How to control mic level for direct recording? -Sound Forge - PC

Subject:How to control mic level for direct recording? Posted by: Will_3 Date:1/29/2004 5:49:22 PM Does SolundForge have any built in level controls or must I use the XP Pro Recording Control panel? I have a headset & boom mic plugged directly into the built in sound card on my Toshiba Satellite 5205 s-704 Laptop... The internal sound card is an Yamaha AC-XG WDM that came built into the laptop... Do I have to use the XP-Pro Master Volume and Recording Control tools to control mic gain to Sound Forge 6.0 ? Soundforge meter show's quite level about -55 db when the XP mic record level is set at about 50%... and when I speak forcefully into the mic the level hits about 0 db... sometimes goes red. I think I have everything else turned off as the built in XP Recording Control will only let you select one source at a time. Any suggestions appriceated. Thanks for any help - Will
Subject:RE: How to control mic level for direct recording? Reply by: Chienworks Date:1/29/2004 6:06:52 PM Yes, you are correct; Sound Forge does not have it's own volume control so you must use the Windows mixer. What a lot of us do is get a small inexpensive mixer (Behringer sells a 1 mic/2 line input mixer for about $25 street price), plug the mic into it, and the output from the mixer into the line input of the sound card. This has a couple of benefits. You'll get a much cleaner signal because the mixer will have much better preamps than the sound card, and it also makes controlling the volume a lot easier.
Subject:RE: How to control mic level for direct recording? Reply by: Geoff_Wood Date:1/29/2004 7:59:13 PM SF does not (and should not) have a recording level control. That is purely a function of your soundcard+driver - the physical AD is the device that must not be overdriven. Built-in laptop soundcards are basically pieces of crap. I get the same sort of noise level on my HP. My solution was an M-Audio Transit, but I have a small mixer. There are other USB-connected interfii that include mic preamps and analogue level controls. cheers geoff

Subject:How to control mic level for direct recording?

Posted by: Will_3

Date:1/29/2004 5:49:22 PM

Does SolundForge have any built in level controls or must I use the XP Pro Recording Control panel?

I have a headset & boom mic plugged directly into the built in sound card on my Toshiba Satellite 5205 s-704 Laptop...

The internal sound card is an Yamaha AC-XG WDM that came built into the laptop...

Do I have to use the XP-Pro Master Volume and Recording Control tools to control mic gain to Sound Forge 6.0 ?

Soundforge meter show's quite level about -55 db when the XP mic record level is set at about 50%... and when I speak forcefully into the mic the level hits about 0 db... sometimes goes red.

I think I have everything else turned off as the built in XP Recording Control will only let you select one source at a time.

Any suggestions appriceated.

Thanks for any help - Will

Subject:RE: How to control mic level for direct recording?

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:1/29/2004 6:06:52 PM

Yes, you are correct; Sound Forge does not have it's own volume control so you must use the Windows mixer.

What a lot of us do is get a small inexpensive mixer (Behringer sells a 1 mic/2 line input mixer for about $25 street price), plug the mic into it, and the output from the mixer into the line input of the sound card. This has a couple of benefits. You'll get a much cleaner signal because the mixer will have much better preamps than the sound card, and it also makes controlling the volume a lot easier.

Subject:RE: How to control mic level for direct recording?

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:1/29/2004 7:59:13 PM

SF does not (and should not) have a recording level control. That is purely a function of your soundcard+driver - the physical AD is the device that must not be overdriven.

Built-in laptop soundcards are basically pieces of crap. I get the same sort of noise level on my HP. My solution was an M-Audio Transit, but I have a small mixer. There are other USB-connected interfii that include mic preamps and analogue level controls.

cheers
geoff