Topic: LSD2: How much gain do you need?

[cmh]

Just got an LSD2, and I'm finding that I need PILES of gain (54 dB or so) on the preamp to get a reasonable signal out of this puppy.

I've been in touch with Studio Projects and they are *shocked* by the amount of gain I'm needing to use. I'm hoping some of you here can have a quick look at the scale on your pre and let me know about what range you tend to operate at when taping.

I've got a "sample gig" set up in my living room with the mic 20-25 feet back from a quality stereo turned up loud. (It's about as loud by the mic as I'd expect at a reasonably loud bluegrass or folk dance band concert, so not death-metal loud but loud enough that you'd have to shout to be heard). When I push the pre to around 54 dB I can get reasonable levels.

I have tried several pres. Most of the ones I tried BARELY had enough oomph to get something reasonable, but entered their maximum noise range when they did so.

So, what's your experience?

Cheers,
Colin

[Sanjay]

I never ever needed that much gain, in fact running my Shure FP-24 (aka SD Mixpre) I never had it up past 1/3 of the gain I had available.  Sounds like your mic needs a fix.  It was if anything a little hotter than most mics.

[cmh]

I never ever needed that much gain, in fact running my Shure FP-24 (aka SD Mixpre) I never had it up past 1/3 of the gain I had available.  Sounds like your mic needs a fix.  It was if anything a little hotter than most mics.

Hmmm. The plot thickens. Brent at Studio Projects tells me that the signal paths for the two mics are totally separated, so I would have 2 mics in one box busted the same way. Very strange.

The levels are so low that the FireBox and Firewire 410 I tried just didn't have the guts to drive them. Would you say you are recording in deafening conditions?

[bhtoque]

I've never had any problems with my LSD2. Even for quiet acoustic stuff I never needed to go past 3 o'clock on my UA-5. The LSD2 seems to be less sensitive than my Oktavas or 391's, but only by a couple db.

Dumb question, but do you have the pads on by accident?

Also, do you have the fronts of the capsules facing the sound source?

JAson

[ehren]

My gut feeling tells me that your stereo isn't as loud as you think it is. I have to run the LSD2 a bit higher than some mics for certain types of music, but for loud rock it doesn't need more than 2:00 on my UA5. For acoustic bluegrass/folk type stuff you're going to need a ton of gain regardless of the mic. All in all I'd say your stereo isn't as loud as you're thinking it is. I doubt your mic is damaged in any way. What pre are you using? With acoustic stuff the v2/v3 or the + modded UA5s have always been necessary for me to get enough gain to get a decent capture, regardless of mics.

Hope this helps.

[cmh]

Dumb question, but do you have the pads on by accident?

Also, do you have the fronts of the capsules facing the sound source?

JAson

That is not a dumb question. However, I do not have the padding or the rolloff enabled. And no padding or compression on the preamps either. As for placement, I've tried that. I've tried all three patterns, nothing seems to boost the levels.

Does the UA-5 have a scale on its inputs? If so, would you care to estimate your general input level in dB? It could help when I talk to Studio Projects again.

[cmh]

My gut feeling tells me that your stereo isn't as loud as you think it is.

That is a fair comment.

With the gain at 54 dB, however, (which is over the UA-5's nominal max of 50 dB) directly speaking into the LSD2, with lips touching the grill, at a normal (telephone call) level of talking is not enough to clip the pre-amp's input. Would that be consistent with your experience?

[bhtoque]

Dumb question, but do you have the pads on by accident?

Also, do you have the fronts of the capsules facing the sound source?

JAson

That is not a dumb question. However, I do not have the padding or the rolloff enabled. And no padding or compression on the preamps either. As for placement, I've tried that. I've tried all three patterns, nothing seems to boost the levels.

Does the UA-5 have a scale on its inputs? If so, would you care to estimate your general input level in dB? It could help when I talk to Studio Projects again.

The UA-5's gain is not marked, hence the  reference to position in comparison to clock hands.

The gain structure is also not completely linear, so I can't express 3/4 of the way from min to max gain as 3/4 of it's possible gain either.

JAson

[Chris K]

did you turn on phantom power? the lsd2 needs between 24v and 48v so if you r pre is putting out less the mic is not getting enough juice

[cmh]

did you turn on phantom power? the lsd2 needs between 24v and 48v so if you r pre is putting out less the mic is not getting enough juice

Also a good question, but yes, phantom power is on.

[Craig T]

somethings wrong.  I typically run my V3 at +25 to +35.