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MetaRecorder gain control vs inline attentuator

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Bentapes:
Hi all. I am experimenting with recording setups and was curious if anyone more knowledgeable than myself could shed some light on if there is any difference between using an inline attenuator (SP-ATEN-1-15) vs the adjustable gain control in the MetaRecorder app? Both would be used to limit the oncoming signal to prevent overloading the recorder, would there be any expected difference in recording quality when using one vs the other? Thank you!

opsopcopolis:
If you can get the signal low enough with recorder gain, sounds like you don’t need a hardware attenuator

breakonthru:
You should always try to avoid attenuators if possible because basically you’re lowering the signal that will effectively amplify the input noise of whatever you’re plugging into. Good recording practice is always to maximize the level at an input as much as possible (within reason given adequate headroom to avoid overloading.)

With all the different possible combinations of recording equipment out there, real world testing is still the primary way to determine if a given set up is going to work. It’s pretty easy to hold your mics up within a foot of the loudest home speaker setup you have and get an idea how it’s going to perform in a concert PA situation. Apart from aggressive stack taping right up front, generally the sound in the venue doesn’t get much louder than what you can simulate at home. You can look at the waveform to see oddities and use that to supplement your own ears' take. i personally find it easier to "see" distortion in a waveform than hear it. A lot of things like asymmetric waveforms or signal clipping are immediately apparent upon listening

Bentapes:

--- Quote from: breakonthru on April 06, 2024, 08:48:54 AM ---You should always try to avoid attenuators if possible because basically you’re lowering the signal that will effectively amplify the input noise of whatever you’re plugging into. Good recording practice is always to maximize the level at an input as much as possible (within reason given adequate headroom to avoid overloading.)

With all the different possible combinations of recording equipment out there, real world testing is still the primary way to determine if a given set up is going to work. It’s pretty easy to hold your mics up within a foot of the loudest home speaker setup you have and get an idea how it’s going to perform in a concert PA situation. Apart from aggressive stack taping right up front, generally the sound in the venue doesn’t get much louder than what you can simulate at home. You can look at the waveform to see oddities and use that to supplement your own ears' take. i personally find it easier to "see" distortion in a waveform than hear it. A lot of things like asymmetric waveforms or signal clipping are immediately apparent upon listening

--- End quote ---

Thank you very much! I’ll be sure to test this out with my home stereo, that’s a really helpful tip.

The in-line attenuator I have is adjustable, so I should still be able to dial in the level of the incoming signal. I’ll play around with both options and see what works the best.

Scooter123:
Jerry is right--a home stereo set up might work, although some rock bands perform at over 100db which is ear bleeding for me, and he is further correct that simply using your volume-gain control on the recorder generally works.  The best is go to a bunch of shows and run your rig.  You'll figure it out eventually in post.  The only time I've wanted an attenuator is recording on a line level soundboard output, which for reasons I don't fully understand is usually pretty hot. 

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