DP-32 problems with microphone levels...

T

tascamdp32user

New member
hey, i'm new to this forum, so i don't know if this problem has come up before or not...
but every time i go to record acoustically (vocals and guitar at the same time or just guitar alone)
whenever i mix down a track the levels are really quiet/muffled...
(microphones used: Shure sm57 & Apex 210)
not sure if i should buy an external mic preamp, or a condenser mic & use phantom power (if that will fix this problem)

any help would be greatly appreciated & thanks for your time...
 
Not too clear on what you're saying. I assume you record with 2 mics....into the DP32. What levels do you see on the meters when you're singing / playing into the DP32? What do you mean when you say "whenever I mix down a track"? Are you saying that on playback both tracks are very low?

1. I assume your master fader is up around "0" when you play back.
2. Not sure what you're listening on. If it's headphones....is the monitor / headphone volume turned up?
3. If you're using monitors.............how are they set up?
4. Are you saying when you go direct in you have no volume issues?
5. The DP32 has more than adequate pre-amps and provides proper phantom power. You don't need anything separate for that.
6. The SM57 does not need phantom power and I don't think the ribbon Apex 210 does either.

Sounds like it's an easy fix but tell me more about your settings.
 
i'm sorry, the dp-32 is still very new to me... i'm used to recording on analog 4tracks... so, this was a giant leap for me...

i have no issues when i record electric guitar directly... just whenever i try to record anything acoustic, the display levels seem fine, the trim knobs/track faders are cranked as high as they'll go... but when it comes time to check the master file (after doing a rough mixdown, saved as a .WAV) it's really quiet...
i don't own monitors yet (just using tascam headphones for now) the monitor level (headphone level) is at about halfway to hear the recorded tracks comfortably...
 
Ok......so direct in is fine. Don't worry........you'll really enjoy the DP32 when you get more experience on it. I assume you're creating a master on the Tascam and then transferring the master file out of the SONG FILE via USB to a PC...........correct? And then you're saying that the playback of that is very quiet.....right? Before creating a master file........when you look at your master levels on the stereo meter (while you're mixing) are the left and right both meters in the green area? You say the trim knobs are cranked up all the way when you record...........and the red lights (peak overload) by the trim knobs are not lighting up? I find that almost impossible.......though I believe you. (BTW the faders make no difference during recording.) Just how quiet is the master wav file?
 
everything you mentioned was correct... i've even tried adjusting the EQ gains (which just ends up distorting everything)
i'm not exactly sure how to access the pre-amps you mentioned before... maybe that could be the problem? or could it just be microphone placement?
the OL indicators don't flash red either...
and i have the volume on my computer up pretty loud just hear the finshed WAV files...
 
The pre-amps are basically your "trim" adjustments for each channel.....on the upper left are on the DP32. They're not your problem. I have to say.......go back and place your mics closer. Go TOO CLOSE and see what happens.......then back off. If your channel meters are in the green for both mics as you're recording (or testing the levels).......trim or no trim......you're getting the correct levels to your tracks. That's the bottom line. I'll ponder this overnight. Meanwhile....try again moving closer to the mics.
 
okay, so i tried your advice, and got really close to the mics... the OL was in the red & there was distortion... but even then, the recorded tracks came out too quiet...
 
Sorry.............somehow I must not be asking you the right questions. If you recorded with the OL trim in the "red"............and you heard the distortion........armed the track......and I assume you just hit record........at the very least you should have a track full of distortion but certainly not unusually quiet. Terrible sounding but not quiet. And through the phones.......on playback.....you can hear it fine and when you mixed down you could hear it fine.........and then when you mastered it.......(2 completely different steps on the Tascam).........but not after you've transferred it to a PC via USB? And you're pulling the file right WAV file out of the MUSIC folder.......after you've created a master file???????? (could you be pulling out the wrong file.....that wouldn't be too hard to do). Again........sorry.......I'm missing something here and hopefully someone will come along and figure this out.............but I'm stumped.
 
I too am stumped. If you record with the levels in the green and not in the red you should not be clipping. are you sure you are pulling the correct master file? it will be in the song folder named "song name.wav". there is one weird step in creating the master file, you have to set the in and out points before it will let you create it. in multitrack mode you press and hold the mark set button and press the in/out button. you have to do the same steps when creating the master file. as far as the level being low, if you just play back the tracks while in multitrack mode, are they ok? is the stereo master set to zero? the monitoring selection should be set to stereo which is default. does the demo song sound correct? the track faders only affect the monitor volume, not the record level. if the record level is good not sure why it is low with the master file. :confused:
 
i just mixed down a track, and while in mastering mode i used the "normalize" function to boost the volume... that seems to have fixed the problem... still not as loud as i'd like it to be, but at least i'm able to hear the track... thanks for your help everyone, and sorry if i stumped some of you...
 
...

You should be able to mix and record a master track that has normal volume without the Normalize function.
There seems like maybe something is awry somewhere else in the signal chain.
:spank::eek:;)
 
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