When my microphone's volume is turned up to a decent level I get distortion

J

Jim Digby

New member
Hi,

I am currently using a new Shure SM58 (XLR connector) with my Mbox 2 Pro, and my problem is that I am struggling to get a reasonable volume on my vocals without distortion. This also happens with my Sennheiser mics.

During recording, whether I am using input one or input 2, I have to put the fader up almost all the way to get the vocals to a level approaching the level of the backing instruments in the mix. I have tried with and without phantom power.

Once the vocals are recorded, having been careful to keep the volume just below the distortion area, they sound too quiet, and the master fader can't be pulled up any without distortion (I can only hear this distortion, having said this, if my headphone monitor is all the way up). And so my overall mix reaches a peak, if I am lucky, of around -16.

So, what could be up? It would be great to get some ideas of how to troubleshoot this...
 
Sounds like you need a quieter preamp...I've heard some pretty bad things about the build quality, so it may just be faulty. Or the preamps just suck.
 
no, sounds like you need to work on basic mixing techniques.
first off, you don't turn up the fader in Pro Tools during recording to set levels. Leave the fader at unity and adjust the knob on the front of the Mbox to set levels accordingly.
Second, if while recording you can't hear the vocals over the backing track...turn the backing track down
Third, when mixing leave the master fader where it is...don't adjust this level. Again, bring the backing track down to a normal level where it blends in with the vocal. Then try using a compressor on the vocal to help even out it's volume.
 
Yes, I am quite new to mixing, and Pro Tools. I used to use Cool Edit on a PC.

Thanks for the tips re master fader etc.

Sorry, I meant to say the knob on the front of the Mbox: this is what I turn up during recording (I do leave the fader at unity on screen), but said knob has to go almost to the limit before the mic has enough volume (peaking around -14), and then it is distorts the vocal. This is the case even if there is no backing track, just a single track being recorded for spoken word.

Limiters and compressors haven't helped much oddly.

I just can't see why the knob on the front of Mbox has to be so high to get a decent volume, and why at this point the vocal distorts (as I say, I can only hear this distortion with the heaphones' monitor up full). It doesn't only happen with the Shure mic.

What is a good volume to aim for, RMS, when recording a vocal?
 
You might not think it is a "decent" volume because you are looking at the waveform their is a button in protools that will make a smaller waveform look a little bit bigger, which in this case I think is your problem you are seeing a small waveform and you are turning up the gain, In this case you just need to trust your ears, or just turn the beat down. Don't know exactly which button it is, but it is located next to the buttons to stretch out the view.
 
The knob on the mbox is supposed to be used to adjust the recording level, not the volume of your vocal in the headphones. It sounds like you are recording everything way too hot, so you are going to have to turn down the rest of the tracks so you can hear your vocals when you record them at the right level.

Your rms recording level should be around -18dbfs. That goes for all your tracks, not just the vocal. If the rest of the tracks are recorded "as hot as possible without clipping", that is what your trouble is.
 
Could you bounce out the "distorting" track and upload it so we can have a listen?

Peaking at -14 doesn't add up, you mean the fader is clipping -14 on the fader in pro tools?

mypt2.jpg


Do you faders look like this when you record? Or do they turn the clipping box red at the top?
 
All good ideas, thank you RD423, Farview + wreckd504.

I might try and bounce the distorted vocal tracks the eve, but for now I wonder if you would do me the favour of listening to a half-song on Myspace, mixed last evening simply to experiment with getting the vocals to a good level.

The song, which is not really a song (just me singing a couplet or two to a cobbled together electronic backing track) is called "The Rays of the Level Sun". I ended up having to apply lots of compression, which you will no doubt be able to hear, and this could well give you a good idea of how much I needed to do in order to curb the tendency to distort. Could also tell me if this vol level is playing loud enough on your own system.

The other songs on this Myspace page, and those on my other Myspace pages, are all songs that I mixed on my previous Cool Edit/PC set up. All are much louder, but I wouldn't say any louder than plenty of other people's non-riaa work on Myspace. "Rays of the Level Sun" is not a real stab at an actual song, but I fear it does reflect the limits of my volume.

The faders for my individual tracks don't clip, no wreckd504.

"you are recording everything way too hot". I do see your point. I will try to pull back a bit.

I'm quite sure that the problem here does lie in my novice mixing skills, but I still wonder if there's a setting I've missed or summit?

Thanks again, and here is the link to "Rays..." http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=229399594
 
Just sorted out my problem. The distortion was due to the fact that I was recording my vocals onto the same track as the one I had a plugin (often reverb) applied to. Just leant about aux tracks, and the vocals are clear! Not sure why, but, hey...
 
LOL. I will tell you the number one rule, As long as it works the way you want it too, dont sweat it, lol
 
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