Topic: JB3 silence during recording>>>

[waltflanagansdog]

 Hey!  I finally got the 1.32 firmware installed on my JB3...but I tried testing the recording function last night and all I got was pure silence.  The levels didn't move.

I modded the UA5...did I do it right?

Are there any settings on the JB3 or UA5 I need to change?

Thanks for the space and the patience.

[caymanreview]

were you running your laptop too? or just standalone, as you mentioned modding the ua5....

using a good optical cable? was the optical cable seated in the jb3 correcty (fully inserted, some cables are too big to seat properly without modding the jb3 case by removing a bit of the case right there to allow you to fully insert it)

[waltflanagansdog]

It was stand alone.  I was going TOSlink to mini-plug to optical/line in JB3

[jimmc]

Double check to make sure you set-up the JB3 to record with the source set to optical-in. If it is set to Line-in, I dont think you will get any levels.

I used my JB3 for the first time Friday night and again, as everyone says, the level meters suck!!  I got a great pull off the SBD though.

Also, I'd recommend doing the mod to the input as was mentioned in one of the other posts.

[drumminj]

The JB3 level meters aren't that bad once you realize where they need to be to get the best levels.  I think JB3 + UA-5's -3dB clip light is a good pairing, once you figure out what the clip light REALLY means to the levels you're recording.

[waltflanagansdog]

After tooling around with it for a while..it doesn't look like the mini-plug is even hitting/touching the unit.

Can someone give me a rundown of the switches and settings that need to be set for both the JB3 and UA5.

Thanks

[ingsy]

Can someone give me a rundown of the switches and settings that need to be set for both the JB3 and UA5.

i am no expert at using these 2, but i do own a UA-5 and JB3 so i will give it a shot (assuming this is for field recording with mics)....

JB3: as stated in earlier posts, make sure the optical cable is inserted all the way and the JB3 is On...then, go to: Menu -> Line-In Recording -> Optical Recording -> Play/Pause button (to start recording)

UA-5: most likely you will be recording in 16/44.1 wav files on the JB3, so on the back of the UA-5 make sure the 'ADV' setting is turned to OFF.  Make sure the Optical out connection has the cable secure.  On the front, set the sample rate to 44.1kHz.  The Hi-Z/Lo-Z switch should be set to Lo-Z, while the Rec Source should be set to Analog.  Plug the mic cables in the front, making sure they are also secure.  Turn on the unit, click on Phantom power if the mics require 48V phantom.  Note: there are other dials on the front of the unit, so far I haven't figured out if they are important or not.  

these settings seem to work in my living room...will be field testing (Lotus in SF on thrusday) later so i will know more then.

i have attached a .txt file i got from the yahoo jb3 tapers group.  hope this helps.  cheers,
ingsy

[yemncsu]

Thats exactly how I had it set up this weekend and it works great for me too.
Josh

[phishmarisol]

What do you mean by "the level meters suck"?  In what way do they suck?

[jimmc]

What do you mean by "the level meters suck"?  In what way do they suck?

What I dont like about them is the fact that since they are oriented vertically on the JB3 display screen, they arent very big. Most DATs and even MDs that I have seen had meters that displayed along the longer direction of the display area.  Also there is not a number range on the meter bars. My recordings came out great, so I cant complain to much, but the meters on my Sharp MD were better as far as the display goes than the JB3. Other than that, the JB3 is awesome. Hope that explains it. Some might not care about this issue, but im my opinion it is an issue. If you go in optical through a UA-5 or other A/D converter, you dont have to worry as much as going in analog.