Just got one of these things. Recorded some regional acts with some Audio Technica 817s.
I used my Sony D5 (portable analog deck) mic preamp and ran the D5 line out into the JB3.
Sony D5 info here
http://www.bayviewproaudio.com/sony_tcd5proii.htmlThose of you not familiar with the D5...It's a pro analog cassette deck. It has VU needles and a "Peak" light...if you just push the "Record" (without "Play") it will turn on the decks electronics but not the transport motors...so you can use it as a preamp.
I set the D5 levels as I normally would
I just left the JB3 set at the default 0db
The recording seems to be pretty nice. The Sony D5s "Peak" light seems to mean A LOT MORE in this setup than when using cassette or my D7...the cassette seems more forgiving on the peaks...and I never really noticed the DAT clipping...but the D7 uses a totally different type of level controler(than the JB3). When the D5's red "Peak" light goes on you can really hear it in the JB3...
The resulting recordings showed Peak levels of around 77 - 89%...as long as I kept my eye on the peak light for shifts in PA or stage volume...everything sounds great...
On some other sets I applied +2db of gain with the JB3 and those came out with peak levels 98-100 percent...
So...can I assume with a properly set mic preamp...you almost need no extra gain from the jb3...and no more than +1 db?
Lots more recording to do this weekend!!!