guitar amp is loud, inputs cranked (Profire 610)... track still too quiet!
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Yes. Monitors are for mixing/mastering. You don't typically track in the same room with them on because A) they'll bleed into a live mic, and B) it's silly.
Cool. Glad it's working out. Now go getcha some tracking headphones.
Thanks again!
Talk about big closed headphones that block sound, and come with an amplifier - these are sweet, but too pricy -
Amazon.com: Beyerdynamic DT-770-PRO Closed Back Studio Headphones w Superlux Headphone Amplifier: Electronics
Others I've been looking at - Audio Technica ATHM50s and Sennheiser HD 280s/380s.
Is it really ok to use less expensive drummer's headphones to block noise? Does it matter if the actual headphone quality is less good while tracking & monitoring with headphones? Or is it more important to have good monitors during final mix?
Talk about big closed headphones that block sound, and come with an amplifier - these are sweet, but too pricy -
Amazon.com: Beyerdynamic DT-770-PRO Closed Back Studio Headphones w Superlux Headphone Amplifier: Electronics
Others I've been looking at - Audio Technica ATHM50s and Sennheiser HD 280s/380s.
Is it really ok to use less expensive drummer's headphones to block noise? Does it matter if the actual headphone quality is less good while tracking & monitoring with headphones? Or is it more important to have good monitors during final mix?
You don't need anything fancy with a tracking headphone. Like I said, you can use earbuds and construction worker ear mufflers if you want. Pristine sound quality isn't necessary for tracking. You need something that attenuates. You mix through your monitors, do a reference check with good headphones, and you track with headphones that kill outside sound.
Here's what I use....
Amazon.com: Vic Firth Stereo Isolation Headphones.: Musical Instruments
They work great. Buy some.
Farview
Well-known member
Back off of what? Your monitoring should have nothing to do with your recording levels. Shut the monitors off, set the recording level, then turn them back on if you have to. The feedback from the mic in your monitors is not an indication of anything other than your monitors are too loud and/or too close to your mic.
Put the amp in another room. This is just another thing that is confusing your recording level with your monitoring level. Attempting to get a sound out of your amp is a separate process from setting the recording level, which is a separate process from monitoring your mix while you overdub.
How far away do you have the mic from the amp? It really should be right on the cabinet.
How close to the amp are you when you are playing? You should probably put it on the other side of the room to get it away from you so you can hear whats going on in the headphones.
Chili
Site Moderator
Not sure if this was mentioned, but the 57's need lots of gain. You need to turn the inputs way up and don't use monitors if they're in the same room. Lots of good advice in thread.
Don't worry about overall volume after mixing. That can be brought up to a respectable level as a 2 track mix.
Don't worry about overall volume after mixing. That can be brought up to a respectable level as a 2 track mix.
The 57 is about an inch from the grill. As for moving the amp, I'm realizing that's not going to work due to the layout of my house. But when I'm recording, I'd say I'm sitting about 6 feet from the amp. I have it facing the other direction and have stuffed the back of the amp with padded blankets, etc, which helps a little.
Can you explain this more?
Chili
Site Moderator
I only skimmed through this thread before... should have paid more attention cause I guess I picked up Greg's phrase about 'respectable level'. 
After you get everything recorded and sounding the way you like, you'll want to mix it down to a 2 track stero mix. Then you can think about getting the volume up to something closer to commercial releases. You would use compressors and limiters. Recording and mixing is not the time to worry if it's loud enough.
Some people might put a hard limiter on the master bus of their mix program as they are mixing it down to a stereo track. I prefer to use a different program intended for mastering; WaveLab Essentials. For doing just one song here or there, I don't think it matters a whole lot which method you choose. But if you're puting together an album of songs, using a separate program like WLE (or soundforge, cd architect, etc) will make it much easier to get the songs to work together and at the same level.
There's a lot fo details I'm skipping because it can be a very involved process, but read through the forum and do some research to get a better idea.
hope that helps!!
After you get everything recorded and sounding the way you like, you'll want to mix it down to a 2 track stero mix. Then you can think about getting the volume up to something closer to commercial releases. You would use compressors and limiters. Recording and mixing is not the time to worry if it's loud enough.
Some people might put a hard limiter on the master bus of their mix program as they are mixing it down to a stereo track. I prefer to use a different program intended for mastering; WaveLab Essentials. For doing just one song here or there, I don't think it matters a whole lot which method you choose. But if you're puting together an album of songs, using a separate program like WLE (or soundforge, cd architect, etc) will make it much easier to get the songs to work together and at the same level.
There's a lot fo details I'm skipping because it can be a very involved process, but read through the forum and do some research to get a better idea.
hope that helps!!
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
If you can't move your amp, how about moving yourself........to outside the room ? That would surely help. Or as far away from the amp as possible.
You could also try hooking up your DAW to a stereo amp if you have one and then running your headphones from the amp. That way, you can turn up the volume of the music as loud as you like and you don't have to feed your guitar into the equation if it's that loud because it still will be.
This is true. I treated myself to a £10 pair at the start of the year with money that my Ma in law gave me but everyone else tracks with £5 phones, as do I when I'm tracking downstairs. As long as you can hear what you're tracking to, pristine may as well be 16.
+1 on those construction mufflers. They are fantastic at cutting out the outside sounds. I swim with a pair. My MP3 player earbuds would slip out of my ears on occasion in the water so I got a set of those construction ear thingies, mainly to stop them falling out actually. But it also improved the sound of the music I'm listening to and reinforces the bass which was an unexpected bonus. And I can't hear a thing outside unless I turn the music down {which I don't}. Mind you, when I'm walking back to the changing room, I can hear a deep bass version of my footsteps in my flip flops on the floor, like it's conducting through my jaw and cheek bones. It sounds creepy.
Rod Norman
New member
You have a gain stage problem which is common. Gain staging works like this. You have several stages of gain. On a guitar, here they are:
1- the guitar volume control. Some people feel it is best to tun this all the way up since the least noise occurs at either end of the pot's range. Not a bad idea at this stage. So rack it to the top.
2- the amp volume control. If you are not running direct, then the amp must be set so that it gives you the sound you want to capture. Start with the volume off and slowly turn it up until you have the sound you want.
3- the recording desk input gain control. Whether you are miking or pulling a direct out off of the amp, this stage is the most important. This most be set using a meter that show the level as well as a peak warning light. Set this so that it just lightly tickles the peak light at the highest volume and the loudest notes (two different things) This is the most important because it is the cleanest signal coming into the recorder through the mix desk. This essentially is your recording volume control.
4- The recording desk fader control. This is your monitoring level. It does not affect the recording level. Set it at unity ("0")
5- The amplifier volume control. This also is your monitoring amplifier level control. I set it a 12 o'clock and run the fader at unity. If it is too loud, I turn down the amplifier.
6- the speaker volume control. Some speakers have volume controls. A really stupid idea. Rack them to the top and use your monitor amp level to control what comes out of the speaker.
If this doesn't help you may have a problem in the electronics inside the guitar. Sometimes a solder joint fails and your guitar volume drops. Check that, check cords, try other amps to make sure your amp is working all right.
Rod Norman
1- the guitar volume control. Some people feel it is best to tun this all the way up since the least noise occurs at either end of the pot's range. Not a bad idea at this stage. So rack it to the top.
2- the amp volume control. If you are not running direct, then the amp must be set so that it gives you the sound you want to capture. Start with the volume off and slowly turn it up until you have the sound you want.
3- the recording desk input gain control. Whether you are miking or pulling a direct out off of the amp, this stage is the most important. This most be set using a meter that show the level as well as a peak warning light. Set this so that it just lightly tickles the peak light at the highest volume and the loudest notes (two different things) This is the most important because it is the cleanest signal coming into the recorder through the mix desk. This essentially is your recording volume control.
4- The recording desk fader control. This is your monitoring level. It does not affect the recording level. Set it at unity ("0")
5- The amplifier volume control. This also is your monitoring amplifier level control. I set it a 12 o'clock and run the fader at unity. If it is too loud, I turn down the amplifier.
6- the speaker volume control. Some speakers have volume controls. A really stupid idea. Rack them to the top and use your monitor amp level to control what comes out of the speaker.
If this doesn't help you may have a problem in the electronics inside the guitar. Sometimes a solder joint fails and your guitar volume drops. Check that, check cords, try other amps to make sure your amp is working all right.
Rod Norman
DerekYamchuk
New member
check if you have a mic or a line input on the pro fire! experiment with that, although mic level should be fine if your miking up a guitar amp and decent volume.
MrWrenchey
New member
You've commented on a three month old thread. xD