Scarlett 2i2 and NT1A or SM57 issues

A

andrea_jazz

New member
Hello, i hope i'm not opening a duplicate thread, i just searched witout success on my actual problem.
I bought following equipment:
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (new)
- a Rode NT1-A (used, sold for mint condition fomr seller X)
- a SM57 (used, sold for mint condition from seller Y)
- XLR-XLR cable (bought new from thomann online store)
- MacBook pro (with garage band)

i tried to record myself connecting MIC+XLR+2i2+MAC+GarageBand, with guitar and double bass and i got:
1) first time i connected both mics on channel 2, and the level were both really low (i put the rode nt1-a dot to the sound source obiviously)
2) second time i recorded with both mics on chanel 1, with bit more volume, but levels still low
3) my Zoom h2N records really better than them
4) i tried swtiching on and off 48V. I touhgt it was necessary for Rode mic, and unnecessary for SM57, but nothing solved my low volumes.

Can you figure where is my mistake?
Maybe these mics are working better with a mixer (i currently have a Mackie profx12 that i'm gonna selling, and a A&H Zed60 14FX).
I read many forums, and saw many youtube videos where connecting a f*****ng Rode to a 2i2 seemed so easy and recorded both voice and guitar with good results.
I'm getting crazy

Sorry and thank you in advance,
cheers from Italy :)
 
Are you sure you have the 2i2 selected (and correct channel 1 or 2) as the input to the GarageBand track?

And you do need the 48V phantom power for the Rode.
 
- How are you setting the Gain controls on the 2i2?
- Are they about the same position for both Ch1 and Ch2 when you get differing levels??
 
If you are talking acoustic guitar you would need the 2i2 gain flat out or close to it with a 57 and the mic no further than a foot (300mm) from the guitar. I don't have the 2i2 pre speccs to hand but I needed my ZED10 gain close to max whist recording son on acoustic (have AKG P150s and a Sontronics LDC.HE prefers the sound of the dynamic!). Even then I only get -18dBFS ish (Z10 feeds a 2496 card) which is where we all should be.

The Rode should be about 20dB more sensitive and the first check is that you actually have phantom power at the XLR mic end.
Slam both gains to max and plug in both mics. The pretty lights should show WAY more level from the capacitor mic.

Dave.
 
I suspect the telling statement in the original post was that the phantom power for the Rode was turned on and off and didn't seem to make a difference. Without phantom the Rode should have been total silence so I have to suspect that there's a flaw on your input routing and you're getting the built in computer mic or something.
 
Aye, I was wondering that myself but that might be the second issue. An NT1A turned all the way up on a 2i2 ought to be able to hit clipping on any "normal" source.
 
I was thinking the same thing myself. Where and how do you see the problem? Plug headphones into the 2i2, switch on direct monitor and listen to yourself when you talk into the Rode. Does it sound 'low'?

Also, try a different DAW program besides Garage Band.
 
gecko zzed said:
Maybe do it the other way round? Plug both mikes in then slam the gain?
Click to expand...

A "hot plugging" precaution? Point taken but so long as output feeds to monitors and cans are at zero no harm. BBC do it all the time and spook juice is ALWAYS on!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
BBC do it all the time and spook juice is ALWAYS on!

Dave.
Click to expand...

Actually, I do it all the time too. Both in the studio and live mixing. In the latter case it's usually because I forget to mute the channel, so the explosive bang is usually accompanied by 'oops sorry'.

In the studio I'm very haphazard about it, and most of the time when I do it the monitors are off.
 
I try to be very disciplined in terms of switch on order for gear, not hot plugging, turning off phantom except when needed, etc. etc.

I fail a lot.
 
Bobbsy said:
I try to be very disciplined in terms of switch on order for gear, not hot plugging, turning off phantom except when needed, etc. etc.

I fail a lot.
Click to expand...

As do we all Bobbs. These days gear should be made to cope with this (the Firewire cockup of a few years ago was a bloody engineering disgrace!) . Equipment should also be largely immune to mains borne crap and voltage spikes (tho' if the guy next door MIG welds carts for a living there is little you can do but move!)
It should also be designed to cope with reasonable amounts of RF in the air. Don't know about the rest of the world but WE have to get all our stuff certified for RF ingress and egress.

If you live in a decently sized town, certainly city, you should not need "conditioners" or other bolt on mains cosmeticals.

Dave.
 
Actually, despite my joke above, when I'm working with live sound gear, I really AM paranoid about the switch on/switch off order. It's outboard first, then the mixer then the amps. Shutting down is the other way around. I'm also careful when plugging or unplugging mics and make sure the faders are down. All this is nothing to do with phantom and everything to do with the possibility of loud pops. It's not so critical in the studio but, as an example, the largest theatre in our city has about a quarter of a million watts of amp power. That can generate quite a pop through the d&b line array.

Power conditioning? I agree it's unnecessary in the UK. Even for professional installs we didn't bother with it, a testament to both the accuracy of the mains grid and the forgiving nature of modern power supplies. We DID have critical gear (i.e. anything involved in transmissions) on a large UPS and auto start generators but that was insurance to keep us on air, not because we were worried abouts mains fluctuations.
 
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