for the corresponding DAW mixer controls independently (I guess) from the actual audio program. IMHO

 

[colincam]

The coolest part to me is how the pan pots become balance controls.

I had an inkling this “feature” was due to the digital nature of the unit.