protools help with mic

A

azrider

New member
i have an mbox 2 with protools 6.8.1 le and when i try to record from my mic i get a very low signal. i have the phontom power on and the mic nob turn on all the way . i have read that in the interface option in the mix section their should be a mic/line option but i dont have one. i tryed different mics and they all get that low signal. i need help.
 
If I were you I'd fill out an incident report on M-Audio.com.... their phone line is expensive... like 3 bucks a minute or something. I don't know what to tell you otherwise. Their incident reporting system is pretty nice and they have quick turn around.
 
Hmmm....The Mbox is digidesign hardware, not m-audio.

Take a look at the mbox hardware. It has a little button with some led's to the right of it for mic, line, and inst. Use the button to switch between (if your mic is plugged into the mbox then you should have mic selected). The Mbox 2 has a similar button with led's for DI or mic. If your source on your mbox is set to mic already, then the problem is either with the mic itself (unlikely but if you have a second mic of the same kind test it anyway), with the mic cord (unlikely but test it anyway), or with the Mbox itself. If you figure out it is a problem with your Mbox you will probably have to get in touch with Digidesign to get it fixed.

Good luck!
 
yeah, i tryed like 3 different mic cables and two different mics but i keep getting the same result. thanks for the advise.
 
How low is the volume and specifically, what mics are you using? I've read that the preamps in the original mbox were pretty anemic (=low gain). I'm not sure if they improved that for the mbox2. Their website lists +21dBu, but I'm guessing that's for the 1/4" line input, as that would be exceedingly low for a mic amp, unless you're only tracking drums.
 
low

the voice is real low. it can not compare to anything recorded threw midi.if i make a poping sound the mic peaks but if i talk normal it doesnt even reacjh the middle of the volume fader.
 
That is where it is supposted to be. You should NOT be recording in Pro Tools with the meters almost clipping. That leaves you no room to add plug-ins, and will cause you many issues down the road.
 
Last edited:
azrider said:
the voice is real low. it can not compare to anything recorded threw midi.if i make a poping sound the mic peaks but if i talk normal it doesnt even reacjh the middle of the volume fader.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounds pretty normal for just speaking into a mic, especially if it's a dynamic mic (which typically have lower output). When you sing, is it louder? You can always use compression/limiting to increase the volume later, if needed - though this will bring up the noise floor. Also, when you sum your tracks together, the combined volume will overload your stereo bus if you tracked too loud, forcing you to turn stuff down anyway.
 
You didn't say which mic you are using. How far away are you? You can increase the volume in PTLE by using NORMALIZE or GAIN in AudioSuite, or even using an EQ or Compressor and increasing the gain. There are a lot of ways to get the volume up and you do not have to be "peaking".
 
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