Input Question

[Aviel]

Hey all!
Well iv'e got a strange problem.
I am using a dynamic mic to record my guitar amp, the mic goes into a focusrite preamp, then the right and left out from the pre goes each on a differant channel on the mixer. of course that when recording mic i use only one channel for mono.
so, i used the mixers monitoring button, meaning i hear everything direct to the monitors without going through the computer at all, only from the mixer. and i got a nice and a "full sound", now when opening cubase, opening up a mono track and turning on the monitor option in cubase (of cousre i canceled the monitor option on the mixer), i hear my guitar, but on a little lower volume- but the main problem is that it losts some of the "punchiness" and and the "fullness" it had. in other words, the sound changed a bit.
I am using an Audiophile 192 sound card, so i dont see any reason of this big differance, thie one is really noticeable.

Has anyone got an idea?
Maybe its something with the stereo imaging or something (i.e cubase montiors it on stereo? or my mixers montiors it on stereo even though i used only one channel?)

Thanks
Aviel

 

[dinorocker]

First potential culprit could be the cables connecting the mixer to the card. I can demonstrate major difference in sound using different connector cables, with major signal and frequency loss when I use cheapo cables. I know that this is supposed to be the myth that Monster Cables makes its money off, but I am not talking about expensive cables here, but cables that are to spec. Below-spec cables create these problems.

Another potential issue is that you are monitoring the post fader sound on the mixer, but what is going out to the card is pre-fader and potentially un-affected by any eq or effects by the mixer.

One way of testing this is to bypass the mixer and plug the output of your pre-amp directly into the card. Do you now get a different quality of sound?

 

[NYMorningstar]

Has anyone got an idea?
Maybe its something with the stereo imaging or something (i.e cubase montiors it on stereo? or my mixers montiors it on stereo even though i used only one channel?)

Thanks
Aviel

How did you set the gain staging in the cubase mixer?

 

[Aviel]

just on 0.0

 

[xstatic]

You could also be hearing some of the difference that the cheaper A/D converters are making, and volume differences can also certainly feel like tone differences as well.

 

[Aviel]

Ok i think i solved the problem up! it wasnt a prob of cables, i tried switching them and it didnt change.
actually it was a stereo problem. since when monitoring from the mixer, the channel was set to center, but when monitoring in cubase, i monitored only the left side.
so i panned the channel on the mixer fully to the left and it fixed the prob!

Thank you for your kind hellp though!