Topic: V3 clicks and pops

[whitenite]

Posted this on the Oade boards as well -

Was wondering if anyone has had this problem with the v3.  Have the
following sources for DMB from the other night:

mkh800s > v3 > ntrack (24/48)
mkh800s > v3 (analog out) > mme > m1 (16/48)

both have the clicks, which incline me to believe it is from the v3.
ran the levels a little hot, but not overly aggressive.  the clicks
only occur on the peaks (not implying they were all overs; only a few were).  an otherwise flawless recording.  These mics have an average SPL tolerance, but an extremely high sensitivity threshold and frequency
range.  Because of this, I have the -20 dB input attenuation set on the V3.   Any ideas?

[rabhan]

where were your levels on the v3 and on the m1 and on the ntrack when you got these pops?

[Joe w.]

sounds like some brick walling. I assume you ran the levels on the v3 all the way up because of the -20? If so, this is most likely the problem. Try to duplicate the situation at home using the same settings and see if you get the error. then turn off the -20 and bring those levels down and I'll bet you won't have the issue.

[F.O.Bean]

it would have to be some HEAVY brickwalling....D and I ran that thing about 15db too high, oooooooops, but NO posp and clicks......

[Brian Skalinder]

Have you been able to reproduce the results at home in testing?

Have you been able to reproduce the results at home in testing with different microphones?

Were the V3 and MMe calibrated so levels were the same going into both ADCs?

Are the pops/clicks in identical locations on the recordings from both the V3 and MMe ADCs?  Or is it just that both recordings exhibit the same sympton, but not in identical locations?

Can you tell if the clicks occur on peaks or only on overs?

[rabhan]

i have ran the v3 so that i have gotten very few red lights and the recording was clean. i have also ran the v3 and gotten the red lights to stay on and i got pops and crackles. this both in the field and testing at home. you can overload the v3 if you crank the shit out of it.

[DaryanLenz]

I dunno...Bean is right, we ran that sucker really, really high and no audible cracks or pops anywhere on the recordings at all!  Dancing red lights for a couple of songs for sure!



Daryan

[dmonterisi]

keep in mind there is a difference between bricking the v3 pre and overloading the v3 a/d (which is gonna happen when there are red lights coming on, signal from the pre being too hot)...bricking happens at peaks in the music but where there are not overs at the a/d stage...you've overloaded the pre stage...that's the most likely scenario, imo, as pointed out by joe...

[rabhan]

so how do you brick a pre?  how can you run the pre too hot? i thought the lights on the v3 were for the pre stage, no? so if the lights stay at -5 as the peaks, how can the pre get bricked?

[dmonterisi]

no, i'm pretty sure the lights on the v3 measure the levels at the a/d stage since they max out at 0 dBFS (which is the digital measurement)...i don't fully understand bricking the pre myself but if the spl coming in to the pre is very hot, the preamp circuitry can be overloaded...this is why the sony portables have problems when you run them mic-in...the pre stage overloads easily...when this is the case, if you apply too much gain, the pre overloads and you don't approach overs on the a/d, but it sounds like muffled clipping (it's really an awful sound).  i think this might happen here because with the 20 db pad on the v3 engaged, he may have had to apply a lot of gain to get the levels where he wanted on the a/d...however, at peaks in the music, it was probably overloaded the pre-amp circuitry...i'm not exactly sure if this is correct, but it's my best guess.

[rabhan]

why would anyone use the hpf switched on the v3 or pads on their bodies? this is something i have never understood.  please explain.  

[dmonterisi]

the HPF can be valuable to roll off the bass in certain circumstances, such as running omnis or subcards, especially close to the PA...the bass in the omnis can kill a recording.

The pad is helpful for high spl taping or you will clearly brick the pre.  the soundfield needs to be run with a pad when taping a PA.  the pad inside the v3 (gotta adjust jumpers) is so that it can accept professional line-level signals (such as from a board) which are +4dbs, as oppposed to the -10dbs signal that i believe most mics produce.  my number may be mistaken but i believe there is a 14 db (analog measurement this time) difference.  a lot of people who run 148>v3 will put the 20db pad on on the v3, while others don't.

[rabhan]

ohhh, so that how i could have run v3>v3 without the 15db variance, dammit. i wonder if the ua5 has a switch to kill the xlr inputs 20db gain, hrmmm, may need to call oade about that.

[Joe w.]

i think this might happen here because with the 20 db pad on the v3 engaged, he may have had to apply a lot of gain to get the levels where he wanted on the a/d...however, at peaks in the music, it was probably overloaded the pre-amp circuitry...i'm not exactly sure if this is correct, but it's my best guess.

that's what I was thinking. I experienced this same effect when I ran DPA 4061's > SBM-1 > D-8. mic in was obviously too hot and when running line in I couldn't really crank the sbm-1 all the way up or below 4 with out bricking it. I talked to a few folks about it and I was told that running at one extreme or the other was not good.

[F.O.Bean]

very interesting thread.....

[whitenite]

where were your levels on the v3 and on the m1 and on the ntrack when you got these pops?

varying from -6 to 0 dB

[whitenite]

sounds like some brick walling. I assume you ran the levels on the v3 all the way up because of the -20? If so, this is most likely the problem. Try to duplicate the situation at home using the same settings and see if you get the error. then turn off the -20 and bring those levels down and I'll bet you won't have the issue.

The V3 was at about 1:00 with the -20.  Remember, these are some sensitive mics.  I ran it again tonight without the -20 and got the same thing - pops and clicks.  To compensate, I ran -12 on the mics.  V3 was at 12:00.

[whitenite]

Have you been able to reproduce the results at home in testing?

No.

Have you been able to reproduce the results at home in testing with different microphones?

No.

Were the V3 and MMe calibrated so levels were the same going into both ADCs?

Yes.

Are the pops/clicks in identical locations on the recordings from both the V3 and MMe ADCs?  Or is it just that both recordings exhibit the same sympton, but not in identical locations?

Yes, they are indentical in location.

Can you tell if the clicks occur on peaks or only on overs?

Both, starting at around -6

[whitenite]

no, i'm pretty sure the lights on the v3 measure the levels at the a/d stage since they max out at 0 dBFS (which is the digital measurement)...i don't fully understand bricking the pre myself but if the spl coming in to the pre is very hot, the preamp circuitry can be overloaded...this is why the sony portables have problems when you run them mic-in...the pre stage overloads easily...when this is the case, if you apply too much gain, the pre overloads and you don't approach overs on the a/d, but it sounds like muffled clipping (it's really an awful sound).  i think this might happen here because with the 20 db pad on the v3 engaged, he may have had to apply a lot of gain to get the levels where he wanted on the a/d...however, at peaks in the music, it was probably overloaded the pre-amp circuitry...i'm not exactly sure if this is correct, but it's my best guess.

This makes a lot of sense.  But the fact remains I wasn't running the V3 that hot.  If these mics weren't so damn sensitive, I wouldn't bother with the -20.

[whitenite]

All some very interesting comments  

Taped again tonight in Hershey with the hyper switch engaged.  I reset the V3 to 0 attentuation and ran it at about 12:00, plus ran -12 atten on the mics.  Was about 15 rows from the PA and got the same results.  Clicks and pops from both recordings.  FYI - I run the MME about 3 dB lower than the V3 (damn calpots).

[Brian Skalinder]

i don't fully understand bricking the pre myself but if the spl coming in to the pre is very hot, the preamp circuitry can be overloaded...this is why the sony portables have problems when you run them mic-in...the pre stage overloads easily...when this is the case, if you apply too much gain, the pre overloads and you don't approach overs on the a/d, but it sounds like muffled clipping (it's really an awful sound).  i think this might happen here because with the 20 db pad on the v3 engaged, he may have had to apply a lot of gain to get the levels where he wanted on the a/d...however, at peaks in the music, it was probably overloaded the pre-amp circuitry...i'm not exactly sure if this is correct, but it's my best guess.

Okay, so, potentially exposing my ignorance here...but I have a different understanding of brickwalling.  My understanding of brickwalling:  too hot a signal hitting the input of the gain stage.  What this means is adding gain after the initial input to the gain stage - as noted above, I think - does not cause brickwalling.  Adding or removing gain *after* the input to the gain stage won't solve the problem.  Only attenuating the signal *before* it hits the input to the gain stage would solve the problem - no amount of gain or attenuation after this point would fix it.

All that said, this situation still sounds funny to me.  The clicking/distortion starting at -6dB is indicative of brickwalling, but the V3 with the jumpers set to -20dB is capable of receiving a pro line level signal, which I think should be far hotter than the mics can output, even if extremely sensitive as you say (no factual reason for me to think this, just gut feeling).

Have you had any problems with brickwalling running these same mics into other pre/ADCs in similar venues/bands/sound systems?

One suggestion:  see if you can borrow a pair of attenuators to see if it solves the problem (which would surprise me at this point) - we're talking -12dB on the mics and -20dB on the V3, that's a fair amount of attenuation!

Do you have an alternative pair of mics you can try out in the field?
Have you swapped out the mic cables?

[Craig T]

cables?  bad solder joint?  try using another set of cables.

when I have a problem, the first thing I try to do is isolate it.  Swap mics, cables, preamp, whatever, until I find where the problem is located.  If you don't have duplicate components, try borrowing some.

I've also run my V3 too hot a few times and never heard clicks/pops on the overs.  The V3 will take a very hot signal, so I have a hard time believing you're overloading its input and brickwalling.

[rabhan]

do you get the same issues when running " mics > mme "  ?

[DaryanLenz]

I got money on the cables.  If this is reoccurring, there is no way in the world that you could be bricking/overloading/whatever every time out, it just isn't possible unless you don't know what you are doing at all, and I don't think this is the case.  Are the clicks pops in both channels?  It has got to be something in the signal path that is fubar, maybe you have a bad v3?  Run just the mme in front of your stereo, does this produce similar results?

Daryan

[Joe w.]

it is certainly not bricking if you were running at 1:00.

[wboswell]

Brian is right on with his definition of brickwalling.  Its too hot of a signal at the input side.  This happens with sony devices when you have to turn the gain below 4.  The gain stage on these units is a variable resistor where the 10 = 0 attenuation and 0 = full attenuation.  When you have to turn down the gain below 4, the signal coming into the unit at input is too hot for the unit to handle.

That being said, it sounds as though your mics can't handle the signal they are receiving and no amount of attenuation on the V3 is going to fix the problem because the signal is already bad when it comes in.

I'd try out the cables, too...  That would be way to easy of a problem to fix

My $.02, which may be worthless.

[scb]

>> I ran it again tonight without the -20 and got the same thing - pops and clicks.  To compensate, I ran -12 on the mics. <<

what happens when there is NO pad at all?

[whitenite]

i don't fully understand bricking the pre myself but if the spl coming in to the pre is very hot, the preamp circuitry can be overloaded...this is why the sony portables have problems when you run them mic-in...the pre stage overloads easily...when this is the case, if you apply too much gain, the pre overloads and you don't approach overs on the a/d, but it sounds like muffled clipping (it's really an awful sound).  i think this might happen here because with the 20 db pad on the v3 engaged, he may have had to apply a lot of gain to get the levels where he wanted on the a/d...however, at peaks in the music, it was probably overloaded the pre-amp circuitry...i'm not exactly sure if this is correct, but it's my best guess.

Okay, so, potentially exposing my ignorance here...but I have a different understanding of brickwalling.  My understanding of brickwalling:  too hot a signal hitting the input of the gain stage.  What this means is adding gain after the initial input to the gain stage - as noted above, I think - does not cause brickwalling.  Adding or removing gain *after* the input to the gain stage won't solve the problem.  Only attenuating the signal *before* it hits the input to the gain stage would solve the problem - no amount of gain or attenuation after this point would fix it.

All that said, this situation still sounds funny to me.  The clicking/distortion starting at -6dB is indicative of brickwalling, but the V3 with the jumpers set to -20dB is capable of receiving a pro line level signal, which I think should be far hotter than the mics can output, even if extremely sensitive as you say (no factual reason for me to think this, just gut feeling).

Have you had any problems with brickwalling running these same mics into other pre/ADCs in similar venues/bands/sound systems?

No, I have run them straight into the MME without any of these issues.

One suggestion:  see if you can borrow a pair of attenuators to see if it solves the problem (which would surprise me at this point) - we're talking -12dB on the mics and -20dB on the V3, that's a fair amount of attenuation!

I already possess the Shures, but haven't needed them.

Do you have an alternative pair of mics you can try out in the field?
Have you swapped out the mic cables?

No other mics right now (none worthy of using, anyway).  Have another set of cables (Blue) I might try, though.  I use 20' Hosas now.

[whitenite]

Brian is right on with his definition of brickwalling.  Its too hot of a signal at the input side.  This happens with sony devices when you have to turn the gain below 4.  The gain stage on these units is a variable resistor where the 10 = 0 attenuation and 0 = full attenuation.  When you have to turn down the gain below 4, the signal coming into the unit at input is too hot for the unit to handle.

That being said, it sounds as though your mics can't handle the signal they are receiving and no amount of attenuation on the V3 is going to fix the problem because the signal is already bad when it comes in.

I find that hardly the case.  These are $4k tubes.  As mentioned, the MME handles it fine.

I'd try out the cables, too...  That would be way to easy of a problem to fix

My $.02, which may be worthless.

[Brian Skalinder]

I already possess the Shures, but haven't needed them.

Sounds like you might need them!  At least as a test, anyway.

I find that hardly the case.  These are $4k tubes.  As mentioned, the MME handles it fine.

I think wboswell means running the mics > MMe standalone.  From the thread, I've only read that you've gone V3 analog out > MMe.  


I'd try three things at this point, one step at a time:

[1]  change the mic cables
[2]  run mics > MMe standalone
[3]  run the Shure attenuators in front of the V3
(you have them, might as well see if they solve the problem...sorry if you've tried this before, but I don't think I saw it mentioned in the thread)

[whitenite]

I already possess the Shures, but haven't needed them.

Sounds like you might need them!  At least as a test, anyway.

I find that hardly the case.  These are $4k tubes.  As mentioned, the MME handles it fine.

I think wboswell means running the mics > MMe standalone.  From the thread, I've only read that you've gone V3 analog out > MMe.  


I'd try three things at this point, one step at a time:

[1]  change the mic cables
[2]  run mics > MMe standalone
[3]  run the Shure attenuators in front of the V3
(you have them, might as well see if they solve the problem...sorry if you've tried this before, but I don't think I saw it mentioned in the thread)

I have already ran mics > MME standalone and did not have this problem.  Perhaps a little distortion on the overs, but definitely no clicks or pops.  I was using the Hosa cables as well (same ones I use now).  I have a pair of Blue cables I can try.  If I ran the Shure attens in front of the V3, I would be pushing the gain to the max.  Right now I am only pushing about 40 dB of gain with the mic pads or V3 pad.  Don't see why another atten source would matter.

[whitenite]

>> I ran it again tonight without the -20 and got the same thing - pops and clicks.  To compensate, I ran -12 on the mics. <<

what happens when there is NO pad at all?

Haven't tried this yet with the V3.  Suspect the gain would be minimal.

[Brian Skalinder]

I have already ran mics > MME standalone and did not have this problem.  Perhaps a little distortion on the overs, but definitely no clicks or pops.  I was using the Hosa cables as well (same ones I use now).  I have a pair of Blue cables I can try.

Gotcha, I missed that somewhow.

If I ran the Shure attens in front of the V3, I would be pushing the gain to the max.  Right now I am only pushing about 40 dB of gain with the mic pads or V3 pad.  Don't see why another atten source would matter.

The amount of gain applied after the input stage isn't the issue with brickwalling.  It's the signal pre-input stage.  That's why the attenuators are worth testing, IMO.  And I'd still test the other cables with the V3, even though you've tested the current cables in the MMe with good results.

Your best bet at this stage is probably to call the folks at Grace and talk to them at length and in detail about your experiences to date.  I don't know the details on the V3, but when I ran a modSBM-1 I encountered similar problems because the op-amps started to croak.  Maybe it's a similar problem?  Whatever it is, Grace should be able to help - it may require sending the V3 back to them, but you have the MMe to use in the meantime, anyway.  If anyone can help, they can.

[whitenite]

I never intended on keeping both the V3 and the MME, honestly.  Have been testing both to determine which I find more appealing.  In all cases thus far, I have found the MME to be the superior of the two.  The V3 does seem consistent "all-around", but the MME accentuates the bottom end much better IMO.  This actually leverages my decision on which I want to keep, and all fingers are pointing at the MME at this point.  May just go ahead and sell the V3 and be done with it, but not sure just yet...

[Brian Skalinder]

I never intended on keeping both the V3 and the MME, honestly.  Have been testing both to determine which I find more appealing.  In all cases thus far, I have found the MME to be the superior of the two.  The V3 does seem consistent "all-around", but the MME accentuates the bottom end much better IMO.  This actually leverages my decision on which I want to keep, and all fingers are pointing at the MME at this point.  May just go ahead and sell the V3 and be done with it, but not sure just yet...

Yeah, if you the sound of the MMe with your mics, go for it standalone.  I personally believe you should rule out any problem with the V3 before you sell it, but...that's up to you.

[F.O.Bean]

I never intended on keeping both the V3 and the MME, honestly.  Have been testing both to determine which I find more appealing.  In all cases thus far, I have found the MME to be the superior of the two.  The V3 does seem consistent "all-around", but the MME accentuates the bottom end much better IMO.  This actually leverages my decision on which I want to keep, and all fingers are pointing at the MME at this point.  May just go ahead and sell the V3 and be done with it, but not sure just yet...

Yeah, if you the sound of the MMe with your mics, go for it standalone.  I personally believe you should rule out any problem with the V3 before you sell it, but...that's up to you.

i agree, if theres a problem w/ the v3, find out if its running first before you sell.....ya dont wanna sella lemon, ya know!!!!!!+T for yer troubles tho....

[F.O.Bean]

beofre ruling out the v3, i would even but some cheap ass mics at RS and see if problem persisted.you could ALWAYS take em back......

[scb]

question:  if you can run mic in on the minime without attenutation, why aren't you running mic in on the v3 without attenuation?

[whitenite]

question:  if you can run mic in on the minime without attenutation, why aren't you running mic in on the v3 without attenuation?

I actually learned this the hard way.  My first trial run with the Sennheisers was Mics > MME with the 12 dB pad on the mics.  I have the Rev A version of the MME (which is supposed to be low gain, no jumpers) and had the gain all the way down.  Alas, I still clipped.  Ran soft limit, which didn't help because the signal was too overbearing.  BTW, was at Nissan about 8th row dead on the stack.  Despite all of this, I never had a problem with clicks and pops (only bass distortion).  This is why I have taken extra precaution with the V3.  Chances are I may not need any attenuation.  Do you think the attenuation may be a factor for this problem?

[Tim]

question:  if you can run mic in on the minime without attenutation, why aren't you running mic in on the v3 without attenuation?

I actually learned this the hard way.  My first trial run with the Sennheisers was Mics > MME with the 12 dB pad on the mics.  I have the Rev A version of the MME (which is supposed to be low gain, no jumpers) and had the gain all the way down.  Alas, I still clipped.  Ran soft limit, which didn't help because the signal was too overbearing.  BTW, was at Nissan about 8th row dead on the stack.  Despite all of this, I never had a problem with clicks and pops (only bass distortion).  This is why I have taken extra precaution with the V3.  Chances are I may not need any attenuation.  Do you think the attenuation may be a factor for this problem?

the soft limit only affects the digital signal, it prevents you from registering digital overs only. It has no affect on the analog signal, it is not like having a pad. Completely different animals.

I cannot tell if you are hearing digital overs or if there is some sort of distortion in the analog signal path.

do you have anyway to make a few shn or even mp3 samples of the problem recordings? that would really help.

other than that I would think about sending the V3 in to grace  for a checkup.

[plucks]

The V3 was at about 1:00 with the -20.  Remember, these are some sensitive mics.  I ran it again tonight without the -20 and got the same thing - pops and clicks.  To compensate, I ran -12 on the mics.  V3 was at 12:00.

Have you tried turning the gain down more on the v3?  Like to 20 or 25? Even so, it probably won't fix it.  
I think it seems like the mics are so sensitive that no matter what you do with this type of application, you may overload the mics which in turn make it seem as though the v3 and MMe are overloading as well.  Definitely a serious set of attenuators is needed if you are recording loud music.

If you were doing some nature recording, i believe you wouldn't run into this problem since they incoming levels won't be as high.  

I don't have a real answer hear, but I am thinking the mics are not able to handle the application you are using them in.

Good luck
Phil

[whitenite]

question:  if you can run mic in on the minime without attenutation, why aren't you running mic in on the v3 without attenuation?

I actually learned this the hard way.  My first trial run with the Sennheisers was Mics > MME with the 12 dB pad on the mics.  I have the Rev A version of the MME (which is supposed to be low gain, no jumpers) and had the gain all the way down.  Alas, I still clipped.  Ran soft limit, which didn't help because the signal was too overbearing.  BTW, was at Nissan about 8th row dead on the stack.  Despite all of this, I never had a problem with clicks and pops (only bass distortion).  This is why I have taken extra precaution with the V3.  Chances are I may not need any attenuation.  Do you think the attenuation may be a factor for this problem?

the soft limit only affects the digital signal, it prevents you from registering digital overs only. It has no affect on the analog signal, it is not like having a pad. Completely different animals.

I cannot tell if you are hearing digital overs or if there is some sort of distortion in the analog signal path.

do you have anyway to make a few shn or even mp3 samples of the problem recordings? that would really help.

other than that I would think about sending the V3 in to grace  for a checkup.

Not sure I agree with you 100% here.  To say it has no affect on the analog signal is not true.  Since it prevents digital overs, the process occurs in the pre stage (prior to A/D).   Did not intend to hit on this topic for this thread.  Was just making an editorial comment that, in my experience, the use of soft limit is not good practice.

[whitenite]

The V3 was at about 1:00 with the -20.  Remember, these are some sensitive mics.  I ran it again tonight without the -20 and got the same thing - pops and clicks.  To compensate, I ran -12 on the mics.  V3 was at 12:00.

Have you tried turning the gain down more on the v3?  Like to 20 or 25? Even so, it probably won't fix it.  
I think it seems like the mics are so sensitive that no matter what you do with this type of application, you may overload the mics which in turn make it seem as though the v3 and MMe are overloading as well.  Definitely a serious set of attenuators is needed if you are recording loud music.

If you were doing some nature recording, i believe you wouldn't run into this problem since they incoming levels won't be as high.  

I don't have a real answer hear, but I am thinking the mics are not able to handle the application you are using them in.

Good luck
Phil

I'm not convinced these are incapable, just not exaggerated with this type of application.  My previous three tapes have been a success.  Since switching the V3 back to 0 input attenuation I have not had this 'clicking' problem.  Love those hypers!

I think I am going to keep the V3.  Certainly a better pre than the MME.  Now I would argue whether it is a better A/D or not, but the combination is quite intriguing.

[Tim]

question:  if you can run mic in on the minime without attenutation, why aren't you running mic in on the v3 without attenuation?

I actually learned this the hard way.  My first trial run with the Sennheisers was Mics > MME with the 12 dB pad on the mics.  I have the Rev A version of the MME (which is supposed to be low gain, no jumpers) and had the gain all the way down.  Alas, I still clipped.  Ran soft limit, which didn't help because the signal was too overbearing.  BTW, was at Nissan about 8th row dead on the stack.  Despite all of this, I never had a problem with clicks and pops (only bass distortion).  This is why I have taken extra precaution with the V3.  Chances are I may not need any attenuation.  Do you think the attenuation may be a factor for this problem?

the soft limit only affects the digital signal, it prevents you from registering digital overs only. It has no affect on the analog signal, it is not like having a pad. Completely different animals.

I cannot tell if you are hearing digital overs or if there is some sort of distortion in the analog signal path.

do you have anyway to make a few shn or even mp3 samples of the problem recordings? that would really help.

other than that I would think about sending the V3 in to grace  for a checkup.

Not sure I agree with you 100% here.  To say it has no affect on the analog signal is not true.  Since it prevents digital overs, the process occurs in the pre stage (prior to A/D).   Did not intend to hit on this topic for this thread.  Was just making an editorial comment that, in my experience, the use of soft limit is not good practice.

you're right, brain fart!!!

[F.O.Bean]

question:  if you can run mic in on the minime without attenutation, why aren't you running mic in on the v3 without attenuation?

I actually learned this the hard way.  My first trial run with the Sennheisers was Mics > MME with the 12 dB pad on the mics.  I have the Rev A version of the MME (which is supposed to be low gain, no jumpers) and had the gain all the way down.  Alas, I still clipped.  Ran soft limit, which didn't help because the signal was too overbearing.  BTW, was at Nissan about 8th row dead on the stack.  Despite all of this, I never had a problem with clicks and pops (only bass distortion).  This is why I have taken extra precaution with the V3.  Chances are I may not need any attenuation.  Do you think the attenuation may be a factor for this problem?

the soft limit only affects the digital signal, it prevents you from registering digital overs only. It has no affect on the analog signal, it is not like having a pad. Completely different animals.

I cannot tell if you are hearing digital overs or if there is some sort of distortion in the analog signal path.

do you have anyway to make a few shn or even mp3 samples of the problem recordings? that would really help.

other than that I would think about sending the V3 in to grace  for a checkup.

Not sure I agree with you 100% here.  To say it has no affect on the analog signal is not true.  Since it prevents digital overs, the process occurs in the pre stage (prior to A/D).   Did not intend to hit on this topic for this thread.  Was just making an editorial comment that, in my experience, the use of soft limit is not good practice.

you're right, brain fart!!!

quite the man to admit he was a lil wrong....

[dmonterisi]

i bet you the power connector in the v3 is having issues.  i remembered hearing about this problem and after some digging found it.  the split pin inside the v3 power port most likely needs to be separated just a touch.  the v3 loses dc power and the deck actually goes into pause when it loses the digital signal.  thus there's no gap, just missing music.

it took some digging to find, but check out this discussion from the sonicsense board here

[dmonterisi]

oh well...worth a shot...good luck moke!!!

[John R]

let us know what grace says.  good luck.

jr

[Brian Skalinder]

POWER ISSUE!!!
[snip]
I was playing a tape through my system and recording with my mics and V3 on battery power > tas cdrw burner .
[snip]
The chair legs hit the power cable, and caused a blackout of my system for a second!!

Was it the V3 or the Tascam power cable?

[zhianosatch]

damn piece of shit

[zhianosatch]

 

[Brian Skalinder]

It was a power cable to my ac conditioner, which feeds the whole damn rack!

   Sheesh...I'd think they'd want to use a quality terminator for an AC conditioner.  'Course, I'd be wrong.  Good luck, Moke...let us know what you work out.

[dmonterisi]

It was a power cable to my ac conditioner, which feeds the whole damn rack!

Good quality cable, and components. Stupid engineered plastic termination cracked, and the cable wants to come out of the conditioner.
So, gaffed it in place for right now, and am looking for replacement parts.

i thought you had issues running the v3 in the field.  this sounds like a home rack problem.

[marc0789]

good thing it wasn't a mme, Moke, or your whole f****ing house would have gone up.