Cakewalk Recording Problems

[MondesLuna]

I'm a noob when it comes to recording and I'm not very savy when it comes to electronics so I need all the help I can get. Basically when I try to record w/ Sonar all I hear is a sort of hmming sound. Actually it sounds more like a constant shhhhhhhh. Faintly behind that noise I can hear my clarinet but I have to max out my volume. Is there anything I can do to eliminate the noise w/o buying more equipment? This is my current setup:

Computer: HP Intel Core 2 Quad CPU 3070 MB 32 bit OS
Sound Card: M-Audio Delta 1010LT
Mic: Shure SM94 condenser
Speakers: Logitech X 230
Software: Cakewalk Sonar Home Studio 4 XL

Thanks in advance!

[cobb]

Have you checked your signal levels before recording?

Bring up the console in view. Arm the record on the track and play a few notes. Watch the levels and see if they are jumping up with good levels- not too soft, not too loud.

Also the meters should be nothing when there is no sound. If you have levels when nothing is being played you have a problem.

[Strryder]

I see two possible problems right off the bat,

1) Does the mic have a fresh battery?

The 1010 LT doesn't have phantom power to power a condenser mic like the SM94, fortunately your mic can run on internal battery power. This should be the easiest and quickest thing to check first.



2) Are the jumpers set correctly on the 1010 card?

The 1010 LT has "jumpers" on the PCI card that change the settings for those two XLR inputs, one setting is for use as mic level inputs, the other setting is for use as +4 line level inputs.

The manual states that the default jumper setting is set for use as mic level inputs, if you bought the 1010 LT used, this setting may have been altered, if so, those XLR connectors would be expecting a big healthy +4 line level, not a little tiny mic level and would give results as you describe.