Setting Up Audio Loopback for Windows 10 with Motu M4s for Seamless Rehearsals

As a computer tech with no musical background, I recently helped two friends set up audio loopback on their Windows 10 machines using the Motu M4 interface. The goal was to enable them to rehearse remotely without having to physically meet up. In this article, we'll explore the steps taken to resolve the issues encountered during setup and get their gear working smoothly.

Background

My friends are musicians who need to practice together regularly. They decided to use JamKazam, a popular online jamming platform that allows musicians to collaborate remotely. The only input device they have is a channel 1 microphone, while playback is handled through headphones. To set up the audio loopback, I followed these steps:

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Install the Driver: We installed the Motu M4 driver on both machines.

2. Connect Gear: Both musicians connected their Motu M4 interfaces to their respective machines via USB-C cables.

3. Configure Audio Settings: In Windows, we unchecked the 4-loopback option and selected the Motu M ASIO for input and 'same as input' for output.

Issue Encountered

During the setup process, when testing playback at step 5 of the JamKazam wizard, my friends experienced staticy and cracking sounds. This was despite having direct monitoring turned off and using the default settings: 48,000 sample rate and buffer size of 16.

Troubleshooting

To resolve this issue, we investigated several potential causes:

* Network Connectivity: We checked network connectivity, which appeared to be stable, with average speeds of 150mb down and 10mb up.

* Computer Specs: One musician had a newer HP notebook with decent specs, while the other had an older MacBook Pro. We thought that the Windows machine might be experiencing higher jitter rate or audio latency.

Solution

After exploring these potential causes, we found that the issue was specific to the Windows 10 machine. By changing the settings on the Motu M4 interface and adjusting the buffer size, we were able to resolve the staticy and cracking sounds.

Setting up audio loopback for remote rehearsals can be a challenge, especially when working with unfamiliar music equipment. However, by following these steps and troubleshooting potential issues, my friends were able to get their gear working smoothly and rehearse together without having to physically meet up. Whether you're a musician or a computer tech, the Motu M4 interface is an excellent choice for audio loopback applications.

'Audio Loopback for Windows 10; 2700 words'

Audio loopback for windows 10