daav
Flailing up a storm.
After careful consideration of various areas to post this, I realized that the newb forum is the most appropriate, struggled with pride and moved on.
Basically i keep struggling with trying to get signals through to the MR8 at decent levels (at least so I think, i am beginning to suspect that the signal level does not need to be as strong as i have been assuming). Here is my chain:
Mic (SM58 only fopr now), Bass (via G&K 250 head used as a preamp and XLR cable), Guitar (lately just putting it (Les Paul or Japanese Strat) direct through a "real tube" rack effects deal (apartment living has not afforded the chance to mic my (even crappier) amp at volume) -->Small Behringer UB802 pres --> Input 1 and 2 of the MR8 --> eventually to the PC through n-tracks. Monitored through firly cheap radio shack headphones. Thgis setup was aquired to allow me to record stuff for practicing (useful) but i've been hooked on learning as much about making it sounds half way decent as well.
I KNOW that the mixer has crappy pres and the fostex definatly does, but I am kind of on a budget at the moment and hoping that if i can learn to make this gear sound decent in a recording and mix and upgrade later when i know something, but for now i need to get to step 1, a decent signal to record.
I have been trying to send the strongest signal via the bass or guitars, then maxing the guitar effect unit or bass head (this seems to produce a weak at best signal (especially the bass) anyway), then trying to use the pre on the mixer and leaving the gain on the MR8 as low as possible.
What i find is that especially for the bass, the signal seems low unless i put a good amount of gain on the mixer pres, then turn up the signal from the mixer fairly high, then I have to turn up the gain on the pres quite a bit. My first few attempts ended up sounding a bit distorted at volume from this set up.
I wonder if i am second guessing myself too much, with trying to get the signal too lound into the MR8 (assuming that to add some effects to the track in mixed in the PC, I won't be able to make it much stronger after the tracking).
Can you folks please reveiw my chain and assumptions and point out areas i need to re-examine and give me any landmarks (the signal in the recorder should be in x-y db range, etc) that will at least let me know what i can leave alone and where i need to look for improvement.
Thanks much,
Daav.
Basically i keep struggling with trying to get signals through to the MR8 at decent levels (at least so I think, i am beginning to suspect that the signal level does not need to be as strong as i have been assuming). Here is my chain:
Mic (SM58 only fopr now), Bass (via G&K 250 head used as a preamp and XLR cable), Guitar (lately just putting it (Les Paul or Japanese Strat) direct through a "real tube" rack effects deal (apartment living has not afforded the chance to mic my (even crappier) amp at volume) -->Small Behringer UB802 pres --> Input 1 and 2 of the MR8 --> eventually to the PC through n-tracks. Monitored through firly cheap radio shack headphones. Thgis setup was aquired to allow me to record stuff for practicing (useful) but i've been hooked on learning as much about making it sounds half way decent as well.
I KNOW that the mixer has crappy pres and the fostex definatly does, but I am kind of on a budget at the moment and hoping that if i can learn to make this gear sound decent in a recording and mix and upgrade later when i know something, but for now i need to get to step 1, a decent signal to record.
I have been trying to send the strongest signal via the bass or guitars, then maxing the guitar effect unit or bass head (this seems to produce a weak at best signal (especially the bass) anyway), then trying to use the pre on the mixer and leaving the gain on the MR8 as low as possible.
What i find is that especially for the bass, the signal seems low unless i put a good amount of gain on the mixer pres, then turn up the signal from the mixer fairly high, then I have to turn up the gain on the pres quite a bit. My first few attempts ended up sounding a bit distorted at volume from this set up.
I wonder if i am second guessing myself too much, with trying to get the signal too lound into the MR8 (assuming that to add some effects to the track in mixed in the PC, I won't be able to make it much stronger after the tracking).
Can you folks please reveiw my chain and assumptions and point out areas i need to re-examine and give me any landmarks (the signal in the recorder should be in x-y db range, etc) that will at least let me know what i can leave alone and where i need to look for improvement.
Thanks much,
Daav.
