recording levels using mixer - MR-8HD

[pschaafs]

I'm sending microphone and acoustic guitar pickup signals into my Mackie mixer and then out the insert jack to the line inputs on the MR-8HD. I'd like to set the levels using the gain on the Mackie, but when I get the level set satisfactorily on the MR-8HD, the clipping lights on the Mackie are hitting hard. So I back off on the gain on the Mackie, and use the trim on the MR-8HD to get to satisfactory levels. I haven't tried to record the signal with the Mackie clipping, but I suspect this is the best I can do without buying better preamps?

[dmc777]

Audioholic gave me this advice it should help.

Here's what you should do....Getting proper gain staging is one of the most important things you can learn.
On your mixer pull you're trim all the way down on the channel your mic is plugged into. It may not say trim, it could be pre or something similar and its usually found at the very top of each channel. Put your fader on that channel to 0 db and put your main L/R out fader to 0 db. Now have someone sing into the mic at the volume you plan on recording at. Slowly bring up your trim/pre until you get to a level slightly under 0 db on your meters. You now have the secret to recording with multiple pieces of gear. The magic word is Unity Gain. What is coming out of your mixer should look pretty similar to what you are reading at 0 db on your recorder. If you always run our mixer at 0 db it shoud sound the best because you are not adding noise or trying to pull the signal down affecting your headroom. 0 db is a mixers designed operating level. If you've done all of the proper gainstaging you shouldn't be getting any distortion unless you are clipping the mic. If that's the case either use a pad as mentioned earlier or back the singer off of the mic a bit. Also be careful when gain staging from analog to digital because they have different peaks before clipping. If I remember correctly there is about a 12 db difference.