• anth
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  • Registered: 2012-03-21
  • Posts: 6

Topic: Lo gain, +4 dBu and -10 dbV for external mic preamp

I'm using the analog in's on the RME UCX with a focusrite ISA one vocal mic preamp. I have no idea which of these 3 level settings to use (I have the page open in the manual with what the numbers reflect but still confused on there significance)? It says Lo Gain has the most headroom so does that allow me to crank my mic preamp more before clipping? What setting do you guys use with external mic preamps? Any advice would be great. thank you.

2 Reply by forester-rec (edited by forester-rec 2012-05-18 20:44:30)

  • Registered: 2009-05-19
  • Posts: 18

Re: Lo gain, +4 dBu and -10 dbV for external mic preamp

For most preamps I found +4dBu to be the most fitting setup. Some preamps, like the API 312 pre's for example, are very very "hot" so you can only really use them if you set the level und the Fireface to "Lo Gain" (and yes, this means you can crank the preamps more)...other preamps or certain microphone + preamp combinations give you a rather low level, and you can try if -10dBV works better for you.
There's really no "right" or "wrong" here, imho. You can also experiment with what sounds best, the preamp cranked at "lo gain" or with very little gain on the preamp and the FF set to -10dBV.