ashcat_lt
Well-known member
Nope. Reaper takes what it gets from the ASIO driver. You could stick a volume plugin into the track's InputFX, but really if it's too loud at this point you're most likely distorting everything on the analog side. Likewise, if it's too quiet, you've already compromised S/N in meatspace. Adjust those levels before they hit the interface.
Farview
Well-known member
Exactly. Once the signal is in the computer, it is too late to adjust the recording level, because it is already recorded. The only level control that you should be using on the way into the computer is the one of the mic preamp. (or whatever you are feeding the interface with. Once the signal is digital, it's too late.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
You should be setting your record level with an analog gain control before it reaches the A/D converter. That's a simple matter of turning down the analog gain knob on you're audio interface. No audio interface? There's your problem.
C
catscurlyear
New member
i normaly use cubase but as i said i was just messing around and was just curious .i used an e-mu 0202 usb interface and i was recording guitar and had to bring the volume down 0n the guitar. with cubase i have an e-mu 0404 pci card on a different pc and on the mixer in cubase there is a master input volume.the e-mu 0404 has a mixer but i never bother with that .never mind
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
It could be that the "hi-z" input of the interface isn't high z enough. What kind of pickups does the guitar have?
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
What? I mean, you usually seem to know what you're talking about, but I just don't...???
What is likely is that interface (like most) adds gain to its instrument inputs based on the assumption that guitars and basses are significantly lower than line level, and ends up (like most) adding too much gain for some very loud instruments.
What is also likely is that the other interface was also clipping, and by turning down the software mixer, just turned down the already distorted signal.
If this is a passive guitar, you could put a buffer (like a Boss pedal turned off) between the guitar and one of the line inputs and then actually record much cleaner signal. If it's an active guitar, it's already buffered, so you can go straight into the line in. In either case, you could just turn the V pot down at the guitar like you said, but on passive guitars the V pot always also affects tone.
Or you could just go with it. Attenuate the signal either in InputFX or just the normal FX slots. If you're just going to distort the signal further (with amp sim or whatever), then it's really not that big of a deal. Not "best practice", but not the end of the world. The distortion itself never bothered you before!