Input monitoring is always active when recording an amp with a Dummybox

[andymatic]

Hey folks :-) I ran into a problem that I found very peculiar and I try to do my best to explain.
I use my M-Audio Fast Track for years now but I bought a new PC with Win10 on it and it is beeping quietly when audio is played on the computer. I kept working with it until I found out that when I try to record my amplifier with a Koch Dummybox, it always monitors the input signal, whether direct monitoring is on or off. It does that regardless of Reaper running or not.
So I bought a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd Gen - it stopped beeping on me, but the problem persists! I tried everything - the newest drivers, another audio interface (same model), searched on the interwebs. I turned down all the settings on my interface, input gain 0, direct monitoring off, volume 0 - still it is getting to my speakers. On my old PC it works primo.
When I record a DI signal or a mic, everything is good.

Well, even if the problem seems not Reaper related, I hope someone can give me some advice or a kick in the right direction, I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks in advance :-)

[Stella645]

You haven't said how the Koch is connected to the 2i2?
And is anything else connected?
And what speakers are you hearing it through....confirm how/where these are connected.

If it works OK with mic and with DI guitar (you don't hear them with direct monitor off) then it makes no sense you can hear the koch on monitors with it off (as it must be plugged to basically the same 2i2 inputs (but the line input on the jack of the combo connector not the xlr yes?) unless there is something odd in the setup you haven't divulged

[andymatic]

The signal chain is:

Guitar -> Amp -> Koch Dummybox Input -> Koch Dummybox Output (line level) -> Scarlett 2i2 line input (1 or 2, doesn't matter) -> KRK Rockit 5 Speakers

Everything is connected with 1/4 inch jacks.

The odd thing is, that any changes to the hardware, no matter the dummyboxes emulated speaker options or any volume setting on the audio interface, have absolutely no effect to the sound at all. It's not altering anything, it's just there.

I also made sure that the mic monitoring option in Windows 10 is disabled, too.

[Stella645]

Is 2i2 the default recording device in windows? Or is that what you meant by mic monitoring option in W10?

So of course direct monitoring should be off if you don't want to hear anything....but when you switch it on is there any change in what you hear?

Oh wait....you just said the interface volume makes no difference. Are you sure the sound isn't actually coming from the koch directly??

[andymatic]

Yes, I am sure. There are just these two cables connected to the Koch, the amp to input and the output to the di input.
I'm clueless, because I see two problems in this equasion: the first one is that the sound that shouldn't be there is not affected by the dummybox at all. The second problem is, the interface passes the signal to the speakers like it's a hot potato.

When I turn the direct monitoring on, I hear the unwanted signal with the direct monitoring signal together, but I can alter that one. It's friggin voodoo magic.

[JamesPeters]

Check that you didn't enable input monitoring in Reaper for the track itself. The little speaker icon (in the Default 5 theme) "Record Monitoring: OFF" is what it should say when you hover the mouse cursor over it.

[andymatic]

I'm aware of that. The problem is it does that even if Reaper is not running. And even if monitoring in Reaper is on, I could alter the input signal with the dummybox which is not the case. It's like the signal is just jumping from the amplifier to the speakers directly, and it makes no sense at all.

Edit: Apparently the DI box doesn't need to be powered or connected to the computer for this problem to be - it is passing the signal nonetheless. What the fridge is going on?

[Stella645]

Have you tried moving it as far away from the speakers interface and cables as possible. Could it be emitting RF that's being picked up by the monitor cables/interface?
That's about all I can think of.

Are the monitor connections balanced which could be a factor?

[andymatic]

After nothing helped, I laid everything down on the floor in a straight line, as far from another as the cables allowed to.
But again, it did not help.
I'm ready to give up on all of this and just live with it.

[Stella645]

You could always try this:

mailto:info@koch-amps.com

Or their facebook chat:

https://www.facebook.com/kochamps

[andymatic]

I think I will do that. Hopefully the problem has occured somewhere else and was solved.
And thanks for your help, I sure appreciate it