rack questions

[d-rock]

hey there everyone, so i'm a avid recording artist and i had a quick question. i am by no means pro so i feel pretty lame for asking. i record drums through my macbook, a alesis multimix usb and some so so drum mics into garage band, and it actually works very well as far as tone, quality, sound, and all that jazz is concerned. but its very quite, SO..... i was looking to invest in the following: a PreSonus MaxRack Desktop Tower along with four TUBEPre also by Presonus. grand total? 350. is this an okay investment? please let me know!! thank you for reading

 

[RawDepth]

Well, it probably won't make things much better. The Tubepre is simply a tool to boost the volume on microphones. (Mics almost always give us a very weak signal so they do need boosting.)

The mixer you have already has microphone preamps built-in. That is what the GAIN knob is for. They are intended to boost the mic signals to a "usable" level for the rest of the system. That is the same thing that the Tubepres would do. Okay granted, because the Tubepres have a tube inside, they would change the character of (or color) the sound slightly. But that is about the only difference you would get out of it.

Instead, I would learn to tweak the signal hotter without peaking anything. Then start learning how to use a compressor to raise overall level after the mix.

Hope this helps.

 

[d-rock]

i have used the pres on the mixer and to no avail. it ether does little to no effect in the over all mix, makes the track peak in garage band, or produces a feed back noise,(VERY noticeable) my main goal with this set up is recording drums, can you give me some suggestions please?

 

[SonicAlbert]

You say the tracks are recorded very quiet in GarageBand, but the preamps are making the tracks peak and also are creating feedback. This doesn't sound to me like something you need different preamps to solve.

If the tracks are peaking, that means the signal is too hot, not too quiet. If there is feedback, that means that the signal is not being routed properly. i.e., you have somehow fed the signal back onto itself.

If the tracks are peaking, but still sound quiet to you, you might just need to turn up your monitors. Seriously.

As far as the feedback, you should go through your whole signal chain and make sure you understand how the signal is routed in both hardware and software. Once you've done a full troubleshooting on that you will probably have sorted out both your feedback and volume issues.

 

[d-rock]

i have done all that was posted! but i still don't under stand! it levels as near peak on my mixer, and if i raise the mix out to my computer the feedback kicks in hard core. is it possible to be more elaborate on the feed back dealio?

ps thank you two for your help and suggestions! its much appreciated

 

[SonicAlbert]

You are doubling the signal somewhere along the signal path. It's really kind of hard to troubleshoot that without being there. Plus, I don't know those Alesis mixers.

Can you send signal from the computer *to* the Alesis mixer, or just from the mixer to the computer?

Is it possible that when you turn up the volume your mics are picking up the playback from the monitors?

Another possibility is in how you are feeding the signal to the monitors. Are you feeding a direct signal to the monitors from the Alesis, and then *also* the playback signal from the computer?

 

[MOFO Pro]

What are you monitoring through? What's your present interface?

You say that it records well with good tone, that the levels are close to peaking, so are you trying to monitor on your macbook speakers? If you're monitoring through any speakers at all shut them down and monitor through headphones or ear buds... any feedback? If no then you've got your mics to close to the monitors... if it's still there it sounds like a routing problem where you're looping signal...

 

[RawDepth]

When I record in the same room as my recording rig, I turn my monitors down completely during tracking. I turn them up to listen to the playback, then back down again to record some more.

Speakers on near a mic = feedback.

 

[d-rock]

I guess i never thought about head phones. well that was the key, i had my monitoring on and i never even thought to turnit down! thank you all for the help!!
side note- i'm completely self taught so i apologize for any miss used terms or terms used out of context!

 

[RawDepth]

No prob bro. We are all here to learn more. Most of us are working at home and on our own too.

Someday you may pay-it-forward by helping others. It's what our community is all about.

Good luck.