No audio signal in logic w/Apollo!

[GeZa]

From one day to the next my logic pro x would not record audio and it's driving me crazy!

I use an Apollo Twin w/thunderbolt as an interface, and there is a signal from the mic and the guitar to the apollo, and I can hear it in my monitors, but it just does not register in Logic. The input settings are also correct and the apollo is the chosen O/I device in "preferences". Cables also work. I've upgraded to Sierra, but this trouble actually occured on the previous OS version, like I said, just form one day to the next, without me having downloaded or done anything.

I am no professional so my abilities are limited, but I have uninstalled and then reinnstalled Logic and I have downloaded the latest driver for the Apollo. No luck. I have also tried the seemingly random google-advices to turn off count in and turn on "built in settings"-switch back to the apollo in "preferences". None have worked, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Edited November 29, 2016 by GeZa

[triplets]

Here's the screenshot from the Apollo interface.

Arm the mono audio track in Logic and you should get signal.

 

[GeZa]

Thanks for replying.

Do you mean just arm the track, like in make it record-ready? Doesn't do anything, and ofcourse I have allready done that, but I'm not sure if that is what you meant...?

Here is a screenshot of the situation. There is a signal in the Apollo console, but none in logic:

 

[David Nahmani]

It could be many things... here are a couple of things to try: 

1. In Logic, choose Logic Pro X > Preferences > Audio > General. Make sure "Input monitoring only for focused track, and record-enabled tracks is not selected. 
   
2. In the same pane, make sure "Software Monitoring" is selected.
   
3. I'm not familiar with the Apollo drivers but sometimes the input numbers don't match, so you can open a new empty project in Logic and create as many audio tracks as you have inputs on your interface, say 18 for example, choose "Input 1", select Ascending and Record Enable:
   
   Now look at the mixer and see if one of the channel strips shows some signal? 

[triplets]

Also uncheck the Mono button on the Output section of the Console. You wanna hear stereo.

[GeZa]

Hi, and thanks again for the help.

I've tried the steps you suggested, David, but still no response in Logic, the signal only gets as far as my Apollo. Also tried all eight inputs. None respond. Still in the dark here in other words.

 

Triplets: I only checked the mono button because you had done so on your screen shot, it's unchecked again now.

[Eriksimon]

Which OS do you use? Have you updated/upgraded recently? Are the Apollo's drivers compatible? Have you tried rebooting your Mac? You switched to built in. Did the built in audio actually work? Have you checked your Thunderbolt cable? Does the Apollo work in other audio programs? Also, embarrassingly perhaps: have you chosen correct inputs and outputs for your Logic track on the channel strip? Could you upload screenshots of the channel strip where audio is supposed to arrive but doesn't, and a screenshot of your Logic audio prefs?

[triplets]

I only checked the mono button because you had done so on your screen shot, it's unchecked again now.

On my screenshot "Mon" for Monitors was turned on, not Mono.

[triplets]

Also, have you clicked on Show Ctrl Room on your Console?

[GeZa]

As I wrote in my first post: I am on Sierra, but this audio-trouble actually occured when I was on the previous version (el capitan), just from one day to the next. Then I upgraded to Sierra, hoping that would help, only to find out that Apollo was not compatible with Sierra yet, so that's why I am back at it now, then.

The apollo driver is the latest one accessible, and the one UA says is compatible with my current OS. Also I can mention that the midi works just fine, Tidal plays through the Apollo fine, so I would assume the apollo and the cable work.

And yes, I have chosen the right insert. Mic is on chanel 1, insert is #1.

The "built in" setting did work, yes. It registered on the track, and I actually recorded som vocals using it.

 

Here I tap the mic, you can see the signal on the track on the console, but not on the track in logic:

 

logic+apollo.pdf

 

And the audio settings:

 

logic+apollo.pdf

logic+apollo2.pdf

[Eriksimon]

And have you checked what David said, about the numbering of the inputs? have you tried other inputs than input 1 in Logic?

[GeZa]

I have eight inputs in logic, and I have tried all of them, yes. Dead air on all, unfortunately.

[triplets]

On your pdf you have the Input button on. What about arming the track with the R button?

Also, is software monitoring enabled in Logic's preferences?

[GeZa]

Just so I am sure, the Input button is the "I" button, right next to the "R", right? It doesn't matter if it's on or off, no. No go either way.

Following Davids advice I unchecked the "input monitoring only for focused track, and record-enabled tracks" and checked the "software monitoring". "The independent monitoring..." box is also unchecked. Doing this didn't change anything, though.

[triplets]

With the Apollo you need to click the R to get signal in, not the I.

Try a restart of the whole computer, with all the things you have checked now, and arm a track in Logic and see if you get signal.

[GeZa]

Restarted computer and apollo, armed a track with only the "R". Still nothing. The built in mic works fine for recording, just not the one coming from the interface.

So would you say this is an interface/apollo, or a logic issue?

[triplets]

Does it work when you play music thru iTunes?

[GeZa]

Yup. Itunes, youtube and Tidal, you name it, all work perfectly. Play through the apollo like nothing. Only thing not working is recording audio. Both mic and guitar inputs are dead flat on the logic track, but audible in the monitors.

After a series of troubleshooting measures I was left to thinking it was an unexplainable, ghost-in-the-machine -type thing,  so I uninstalled Logic and reinstalled it. To my surprise the problem was still there in the re-installed version! I really don't get it.

But for all I know it's a "one click" operation to fix it. I just can't fathom whick button I need to hit and it seems I've tried them all by now.

[Arnaud]

Do you have any other software from which you could try an record input coming from the Appolo, instead of Logic? This is the only way IMHO to determine whether the issue lies with Logic, or with the Appolo (or Apple's Audio Midi Setup utility).

[GeZa]

I have the same trouble in Garageband also... Does that answer your question, Arnaud?

Maybe I should bring the Apollo to someone elses studio set-up and check if it works there?

I'm not famiiar with apples audio midi setup utility, maybe I need to look into that also.

[Arnaud]

I d'ont have an Appolo so I cant' be fully assertrive, but given you get the same in GB, there's indeed a chance that Logic per se is not faulty (all the more if you have already tried all the recommendations others have proposed above). Otherwise, you'd get some signal in GB, but not in LPX. You could attempt trying a fully non-apple piece of soft (you probably can find on the App Store some non-expensive, or even free, piece of soft that enables recording audio, for instance to create audio notes or for dictation purposes), just in case LPX and GB would rely on some commonality. Once you have ensured that, and assuming that this as well receives no signal from the Appolo, then it would be confirmed that the issue is not within Logic. The next two possibilities are:

 

* The Audio Midi Setup (AMS) utility (which sort of interfaces between all the audio interfaces connected to your Mac - included built-in -  and any software running on the Mac). More accurately, it is the common interface through which you can access some parameters of your audio interface and therefore in a sense will determine how Core Audio (CA, which is the true underlying OSX tool through which signal from your interface is made available to software running on the Mac) will deal with the audio interface. It's very hard to imagine why and how there would be an issue with AMS or CA (they usually work like a charm, and by the way they definitely work fine the other way around, when sending output signal to the interface) but I mention that just in case; it's also probably hard to differentiate an issue at that level from one at the leel of your Appolo interface itself. One easy thing to check, though, is that in AMS (audio window), when your Appolo interface is connected to the Mac, you should see it appearing in the list on the left, and in front of it you should see both a mic symbol and a speaker symbol (there's a third symbol of Mac OS, but it's irrelevent here). The speaker symbol shows to which unit (built-in speakers, or the Appolo, or whatever else) audio coming out of a software is sent, if it is not displayed in front of the Appolo, right-click on the Appolo in the list and select the appropriate option in the popup menu (can't remember the appropriate labeling, but straightforward). More importantly, the mic symbol indicates from which unit incoming audio is taken (to be delivered at the input of software running on the Mac). If this is not displayed in front of your Apopolo, then you've found the reason, and right-clicking and changing the selected option should solve it. (for the sake of it, the Mac OS symbol indicates to which unit audio system alerts are sent);

 

* The Appolo unit itself (especially if everything looks fine in the AMS). It can eaither be a driver issue or one linked to a setup in the Appolo mixer (there, I have no clue), or even possibly a hardware issue (preventing the Appolo from delivering incoming audio, while it still works fine when sending audio out). Trying it in someone else's studio would be a good test, if you can do that.

[triplets]

It must be something in Console.

 

Check in Logic, top menu Mix - View I/O labels. There you can see how the Apollo driver labels your inputs.

[GeZa]

I'm travelling for a couple of days, so I'll look at it again when I get back on tursday. Thanks again for the help and patience, guys.

[GeZa]

Hello again.

Solved it!   A friend saved me. Turned out it was an Apollo/Console thing, as you said, triplets. Here is what we did: Turned on Console settings, under the UA icon in the right top corner. And in the console settings there is a "I/O Matrix", and this said all the tracks were "offline", which seemed wrong. We tampered with it a little bit and simply clicked "track 1" and then "Analog" and then chose "MIC1/HIZ" and then it reestablished contact with logic, and now it works! Weird, since I have not touched anything in Console settings ever, but nice to know if it happens again to anyone.

Again, thanks for the help guys!

[triplets]

Finally!

Great you guys found the solution and thanks for posting back!

[Nelson90zc]

YOU ARE THE MAN!!! THANK YOU!!!

[Trevin]

I had the same problem with my Apollo and I learned how to fix it. The answer is in the (Apollo Console App) on your computer. In the mix page you have plug-ins activated on one of your channels and it has disabled your audio with the Apollo combo jacks. You have to disable the plugins in the Apollo Mixer page and then the audio signal and the sound will work in your DAW

[TheStoneMGs]

The same thing is happening to me! Using the Apollo Twin and Logic Pro X and everything works through the UA Console but no sound is being recorded into Logic. Can someone who knows the answer post some photos to where I can find the issue? I couldn’t trace the steps to find the issue the last poster recommended. Thanks!

[TheStoneMGs]

I figured it out! These boards helped me get close and I appreciate the trials of everyone who shared back and forth.

[Zundai]

I have the same problem can anyone help .. when recording it doesn’t pick up any mic signal at all ..

But it records to the talkback mic on the apollo ..

Any help be great