Noise floor

[SOUND DIAGNOSIS]

Just what db levels would I expect to see using a M-audio Delta 66 card, JOEMEEK VC3Q and a Marshall V67? With the way I have things generally setup, I am getting about a -62db ready to record......-75db with phantom power off....-90 db with nothing attached. Is this what would be expected in the realm of a home recording setup? Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays out there. ---Lee

[Tukkis]

Just what db levels would I expect to see using a M-audio Delta 66 card, JOEMEEK VC3Q and a Marshall V67? With the way I have things generally setup, I am getting about a -62db ready to record......-75db with phantom power off....-90 db with nothing attached. Is this what would be expected in the realm of a home recording setup? Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays out there. ---Lee

I think anything under about 50dB is pretty much inaudible. The only time you 'might' wanna be careful is when you record soft stuff like a quiet piano or guitar etc. But even then all you have to do is just make sure the input levels are healthy.

With nothing attached I get about 90dB also.

Tukkis

[SOUND DIAGNOSIS]

Originally Posted by Tukkis

I think anything under about 50dB is pretty much inaudible. The only time you 'might' wanna be careful is when you record soft stuff like a quiet piano or guitar etc. But even then all you have to do is just make sure the input levels are healthy.

With nothing attached I get about 90dB also.

Tukkis

Thanks, Tukkis. Nice to see you are still hangin' here. I have been busy as a bus in rush hour. Appreciate your 2 cents because I was really wondering if I was "in the ballpark" all of a sudden. I think a ground loop hum that I solved bugged me out and got me to start thinking "numbers" and I was getting pretty concerned. Thanks and have a cool holiday down under! ---Lee

[Tukkis]

Thanks, Tukkis. Nice to see you are still hangin' here. I have been busy as a bus in rush hour. Appreciate your 2 cents because I was really wondering if I was "in the ballpark" all of a sudden. I think a ground loop hum that I solved bugged me out and got me to start thinking "numbers" and I was getting pretty concerned. Thanks and have a cool holiday down under! ---Lee

Thanks. I know what you mean about numbers. I get paranoid about that stuff sometimes too.

Tukkis

[SOUND DIAGNOSIS]

Thanks. I know what you mean about numbers. I get paranoid about that stuff sometimes too.

Man, does that stuff ever take away from creativity, or what? Mental masturbation at it's finest: Home Audio. Thanks again! ---Lee

[Tukkis]

Mental masturbation at it's finest: Home Audio.

Hahahaha. Good call

[chrisharris]

-90 with nothing plugged in is about right for that card, I think. Some people will freak if they're not getting -96, but c'mon, lol. I tend to make jokes about those people in my own mind that I don't post.

[SOUND DIAGNOSIS]

Follow up: I performed some waveform analysis and noticed that a significant portion of the energy that was contributing to the -62 reading was the ole 60 cycle hum. I tried in vain to change power sources and tried to lift the ground. Somehow I isolated the noise coming from the VC3Q itself in the equalizer portion. I experimented with the EQ pots and discovered that when I turned the EQ pots down all the way, it reduced the ground hum MARKEDLY. So much so that I get a -12db or higher on a single mono vocal track with a -75db floor! That betters my previous effort by a whopping 13 DB! And the resultant vocals are clear, clean and nicely balanced......and of course I have the option of sweetening the tracks further in my DAW. And so it goes. Thanks for all the help. Much appreciated. ---Lee