1 Topic by Adiktive (edited by Adiktive 2011-07-23 04:35:01)

  • Registered: 2011-07-22
  • Posts: 7

Topic: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

Hey Guys,

First of all let me start with the thing that i am a total novice into recording and the questions may seem stupid to some of you but i spent 4-5 hours trying to figure out some stuff.So here are the issues.
I connected the mic(At 4047)to the analog 1 input with a gold mogami cable.
I think the  recording is bad.Tha gain is at 46and i can barely hear the recording.I think the mic should pick at decent amount of everything(room,voice) at this gain even if i am in the other room screaming.I changed the cable but still the same problem.Could it be smth with the preamps?Is there anything in the settings that i should set to improve the quality of the recording?
Any help is appreciated guys.I bought the unit from australia and it's gonna be hard to return it beacuse i am not in the country anymore and who knows when i will be back.

2 Reply by Adiktive (edited by Adiktive 2011-07-23 04:33:39)

  • Registered: 2011-07-22
  • Posts: 7

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

I just read that other people had the problem with insufficient gain for the mic and the unit turned out to be faulty.To get a decent signal i have to turn the gain to at least 50 which gives me a lot of room noise and is not possible to record decently.So now the question is...Can i change the unit somewhere in europe or the Usa beacuse i will travel there soon.I just bought it and it has 1 year warranty.Any suggestions?

3 Reply by Masaaki (edited by Masaaki 2011-07-23 07:01:16)

  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 249

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

Which interface are you using?

At 50db gain with my AT4050, it is usually too much gain for most of the acoustic sound source (piano, violin, guitar) I record.
A couple of obvious things to make sure; 1) Is the phantom power LED ON? 2) Are you using -10dB pad switch on the mic?

4 Reply by Adiktive (edited by Adiktive 2011-07-23 07:07:20)

  • Registered: 2011-07-22
  • Posts: 7

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

I am using the Babyface(Sorry forgot to mention that).The -10db switch is not on.Also the phantom power is on.Without it i don't get any signal.Also how much gain is acceptable for condensers?How much do you normally turn it up with your mic?

  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 249

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

What are you recording with (DAW, like Cubase, Reaper, Pro Tools, or anything else)?

What is the level meter reading (when you are recording) from your mic?

Does the Total Mix software shows the level meter going up to..., say -10 to -6 dB?

  • Registered: 2011-07-22
  • Posts: 7

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

I am recording into samplitude 11.5.The level meter on the babyface goes to -44 when recording with 15 db of gain and to -25 with 30 db gain.

  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 249

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

I can't tell the loudness of your sound source, and the distance to the mic, so it's hard to read the numbers, but do those numbers appear the same level in your DAW? I'm just trying to isolate, if this is the source problem, or monitoring problem.
Since you said you are very new to the recording, let me ask one more basic question just to make sure, you are using the cardioid mic point to the sound source, right? Do you have electric guitar or keyboard, or some line level device, so that you can record other (line) channels for sure?

8 Reply by Adiktive (edited by Adiktive 2011-07-23 09:32:56)

  • Registered: 2011-07-22
  • Posts: 7

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

I am using the cardioid mic point:-)Nice idea with the guitar but i don't have any.I am recording from 6 to 8 inches(16 to 20 cm i think)from the mic.When i get closet it performs better but isn't it supposed to pick my voice even if i am 30cm away for example.I read that 30 to 42 db is a normal gain so maybe the problem is with me.

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
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Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

The levels you get (post #6) don't seem to be unusually low. Higher gain does not cause more "room noise". The ratio of direct vs. ambient signal will be the same at any gain setting, it only depends on room size / type and mic placement.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 249

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

You described in the first post "barely audible", so I was thinking it could be monitoring problem (high impedance headphone, for example), but -25dB should be audible, if you are using regular headphones (what's your headphone and impedance?). The numbers still look like low from my experience with AT4050, but the loudness of my sound source is different from yours, so I can't compare exactly. "30-42 db is a normal gain" is just a reference or starting point, and that's not really the number you need to stick to. It is up to the loudness of the sound source, distance from the source, directionality of of the mice, room reflection, etc, and the goal is to adjust the gain such that the sound at peak gain is not clipping, while the dynamic range is matched within the range of 24bit resolution. Most of the people recommend to gauge the mic gain such that the peak is around -10 to -6dB, adding a safety margin when the recorded track is mixed with other instruments.

11 Reply by Adiktive (edited by Adiktive 2011-07-23 18:46:40)

  • Registered: 2011-07-22
  • Posts: 7

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

Hey Masaaki and Rme support.Thanks for taking the time to help.To make it easier i made a recording standing approximately 20 cm from the mic with 30 db of gain.I have to turn my headphones up almost all the way to hear the recording.The headphones are Senheiser Hd 215.Also the waveform looks weak if you look at it.The waves are pretty small.Here is the demo.If it sounds right to you so probably this is the way it is supposed to sound and the problem is with the device in front of the keyboard smile

Demo with 4047

  • Jeff
  • Jeff
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  • From: USA
  • Registered: 2007-05-21
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Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

??? If the mic is too quiet then just turn up the gain. That's why it's there!

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

Jeff's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 249

Re: How to setup the mic and some more questions...

I listened to your demo, and it sounds to me normal SPL for the soure (quiet talking) at 30dB gain of this mic (I mean, similar mic). I'm not sure the noise in the background is from the fan noise from the computer, or noise from other sources, but you should always keep your noise souce from the front of your mic. That's why people talk about "quiet computing" all the time in this field. It appears to me this is S(your voice)/N ratio issue.