Mic levels

[Michaelyugo]

I'm having trouble with the track volumes and clipping while recording acoustic guitars and vocals. Here's my rig:

i-Mac G5: Garage Band
Monster "i-cable" in
ART pre
generic cable to mic
AT3035

My question is (and I promise I'm searching the posts too) is I am having trouble reading the levels on the tracks before I record a track. When I go back and listen to it, its either too low or clipping...and does'nt sit well in the mix by any standard. I am wondering if anyone has any advice or knows a starting point on how to adjust the track volumes and its relationship to what the pre is telling me. I'm aware I have fallen victim to the marketing ploy in choosing the mic pre and am going to replace it with a DMP3 soon but for now, I'm just looking for advice. Any help you can offer is appreciated....

Best regards, happy New Year....
Don't drink and drive....
Don't run with scissors....and whatever you do this New Years....
Don't eat cement!

 

[scrubs]

It takes some practice to get it right, so keep working on it. It would be best to know where the clipping is occuring (preamp, soundcard, software, etc.), but that can be complicated.

An outboard compression unit will tame the loud notes and allow you to get a solid signal without clipping. Many people on this board like the FMR Really Nice Compressor (~$175 new). Additionally, you can use a compression plugin in your software to make a signal sit better in the mix. Using compression correctly implies another learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, compression is a home recorder's best friend.

The supercheap option is to learn proper mic technique, where you back off a little from the mic during louder portions of the song. Again, it takes practice.

Good luck.