Topic: mp-2 gain question

[Sean Gallemore]

i'm running an mp-2 into a Sharp MD-MT770.  I know that with and an outboard adc, it's kosher to run the preamp levels low and the adc levels high.  However, I do not have a good outboard adc, only the one on my minidisc portable deck.  SO my question is, if I'm running line-in into my MD deck from the mp-2, which piece of equipment should I set first and where?  Do I set my MD levels maxed out and play with the gain on the mp-2 after that? Or do I set the mp-2 at some predetermined level and play with MD levels?
Thanx in advance
~schwilly

[goose]

Hey schwill - I think the concept would remain the same.  The idea behind running the ADC high is because to run *most any ADC but all the way up is actually introducing an attenuator to the full signal.  So it would be a cleaner signal (less electronics or noise introduced) to run the ADC high.

My advice would be to run your minidisc level high, not quite all the way up, and work from there on the mp2.  Leave a little room to play with on the minidisc if you can for more options (if the mp2 knobs are too touchy at a particular level or something).

HTH

*I understand the SBM1 to be set at neutral at 5 and gain and attenuation above and below that.  Most are neutral at wide open.

edit: i think, i've heard, i could be wrong, someone else can correct me,  various and sundry other qualifiers to the above info, as always...

[Nick Culbreth]

in my experience the lower you can set the gain on the mp2 the better the results will be, it doesn't sound nearly as nice when you have to crank up the gain.

[Sean Gallemore]

thanx guys, + to you both
any other opinions/experiences are greatly appreciated.  I'm just an idiot with gear, trying to learn.

[Nick Culbreth]

i'll just throw this out here as well, i've always kept the mp2 under 1/4 gain, usually i never even cranked it up that much.  also it is a good idea to run out of the 1/8 output rather than the xlr outputs because the 1/8 output has 10db less gain than the xlr output which is really helpful when you don't need a whole lot of gain.  also, it's always always a good idea to have a decent quality mini cable - i made mine out of canare starquad cable and it works great.  the mp2 is a great preamp, it's built like a tank and sounds great too - i'm sure it'll make many nice sounding tapes.

[Sean Gallemore]

i'll probably just use the xlr outs, because I'm not sure if my tape out screws are balanced (equal) however I appreciat the knowledge.

another question, why is it "better" to run as little gain as possible?

[Nick Culbreth]

the mp2 gets a bit noisy when it's run when you run too much gain - my general rule of thumb was to never run the gain hotter than 1/4.

as for the 1/8 output, you don't need to mess around w/ the tape return screws.  the 1/8 output and the xlr outputs have the same dynamic range but the 1/8 out has a minimum gain of +6db while the xlr out has a minimum gain of +16db.  i always found the 1/8 to be a better setup because i could run my dat at closer to 10 which limited the attenuation of the signal.  just food for thought.

[Sean Gallemore]

good info as always, nick
sounds like sound advice to make my sound better

<-------needs a decent a/d, start saving again

[F.O.Bean]

just wondering guyz, whats even the point of having the mp-2 in the chain if its BARELY getting use....i mean less than a 1/4 gain isnt much at all....less than 20 for sure, right???if the a/d has ANY agin, it would be taken care of right there, right???

thanks guyz,
  bean

p.s-i ask thisbecause ive ONLY run all-in-one boxes onmy own, so i dont play around all that much

[Sean Gallemore]

congrats on the 4k bean, I hope some one can answer your/our question because I can't

the only thing I can thing of is that it's still being run throught the electrical circuits the same, so the sound won't change, but with lower gain you get less excess noise?

[F.O.Bean]

congrats on the 4k bean, I hope some one can answer your/our question because I can't

the only thing I can thing of is that it's still being run throught the electrical circuits the same, so the sound won't change, but with lower gain you get less excess noise?

ahhhh, im a lil  , i couldnt think for the life of me...+T for the good enuf explanation schwill....that was good enuf for me...did ya ever consider being a teacher??

[F.O.Bean]

didnt even notice the 4k, thats the second time

[Sean Gallemore]

nah, teachers have to show up to their job on time and shit, I could never pull that

[F.O.Bean]

nah, teachers have to show up to their job on time and shit, I could never pull that

hehehe, one of these days

[John R]

man, open that thing up schwill.  when i used the mp2, i ran it HOT.  it is a good pre and can take it.  get all the signal you can.  i'd back down on the ad and dat/md levels to tune it right.

my .02

jr

[creekfreak]

My general opinion is run as much gain as you need and that is it.

[Sean Gallemore]

as much as I need?  That could be like.....nothing

[zhianosatch]

The tape return business has nothing to do with the 1/8" out. I pondered that same point in Spargey's truck but it's clarified n the manual. The 1/8" out is sweet, just tape it secure. I used my new all right angles 1/8" > 2 RCA cable MP-2 > SBM-1 at Primus. Too bad that tape sucks - no fault of the gear, that's for sure.
From having run your MP-2 once and knowing the basic behavior of your minidisc, and the low-ass output of the mic, I'd say start the MP-2 at 12 o clock and adjust the Sharp from there. Sharp MD line inputs are slightly more than twice as sensitive as Sony portables so that should give you some room to play.
Thank goodness you got the knobs tightened, because friggin fine-tuning the MP-2 at our shows is not a good idea! I ran the MP-2 at 9 o clock, the SBM at about 6 for hot levels at Primus (average perceived loudness) using the MIC out of my MPS-6010. With the 908, I'm thinking 12, then play with the MD. I know you had big problems running the 908 LINE IN on the Sharp... the MP-2 gain stage should solve it. Don't be shy, I think. Maybe even more than 12 o clock...

[Sean Gallemore]

The tape return business has nothing to do with the 1/8" out. I pondered that same point in Spargey's truck but it's clarified n the manual. The 1/8" out is sweet, just tape it secure. I used my new all right angles 1/8" > 2 RCA cable MP-2 > SBM-1 at Primus. Too bad that tape sucks - no fault of the gear, that's for sure.
From having run your MP-2 once and knowing the basic behavior of your minidisc, and the low-ass output of the mic, I'd say start the MP-2 at 12 o clock and adjust the Sharp from there. Sharp MD line inputs are slightly more than twice as sensitive as Sony portables so that should give you some room to play.
Thank goodness you got the knobs tightened, because friggin fine-tuning the MP-2 at our shows is not a good idea! I ran the MP-2 at 9 o clock, the SBM at about 6 for hot levels at Primus (average perceived loudness) using the MIC out of my MPS-6010. With the 908, I'm thinking 12, then play with the MD. I know you had big problems running the 908 LINE IN on the Sharp... the MP-2 gain stage should solve it. Don't be shy, I think. Maybe even more than 12 o clock...

i never used the 908c with the sharp, but, yes, with my sony, getting good peak levels was burdensome.  I think the mp-2 will be great in this situation, but hopefully i don't have to use this setup too long.

[zhianosatch]

Really? I thought you used it at Popsicle 5.

[Sean Gallemore]

Really? I thought you used it at Popsicle 5.

I stand corrected, I did use that setup at Popsicle.  However, I did't think I had "big problems."