Author Topic: Soundboard taping (Read 4894 times)

ukj69 · « **on:** July 20, 2008, 11:26:47 AM »

I just taped my first soundboard show and it sounds like crap. It is all distorted. I adjusted the levels so they were in the middle, so I believe my levels were fine. I think the board was coming in way too hot. I asked the soundman if he can adjust his levels coming out and he said no I have to do it on my unit. Was the soundman lying/being lazy and did not want to help me out, or were my levels still too high even though they never capped.

rokpunk · « **Reply #1 on:** July 20, 2008, 12:24:16 PM »

well, was it distorted in the room?
were you running line level out of the board into a mic preamp, or were you going in line level?

ukj69 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 20, 2008, 12:29:49 PM »

Quote from: rokpunk on July 20, 2008, 12:24:16 PM

well, was it distorted in the room?
were you running line level out of the board into a mic preamp, or were you going in line level?

Yes, it was distorted in the room. I was running line out of the board with RCA connectors, into my MD Mic/Line in jack. The recording has a loud distorted sound, like it was clipping because the levels were set too high. I know I was not clipping on my levels since they were set in the middle, so I was thinking the levels from the board were coming out too hot.

Krispy D · « **Reply #3 on:** July 20, 2008, 12:36:17 PM »

if it was distorted in the room it will be distorted on the tape. SBD Vs. AUD does not matter at that point.

greenone · « **Reply #4 on:** July 20, 2008, 01:04:27 PM »

Also, it's probably in your best interest not to ask the sound engineer to do anything if he's been nice enough to let you plug into the board...chalk it up as an unfortunate learning experience and maybe pick up a pair of attenuators? But if it sounds like crap in the room, it'll sound like crap on your recording...

svenkid · « **Reply #5 on:** July 20, 2008, 03:09:42 PM »

99% of the time a sound guy WILL NOT let it sound distorted in the house, that's absurd. Something else has to be an issue.

Krispy D · « **Reply #6 on:** July 20, 2008, 03:20:57 PM »

Quote from: svenkid on July 20, 2008, 03:09:42 PM

99% of the time a sound guy WILL NOT let it sound distorted in the house, that's absurd. Something else has to be an issue.

I don't know I have met (and replaced) lots of lame ass sound guys...

rokpunk · « **Reply #7 on:** July 20, 2008, 06:16:42 PM »

Quote from: svenkid on July 20, 2008, 03:09:42 PM

99% of the time a sound guy WILL NOT let it sound distorted in the house, that's absurd. Something else has to be an issue.

i tend to agree with this.

taperroy · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2008, 06:46:31 PM »

your mini-disc probably was not capable of handling a +4 feed from a soundboard. that signal is meant be fed into a little higher end recorder that is capable of handing that sort of signal. with proper attenuation between a +4 signal and your deck, youll cut the signal level down to something that the input of your mini-disc can handle.

perhaps the soundman was trying to get you to upgrade your recording unit when he told you that he couldnt cut the signal, because in most cases, he could have cut the signal significantly, maybe leaving you with a listenable tape.

pmonk66 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2008, 07:52:49 PM »

Quote from: svenkid on July 20, 2008, 03:09:42 PM

99% of the time a sound guy WILL NOT let it sound distorted in the house, that's absurd. Something else has to be an issue.

Ha - Jillian's being the exception

Microbe · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2008, 07:59:32 PM »

In my small experience doing soundboard recordings, a lot of the cheaper boards do not have a level out adjustment. This is especially true of older boards. I've found that most boards with RCA out's do not have an adjustment... a lot of Yamaha boards seem to be this way. Some boards offer both XLR and RCA outs, in those cases the XLR usually has adjustable output while the RCA does not. I've not had much experience with 1/4".

I always bring my own attenuators, even if the board has adjustable output.
Reason: The sound man is usually busy dialing in the house sound and I don't want to bother him/her during the first couple of songs.

That's just been my experience, yours may vary.

Dede2002 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 20, 2008, 09:28:43 PM »

Quote from: svenkid on July 20, 2008, 03:09:42 PM

99% of the time a sound guy WILL NOT let it sound distorted in the house, that's absurd. Something else has to be an issue.

Unfortunatelly, that's not absurd. Happens a lot

.

travelinbeat · « **Reply #12 on:** July 21, 2008, 03:20:36 AM »

Quote from: Krispy D on July 20, 2008, 03:20:57 PM

Quote from: svenkid on July 20, 2008, 03:09:42 PM
99% of the time a sound guy WILL NOT let it sound distorted in the house, that's absurd. Something else has to be an issue.

I don't know I have met (and replaced) lots of lame ass sound guys...

qtmft

stantheman1976 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 21, 2008, 09:37:34 AM »

Just because someone is sitting behind a console doesn't mean they know what they're doing. This is especially the case if the venue is some lower cost place who can't afford a more highly skilled person.

JayinKC · « **Reply #14 on:** July 21, 2008, 01:23:08 PM »

Since you were plugged into the RCA outputs - those have no level setting on most soundboards. The only way the soundguy could adjust it for you would be to bring the level down in the house PA. Nearly all of the time you come out of the RCA outputs the feed will be too hot. What you were seeing when you thought your levels were in the middle is called "brickwalling".

You can remedy this by spending $30 or so on an attenuator cable. Here's an example:
http://www.core-sound.com/attenuator-cables.html

If you get this one - buy the 20db attenuator.

Jay

rowjimmytour · « **Reply #15 on:** July 21, 2008, 01:36:52 PM »

I made my self a set of cable w/ built in attenuators -25dB for the same problem at my my home town venue where I do most of my taping.

yltfan · « **Reply #16 on:** July 26, 2008, 04:14:25 PM »

Most of the time I plug into soundboards, I am able to get the levels adjusted. Using the (much lower) canned music between bands, I set my levels to 0, and try to get the output to about 30% of where I will want it for the band. I think that only once did the sound tech say she could not drop the levels--but even that was disputed by the band's engineer after the show.

dolphinsmile · « **Reply #17 on:** July 26, 2008, 05:24:25 PM »

Quote from: Microbe on July 20, 2008, 07:59:32 PM

In my small experience doing soundboard recordings, a lot of the cheaper boards do not have a level out adjustment. This is especially true of older boards. I've found that most boards with RCA out's do not have an adjustment... a lot of Yamaha boards seem to be this way. Some boards offer both XLR and RCA outs, in those cases the XLR usually has adjustable output while the RCA does not. I've not had much experience with 1/4".

I always bring my own attenuators, even if the board has adjustable output.
Reason: The sound man is usually busy dialing in the house sound and I don't want to bother him/her during the first couple of songs.

That's just been my experience, yours may vary.

ive taped many many time off the 'sdb' and frankly most of the time its a waste of time. the mixers are crap and sometime not all the instruments are coming from the board. you need to go in thru the line in
not the mic in, if you use mic in forget its going to distort.
an attenuator cable is useful if the signal is too hot. and being nice to the soundman is a plus.
xlr cables with a mini stereo is also uselful.

Zippina · « **Reply #18 on:** July 29, 2008, 03:44:27 PM »

stevetoney · « **Reply #19 on:** August 13, 2008, 05:41:36 AM »

Yup, if you like dry sounding unexciting recordings that have drums and vocals mixed too low in the recording, then SBDs are GREAT!

morst · « **Reply #20 on:** August 14, 2008, 02:09:04 AM »

Quote from: tonedeaf on August 13, 2008, 05:41:36 AM

Yup, if you like dry sounding unexciting recordings that have drums and vocals mixed too low in the recording, then SBDs are GREAT!

Vocals mixed too LOW? Uh, most SBD recordings have PLENTY of vocals, as well as keyboards, effects, and whatever else is NOT loud on stage. If I have to choose to make only one recording, I'll usually put up a good pair of mics in a good-sounding spot, but if I have two recorders, I love to take a board feed to mix with my Neumann recording!

Author Topic: Soundboard taping (Read 4894 times)

Zippina

stevetoney