Pick Up Height and Clipping.

C

C4th

New member
Hi.
Just hoping someone can help me with this.
Iv been lately recording with my Levinson Blade DD4 which is a Les Paul style guitar, which has been great.
Then i got my Strat out to record with on a certain song and it started clipping my recorder.
The low E and A string are the culprits, so i lowered my pick ups on the Bass side but as much as i lower it, im still getting the problem.
Any help with what i could be doing wrong would be great.
Thanks.
 
You're not giving up enough information. What are you recording through? Define what you mean by clipping.
 
Well. Im recording through a Fender Mustang Floor (with any amp selected, its clipping) Which runs out left and right XLRs to my Tascam DP24 portastudio input one and two.
What i mean by clipping, is im clipping the inputs of the portastudio. Im not running it too loud and if i reduce the output of my guitar or the mustang, the signal will just get too weak.
Its just the low end strings which seem too be the problem.
Thanks.
 
JCH said:
I don't understand. Why can't you adjust the level on the tascam?
Click to expand...

Or drop the output on the floor thing.

It's not the guitar. Put the pickup back where it was. Learn how to work your levels and input gain.
 
Either the floor is up too loud. ( I assume there is an output control) Or the input on the Tascam is too loud.
Strats tend to have sharper tranients, so the have higher peaks at the same volume that a les paul would have.
 
I have obviously dropped the output on the floor and inputs on the Tascam.
I cant see how i would not have the problem with my Blade guitar but have it with my strat.
I obviously changed my settings to accommodate my different guitars in the first place.
But when playing the strat the bass strings E, A and the D to some extent are very loud but the G,B and E seem about right.
If i drop the output on my floor to accommodate the E, A and D, then G,B and E are barely audible.
I cant see how that can be due to my lack of knowledge into my levels. But it may be and if you can prove me wrong that's fine.
But i fail to see that so far.
Thanks.
 
This may or may not be a help, but I had a similar issue using a seven string guitar which was to say the very least a bit hot on the lower string outputs. I dug out an ageing DOD compressor pedal and wiped off the dust, which allowed me to compress the guitar output as well as attenuate the overall output before piping it into a recording interface, that resolved the issue with the clipped transients I was getting whenever the lower strings were played with any real intent. I have found personally that going straight into an interface with a guitar has caused me various small issues depending on which one I play , hence I don't take that approach any more and at very least use the comp pedal even if set to barely alter the signal beyond attenuation.

Regards

Tim
 
C4th said:
I have obviously dropped the output on the floor and inputs on the Tascam.
I cant see how i would not have the problem with my Blade guitar but have it with my strat.
Click to expand...


There certainly may be a difference in pickup output between the Blade and the Strat....but if your recording rig is clipping, lowering pickup height is not the solution.
Pickup height is set for the guitar...the sound/level you want from it, and balance of the six strings.
Once you have that set....leave it alone, don't use your recording rig as a guide for setting pickup output.

If you still fail to see that....do what you think is best.
 
C4th said:
.. I obviously changed my settings to accommodate my different guitars in the first place.
But when playing the strat the bass strings E, A and the D to some extent are very loud but the G,B and E seem about right.
If i drop the output on my floor to accommodate the E, A and D, then G,B and E are barely audible.
I cant see how that can be due to my lack of knowledge into my levels. But it may be and if you can prove me wrong that's fine.
But i fail to see that so far.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Then it is at least to some extent a p/u height thing.
If what is being described here is correct it is a problem at the source.
 
He needs to balance the individual string magnets better...but something he may not be able to do with his single coil Strat. So if he lowers the whole pickup for the loud strings, the others now sound too low.....and that still sounds wrong, and doesn't really solve his problem.

The pickup height shouldn't be the focus for controlling the recording interface input volume.
 
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