Gain staging/MR8

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cellardweller

cellardweller

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As most of us know, the MR8 has inadequate (not "hot" enough) and sometimes noisy pre's.
Some folks around here use/have used a seperate mic preamp to bring up the levels.

So... since there is no way to bypass the MR8's pre's, it was suggested by a Fostex Technician that turning the trim knob all the way down is the only way to achieve this.

BUT!!!

Is this incorrect gain staging?
It's still following the "boost early, cut late" rule... right?

I know this has come up before, just wondering if there was a definitive answer...
 
Ryan, you want the signal as hot as you can get it (and still have a clean, clear signal) coming in when you are dealing with poor pre's like on the MR-8. I always start with the trim all the way down, and if needed, I adjust it after I have gotten as good a signal as I can with my mixer (in other words, just short of clipping on the mixer).


I know there are lots of schools of thought on this, but in dealing with consumer gear that isn't ever going to be as loud as the "pro" stuff, it's probably the best we can expect to do it the way I do.

Since the pre's are weak and tend to be noisy, it's always better to leave them out of the equation as much as possible...
 
I know many of you here are using mixers, etc. to amplify your signals...

To everyone who uses the Fostex MR8:

After you have been able to boost your signal using mixers, preamplifiers, direct boxes, etc.

Which is the minimum amount of preamplifying with the MR8 trim knob you have achieved ??? Use the image below:



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 
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I've had the trim on my MR8 turned completely down for some time.
The DMP3 has plenty of gain, but I was wondering if this may somehow be overdriving the pre of the MR8, or causing some other wierdness unknown to the likes of me.

One of my recurring concerns, which Rokket can attest to.
Actually, I'm surprised he didn't link me to a similar thread/"STFU" as the reply. :D
 
crgl said:
I know many of you here are using mixers, etc. to amplify your signals...

To everyone who uses the Fostex MR8:

After you have been able to boost your signal using mixers, preamplifiers, direct boxes, etc.

Which is the minimum amount of preamplifying with the MR8 trim knob you have achieved ??? Use the image below:



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Click to expand...
It depends on what I am recording. Most of the time I leave it at 0, but a couple times I brought it up as high as 3 to get my waveforms all the same height when I was recording my accoustic in the same song as my electric guitars. But it still adds some noise (not dithering noise either), so I had to use a gate on that track. Since then, I've been more careful with mic placement.
 
cellardweller said:
Actually, I'm surprised he didn't link me to a similar thread/"STFU" as the reply. :D
Click to expand...
You know me better than that....


And I don't think you're overdriving the pre's on the MR-8 if it's all the way to LINE level, since anything coming out of the DMP will be line level, regardless of the volume of it.
 
crgl said:
Very interesting.

Can you tell us which mixer, preamplifier you use ?

DMP3, Yamaha MG 10/2, Behringer UB 802 ?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Yamaha MG 10/2.... if you were talking to me...
 
crgl said:
Yes, of course.
I am saving to purchase a mixer.
Click to expand...
I got mine in Japan, so it was a bit more expensive, but still under $100...
 
M-audio DMP3.
I only need two channels (Okay... I can get by on two channels).

If/when I need more (drums), I'll have to use my mackie 808m, which is less than ideal, but functional.
 
I find that even with the signal from mixer set to just short of clipping, I still need to add trim at the MR8HD - usually set it at 2-4, depending on what I'm recording. This level doesn't seem noisy to me....
 
recording newbie

So i bought my mr-8 a little while ago, and i found the internal effects are less than adequate for the sound i want. i was wondering if anyone had a suggestion or two in which direction i could go to expand my options. i'd like to expand to using computer software too, but i'm unsure which software would work with the mr 8 and my dinosaur computer (still equipped with win 98). anyone have any cost effective advice? I'd appreciate it.
 
From my VERY limited base of experience...

Hmm..., not sure what versions of windoze that N-tracks is compatible with, but it is a VERY cost-effective cure!

Definitely worth looking into if the older version (3.X... ? version 3.3 I think ? ) is available.
 
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