Topic: Tascam DR-680 MKii

[Gutbucket]

^ Yes, it is true that lowest noise is achieved by running high mic gain + lower trim levels.

But if you are in a situation were you need low mic gain to accommodate a hot input then signal levels are probably high enough that the noise will not be audible.

I made this test with my DR680MKII without mics, I set:
- Mic gain: high
- rec trim: 31 (max value)

There's a lot of noise but it's relatively normal with this values, but when I attach the phantom power I can listen some electric discharges (is it the right term?)
Is it normal or not? Sometimes, when I keep my ears close to the tascam I can hear the same "electric discharges".
In attach there's a short clip, with only noise.

Granted this sounds terrible, but it is not a proper test without a termination across the input to load it properly.  You need to use a resistance across the input for a proper self-noise test.  For an simple real-world check I'd just use the microphones I typically uses, buried under cushions in a quiet room, realizing in that case what you may be hearing is the microphone's self noise as dominant.  You might also try runing the test using different power sources.

[flask]

^ Yes, it is true that lowest noise is achieved by running high mic gain + lower trim levels.

But if you are in a situation were you need low mic gain to accommodate a hot input then signal levels are probably high enough that the noise will not be audible.

Out of curiosity, Is this written somewhere or is it what people are finding from personal experience? Do you think a loudish rock band in a smallish club would require a high or low mic gain?

[Gutbucket]

It's generally the case for all gear that lowest noise is achieved when most of the gain is provided at the earliest part of the chain.

With a loudish rock band in a smallish club you shouldn't have any issues with gear noise-floor.  The ambient noise of the venue will be much higher. I'd run low mic gain and adjust trim as needed.