difference between using GTR-in and LINE-in ?

[picknpaws]

I am recording my Godin Multiac acoustic-electric which has piezo bridge transducers. I've encountered noise (hiss) in my recordings and had a couple questions for the experts here...   

Q1)  Has anyone experienced noise/hiss in recordings when using GTR-in while recording output from piezo pickups? Any advice to avoid the noise?

Q2)  In my quest to overcome/avoid the noise, I was thinking that instead of trying to record the very low-levels out of my guitar straight into the BR, I'd use the LINE-OUT from my amp (which has a super quality pre-amp section) and record at LINE-in on the BR. My theory is that the levels should be higher and I would be less dependent on the sensitivity of the BR input.

But I can't get the BR to record LINE-in...?..  I plug in, switch the input to LIN, and try to record. I get no bars. I know GTR and MIC recording both work.

Any advice on these questions?  Anything to try?

Thanks!

[jkevinwolfe]

All my pickups are piezos.

A1) Yes. My Ashbory bass has a lot of it, but it sounds kind of cool. The other two pickups are in ukes. Bringing the treble on the Multiac (what a machine!) down will reduce it of course. I don't think the preamp in the Multiac is supposed to be particularly hissy, so that's probably not it. But is the output of the Multiac into the Micro overmodulated at all? That means it's so loud that it could be causing hiss.

Some of the preamp emulations in the Micro are hissier than others. Make sure the Brightness setting on any of the preamps that use it is Off. Short cords can reduce hiss to some degree. The compression setting can add a lot of hiss. You can also try using one of the mic or line patches since they process differently than the guitar patch.

As you can see, it can be a lot of stuff and will probably just require some playing around. Try going through a guitar patch and turn off the Preamp, Speaker Emulator and Effects. See if you get hiss and then start turning stuff back on to see which might be the culprit.

A2) You should be able to take the Multiac directly into the line in without going through the amp if you like. So LIN is flashing but it's not recording? Is the sensitivity (Sns) on zero? If it's turned down that could affect things. What effect are you using with the line in?

[64Guitars]

I am recording my Godin Multiac acoustic-electric which has piezo bridge transducers. I've encountered noise (hiss) in my recordings and had a couple questions for the experts here...   

Q1)  Has anyone experienced noise/hiss in recordings when using GTR-in while recording output from piezo pickups? Any advice to avoid the noise?

Is your Multiac equipped with RMC or L.R.Baggs transducers? I have a Godin xtSA with RMC transducers and I've not noticed excessive noise when recording on my BR-864. Here are some things to try:

• Try a fresh battery in your guitar's preamp. It's possible that the preamp could hiss if the battery is weak. Although, mine seems to work just fine until the battery reaches a certain threshold. Then it suddenly stops working completely! There is no output from the piezo system once the battery level crosses that threshold.
• Make sure that you've set the Micro BR's Input Sensitivity correctly. You should set it so that the input signal is as high as possible without causing the "OVER" indicator to light. See page 29 of the Micro BR manual, 3rd edition -- especially steps 1 to 3.
• Increase the value of the Threshold parameter of the Micro BR's Noise Suppressor effect. See page 70 of the Micro BR manual, 3rd edition.

Q2)  In my quest to overcome/avoid the noise, I was thinking that instead of trying to record the very low-levels out of my guitar straight into the BR, I'd use the LINE-OUT from my amp (which has a super quality pre-amp section) and record at LINE-in on the BR. My theory is that the levels should be higher and I would be less dependent on the sensitivity of the BR input.

But I can't get the BR to record LINE-in...?..  I plug in, switch the input to LIN, and try to record. I get no bars. I know GTR and MIC recording both work.

Again, check your Input Sensitivity. I suspect that it's too low. The Input Sensitivity is stored independently for each input. So, even if you've already set it correctly for the Guitar input, you'll need to set it again when you switch to the Line input.

[picknpaws]

WOW !   Thanks for the replies.

To answer questions:

a)  Yes -- I adjust my levels so I don't saturate the inputs.

b)  I have played with input sensitivity, both more and less sensitive --- with no apparent effect on the hiss/noise.

     QUESTION:  If I increase the sensitivity --- doesn't this also potentially increase
                      the chance of noise/hiss?  I mean, the input would be more sensitive...

c)  I'm not sure what piezos are in the Godin, except I know it's not the Baggs.

d)  I did not know about the BR noise suppressor settings. I'll have to look into that.

e)  I am not using any effects. I'm recording completely clean. No amp effects or reverb or anything.

f)  I tried the battery idea on the Godin. There's a fresh battery in it now.

g)  I suspect my LINE-in in the BR is faulty. Which also worries me about the possible effect of a "bad circuit" on the other input modes...  Unfortunately I have no other recording unit to test and see if it's the BR...  I should probably borrow something...

My amp is a Schertler UNICO --- an absolutely awesome, clean, acoustic amp. I play clean fingerstyle and chord/melody so the Godin with the UNICO is my dream set-up. Both are pretty high-end products so I really don't think either of them are causing issues. Plus when playing live, it's super clean and clear.

Thanks again!