way to a hotter signal?

Hey all, I’m getting back into recording after an extended absence. I’m using a new OS (winxp home) new soundcard (audiophile 2496) and new version of N (4.0). My recorded wav files seem really thin for some reason, with me having to crank my desktop mixers levels and gains way up to get some action in the VU meters in Ntrack. I recall getting way hotter signals using Ntrack 2.3, win98 and my SBlive card. Is there a soundcard gain level I’ve missed or something? Any suggestions? Thanks!

Yup, there definaltey is a sound card input gain level. I don’t own an Audiophile, but it should be easy enough to find in the manual and I am sure there are a few other folks here with the same card that can help you further.

The 2496 install puts a “M” icon in your toolbar tray (right side of the bar). Doubleclicking that brings up the 2496’s control panel. Make sure that the line in and line out level controls are at at least 75% up.

if the sound level is waay down, and it’s very thin, you may have a connection problem. Experiment with different connections and input sources.

In the same “M”-control panel, you can alter the sensitivity of your inputs from -10db to +4db (I have an 2496).

The other thing I could think if is that your levels have always been low, but you used the amplifier-stage of the SB.

Ludo@Home

Thanks for the input, guys. I think Ludo might have touched on something, as I do recall having the software gain level of my old card maxxed out. In this case i’m getting a stronger signal from my electric guitar going direct as well as my condenser mic, and a weaker signal, it seems, from my two dynamic mics. Perhaps it just boils down to the equipment. Either way, I can live with it. ~ Jack