SP B1 + DMP3 Clipping early

[Jim R]

Hello , so I got the B1 and dmp3 on acoustic guitar about 10 - 24 " from the guitar. The pre is up to about 10 o'clock. and when ever I hit a G chord it clips in the computer but the pre meter looks ok . I have tried the low cut but it doesn't seem to help . I have the computer line in level at about 60 -70 %. do I have to lower this even more. Also it seems to take a lot to get the clip light to to light on the dmp3 . any ideas . Jim

[cominginsecond]

Originally posted by Jim R
Hello , so I got the B1 and dmp3 on acoustic guitar about 10 - 24 " from the guitar. The pre is up to about 10 o'clock. and when ever I hit a G chord it clips in the computer but the pre meter looks ok .

If the signal is clipping into your computer, simply turn the gain on your preamp down. The meter on your pre does not correspond to the meters in your computer. They're mainly there to tell you when you're overloading the pre itself.

I have tried the low cut but it doesn't seem to help .

Engaging the low cut will just reduce low end, it's not a mean of controlling levels. The way to control levels is with the gain knob.

I have the computer line in level at about 60 -70 %. do I have to lower this even more.

Don't mess with the software controls. Leave them at 100 percent. Just turn down your preamp.

Also it seems to take a lot to get the clip light to to light on the dmp3 . any ideas . Jim

This is a good thing. This means your preamp has a good amount of headroom.

[cominginsecond]

Also, check to make sure you're going into a line input.

Also, it's possible that the DMP3 nominal operating level is +4 (professional) and the soundcard you're hooking it up to likes -10 (consumer). Sometimes you can switch between the two levels on a preamp, so you may want to look for a switch that says "+4/-10" or something like that.

Anyone know what the nominal operating level for the DMP3 is? I couldn't find it on the M-Audio site.

[Jim R]

Thanks for the reply ci2 ,

The thing that's throwing me is that if I have the gain down low enough for the computer not to clip , the meters are barely moving on the preamp .

Also I can hear the preamp clipping long before the clip LED lights.

This is my first time using a LD mic. So maybe it's just a learning curve I have to go through.

Thanks again , Jim

[cominginsecond]

Originally posted by Jim R
Thanks for the reply ci2 ,

The thing that's throwing me is that if I have the gain down low enough for the computer not to clip , the meters are barely moving on the preamp .

Don't worry about that. Just get a good level to your sound card.

Also I can hear the preamp clipping long before the clip LED lights.

If this is the case, your preamp is broken. Maybe the meters are bad on your preamp. That sounds plausible. I'd call M-Audio tech support or exchange it, if you bought it at a store.