Newbie looking for some help recording a podcast with two RODE procasters ..

jjrandall

New member
Hey so I just bought two new rode procasters and a couple shock mounts, etc... I am using them through my Mackie ProFX4v2 4-Channel Professional FX Mixer and then using a 1/4 out to my zoom h4n recorder.. I am recording it onto my sandisk memory card.

The first trial went ok but I just can't seem to get rid of the fuzz in the background. I was recording in a big wooden barn but I feel it has more to do with my preamp.. Any suggestions? Am i stupid to use the Mackie mixer? Do I need a better preamp?

Thanks!
 
No, Bobbsy, those mics don't come with a cable. They are regular XLR type mics.

At jjrandall,

I can only assume that by "fuzz", you are referring to background noise or hiss. If that is the case, I would suspect that the mixer may either be noisy (crappy) or you have incorrect gain settings somewhere on the mixer. You can quickly find out by process-of-elimination. You can bypass the mixer altogether by plugging the mics straight into the zoom h4n recorder (using xlr cables,) and see if the noise goes away. If it does, then your problem is most likely in the gain settings you've chosen. (In fact, if that works fine, I'm not sure that you even need the mixer, but that is your choice.)

On the mixer, there needs to be a reasonable balance between the channel GAIN, channel LEVEL, main LEVEL knobs. First off, the channel GAIN should be thought of as a boost for a weak incoming microphone signal. It should only be turned up far enough to raise the signal to a usable level for the rest of the signal path. The idea is to boost the incoming signal level to a healthy point so that the rest of the mixer circuitry doesn't need to increase level any further. Instead, all of the other level knobs in the path should be set in such a way that they are simply passing it along to the next stage.

I generally run my channel and main level knobs at roughly between 50% and 80% depending on volume needs. Then I bring up the GAIN knob to suite the meters. While talking into your mics normally, bring up the GAIN knob until your meters show a good strong signal which bounces at or near zero. That is your target signal strength. Too far below zero and you are sending a weak signal to the recorder. Too far above zero and you may be adding audible distortion to the signal.

If there is a gain setting in the zoom recorder, the same rules apply there. Boost weak signals. Don't boost an already strong signal.

I hope this has helped. Good luck.
 
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Ooops. Mea Culpa. I saw Procaster and thought Podcaster.

Having embarrassed myself with that mistake, I'm going to have to disagree with your instructions for setting the gain staging on a mixer.

The gain knobs at the top of the channel strip control the mic pre amps and are used to bring the input signal up to line level (which is the internal level used in a mixer). The "Level" controls (pots in this case, usually faders) are used for mixing once the input is up to the right level.

When going into the Zoom, those meters are in dB(FS) so you want anything at zero on the mixer meters to be at -18 on the line inputs with anything going into plus on the Mackie taking care of itself.

Being dynamic, the Rode mics will need a fair bit of gain on the Mackie but the pre amps there should be able to handle it without bad noise if you get the gain staging set correctly.

The accepted way to set up a gain structure would be to set the Level control (and the Master) to the zero or unity setting (the U on this particular mixer then bring up the Gain control until your levels are correct. This Mackie has an LED by the Gain/Mic Pre Amp control...you want this to be just flickering but not coming on solid.

The meters on the Mackie are in dB(VU) so you want your levels to average around the 0 mark with peaks in the +6 to +10 range (but very rarely up to +10).

The meters on the Zoom are in dB(FS) so you want anything at 0dB on the Mackie to be around -18 on the Zoom meters with peaks looking after themselves.

The Rodes are dynamics so they're going to need a fair bit of gain on the Mackie...but most Mackie pre amps can be turned up all the way without excessive noise. I suspect it's just a matter of balancing the levels through the whole chain.
 
Wow thanks guys so much..

I have been messing around with my levels and I can't seem to to "kick" the fuzz/hiss.. I will keep messing around with it and I'm going to see what happens if I go strictly into the zoom h4n..

I'm really new to all this so I will keep messing around with different levels and gain.. But my gut tells me I am going to need a better preamp.

Is there one that you recommend? Do people usually use mackie 4 channel mixers to zoom h4n- to do a podcast or record interviews?

Should I be posting on the podcast forum section? Thanks again for the help.
 
Maybe it's worth you posting a short sample of the problem recordings in case that gives us some clues. You should be able to get okay results with the Procasters and the Mackie pre-amps.
 
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