PROBLEM: different Bass sound when using sound card.

Bazzer

New member
Hi folks,

I'm new here and I would ask a question about the bass recording.

Basically, I can summary my question: why the bass sound is a lot different if listened/recorded by a sound card?

Assumption: I have a complex pedalboard with a a 3Leaf Enabler Preamp at the end. So I have a good preamp pedal with a very classy headphones output and I can listen to me in a very good way (with 300 bucks headphones). I can hear the smallest sound differences if I modify the onboard bass preamp equalization, pickup balance, pedals and equalization setup and so on. I mean: I have a really really good headphones reference of my sound and I would happy to record THIS sound.

A long story short: I've tried to record my bass using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (1st gen) and a Presonus AudioBox 24c. Basically, when I put my 3leaf enabler preamp output into the sound card (with a mono jack or DI output, the result is the same), my sound changes drastically! I simply move my headphones from the 3Leaf Enabler preamp to the sound card headphones output and what I can hear is another world! Is like a different bass, with flattened sound, I can't hear all sound nuances anymore as I described before: the overall sound is knackered, anonymous, muddy, without "presence". The same happens connecting the bass directly to the sound cards.

Then I can record some bass lines and working in post-production I can achieve a pretty good result but isn't my sound, isn't what I can hear as my reference sound.

Now the question is: this is a normal condition for these types of sound card (maybe I need a more expensive one) or I'am doing something wrong?

Many thanks, bye!
 
You're going out the XLR with the switch in the POST position, I assume. Since it's a preamp, then what is the level? Are you using an XLR to TRS (balanced) 1/4" plug with the interface set to treat that input as LINE?

Edit: record the headphone out using advice given below!
 
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IF you set either interface for 100% direct monitor and use your headphones plugged into the interface, then you should be hearing exactly what the interface 'hears', First thing to try differently is taking the headphone out of the preamp, splitting it into two mono signals and plug them in to channels 1 & 2 of the interfaces. Pan one left, one right, and listen with headphones.
 
Found the manual for the Enable. Not what you would call "comprehensive"! I was hoping for a signal flow diagram (schematic? Ha!) but not so. You see, there is no guarantee that the headphone feed is taken internally from exactly the same point in the circuit as the XLR output. Then, the headphone feed is 'stereo' or at least feeding both ears. XLR is of course mono.

The only way to check is, as said, record the actual headphone signal but beware! The box unusually uses a H/P circuit that NEEDS short circuit protection (almost all other H/P amps are inherently S/C proof) so do not plug in a mono plug and do not 'mono' the output. Safe way is a TRS to two mono jacks and go into both AI line inputs.

Audio interfaces do not cause audible modification to signals provided the signal source is not of a type that could for instance be changed by the AI's input load, not likely.

Of course! Sod's Law says someone will post a 'Night & Day' tale to challenge the above. I say post the audio evidence.

Dave.
 
Hello,

Thanks for your efforts. The problem come up with both DI and the high-z output, but also using a DI of another bass head. So I'm thinking there is something wrong in my sound card usage/setup.

Paying a lot of attention on enabler/head gain/master value the situation become better, but normally I have to set the mixer knob at 9 o' clock (towards the 'inputs'), gain at noon to avoid clip and headphones volume at MAX value (max?!?) to have a good bass/base volume ratio. Headphones ar Meze classics 99 with 32Ohm of impedance so can't be the problem. I'll try the headphones output as you have suggested.
 
Bazzer - there is always a chance you are one of the people who have very, very acute hearing. I did doubt these people existed at one point, but have now met enough to realise some people can hear things that I and others cannot. Your comment where you said you can hear the smallest differences is the important point - because I certainly cannot. On my bass, for example - I hear the difference between both ends of the tone knob, but going from say 4 to 5 is no difference. There must be one, but I can't hear it. If you can, prepare yourself for disappointment when faced with the padding effect of mismatched impedances.
 
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