Behringer 1622USB & MDX2600 Help??

S

Stuartd

New member
Hi all,

My current setup but I need some help please;

Behringer X1622USB > Insert Cable > MDX2600 >PC from 1622USB cable

I am going to be live streaming video games so I need good levels going into the PC, I want to be quite close to 0db so that my levels are good. However I am a total noob when it comes to Compressors and I am not sure what I need to set the MDX2600 to. The reason I got it was so that I can raise my voice without clipping in my recording program OBS.

The issue I am having is that the windows mic levels are crazy high at 100% so I turned it down to 82 and now it is close to the full bar but not really going full green, however I feel like it is distorting or messing with my audio still. I want windows to just take my sound without adding its own amplification once I have my levels where I want them to be.

I am confused, say I get my levels exactly right on the hardware, then windows might be adding more amplification and then distorting the sound which is totally not what I want to happen.

Lastly any tips on how I should set up the MDX2600 so that I don't clip when raising my voice but still getting good levels.

Thanks in advance
 
arcaxis said:
Regarding the MDX2600.... I just browsed the manual and it appears everything you need to know is within and explained clearly.

Didn't read this, but may be helpful.....
https://gist.github.com/scottburton11/3222152

Why do you need a 16 input mixer for one mic? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I will be using more than one mic in the future but this is the lowest model that has inserts to be able to use the compressor.

Thanks for the link I will try the stuff mentioned in there tomorrow, I hear what you are saying with the manual but it's a lot of information to try and absorb and do something with for a beginner.

I am more concerned with Windows at the moment and how I am going to set the input on the mic to not totally undue all the settings on the external hardware.
 
arcaxis said:
Are you using the X1622USB's ASIO drivers? The USB mixer is your soundcard and the ASIO drivers are used so you don't go through the Windows software. Is your software ASIO friendly?
Click to expand...

Both Audacity and OBS both don't support ASIO from what I can see.
 
What about going from the mixer to my PC via the line in on my Sound Card?

I can route the mic audio to the Sub output and then use a TRS cable? Not sure if that would be correct into a mini jack into the PC. Would a line in be better than going through Windows mic drivers?
 
Hi Stuart.
The 1/8" PC input is likely to be worse even than the Berry USB but then you are not, IMHO, giving that a fair go.

The mixer connects to Windows using "genric" USB drivers. This means Windows "sees" it as a microphone (or maybe "USB CODEC") and will, as I think you have found out, slam the gain to 100%. You need to reduce this to FIVE %! Maybe less. Then you will find the meter levels on the mixer start to make sense and you can setup proper gain staging*.

The standard levels used in digital recording are an average of -18dBFS with peaks no higher than -8, -6 as the absolute max. In theory for a 16bit system you should run a bit hotter than -18 but for "toob" sources the noise levels will hardly be in the 24bit regime!

The compressor can be used to control peaks in the vocals but I would still work at lowish levels then boost post tracking.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Hi Stuart.
The 1/8" PC input is likely to be worse even than the Berry USB but then you are not, IMHO, giving that a fair go.

The mixer connects to Windows using "genric" USB drivers. This means Windows "sees" it as a microphone (or maybe "USB CODEC") and will, as I think you have found out, slam the gain to 100%. You need to reduce this to FIVE %! Maybe less. Then you will find the meter levels on the mixer start to make sense and you can setup proper gain staging*.

The standard levels used in digital recording are an average of -18dBFS with peaks no higher than -8, -6 as the absolute max. In theory for a 16bit system you should run a bit hotter than -18 but for "toob" sources the noise levels will hardly be in the 24bit regime!

The compressor can be used to control peaks in the vocals but I would still work at lowish levels then boost post tracking.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, the gain is weird on the mic level in Windows, 100% blasts is just continuous peak but lower than 70 it basically doesn't pick up anything.

I am live streaming games so there is no post, so I need my levels to be as close to 0db as possible but not clip.

Am I basically just going for not peaking in the Windows mic levels then?
 
"Thanks for the reply, the gain is weird on the mic level in Windows, 100% blasts is just continuous peak but lower than 70 it basically doesn't pick up anything."
When you drop the Win level well below 70% are you then making up the drive in the mixer? I would think you want the "0" LED to blink on the mixer to give around -10dBFS in the software. Once you have that state established you can experiment with even harder drive and compression to keep from over peaking. I don't have a Berry USB mixer but this is how my A&H zed 10 works (tho' I actually drive a "proper" soundcard with that!)

If you are saying that any setting below 70% gives you nothing at all then something is amiss in the general setup. You could try ASIO4all but I am guessing it will do no good if the basic system is borked.

Dave.
 
Im having a real nightmare with this stuff to be honest, spending a lot of time and getting now where. I'm starting to think I would have been better off just sticking to a USB microphone.

I have taken the compressor out of the chain and made it so that now when I talk I am coming in around 0 on the Beyringer Mixer, when I then plug the compressor back into the chain I am coming in at around the 20/30 led on the Mixer. Currently I think that the sound is worse when the compressor is used. I can't seem to balance the quiet to loud parts, not sure hoe close the compressor is supposed to be able to get them.

I am using the I/O meter on the compressor to adjust the output gain so that it matched the gain reduction on the Compressor but when I look at the levels the quiet parts are still quite a bit lower.
 
You are using the MDX via an insert?

That should be ok but you might get better results putting it in the FX send-Return loop?

The compressor also seems work at both +4dBu and -10dBV levels? Try both.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
You are using the MDX via an insert?

That should be ok but you might get better results putting it in the FX send-Return loop?

The compressor also seems work at both +4dBu and -10dBV levels? Try both.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Yeah I am using an Insert for the MDX, I have it set to -10dBV at the moment on the back, the levels are louder with this on the mixer. Not sure exactly where the FX send and return loop is and will it work with the same cable?

To be honest I am pretty fed up with audio stuff, its so complex its untrue :mad:

Before this I had a DBX 286s going into a Focusrite Scarlet 2I2 and that at least seems to be easier to set for compression, the lower volume sounded the same as the higher parts, well at least much more so that the current setup. I went for this really as it had a peak option, however when the peak limiter is actually working from what I can tell it makes the audio sound way worse.

My idea was to get the MDX2600 compressor to make the lower and louder sounds to be nice and normalized at near to 0db and then have the peak limiter there to take care of any raised volume like laughing or shouting for example. Like I say though for the most part its sounding way worse.

I am happy with my r0de Procaster XLR mic that seems to have been a good buy but so far the £250 on the Mixer and Compressor do look so good compared.

What I want to achieve is good live levels of audio, with decent compression and no clipping, not sure I am going to be able to get this though. Wish there was a more simple solution.
 
Just a quick question,

Would my £250 be spent better elsewhere, I need a decent Audio interface for my Procaster and some sort of compression so that I can get good levels and not peak.

I thought the Behringer would be the answer but the way you have to mess around with the mic gain in windows and the fact that I haven't been able to get decent sound out of it make me question the decision. Or do I stick with it and keep fiddling with nobs until it sounds ok?

The Beyringer mixer and compressor came in at £235 so I would have that to spend on a different option.
 
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