Input Levels

[holdempok]

When recording what is a good input level? The last song I did came out too soft.

[drutgat]

When recording what is a good input level? The last song I did came out too soft.

There are recommended input levels for the different input types in the manual on p. 39 as follows:
GTR (guitar) -12-+8
MIC -16-+8
LIN (Line Input) -6-+8
EXT -15-+9

Also, use your ears. If, for example, you want to overload the input signal (a la The Beatles in terms of deliberately distorting, overloading and messing around with *everything* for creative results) then try things out.

Also, you might want to try to change EQ and modulation settings (chorus and so on), and delay, and the presets on the Micro BR to try to get the sound you want.

How was your input source (guitar?)? Did it have the tone you wanted? If so, then it's down to getting the Micro BR to capturing that. If not, then try to get your input source as close to the sound you want as possible.

[holdempok]

I just ues the preset at 0db. and adjust when mastering.

What about the input level volume control on the side when recording? 0-100. What is a good #?

[Greeny]

I just use and adjust the volume by ear. It's a little tricky on the BR sometimes, because some of the guitar patches seem way too loud, whilst others are too quiet. I manage (somehow) using a combination of the input volume and the individual track volumes to balance things out. Plus my guitar volume, of course.

[holdempok]

is there a way to seperately turn down the volume on the rythem? I was trying to record yesterday going through my PA and the rythem was way too loud. If I turned down the volume on the PA  i coudn't hear the guitar. same is I turned down the br.

[Greeny]

is there a way to seperately turn down the volume on the rythem? I was trying to record yesterday going through my PA and the rythem was way too loud. If I turned down the volume on the PA  i coudn't hear the guitar. same is I turned down the br.

Yes - There is. I often have to turn the rhythm down to stop sound bleed when I'm recording vocals.

I'm doing this from memory, so don't hold it against me if it's not exactly right...

Press rhythm. This takes you to the main rhythm screen. If you press the ' > ' button, it should scroll into rhythm volume, which you can adjust with the ' + ' and ' - ' buttons.

It's probably in the manual too.

[hewhoiscalledj]

For the purpose of clarity, there is the INPUT level using the wheel on the right side of the MBR and then there is the SENSITIVITY level found on when selecting the actual INPUT source. The trick is to record with the INPUT level/wheel as high as possible without clipping (getting the OVER message.)

It all depends on what INPUT source you are using but again, the idea is not to get the maximum level before distortion/clipping. When I record a loud band practice using an EXT mic, I have the SENSITIVITY at -12 and my INPUT level at around 85. But when I record a guitar directly thru the GTR input, I have the SENSITIVITY around -2 and my INPUT lever around 90. Depends on what kind of guitar pickups (humbucker, single-coil, active/passive) and how hot the original signal is.

When mastering, you can also control the INPUT GAIN but maybe that's another post...

[holdempok]

Great! Thanks for the help. I downloaded some of the songs I thought were to soft onto cd and the volumes came out fine.

Once again thanks for your help.

[64Guitars]

For the purpose of clarity, there is the INPUT level using the wheel on the right side of the MBR and then there is the SENSITIVITY level found on when selecting the actual INPUT source. The trick is to record with the INPUT level/wheel as high as possible without clipping (getting the OVER message.)

You have the right idea but your last sentence should say SENSITIVITY level instead of INPUT level/wheel. The input sensitivity control allows you to compensate for a wide range of signal levels from different instruments so that the BR always sees the same signal level at the start of its signal chain. It should not be used for controlling the recording level.

The INPUT LEVEL control on the side of the Micro BR controls the recording level and should be adjusted so that there is plenty of movement in the top three segments of the level meter. The topmost segment should light only rarely and very briefly to avoid distortion. The lower segments will light more often. The lower the segment, the more often it should light. The bottom segment will be lit almost constantly. In fact, for most songs, the bottom three segments will be lit most of the time. So, most of the movement in the level meter will be in the top 3 or 4 segments.

If the top three segments of the level meter never light, the recording level is too low and you need to increase the INPUT LEVEL control. If the top three segments are lit most of the time, the recording level is too high and you need to reduce the INPUT LEVEL control. Try to adjust the INPUT LEVEL control so that there is lots of variation in the lit/unlit status of the top three segments of the level meter to get the optimum recording level. I find it's better to err on the side of a recording level that's too low rather than one that's too high. Modern digital recorders like the Micro BR have a very good signal-to-noise ratio which makes low levels less objectionable than the distortion caused by high levels.

Ultimately, however, the optimum recording level is limited by the peaks in the signal rather than the overall level, and should be set so that the top segment of the level meter lights only rarely and briefly, regardless of how often the other segments light. If the track has a wide dynamic range, you may find that the top 3 or 4 segments seldom light. That's perfectly okay, though the overall level of the track may seem low. If you turn up the INPUT LEVEL control to compensate for this overall low level, the peaks will cause the top segment to light too often and your recording will be distorted. So you have no choice. To avoid distortion, you have to set the INPUT LEVEL control so that the top segment of the level meter lights rarely and briefly.