New Problem in recording level...

D

DoubleNeck

New member
Hi all...again lol
I'm noticing that before recording...when I click on "monitor record levels" that the levels are registering halfway up (around -39) before I even play a single note. I've checked my line in and it's down low (normallly so as not to distort or overdrive) and when I do play a note it's registering normally...level wise (around -3)...
Any suggestions from anyone who's had this problem?

Thanks
Doubleneck

AMD Athlon 3000+
512 ram
160gb HD
 
what's the level at when you just open the program with no preamps or ANYTHING plugged into your soundcard? If it's -39, then that's your floor noise, which means you have a noisy sound card. You can tell how bad it is when you put headphones on and turn your volume all the way up without playing any music. A decent sound card will have very little (or no) hiss. A soundblaster will make you dizzy with hiss, lol. I think it's bad to record with floor noise above about -80db...my soundcard has it at about -90 db.

Obviously, when you turn a preamp on, you'll get more noise...just like with any piece of gear.

Oh, by the way...the LINE IN on your soundcard should be all the way up...100%. There's an exception to this rule for some older soundblaster cards that had a preamp you couldn't bypass, but that shouldn't be an issue if the card/computer is newer than 5 years old.
 
That's interesting, Chris. Mine hits about -70. I've got all my gear on the same electrical circuit to prevent buzz, so it's probably the soundcard, right?
 
Yeah, that's your card. It's no big deal, though. In fact, if you don't do a lot of processing, -39 is no big deal at all. It's just that the more you EQ the top end and use compression and then limit, the louder that stuff gets...and it piles up on each track like any other noise. You can spend an extra $500 on a card and get @ -100db or better, but if the worst thing in your recording is floor noise at -70db, then ears much better than mine won't ever notice it.
 
Dblneck-

I've been using a less-than-pro card (Audigy 2) and was getting noise problems as well- from my mixer to the card. I bought a $15 grounding device (noise eliminator) at Radio Shack which solved the problem.

Also, I usually record some silence at the beginning of each track (with the small bit of noise), and then use the noise reduction trick in Audition to remove anything that's too distracting. Usually cleans up quite nice.

For the next release of Audition (2.0) I hope they incorporate that "turn-my-sucky-voice-into-velvet-chick-magnet-harmonics" feature. Should do wonders for my "noisy" vocals... :D
 
I had the same problem with my Audiophile 2496 card. I bought some heavy duty shielded cables and now my meters register nothing, zero noise.
 
ocnor said:
I had the same problem with my Audiophile 2496 card. I bought some heavy duty shielded cables and now my meters register nothing, zero noise.
Click to expand...
Well, there's SOME noise...try right clicking on the db meter and changing the range out to 120 (I think the default is 60 or something) and see if it registers on there anywhere :D - I think that card should register somewhere in the low 90's.
 
Give that man a cigar. After changing the meter range it reads -85. I never noticed that you could change the range before. Mainly because I didn't hear noise so I didn't go looking for it.
 
re:soundcard

Hey all...my soundcard is a legacy (legacy driver is all I could find) I think lol????? I think it's onboard too. my pc is an Emachine. Also; when I turn up the range on the record meter to 120db...I get way more noise...when I turn it down to 24db I get no noise, but very little in actual signal...Does this sound like a noisy soundcard to you all? or something else?

Doubleneck

Emachine
amd athlon 3000+
160gb hd
512 ddr ram
XP
 
DoubleNeck said:
when I turn up the range on the record meter to 120db...I get way more noise...when I turn it down to 24db I get no noise,
Click to expand...
Actually, you're getting the same amount of noise (and signal)...you just can't see it on the 24db range setting, because it's obviously below -24db. Same thing with the signal...setting the meter to 24 instead of 120db doesn't change anything in terms of noise or signal; it just changes your ability to SEE it if it's below -24db.

As far as whether it's a noisy card, what does it read on the 120db setting?
 
soundcard again...

Chris
on 120db it registers around -33db ...pretty noisy I guess. Can you suggest a good sound card in the $150-200 range?

Doubleneck

Emachine
AMD athlon 3000+
160gb hd
512 ddr ram
XP
 
For unbalanced RCA + coax s/pdif... M-audio Audiophile2496
For unbalanced 1/4" jacks + coax and optical s/pdif... E-mu 0404
For balanced TRS 1/4" jacks... Echo Mia, or if you need a midi port too, the Midi Mia.

But none of these have mic preamps - this is a good thing. A mini mixer from Behringer, Tapco or Spirit for instance will do a very good job and provide phantom power for condenser mics.
 
i use an audigy 2 and with nothing plugged into my soundcard it hovers right around the -78 range. If i plug a mic or cable in it gets worse. Like right now I have my analog synth plugged in and it's hovering at about -54. If floor noise means noise without anything plugged in then i should be fine right? Is that a pretty crappy audio cable if it makes it rise that much?
 
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