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Basic mic pre-amping for recording – am I doing this right?
Hi all,
Im starting to try and learn a bit more about audio work.
I do some recording for a local TV station. I just bought an Mackie Onyx Satellite, into which I plug a shure SM63 mic. Basically I have to turn the gain on the mic channel all the way up to get this handheld mic registering levels -10 to 0db.
I wouldn’t record quite that hot obviously, but just wanted to check I’m going about the process correctly. It’s the same with most mics and mixers I use – I just thought since I’m always having to turn the gain 100% I might be doing something wrong – obviously a novice feels better when a dial is at halfway, giving you room to move either side.
Please excuse my newness, but does this all sound about right/common? Am i missing an extra stage of mic pre-amping or such somewhere?
Thanks for any help all, I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Jason Allen -
2 Replies
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Sounds like you’re plugging it in to a line level input instead of a mic level input.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Ty Ford’s “Audio Bootcamp Field Guide” was written for video people who want better audio. More at: https://home.comcast.net/~tyreeford/AudioBootcamp.html
or https://www.tyford.com -
From the Mackie manual “1. Channel GAIN
The GAIN controls adjust the input sensitivity of the
mic and line inputs on channels 1-2. This allows the
signal from the outside world to be adjusted to optimal
internal operating levels.
If a mic-level signal is plugged into the XLR combo
jack, there is 0 dB of gain (unity gain) with the knob
turned all the way down, ramping up to 60 dB of gain
fully up.
When using the balanced line input of the combo jack
(1/4” TRS connector), there is 20 dB of attenuation
all the way down, and 40 dB of gain fully up, with a
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