live streaming with backing tracks

[zentrombonist]

Hello,

Is there a way to drop a mp3 backing track file (ch1) into a DAW like Reaper or Logic Pro than add a second channel for the trombone mic and live stream these together to zoom while also hearing the zoom participant voice. Say this was a situation where I was taking a zoom music lesson with accompanying backing track.
I am currently using a 2i2 with my trombone mic in cha and a line in on channel 2 for the backing track direct into zoom. this works but the sound is not very good....any ideas for live streaming music (hardware, softwire) would be greatly appreciated...I'm told this is easier to do with macs than pcs using loopback but I need to investigate that further.

[rabiddolphin]

You shouldn't need to buy anything, you just need to have the audio playing in your daw of choice and then set Zoom to share your computer's audio. I think the setting you need to use in Zoom is "Original Sound" which is designed for more music orientated things.

[mooretrombone]

The problem, in my experience, with routing it through a DAW is that you can end up with additional lag, and it’s a little clunky of a process in the moment. But you’re on the right track with wanting a single audio input on Zoom that captures all the sources you want…. No “sharing” involved.

On a Mac, I use excellent software called Loopback that does this and makes life a lot simpler. Like a mixing board, I can mute and balance various sources… at this point though, it’s just set and I don’t touch it. But it lets me capture microphones, a metronome app, my midi keyboard, browser audio, Apple Music, iReal Pro, etc, in Zoom without me having to touch anything… I can also record a student directly into Logic and play it right back to them. In theory, you can come up with a similar hardware solution, but this is much easier. It’s not cheap, but I took the plunge when teaching a ton of zoom lessons and college classes, and I would gladly pay more for it.

You also need to tweak a few Zoom settings (https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articl ... nd-singing) and actually select what you create in Loopback as your “microphone.”

Loopback: https://rogueamoeba.com/loopback/

I imagine there’s similar audio routing software for other platforms as well, but I can only speak to MacOS. Hope this helps!

[brumpone]

There are “virtual audio cables” for PC, eg https://vb-audio.com/Cable/ that sound a bit like Loopback

[Veso45d]

Hi,

It sounds like you're on the right track, but I understand the quality issues you're facing. Using a DAW like Reaper or Logic Pro is a good approach, and there are a few things you could try to improve your live stream setup.

First, consider using a virtual audio routing software like Loopback on Mac or VoiceMeeter on Windows. These tools allow you to create virtual audio devices, so you can mix your backing track and microphone signal inside the DAW, and then send the combined audio to Zoom. This way, you can have both the trombone mic and backing track in one stream while maintaining good audio quality.

Another tip is to ensure that the audio levels are properly balanced within the DAW and Zoom settings. It’s easy for one channel to overpower the other, which can make the stream sound off. If you’re not already using an audio interface with direct monitoring capabilities, something like an audio interface with higher-quality preamps (such as a Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 or an equivalent) could also help improve sound quality.

Here’s an article that goes into more detail on building a live streaming setup if you want to dive deeper into the technical side: https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/how-to-build-a-live-streaming-app/

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more specifics.