My recordings don't sound how my synthesizer sounds.

A

AnalogArchangel

New member
Hello all, new here :)

I am by all means self taught when it comes to recording so here's my problem.

I'm using Cubase, all though I don't think it matters for this, I record audio for my tracks with Hardware synthesizers, so my setup for how I record is like this.

-Hardware synth > rackmount FX > Stereo input on analog mixer > my soundcard I'm using an M-audio Delta 2496 soundcard, it's a bit old but it still kicks ass.
I have my mixer routed into my soundcard with an RCA cable, so, record out on mixer into the back of my soundcard.

So whenever I record a track with my synthesizer into my daw via MIDI, the recordings do not match the sound that I am hearing from my synthesizer, basically the recording seems to have all of the low frequencies cut out of it.

The stereo input that I am routed into on the mixer has Eq settings of HF-0 LF-6, so I have it setup so I can hear the low frequencies at the perfect amount it is just the way I want it to sound, but the recorded sample = doodoo.

So I tried leaving more headroom, I peaked at -12db, the sample looked great with little to no highly distorted clippings... but I'm still getting the same results. I was told I should update my soundcard, but no way! this card is just great!

So for any of you recording pro's out there could help me out on this would be fantastic, love to you all :)
 
Set the mixer EQ settings flat and get the sound you want from the hardware synth.

Peaking at -12dBFS you shouldn't be getting *any* distorted clipping, unless it is coming from the synth, FX, or the mixer.

What rackmount FX are you using? The cheaper ones can be great tone sucks.

The answer may lie in getting proper gain-staging between the synth> FX> mixer.

I would try some tests with the synth > mixer > soundcard and leave the FX out of the chain and see if you can get closer to the recorded tones you are seeking.
 
Wait. Are you recording midi, or audio? If you are recording midi, you are not recording the sound of the synth, you are recording note and timing information and playing that back through something else. That could be a problem.

If you have the LF at -6, you are cutting low frequencies. That could be the problem too.
 
Thanks for the replies,
ok I'm actually using a Roland SDE-330 Dimensional Space delay, however when I record the sound from my synthesizer I have the bypass on, on the delay FX, so the sound is bypassing the FX all together, so I don't see how this would have a negative effect on my recordings. Now, with that said, I can say this about my space delay, I believe it has EQ settings right on it, I haven't really read the manual as I just got this unit not that long ago. If I edit the delay patches I can go to options such as "LowFq" "LowGn" "Low_Q" and the same would apply to both mid and high. However I have made a test where I used 2 different instrument cables and just routing my synthesizer directly into the mixer with no FX and I get the same results so none of the above should apply.

As for the MIDI, yes I know MIDI doesn't have sound, what I do is I make a MIDI track with notes on it, those notes are read by the hard synth, I can then modulate freq cutoff, resonance etc. You know what I'm talking about :) But I'll add another track that is pure audio and that is how I make my recordings.
Also on the mixer, the LF is not at -6 it's at +3 but as c7sus is telling me, I should just go flat so LF and HF both at 0?
 
I wouldn't touch any EQ setting going out, keeping it flat or neutral as possible. Since the audio is digitally generated, you shouldn't really have any EQ problems with the analog signal.
 
The 2496 IS a great card! I have three of them!

Is it much trouble to feed the synth directly into the card? How do you hear the synth in the normal course of events? When we record guitar (well son plays, I solder!) it is DI'ed via a mixer and reproduced on my Tannoy monitors, can you do this?

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
The 2496 IS a great card! I have three of them!

Is it much trouble to feed the synth directly into the card? How do you hear the synth in the normal course of events? When we record guitar (well son plays, I solder!) it is DI'ed via a mixer and reproduced on my Tannoy monitors, can you do this?

Dave.
Click to expand...

Yeah absolutely, it's an old card but it is pretty damn amazing for sure! One of the best investments I've made!

Ok here's the scoop, what I did was I tried. I have my x0xb0x bass synth plugged into the mixer (not stereo) , recorded a quick bass riff using my x0xb0x and you know what? it sounds fat as hell, low frequencies are there and everything, so with that said, the problem lies within my Nord Lead 2x that I was having the problems to begin with. So now I'm kinda like, what should I do? What it could be is, not my NL2X but what if it's because I'm using stereo to record it into? I honestly don't want to record it in a non stereo track on the mixer because the sound is half the fatness. As you suggested Dave, recording directly into the soundcard is a very interesting idea, but I would have to get a line to rca cable, do they even make those? or even adapters that would be something like 1 end being rca the other end being line plug but again I don't think they make these.

Another thought, 1/4 inch cable jack into two male mono 1/4 inch cable jacks work? so that way I could just plug that into a non stereo track and still have stereo for my Nord? This is the only solution I can see that would work. This would also be a much more viable option because I only have 2 stereo tracks on my mixer with 1 being routed to the computer at all times, so constantly switching routings for each synthesizer kinda sucks :)
 
I've figured it out! (I think) Are you summing the stereo outputs of the nord to mono? If you are, the 'stereo'-ness of the nord could be a phase thing, so when you sum it to mono, it partially cancels out and gets really thin a strange sounding.

If you are recording it in stereo, you have to use a stereo track, or two mono tracks panned away from each other, so that it plays back in stereo.
 
Yes, thin sounding is exactly what I was talking about and "thin" describes my problem better, how I had it set up was a line cable routed from out a (mono) and another line cable from out b both routed to the stereo track in my mixer which has both L R of course, that is how I was doing it initially, now the way you're talking it sounds like instead of using the stereo track just run it into the regular tracks on the mixer one in 1 of them and the other in another and just pan them hard left and hard right. Unfortunately I just tried that and I wasn't getting any good results, I even peaked headroom at -12db, kept the EQ at 0 on the mixer, even bypassed the FX all together and still nothing, hehe if there's a will there's a way, we're getting so much closer though!
 
ecc83 said:
Yes, I reckon you might have cracked it Jay!

BTW there are a zillion adaptors about.....
Many are not very reliable but I have found the RCA-jack very good.

Dave.
Click to expand...

I have 2 of those :) I want a reversed one though, where you can connect line to rca :) the soundcard has 2 rca ins and 2 rca outs 2spdif and 2 MIDI
 
Just to test the theory, record that keyboard mono and see if the problem goes away. If it does, then we can figure out where the signals are getting summed.
 
AnalogArchangel said:
I have 2 of those :) I want a reversed one though, where you can connect line to rca :) the soundcard has 2 rca ins and 2 rca outs 2spdif and 2 MIDI
Click to expand...

Heh! I KNOW what connectors the sound card has! I have got three of them!
What I don't know is the synth output? Generally they are a mono (summed) left out and a right out both on 1/4" TS jacks. So you just need an RCR-RCA twin cable and a pair of RCA to jack adaptors.

Should the synth be only a stereo jack, look at that list on my link. Gotta be something there! You need TRS stereo jack plug to 2x RCA.

Y'know, many of you guys could save me a LOT of work if you bought a solder iron!

Dave.
 
Yeah haha, I haven't used a soldering iron since high school so I don't know if that would go over too well :P. The nord has 4 outs, and only the first is mono. I have tried recording mono, same thing unfortunately.

This is what I have found though, and I hope it would work,
HQM-241.png
 
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