Advice on how to get good results using an ART Studio V3 preamp

[PaulTMA]

Hi there,

I have one of the aforementioned preamps. I'm struggling to set it up properly without having distortion/clipping on the output.
My audio interface is a TC Near Desktop Konnekt 6 and I record with Logic Express 8.
My microphone is an sE 1000A condenser, running into the XLR input of the preamp.

Should I:

Run the XLR output into the XLR input of the audio interface? - OR -
Run the XLR output into the line/instrument input with the appropriate lead?
Should phantom power be applied at the preamp's end?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Chibi Nappa]

The audio interface most likely already has a built-in preamp (especially if it has XLR in). You should not need another preamp between your mic and interface.

If you want a preamp in between your mic and interface for whatever reason, use the phantom power on the external preamp and go from the output of the preamp to the line level input on your audio interface. That is what preamps do: They bring a mic signal up to line level.

 

[PaulTMA]

I'm confused... I appear to be getting clipping whether I have strong signal or not, as viewable in the waveform. I have tried connecting both at line level AND XLR premp to XLR audio interface (I tried this as several videos demonstrating ART preamps on youtube are set up this way) and results have come out the same. My gain on the audio interface itself is turned down to zero, as recommended on these videos, and I have no phantom power or boost enabled at that end either.

Does this make any sense to anyone?

 

[Chibi Nappa]

How high is the gain on your ART?