I've encountered a problem that I can't seem to figure out on my own. I was so desperate I even read the manual! If anyone can help, it's the smart people here.
I've been regularly recording a local artist (acoustic guitar, vocal, kickpad) who uses a Fender Passport PA system. The only output from the PA that doesn't drive the main speakers is a 1/8" jack on the front panel. In the past I've gone from that jack to the 1/8" input (Line 2) on the Tascam, with excellent results. Last weekend when I did the same thing, I noticed that the input levels on my deck were very high, and that even though I turned the gain control down to zero, I was still getting levels at about -30 db. I could still turn the gain up and adjust the levels even higher, but was unable to reduce them successfully. When troubleshooting the problem at home, I got the same results when connected to the line out jacks on my stereo. I thought perhaps I somehow got into an "auto" mode, but I've flipped every switch and changed every menu option without any different results. I even tried the "restore factory settings" option and things remain unchanged. It seems as if the input on line 2 has suddenly gained sensitivity. The internal uni and omni mics behave in the same fashion, but when I attach mics to the xlr mic input or line 1 setting, I can then turn the gain down to zero and get no signal, the only setting that allows me to do this. The recording I made last weekend came out distorted, even though my peaks were conservative. It sounds just like when I would brickwall the preamp in my old D7.
One wild card to throw in the mix. My friend was playing in a larger room than usual, and she was driving her PA at nearly full power trying to fill it. I thought I heard some distortion during the show, but the crowd was loud and I couldn't be certain. If her PA was clipping, I might have gotten an accurate recording of an overdriven PA. Yet I still don't understand the behavior of my line 2 input. Why can I not turn the level down to where there is no signal?
Hope there's a simple solution. I wouldn't mind being an embarrassed idiot if it fixes the problem. Big show coming up next week and I need to be good to go. Thanks for any help / advice!