Muffled/Muddy sound when recording Electric Piano directly

Mullertime

New member
Ahoy! This might be one for mastering as well, but I'll start here as it could be a simple recording setting that I've missed.

I'm having a bit of trouble recording an electric piano directly (i.e. using the headphone-out line) where it's coming out a bit muffled / muddy, and I'm wondering if anyone with a more attuned ear has come across something like this before or knows what direction to best take.

I've summarised it below - apologies for the YouTube compression. Basically Recording B is the problem. More than anything it seems to lack clarity. Recording A is there as a reference to what I used to be able to output on another machine - and the sound I'm roughly gunning for.



Specs: (Same on both machines)
  • Hardware: Behringer UCA202 - kindly recommended by you guys!
  • Software: Audacity

I figure the remedy will be one of two things: Either a recording setting somewhere (fixing the input) or using some degree of equalising / mastering afterwards (Recording C was an attempt at this). Any thoughts on how best to proceed?
 
Hi there,
A+B sound exactly the same to me, except that A is louder.
I think all you need to do is turn the track fader up a little bit.

I think you might be adding a beat in the 3rd bar too. ;)
 
Since you say no effects added, I'm guessing what I hear is is the keyboard patch's reverb. It's more noticeable with 'B' due to the lower overall volume.
 
Are you using a mono jack plug in the headphone socket? Or are you using a stereo (tip ring sleeve TRS) plug in the headphone plug and then connecting left / right together into a mono jack? Both ways are wrong and cause phase cancellation and audio cancellation.

The correct way to do it is a stereo jack plug to left / right on the 202. Just trouble shooting got to ask the questions.

Alan.
 
Thanks for the replies all :)

[MENTION=50954]witzendoz[/MENTION]
Good call on the plugs. I've checked them all and they're all stereo (2 stripes, yes?)

I go from: Stereo 1/4' jack > Stereo 3.5mm jack > Left / right audio connectors into the 202 (which obviously connects via USB to the comp)

[MENTION=43272]Steenamaroo[/MENTION] / [MENTION=39487]mjbphotos[/MENTION]
Interesting that you both pick up on just the volume. I didn't look it like that before. So it could possibly simply be the recording volumes?

btw what did you mean by "keyboard patch's reverb"?
 
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