A Question For Dj's Options

[don says mac]

I'm having a lot of trouble recording a decent sounding set into my mac... the recorded music is very quiet & distant sounding...

my setup:

2 technics 1200's
vestax mixer
mac g4 867
1gig ram
echo mia soundcard
osx panther
garageband
logic pro 7

i have my tables set up to my mixer, and my mixer connected via rca - 1/4 inch plugs into my mia... no matter if i use GB or LP7, the recording sounds like crap... i've tried plugging a turntable directly into my soundcard but still no luck... i've played with the console for hours on end and nothing seems to make it sound better... surely i have the appropriate tools to do the job?!?!

I've tried plugging my guitar directly into the soundcard and it too records very quietly... is it a faulty soundcard? i know my cables aren't the best, would that have such a big effect? when i record in LP7, i can see the volume red-lining so it would seem as if the sound is getting in there, but just not recording properly...

any advice on what other people are doing to record their mixes would be greatly appreciated...

thanks,
d

[analog]

You should check all of your input settings/preferences.
OS Prefs
Sound Card Prefs

I use Peak to record thru a TASCAM US-122 USB input. I run RCA out of the mixer with 1/4" adapters into the USB. I also had similar problems at first until I checked all of the prefs of the hardware and software that runs will I record.If I were to make an uneducated guess I would have to say that it's your sound card if anything.

PEACE
GOODLUCK

ANALOG

[don says mac]

Thanks...

i actually called Echo last night... i have to route the tables via a pre-amp before having it go in to the sound card... now it's all a matter of tweaking it with the console & prefs... i should have really kown this...

[ourmanflinty]

well, if you're redlining then you don't need a pre amp, your vestax is a preamp, honest, it is...unless you're redlining cos the input cable earth's disconnected...but your problem could be playback, you didn't mention playback at all but try importing a loop into logic, or playing a virtual synth from the matrix editor window, do you get any sound? If you playback sounds and you can see logic meters going up all the way etc but you can't hear anything much then you've got an output problem as well...certainly a turntable without an riaa filter will sound pony and a guitar needs mic amp type gain to work so they really are not good tests mate, try a cd player or your minidisc or something ok

[don says mac]

everything else works fine in logic... i can import loops and record with MIDI and evrything is ok.... maybe the pre-amp in my vestax isn't good enough? i dunno, but routing my vestax into my receiver seems to work alright... i still don't understand why i can red -line it in logic but still have it play back so quietly.... but like i said, things seem to be working fine routing it through my receiver... thanks for your help.

[divan]

well, just my thoughts to your problem. so don't expect a solution.
one thing you can be shure of - as stated before: your vestax is pre-amped.

the turntables should be plugged into phono (not into line - but i guess you already know that).

most of the dj-mixer have a main-out and a record-out or tape-out - try the (erm) other one. (eg. my mixer's main is hooked to the amp and the record goes into my laptop's in)

maybe there is any issue with your soundcard (i dont have any so i am just guessing) - something like clipping or automatic compression...

the next thing that comes to my mind that the volume of your mixer is way to high. try to reduce the signal level of your mixer and raise the input-level on your soundcard (i'm shure there are some pro's out there knowing the perfect setting)

thats all 4 now - maybe some other useful things will come to my mind - good luck anyway

[ourmanflinty]

so you can play back imported loops, what, on the track or in exs24? you can record midi, do you mean that you can hear logics virtyual synths when you use midi or your external synths or you can see midi in the matrix editior, or both or what, what do the recorded audio waveforms look like? that will tell you if the audio is good. then er..umm..check it's using core audio, make sure your logic mixer channels are routed to 1 & 2 or wherever, make sure you don't have some plug in inserted that's lowering your o/p level, check your panning making sure you're getting stereo. That loop you imported, drag that onto the track you're recording to, can you hear that? yes, it's an i/p issue, no, it's an o/p issue. re-install logic, did you use the setup manager or set it all up yourself?