Topic: Help with mics (CA11's)

[welshylad]

Hi guys, I've used my CA11's now for a good 8 years, something like that. The last couple of gigs I've recorded have come out (or so I thought) terrible! Waaaaaaaaaay overlevelled, even though I check levels at the gigs and they are fine. When editing it turns on somehow the bass is cranked up as high as it will go, if i reduce the bass right down the recording is fine.

Any idea what be causing this please? Haven't had a days trouble up until the last few gigs

TIA

[neutrino]

What battery box do you use? It could have to do with a roll-off function of the battery box that has changed position.

[welshylad]

Thanks for replying mate, I use the below, there are no switches I could hit to be honest

https://www.church-audio.com/shop/battery-boxes/ugly-battery-box/

My rig is:

CA-11 > CA-UBB > Edirol R07

[neutrino]

Are you going into the mic input where you may have been going through the line input before? Is the bass heard on both channels of your recording??

[welshylad]

There's only the one input on the R07, its not like the R09 where you had mic/line in

Yeh its on both channels.

i havent changed anything in my set up at all, so don't know what it could be really.

[dyneq]

Did the 9V battery have a full charge? If you don’t know, I would try a new one.

[welshylad]

Yes mate i change the batteries in my recorder and the mics every use. I always use Duracell too, no cheap ones

It's a bit of a mystery to be honest

[unidentified]

"...even though I check levels at the gigs and they are fine."  I would experiment with a different recorder. It may not be the mics.

[nulldogmas]

Can you maybe post some before and after samples? That would make this easier to try to help diagnose.

[welshylad]

I don't have the original recordings unfortunately to compare... Only the edited ones.

I will try the mics with my Edirol R09 next time I tape though, see what happens


Thanks guys

[goodcooker]

Is it possible there's a bass filter on your re order that has been switched off recently? I've never used the R07 so I don't know how they work but most recorders have a low cut function. Sounds like you may have been using it all along and somehow switched it off resulting in overwhelming bass .

[unidentified]

I remain intrigued by the fact that the levels appear fine on the recorder while you are recording and yet the recordings are way overloaded.  What would happen if you turned the gain way way down while recording?  Would the recordings sound normal or grossly under recorded in terms of self noise?     

[welshylad]

I had a good look at my mics yesterday, on my battery box where the 9v battery goes the "prongs" were kind of bent outwards, the bit on the right in the picture below


Would that have caused it? As is wasn't making a proper connection....

Anyway I bent them all back in last night and recorded Stereophonics and it came out superb!

So it either was that battery thing, or pure luck? I don't know, but they worked last night

[neutrino]

Sounds like your mics weren’t getting any voltage or the voltage was so low it caused the mics to overload. Good to hear things are sorted at the moment.

[welshylad]

Thanks for your help guys.