Urgent: Any Rogue Ameba Loopback users? I'm super frustrated!

By glassheart, 3 April, 2023

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps

Let me begin by saving you a headache possibly. If you're not an advanced Voiceover user, this post most likely isn't for you. That said, I'm willing to let anyone help regardless their skill level, if they think they can.

OK, first of all, let me explain what I'm trying to do. I have Loopback from Rogue Ameba, or however that's spelled, forgive me. I also have a personal license for Reaper 6.78 and have Osara, and SWS both installed and totally up to date. This is on a Macbook Air 2020 M1 system running the latest build of Ventura.

I'm wanting to record a few audio demos whereby I will have both Voiceover routed through the recording as well as my microphone from my Focusrite audio interface.

Generally, this is very simple to do with Loopback. I do it all the time. But here's the catch for now.

I want to be able to set up, in Loopback, multiple channel routing mapping.

So, in other words, I create a virtual device, and this then creates pass through channel 1 and 2. So there are virtual wires now in Loopback by default going from pass through 1 to output channel 1, and pass through 2 getting routed to channel 2.

So, now, I hit VO+Space on the add channel button. Now we have channels 3 and 4 created, but aside their pass throughs which are also connected to channel 1 and 2 which is what I want, no sources yet have been created. Which is fine.

Now, I create a source for my audio device for my Focusrite interface. So now, this creates a routing where Scarlet USB 1 is going to output channel 1, and Scarlet USB 2 is going to output channel 2. Again, totally fine.

Now's where the part comes in which is making me want to say the f word maybe a few GD's, along with every other thing in the english language that I shouldn't say. LOL! I add another source, and set it to Voiceover. Now, Voiceover also is being connected Voiceover 1 to channel 1, and Voiceover 2 to channel 2. This is *not!* what I want! Technicly, this will work, true, fair statement, but the thing is, this way, since everything's going to channels 1 and 2, I have no separation from my microphone on my interface and my Voiceover speeh when recording into Reaper. The end goal is to have Voiceover going Voiceover 1 to output channel 3, and Voiceover 2 going to output channel 4.

So the whole map would be:

Focusrite 1=Output 1.
Focusrite 2=Output channel 2.
Voiceover 1=Output channel 3
Voiceover 2=Output channel 4.

This way in Reaper, I could set track 1's input to inputs 1/2 stereo, then track 2 would be set to input channels 3/4 on the virtual device I created in Loopback. This way, I could mix my voice completely independently of that of Voiceover, as they'd be on 2 separate tracks.

The Loopback manual states that you drag one of the wire sockets from the output of the source, in this case, Voiceover's source in Loopback, to the output channel to make the connection.

I've tried everything! I turned off cursor tracking with VO+Shift+F3, then located the output 1 of the Voiceover source routed my mouse with VO+Command+F5, then moused down with VO+Command+Shift+Space, went over to the output channels 3/4 group and interacted, found channel 3 which only had pass through connected to it, then routed my mouse again with VO+Command+F5, then moused up to drop with VO+Command+Shift+Space. Nothing at all happened.

I Hit VO+Space on channel 3, and that worked, but then, as soon as I either VO+Space or route my mouse then click with VO+Shift+Space on the output 2 inside the Voiceover source, it creates another wire entirely. Also when I had Voiceover 1 going to channel 3 by VO+Spacing on channel 3, if I turn cursor tracking back on, then as soon as I VO away from the channel having focus, the connection breaks and it goes right back to Voiceover 1 being routed to output channel 1 just like it was when the source first was created.

Not only did I try dragging with the above method on the wire and dropping it on the output channel 3, then trying to do the same with Voiceover 2 to get it into channel 4, but I also have tried dragging the source channels themselves instead of the created wires, which doesn't work, I've hit VO+space on the wires to try first selecting them before hitting VO+Space on the channel to connect to, which keeps routing Voiceover 1 to whatever channel, but won't change letting me route output 2 to channel 4 instead, it keeps doing Voiceover 1 either 2 3 or 4. For the life of me, I can't seem to get Voiceover 1 going to channel 3 to stick but then moving over to Voiceover 2 to route into output channel 4.

I even tried the old legacy way of drag and drop with VO+Comma, and VO+Period, but of corse, story of my life, that doesn't work either. It just says not able to drag after I hit VO+Comma, which doesn't surprise me... That piece of crap command has been broken since my gramma was born! Ahim ahim.

It seems like way way way way back in the days, I actually did get this working with Voiceover myself, but God dang me! if I remembered how I diddit!

I really need to figure this out, as a few clients are paying me, and I really don't wanna do this having no granular control over each part of the audio separately. I'll do it, but it won't be ideal, that's for sure!

The quicker any of you all can help with this, the better.

And before you write and say, "What a novel!" Don't say I didn't warn you at the start of this post that this was involved!

Thank you much.

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Comments

By Wenwei on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 - 08:27

Hi, doing this from memory. My apologies if my directions aren't precise.

First, VO-J to ""[name] device configuration list".
Navigate to "enabled source"—i.e., VoiceOVer and the interface
Interact with the "source channels list".
VoiceOver says: "[Source] Channel 1 connected to output channel 1", etc. Select that. Press the up and down arrows to rewire.
VO-Space when you're satisfied; escape if you want to rewire the second channel to another output channel.
Repeat for second source.

Hope this helps and good luck!

By JC on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 - 08:27

Hi,

Here's an extra tip. if you want to capture VoiceOver speech, make sure the "mute when capturing," is disabled. that can be found under options in the device you've selected. Hope this helps, and good luck.

By glassheart on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 - 08:27

I want to thank all of you tremendously who responded and helped with this question! Boy, that whole thing with hitting the down arrow key by itself never ever would have occured to me for moving the wire connections. The first person who responded and recommended this, you were dead spot on! That did the trick, and I've been successfully able on my own with no help at all able to set up various different routing scenareos, so thank you.

Now as for the tip about recording Voiceover speech, this is great that it was mentioned for those who may not be aware.

I've been using Loopback now for several years, and was completely aware of this little quirk, but again, thank you for addressing it just in case, nonetheless.