Mixer set-up woes...

[auditory hallucinations]

Been trying to learn a bit more recently about setting up gain stages and the like, although most of the stuff I've found on the net quickly baffles me with all the 0 db whatever stuff (I'm not the biggest techie!). Does anyone know of any good sites they could recommend on this kind of thing, maybe something that doesn't require a PhD to decipher?

The reason I'm trying to learn it is because I'm stuggling to get my set up tweaked right. I'm using a Mackie 1402 desk, with my 909 and other synths going into it, aswell as a few outputs from the computer. This all then feeds through to a compressor over the mix bus.

If I understand it right, the gain path starts off from the instrument, so I've got my 909 giving out full volume. On the desk, I've got the fader pulled down on the bass drum channel and the grain cranked a little to give some wicked sounding fat distortion. But what I'm finding is that the master leds on the desk are peaking well over 0 - they are still all "green" but I just get the feeling I don't have much headroom left.

I can control this with the compressor to get a fatter recording, but something tells me the leds on the desk should just be hitting under 0 and staying away from the top peaks. Any ideas / advice on what I'm doing wrong and how to improve?

Thanks y'all

[yorkie]

reduce the volume on the input. the desk will have an amplifier circuit (gain control) that can be used to tweak the level of ur instruments up or down

??

[messyfuture]

if you press the solo button on the mixer does the mater leds change to just the left set of leds..... this is the output thats coming from the soloed channel, you can then adjust the level so you are not peaking

not sure if the 1402 has this feature but the 1604 does.

i sometimes overdrive my channels to give it a bit of a distorted noise especially on hats and rides from my 909

[DJZeMigL]

basically use the cue/ pfl 2 make sure that each channel is coming in at the "normalized level" (meaning the best signal 2 noise ratio)...

in simple terms just solo/ PFL/ cue each channel one by one..
look at the levels, there u'll find the input level as mentioned on the above post.. try 2 make it sit close 2 the 0 db on the levels (use the channel gain/ trim pot 2 achieve this), If the channel is already coming in to hot just use the PAD Cut (a switch that atenuates the input -normaly by 26db- b4 the gain/ trim/ pré-amp stage)... the master should always b at 0db (normally this means the max volume)... Make sure u connect yer monitors on the monitor out and the tape/ Dat/ Cd on the master out... the master is 2 b at 0db the volume u hear is to b controlled by the monitor level pot on the mixer.

Now if u want a "phat" overdrive just make sure the input goes over the 0db.. the more it goes the bigger the overdrive u get...

hope this was simple, helpfull has u neaded,


Z

[auditory hallucinations]

Yep, that was perfect - thanks all for your help.

[xfive]

RTFM!!!!!


:lol: :lol: :lol:


j/k dude ;)

[auditory hallucinations]

ha ha ha ha me also

dude

:lol:

[xfive]

:lol: :lol:

[auditory hallucinations]

:lol:

you nutter

[Evil G]

now that you've got that sorted, i'll add something to confuse everything. ;)

if your hardware has headroom above zero, and you don't notice any distortion, then go ahead and use it. you'll get more dynamic range and better signal to noise. just make sure you know the headroom of everything in your chain, and set your levels so that the piece with the lowest tolerance wont clip.

[DJZeMigL]

"...you'll get more dynamic range ..."


err... m8 don't u mean better rms level (average level - LOUDER :) )...!?

Cause if u are "limiting" the peaks then U get a more stable signal or should I say a less dynamic range...

please Correct me if i'm wrong! :)

Z

[Evil G]

if your noise floor is at say -85 db, then sounds quieter than that will be obsured by noise. if you max at zero, then you will have a dynamic range of 85 db. if you max at +15, you will have a dynamic range of 100 db, and you will be able to raise some of your quietest sounds above the noise floor.

but you are right as well, it will also have a louder peaks and overall rms level.

the thing about dbs is that they are relative, not absolute. so once the sound comes into a digital device, everything changes. ie, my motu can take a +19 db signal coming in, but once inside the computer, that same signal would read 0 db. if i record at +10, the recording actually comes out as -9, and requires boosting inside the computer, etc.