Discuss Studio 2|4 / 24c, 2|6 / 26c, 6|8 / 68c, 18|10 / 1810c, and 18|24 / 1824c USB 2.0 Interfaces Here
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Hi, new here and new to recording (Actually have done none yet). I get no sound or levels when I plug in my electric guitar.
I have a PC:
Win 10 64
Intel i7 8700 3.2 Ghz
16GB Ram
I only have USB 3.0, so I am using the USB C to USB A

Can you direct me to a good place to show how to set this up? I mean step by step. The only issue I have so far is that I cannot get guitar sounds (Electric). I do not have a mic...yet.
I am able to make tracks with sound using the loops, etc....just nothing when plugged direct with guitar. That was the main reason for the purchase. Any help would be appreciated. Nothing but trouble from the start with this device. Had to have Tech Support register the device. Please help.
P.S. I also do not have the Surface Controller (Mixer) from the Universal Controller.
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by michaelsauber on Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:30 pm
It is so reassuring when I see no responses to what should be a simple question. Not even a Moderator could come on. I have looked for the answers already, so do not go there....I am returning my Interface on Saturday because Presonus Tech Support is not only useless, they don't care. I was supposed to get a call tonight from tech support, but nothing, not even an email stating they can't make the appointment....nothing.Now my Tech Guy is on vacation. Why would a company use Ireland for Tech support? The average IQ in Ireland is 93!!!! That means half the population is LESS than 93...pretty scary!! Thanks for nothing Presonus!
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by SwitchBack on Mon Nov 11, 2019 7:11 am
From this and your other posts I start to gather that you could have bought any interface from any company and still would have found yourself in the same situation you are in now. You bought gear, and now you find out you have to know something about that gear too before you can use it.

So you visit this users forum where you want other users give you that knowledge, spend time to find - with you - the reasons for your problems and explain to you your options for getting what you need from that gear that you bought.

But you are asking for this voluntary support in a demanding, impatient and unfriendly way. I do not have a Studio 26 but even if I had then I would find myself wondering if you were the person to make that effort with.

Maybe something to reflect on. Not too late, you know...
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by michaelsauber on Mon Nov 11, 2019 7:44 pm
I had a Mackie Onyx (Firewire) in 2005. It worked great. Presonus Tech Support concluded the FIRST 26 C was bad (After 30 days of back and forth). I sent it back and bought the same product again. Now I had another Registration issue and close to the same issues with the inputs as the first (I get ZERO levels on this 2nd one). The Serial # on the new one is 2 digits off from the first one. Bad batch???? Possibly, but my time is my life and I have had a really terrible experience with Products, Tech Support and now users on the forum. Since you do not have the 26 C... and are just a troll who is unwilling to help, why don't you go bleep up a rope?
I will be getting a different brand after I return this garbage and will be happy to see your type in my rear view mirror.
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by Jemusic on Mon Nov 11, 2019 10:15 pm
I would like to offer some help here for you. Sorry for the delay and confusion as well. The 26C has a built in active DI. You can connect your guitar direct to the 26C using the centre part of the combo input socket.

Make sure you are not in Line Input mode here though. The input impedance with the Line Input setting is low. eg 10K Ohm. A lot of signal loss occurs and you get poor transfer of signal from guitar to input stage. You are in Line Input mode when the Line button is lit. (incorrect mode!)

Switch into Instrument mode. Line input button needs to be OFF. (not lit) This is confusing here I must admit! In Instrument mode, the input impedance of the Input stage is very high eg 1 M ohm. This means you will get maximum signal transfer from guitar to the input stage. A lot more level! Plus the low impedance line setting also kills the high end of the guitar very quick. Instrument mode lets all the top end of the guitar sound through as well. (This happens less with active instruments though, they send their signal from a low source impedance, they will drive anything!)

Turn the volume on your instrument reasonably high to send as much signal as you can. Increase the input gain slowly until you can see the required signal level coming into Studio One. There should be plenty of level now.

Line Input mode by the way is terrific for loud synths sending in huge levels as they do and any other thing up there in loud line level land. These are also low impedance sending so they can drive hard into Line inputs. 10K or not. The Instruments inputs now can be too sensitive and can be easily over driven from loud synths etc creating havoc and distortion. Line Input suddenly drops everything down and matches the source signal much better.

An active DI is another good way of doing this too. Why would you need it? Well if you are playing your guitar 20 meters away from the Studio C for some reason, the active DI is the way to go. It lives with you so you only have a short lead from guitar to the active DI. Then it sends over a long distance very nicely with no loss and feeds into the 26C Mic inputs instead where there is tons of gain to spare.

Hope that has been helpful.

Specs i5-2500K 3.5 Ghz-8 Gb RAM-Win 7 64 bit - ATI Radeon HD6900 Series - RME HDSP9632 - Midex 8 Midi interface - Faderport 2/8 - Atom Pad/Atom SQ - HP Laptop Win 10 - Studio 24c interface -iMac 2.5Ghz Core i5 - High Sierra 10.13.6 - Focusrite Clarett 2 Pre & Scarlett 18i20. Studio One V5.5 (Mac and V6.5 Win 10 laptop), Notion 6.8, Ableton Live 11 Suite, LaunchPad Pro
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by michaelsauber on Tue Nov 12, 2019 7:25 pm
Thank you so much for responding. I am on my second 26 C and it is dead in the water like the first. I am guessing I may have been getting units from a bad batch. Very annoying. I have been wanting to get back in to playing and recording but I am stymied by the hardware. I have active pick ups on my guitar. Presonus Tech Support told me it has to be a bad unit. I sent it back and bought a new one and this one is bad too. Serial #'s 2 digits from first one. I am concerned about buying another from Presonus. I only have so much time on this planet until I die and don't want to fart around with customer service/returning gear for my remaining years. Not sure if I will try Presonus once more or go with Focusrite. Wish me luck and thank you.
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by Jemusic on Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:44 am
I tested the Line/Instrument thing using a Studio 1810c. I connected this to a standard USB 2 port using the USBc to USBa cable like you. This all worked fine for me. Do you have any standard USB 2 ports on your machine anywhere? If you do, have you tried the 26c connected to these.

I have had some hardware completely fail to work over USB3 but worked perfectly over USB2.

I have also been reading a bit on Win 10 forums about USB 3 ports not working and there are steps to get them working if this is the case. Can you confirm that your USB 3 port is actually working with something else. It is possible yours may not be functioning. It has been reported that some recent Win 10 updates have stopped USB 3 ports from working also.

A non functioning USB 3 port will also still send power, giving the illusion it is working but there will be no data transfer.

Specs i5-2500K 3.5 Ghz-8 Gb RAM-Win 7 64 bit - ATI Radeon HD6900 Series - RME HDSP9632 - Midex 8 Midi interface - Faderport 2/8 - Atom Pad/Atom SQ - HP Laptop Win 10 - Studio 24c interface -iMac 2.5Ghz Core i5 - High Sierra 10.13.6 - Focusrite Clarett 2 Pre & Scarlett 18i20. Studio One V5.5 (Mac and V6.5 Win 10 laptop), Notion 6.8, Ableton Live 11 Suite, LaunchPad Pro
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by michaelsauber on Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:46 pm
Thank you Jemusic. Tech Support remoted in to my computer a couple of weeks ago and we checked my USB 3.0 connections. They work fine, but to make sure we tried them all. Also, I get sound from everything I have put through the 26 C other than when using the Inputs. Also, I did get a level a few times on my first unit. It would last 10 seconds maybe, then die. It might come back with a level at some point, but it would die within 10 seconds too. It was intermittent never a sound ever. My guess is a bad batch that the solder points were poorly made on the board and they were still sent out or cracked in shipping. I will post any resolution I may get.
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by Jemusic on Thu Nov 14, 2019 12:35 am
Ok good to see PreSonus support got onto checking USB 3 ports first. Also this does sound like an input stage problem. Are they sending you a third one because I am sure they would for sure. Get them to test it first as well maybe.

Specs i5-2500K 3.5 Ghz-8 Gb RAM-Win 7 64 bit - ATI Radeon HD6900 Series - RME HDSP9632 - Midex 8 Midi interface - Faderport 2/8 - Atom Pad/Atom SQ - HP Laptop Win 10 - Studio 24c interface -iMac 2.5Ghz Core i5 - High Sierra 10.13.6 - Focusrite Clarett 2 Pre & Scarlett 18i20. Studio One V5.5 (Mac and V6.5 Win 10 laptop), Notion 6.8, Ableton Live 11 Suite, LaunchPad Pro
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by michaelsauber on Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:17 am
I bought it from Amazon, so I will return what I have to them and look for it from some other vendor. Maybe Sweetwater. It's just less expensive with Amazon Prime.I will post an update after I get the 3rd one. Thanks again Jemusic. I appreciate your support.

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