recording with on-board mic

[jjl5590]

hey guys,

I tried recording a band practice with the on-board mic, but i couldnt seem to do it. All the time it just kept saying "over" like i was clipping it. Even when i had the imput right down to 0 it still said "over" which is kind of impossible. So I tried putting the effect "only limit" on to see if it made a difference but it didnt. Tried recording anyway, got home and had a listen, and the quality was just terrible. Crackly and horrible.

What am I doing wrong?

Many thanks for your help 

[SteveG]

Switch the effects off, adjust the sensitivity. Dont have the MBR to hand to give step by step ..... 64?

[cuthbert]

I can only hazard a guess here... 

If the Micro BR is really close to a loud sound source, it may be that the on-board mic is being overpowered with too many decibels. I believe the on-board mic element is electret, and generally they just don't handle high dB sounds as well as dynamic mic diaphragms.

If that's it, you can try turning down the band's volume  or maybe moving the Micro BR farther from the sound sources (which will introduce more room reverberation, which may be a nice enhancement or not depending upon the acoustics of your room).

You could also try using a dynamic mic in the guitar input (you'd need an adaptor if your dynamic mic has an xlr connector) - but then that kind of defeats the convenience of the built-in, dunnit?

[launched]

You guys are playing way too loud!!! Just kidding - crank it!

Turn the sensitivity down like Steve said - Hit the input button, scroll with cursor buttons to Sns, and use value to bring the mic sensitivity down. With live music you want to crank it waaaaay down!

Peace,

Mark

[jjl5590]

thanks for the replies guys,

unfortunately i had the mic at the lowest sensitivity, and even when the input was at 0 it was still showing the "over" sign. I dont know what to do, the mic was placed in the middle of the room to pick up all instruments, but it just came out as noise. Would I have been better off buying the Zoom H4?

[guitarron]

Would I have been better off buying the Zoom H4?

maybe
seems as though you may be getting a little frustrated with it-thats understandable, however this is certainly doable with a little trial and error

placement is a big deal too-i mean where the sweet spot is as far as picking up everything

you can also use a line out from your mixer-depending on how you mix at rehearsal.
keep in mind -even when you do finally get that elusive setting figured out,
-the old using one mic to record the whole band thing-never sounds perfect no matter what equipt you use

[64Guitars]

All you can do on the BR is reduce the Input Sensitivity. If you set it to its lowest value (-15dB for internal MIC) and the OVER indicator still lights, then the internal mic is too sensitive for the volume levels you're trying to record. Use an external mic that's less sensitive. Connect it to the BR's "LINE IN/MIC" input and set the input to EXT. Be sure to turn plug-in power off if using a dynamic mic or any other mic that doesn't support plug-in power (see page 114 of the Micro BR manual, 3rd edition).

[hewhoiscalledj]

You can try recording using the LIMITER effect. When using EXT or LINE inputs, hit the Effect button > Edit > Limiter (try it at 0, or -1 if necessary.) Essentially, this effect cuts out sound exceeding the limit you set, ie. 0db or -1db, etc...

Honestly though, the built in mic can only handle so much sound and band practice can get hairy loud if you guys play like most bands (including my own.)

Best luck i've had is using another mic. I use an Audio Technica Pro24 ($80 or so.) and it can handle over 130db or so. I now have Sensitivity set around -2 and it picks up the music very well.

[Sprocket]

All you can do on the BR is reduce the Input Sensitivity. If you set it to its lowest value (-15dB for internal MIC) and the OVER indicator still lights, then the internal mic is too sensitive for the volume levels you're trying to record. [/url]).

Readin what the OP had said, I get the impression hes thinking zero is as low as it goes.

But having recorded a few live gigs and rehearsals...Id say your best bet is to buy the $7 ebay Sony mic and use the stereo LINe in...the sensitivity isnt as strong. 

[Greeny]

I'm guessing that the onboard mic is struggling to cope with a full bands-worth of sound. I haven't used it for that, so I don't know what to advise. All I know is that the mic is perfect for solo acoustic and vocal recording. I've also recorded from the mixing desk via a line-in, and that was pretty perfect. Maybe a different mic (as suggested) is worth trying. I think it's a case of trying different routes, because you'll get the right set up eventually. Have you tried shifting the position of the band around? Maybe there's a sweet spot you can reach like that. Good luck - and don't give up.