Hey DN Elektronauts!
Hope your all well and making some fine tracks during this pandemic.
I’ve been working with my DT and DN and a Yamaha MG20XU mixer DAWless. Hoping to get some decent recording done. I’ve been having to turn up the gain on the stereo channels to get a decent signal when recording to my iPhone.
I’m wondering wether I need to buy a DI Box for both units to improve on this signal rather than boosting the gain on the stereo mixer channels?
Any advice tips etc would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
I don’t see a problem described that demands the remedy you suggest (yet). What’s wrong with turning up the gain? Mixers have gain expressly for boosting signals.
I know–just–enough theory to understand that the gain might introduce noise, or distortion, but you’ve not made those claims. You’ve said the recordings in your phone are quiet, but that’s the last part of the mixer gain staging - or even a problem at the input to your phone. What I/o are you using between the mixer and your phone?
As I understand it, the main reason to use a DI between a line device and a mixer is to change the signal from unbalanced to balanced, so you can carry it further. The changes in gain staging and tone colouration are 2nd-ary issues. So, before you start playing with that (and it’s fun and useful… but…) tackle the “main” issues at the other points in your process.
Why don’t you connect DT to the audio ins of DN and connect the DN with USB to your phone? I do this with my android phone and recording works like a charm.
Looking at a picture of the desk, the gain knobs are labelled with the same amount of gain for both the mono and stereo channels. In theory, going just by the numbers and assumptions, you wouldn’t get any more gain at the mic inputs anyway. I’m content to be wrong here, I’m not that knowledgable at this level of detail.
I may resort to doing that in trying the DT into DN then into mixer …
I have them going directly into mixer because I have other equipment going into mixer as well to all play in sync etc guitar, another bass … so a mix down is necessary to record into iPhone
Unfortunately for this thread, I don’t do Insta so I wont be able to hear the recording.
This started out sounding like “the DN & DT output is too quiet” (because of the DI box suggestion). We’ve shifted it a bit to “the mixer USB output is too quiet”. Let’s dig into this.
Do you need to add as much gain to the other instruments? Do you use a DI box with those?
If the board has level meters on each channel, what level is the loudest instrument? What level is the overall mix (on the mixer, not the recording at the iPhone)?
Have you used the mixer as an interface to a desktop/laptop and run DAW software? Does the loudness issue show up there? Could you use a DAW to inspect level meters better than the hardware only solution?
Next level debugging:
Bear in mind that 0db on analog and digital equipment is different, that digital gear has to pay attention to the fact it will clip at max, where analog will “only” distort. So they’re made differently, use different scales. It often doesn’t appear to be the case because visual scales are made to look similar for convenience. If you can, calibrate your signal flows, or your expectations (i.e. get a db meter and measure stuff. It’ll get fiddly. Personally, I have struggled to commit to memory the differences between the scales (and I took a long break from music and mixing and have gotten rusty).
The guitar is loud mostly but is manageable. I will be seeking to invest in a DI Box for the direct line to mixer. I don’t have an amp cab to mic independently.
The microphone even with the new Cloudlifter is still reliant on more from the mixer gain to induce a more loud and clean signal.
My setup is DAWless. The mixer only has two L/R level meters to gauge signal loudness from.
I’m currently doing level tests when recording with the Digitakt and guitar so I can then listen back on and compare. I’m ensuring to take note of each setting made to then hone in on a specific preference. Only way to do it at the moment. Good old process of elimination and scientific control and measure tactics.
The levels are reaching into max red …
I think I maybe overthinking this too much for it to be a real concern … and perhaps I’m just levelling things incorrectly altogether and that these simply do not require such additional measure as DI boxes …
I guess I’ll perceiver further with exploring the levels …
