Brand new to this. Happy to be here but need some help please

  • Thread starter Thread starter majorhangups
  • Start date Start date
M

majorhangups

New member
Hi all,
As the title suggests, I am a new fish in the somewhat murky waters of digital music recording. I have got myself a starter set up which includes a Focusrite saffire 6 USB interface. I'm using Ableton Live as my DAW. Until funds allow for monitor speakers, I'm monitoring through good quality headphones.
The problem I'm having is that in order to achieve decent volume levels through my headphones, I have to crank the gain and headphone volume up to almost max. Not a major issue in itself, but it results in the 'overload' red light on the interface blinking at me and makes for crackly vocal recordings. Any ideas? Also, when I get monitors is this likely to be resolved?
Sorry to launch my presence here with what is probably a very naive question, but you guys seem to know your stuff.
I appreciate it very much.
Major
PS As I said, I am brand new to this so by all means treat me like a total novice. I have exhausted all my technical terminology in the above piece of writing.
 
majorhangups said:
I am brand new to this so by all means treat me like a total novice.
Click to expand...
As a novice, mixing solely with headphones isn't recommended. Do you not have stereo speakers you can hook up to ?
 
Your getting distortion because you turned the gain up. You need to turn the gain back down so you don't get clipping (little red lights).

You just might have to deal with it not being loud enough in the headphones.

If you're trying to match the loudness of a commercial release, then don't. You wouldnt do that at the recording or mixing stages of production.

Welcome to the site and good luck.
 
I think there's a problem somewhere. That interface ought to be able to blast it out thru the phones. Check a few things. Make sure the mic is working properly. If it's a condenser make sure you have the phantom power on. Set the Saffire mixer on input not monitor. There may also be a setting In Ableton for monitoring incoming audio but I don't know Ableton that well. Make sure the headphones are rated properly for the interface. I.E. some headphones are 600 ohm versus the 75-150 ohm headphones you should be using. Are they closed back or open back? Closed back blocks out more sound. You don't say what you're recording but unless you are blasting away in a small room you should not be having this problem. If that doesn't solve your problem there might be something wrong with the interface or the phones. good luck!
 
Hi and thanks for the responses.

I have DT100 headphones which I have been told are probably too much (at 400ohm) for my interface. I have tried going to the other extreme and plugged in my in ear iphone headphones. However, this made no difference.
I am only doing vocals at the moment - and even then it's just spoken word and beatboxing. I'm wondering if monitor speakers will make a difference or if the output to the phones is indicative of potential monitor levels?
I cannot do anything in terms of adjustment to the interface as the usb 6 does not have any software/mixer.
Thanks for all your help guys, very much appreciated.
Major
 
Okay.

As others have said, do NOT turn up the master gain when recording to get more headphone volume. Anything that affects the signal chain is a nono when adjusting monitoring. On playback, the master gain on the Saffire 6 won't affect the actual mix but the sound of the clipping will be very annoying--and if you mean the master gain on your DAW then that WILL ruin your mix.

It sounds to me like you have the wrong headphones for your application. From memory, the DT 100s come in two impedance versions and you have the high impedance model. Unfortunately, the Saffire 6 is set up for much lower impedance cans--the spec says ">24 ohms". Yeah, 400 ohms is greater--but outside the range the Focusrite is expecting. FYI, lack of level on the DT 100 400 ohm model is a frequent problem.

Solutions? Different headphones better matched to your audio interface...or, preferably, monitor speakers. However, as a stop gap, maybe watch eBay for a cheap headphone amp to allow you to add extra gain external to your interface.
 
Hi guys,
Thanks again for all the help. I was at a total loss. I have been fiddling about a bit and have managed to get a little more sound to the 'phones without having the gain up high at all (around about 2-3 on the dial), and no clipping (my latest techie word).
That said, when I listen back to the recording I have next to no sound at all, no matter what I do. Is this likely to be related to the headphones still? As I said, I'm completely new to this and am sure that the sound can be altered with the software - I just don't know how. My default fountain of all knowledge (youtube) is not coming up with the goods

Thanks again, in advance.
M
 
majorhangups said:
That said, when I listen back to the recording I have next to no sound at all, no matter what I do. Is this likely to be related to the headphones still?
M
Click to expand...

The Scarlett (as well as most "pro-sumer" interfaces) has what is called a "mixer" control. On others it may be called a "monitoring" control. It determins what you hear & from where. When monitoring the sound source use the input setting. When monitoring the recording from the software use the monitor setting. This is covered in the manual & is a basic concept. It seems to me you need to read the manual for both your interface & the software. I know you want to get started right away (I was the same way) & it's easier to watch videos but most of your questions will be covered by the manuals/help sections. My suggestion is to get another set of phones or amp like Bobbsy suggested. You'll need headphones to hear what you are recording no matter what. Once you get the system down, start shopping for a pair of monitors.
 
I don't have the same interface. But, for what it's worth, the headphone out on the TASCAM us-800 is impossibly low too. I don't even use it. There's no way I can track drums or even vocals with it. I monitor out of my receiver. Maybe that's the case with your interface too.
 
To test - I'm assuming you can you play a known good MP3 music track back on the headphones back and it sounds OK? I'm just trying to eliminate some problem with level of signal reaching headphones to begin with.

Second suggestion would be to just completely take the headphones out of the mix initially and troubleshoot. Set up your mic - arm your track to record - and try to first get a solid signal recorded into your DAW first. Just talk into the mic without monitoring and record setting your mic gain and recording levels to get a good signal (but not clipping). Then stop and listen back to that. (Maybe export it to an mp3 player to see if it sounds OK there - or is problem just w/ headphones when listening through your specific setup).

It's tough to troubleshoot without just finnagling with options,, but if your headphones are decent in some situations they should be fine for what you're trying to do. Just gotta find why the signal isn't getting to them.
 
smili said:
It's tough to troubleshoot without just finnagling with options,, but if your headphones are decent in some situations they should be fine for what you're trying to do. Just gotta find why the signal isn't getting to them.
Click to expand...


It's not so tough. The DT100 is designed for things like location monitoring with professional gear and is know for a low output level (or, rather, the requirement to be driven hard to get a reasonable volume). The audio interface in use has a relatively low headphone output.

Even the BEYER DYNAMIC WEBSITE says that, for decent volumes, these headphones require an external headphone amp. Check out the Pros/Cons section towards the bottom of the page. Despite being fairly expensive, these headphones are not the best choice for this application.
 
Bobbsy said:
It's not so tough. The DT100 is designed for things like location monitoring with professional gear and is know for a low output level (or, rather, the requirement to be driven hard to get a reasonable volume). The audio interface in use has a relatively low headphone output.
Click to expand...

OK, sorry for misinformation. I retract my comment. I've never had a headphone that sounded good plugged into an ipod that I couldn't hear myself in when recording. Again, apologies.
 
No problem. What you say applies to most headphones marketed to the domestic market but the DT100s are aimed at a different user base.

(And I've met lots of location recordists forced to use them because their company buys them--but never met anyone who likes them.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top