New to PT - Need some basic help

S

siin82

New member
I just bought an M Box mini (3G) and it came with Pro-Tools. I'm using a Windows 7 PC. After much adventure/trail and error, I was able to get Pro Tools installed and up and running. I've done a few quick tests and here's what I'm seeing.

I'm plugging a guitar directly into the M Box - I have tried both inputs (1 and 2). I can record, but when I play it back, the sound is somewhat distorted/fuzzy, particularly on the lower strings. It's not a distortion effect kind of distortion...sounds more like just bad recording quality type of distortion.

Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong.

By the way, I tried with a blank template and with one of the predefined templates (Metal). Both produce the same bad sound.
 
What are your recording levels like?
I'm talking about the green/yellow/red meters in Pro tools beside the fader. There should be plenty of room there; Don't aim for volume.

Also, some pickups just do that when going into a DI input.
I find sometimes (especially with bass) that I'll have to roll the volume back a bit of the guitar to avoid distortion.

You should be able to monitor the sound without actually recording it. That makes it easier and quicker to get a good sound.
 
I actually checked all those things. I had the recording level relatively low, tried to turn down the guitar volume and even adjusted the level on the M Box. The only affect was that the volume level was lower. It was still a bit fuzzy.

On a side note, I tried to apply some of the built in affects (chorus, etc) and couldn't get that sound to reflect on my recording. Any thoughts there?
 
Ok, so it's process of elimination then, some of which you've already done.

Remove all plugins and volume automation.
Set the Pro tools fader to 0/default and leave it there whilst you setup the input gain and guitar volume.

Try a different input on the mbox.
Try a different program. (reaper + audacity are free to try)
Try a different guitar cable.
Try a different guitar.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Ok, so it's process of elimination then, some of which you've already done.

Remove all plugins and volume automation.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you're talking about here - can you give me a few more details.

Steenamaroo said:
Try a different input on the mbox.
Try a different program. (reaper + audacity are free to try)
Try a different guitar cable.
Try a different guitar.
Click to expand...

Tried both inputs on the mbox - same results.
Tried a different program - can't remember what it was called (I uninstalled it) - same results.

I'll try a different guitar and cable and see if that helps. The cable I'm using is a pretty heavy one (in good condition). The guitar is a Schecter Solo 6 - tried all three pickup selections - same results.
 
siin82 said:
Not sure what you're talking about here - can you give me a few more details.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Maybe this is part of the problem - Gain staging.

Say you're recording a guitar DI. There are several points at which you can set the gain or volume.

1 is at the guitar.
2 is at the hardware input. That's the mbox gain.
3 is in your software.

1 and 2 are analog adjustments. There's a limit to how high you can go here before distorting.
If you max the preamp (no.2) and the pull down the fader (no.3), you'll have a distorted recording.

If audio distorts on the way in (ie before conversion to digital), you're stuck with it.

So, in Protools create a new track for your guitar and don't touch the fader on screen.
The default is unity which means it doesn't make your audio louder or quieter.
Leave it where it is and don't add any effects that could alter your volume.

Now, plug in your guitar, arm the track and play.
If you protools meters show anything but a healthy green, adjust the gain on the mbox.

If you do that and it sounds too quiet, turn up your speakers or headphones.
If it's distorted at this stage, roll the guitar volume and/or tone back a bit to see what happens.

If that doesn't help there's something else at work here.
Maybe you should post an mp3 if that's the case?
 
Thanks for the detailed explanation! I'll give it a try and will post an mp3 if there is still a problem.
 
So, turns out, it was the guitar. The action is a bit too low and the string buzz was causing the distortion. I used another guitar and the distortion was gone.

However, now I can't get Pro Tools to record even though I've armed the track (and set the input properly) - I can hear through the m box (monitor), but the recording level lights are not on. Thus, when I record, there is no sound recorded.

Any ideas?
 
I'm not sure what to suggest, short of typing a point by point setup guide.
If you had it working before I guess you must have changed something.

Have a tinker and come back if you're stuck, yeah?
 
If you are pretty sure that you are set up correctly, you might try reinitializing your playback engine (pick a different PE and then switch back), it is possible for it to get "hung up."
 
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