sound settings, hum noise
I have returned to N-track after a few years …this time with equiptment. I do mostly acoustic recording. I have a REV 5 Audio RV 8 recording micrphone, all MOnster cables for recording. THe mike goes into a Behringer vacuum tube pre amp with limiter (aka Tube ultra gain mic100) …from there into a Mobilepre USB which I was told would keep hiss, pops noise down. In fact during my first “test drive” with all my equiptment and N-track I got a PERFECT recoding, all be it one track just my voice and guitar (played Prodigal Son in open E by the Rev. Robert Wilkins and Rolling Stones). NO noise …sweet. So…this weekend decided time to be adventurous…lay down TWO tracks (I know…so brave huh?) …voice guitar on one…seperate acoustic guiatar on other. My goal was to do seperate tracks, manage the sound on each.
But I noticed as hiss on my voice/guitar track and I was wondering, what sort of general settings should I be looking for… ie: computer sound card volume is up, …should my gain be lower on my preamp maybe? can I do a “dolby” effect from n-track (you know to remove hiss …otherwise it was great…
thankyou for your patience with this newbie.
Deuce The Two Cats
Noise should not be created by using more tracks - well, it would build up if several tracks have some noise then when all are played there would be more noise. On the stereo recording you made, does each separate track sound clean? Maybe one of the tracks has noise? When you have two tracks recorded separately and play then both can you hear the noise or only when recording stereo?
anyway you could post a sample somewhere?
as far as the Newbie be gentle stuff, just remember our motto.
"There are no stupid questions, just stupid people."
How’s that? Welcome to the forum! 
Quote: (bax3 @ Jun. 05 2009, 6:10 PM)
Noise should not be created by using more tracks - well, it would build up if several tracks have some noise then when all are played there would be more noise.
On the stereo recording you made, does each separate track sound clean?
Maybe one of the tracks has noise?
When you have two tracks recorded separately and play then both can you hear the noise or only when recording stereo?
Actually it is only on one track ....the vocal/ guitar track (I recorded my singing and first guitar at same time (yeah I know) .... the OTHER track is clean as were my first recording .... basically I am looking for some guidelines on volume levels ...one thing I noticed ...the "recording" levels on my sound card were only 1/2 way ... and I know I was cranking up the gain on the pre-amp...could that do it?
Quote: (Poppa Willis @ Jun. 05 2009, 8:02 PM)
anyway you could post a sample somewhere?
as far as the Newbie be gentle stuff, just remember our motto.
"There are no stupid questions, just stupid people."
How's that? Welcome to the forum!
thanks for the kind words .... as for putting the example up .... it is a shongt I have not copyrighted yet .... that is why I am recording everything ....first for copyright ....so..... not that I do not trust YOU on exalted forum moderator (LOL) ... but I am obsessive. I know it is a simple problem as all other recording were pristine and clean ... so I am leaving out a step...
Anything different with the ‘noisy’ tracks going in. You might have a piece of gear that is adding it. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I meant a sample of the noise by the way.
It seems you are pre-amping the Red5 RV-8 twice - once thru the Behringer and then thru the M-Audio Mobile-pre. Your question is at what settings should each of these be?
My insticnt tells me that the Behringer is the ‘best in class’ here, and I would use more pre-amp from this than the M-Audio. Also - the limiter could be an issue. I’m not sure how much you are using - but if it is a lot, I would try reducing the amount. And maybe get a level that is somewhere in the -9 to -18db input level with the Behringer.
And then use the M-Audio mainly for digitizing the input with maybe a few db of gain.
(Not sure if I am reading your setup correctly though)
Quote: (sevenOfeleven @ Jun. 05 2009, 11:21 PM)
It seems you are pre-amping the Red5 RV-8 twice - once thru the Behringer and then thru the M-Audio Mobile-pre. Your question is at what settings should each of these be?
My insticnt tells me that the Behringer is the 'best in class' here, and I would use more pre-amp from this than the M-Audio. Also - the limiter could be an issue. I'm not sure how much you are using - but if it is a lot, I would try reducing the amount. And maybe get a level that is somewhere in the -9 to -18db input level with the Behringer.
And then use the M-Audio mainly for digitizing the input with maybe a few db of gain.
(Not sure if I am reading your setup correctly though)
Yes I am pre-amping twice ...and now that I think of it I DID raise the gain on the mobile pre this time ...again the first recording I made were pristine ...perfect sound and I want to ge that again. SO I think I will lower the gain on the mobile pre.
As for the limiter ..I am not using any except on the RV-8 ... and that is 10 ..which would be in your range you suggested. Yes that was my first setting in fact.
If this works I am wondering ..I have a Fender acoustasonic amp .... and it has out put which it says can go to recording devices ..IE: the above equiptment....any suggestions on that ...levels ....again I am concerned about blowing things out! LOL....if I input both the guitar (has a pickup) and *performance* voice mike (Sennheiser evolution e835) thru the amp into the above equiptment ...can I get 2 seperate tracks? THat way my effects etc. would be "real time" as I play. In other words ...if I record using N-track ...if I use stereo would the guitar be on one "side" or channel and voice on the other?
You guys are great btw ..I feel a lot more secure talking with you all...