Since I didn't get any replies on my last post about USB interface hiss, maybe I'll try re-wording it. I'm trying to record an acoustic guitar with an M-Audio Pulsar II, and simply cannot get anything out of it without significant white noise. The mic is plugged directly into a Tapco Link.usb interface, and I have to turn up the gain quite a lot to get a good recording. I know this is what causes the white noise to begin with (when the mic is unplugged, the noise is still there), so I figured I would need something in the gain structure that added "clean" gain. I bought an M-Audio DMP3 mic preamp, but the exact same problem persists. I have the mic pointed at the 12th fret of the guitar from six inches away, so I'm pretty sure proximity is not an issue. So here are my questions:
1) Is there a problem with my gain structure? The DMP3 is at about 60%, and the Tapco is around 30% (right around 70% is where the Tapco starts making significant noise in the headphones).
2) Assuming gain is the issue, is there some component I can find that will add gain to the mic without the white noise?
3) Is it pretty normal for these components to have this much white noise at these levels?
4) What can I do to fix my setup?
I'd be happy to post a sample of what I'm hearing in the recording, but I haven't made 10 posts yet, and cannot paste a URL in here...
1) Is there a problem with my gain structure? The DMP3 is at about 60%, and the Tapco is around 30% (right around 70% is where the Tapco starts making significant noise in the headphones).
2) Assuming gain is the issue, is there some component I can find that will add gain to the mic without the white noise?
3) Is it pretty normal for these components to have this much white noise at these levels?
4) What can I do to fix my setup?
I'd be happy to post a sample of what I'm hearing in the recording, but I haven't made 10 posts yet, and cannot paste a URL in here...