Topic: SBD --> Edirol R-44

[One Cylinder]

R-44 users - where do you usually set your level & sensitivity knobs when taking a (XLR) patch out of the SBD? I would think that setting the middle knob to 12 o'clock, and the outer one to 8 or 9 o'clock would be a safe bet.  Are those settings too conservative? (Do they provide enough gain to get the recorded signal above -12 ? )

Thanks.

[Fried Chicken Boy]

You're pretty much right on the money with your settings.  I always keep the inner sensitivity knob at 12 o'clock.  In fact, I don't think I've ever adjusted that knob at all no matter what the source; it's stayed right at high noon.  The outer gain knob is where I've made all my adjustments.  In my experience, soundboard patches tend to run a little hot so I've found that setting those knobs around 9 or 10 o'clock is usually a good starting point.  If you can get the patch from the engineer before the band starts and while the house music is playing, I've found that setting the knobs 1 click below what you want your levels to be is usually ideal; the artists will normally be that much louder when they start performing.  If you're recording at 24-bit, you can run your levels conservatively and have a lot of room for adjustment in post.  And if the incoming signal is too hot and you do have to make an adjustment during the set, the outer knobs move in 6 dB steps so you can find those distinct points in your DAW while processing and adjust accordingly.  Some people have reported tiny gaps in the audio when moving the gain knob during recording, but if you do it quickly the effect should be minimal if at all.

[cybergaloot]

I record a lot with my own mix off my own soundboard that is tied to the main soundboard and my ambient mics. For my setup I set the digital gain on the R-44  to 12 o'clock and the analog gain to the lowest setting.

At festivals where I get a feed off the soundboard I've found that I had to turn up the analog gain a few clicks, maybe as far as 12 o'clock. I usually ask the soundman to give me unity out and that I'll take it from there. The problem seems to come when they have to give me a matrix out where they are kind of guessing at the levels.

I almost never set the digital gain to anything other than 12 o'clock which is unity for that control. The exception is when I'm outputting to a pair of CD recorders. Then I use the digital gain to bring the levels up so that the CD recorders are happy.

[cybergaloot]

If you can get the patch from the engineer before the band starts and while the house music is playing, I've found that setting the knobs 1 click below what you want your levels to be is usually ideal; the artists will normally be that much louder when they start performing.

I find this to be the case all the time, even if you are able to catch the band's soundcheck. The band is ALWAYS louder during the show than at soundcheck. There many be some exceptions but I've never seen one.

Some people have reported tiny gaps in the audio when moving the gain knob during recording, but if you do it quickly the effect should be minimal if at all.

It does indeed make a tiny flat spot in the waveform which can be handy for spotting where the change was made but you have to really zoom in on the waveform to see it. If anyone tells me they can hear it, well it goes by so fast that I'd be very skeptical.

[yltfan]

In my experience, for a regular rock band, the house music is MUCH lower than the band. When looking at levels while the house music is playing, I usually set them at about one third of where I want them.