Subject:Acid track Faders: NO affect on incoming signal?

Posted by: Tom B

Date:6/20/2009 7:29:00 AM

I'm lost in the foothills of a "learning curve": new Presonus Firestudio Project feeding signal to new SONY Acid Pro 7.

A dynamic microphone is plugged into the Presonus preamp #1:

a) Acid Pro's track faders seem to have no affect on incoming signal gain.
b) The Presonus software mixer faders seem to have no affect on incoming signal gain.
c) The twiddly little knobs on the front of the Presonus unit DO increase and decrease the volume of the signal coming into the DAW.

QUESTION:
Aren't ACID's track faders supposed to be able to adjust the volume of an incoming live signal (mic or instrument) that's being recorded?

I must be missing something...right?

Subject:RE: Acid track Faders: NO affect on incoming signal?

Reply by: Adji

Date:6/20/2009 8:19:38 AM

As far as Im aware ACIDs faders are for use INSIDE acid only, with audio already reocrded there. I'm not sure if it is possible to control hardware via ACID, I doubt it, and if there is there isnt much point because the signal coming in would be way too hot and youll get some unnecessary (and horrible) distortion and other clipping anomalies.
Use the presonus gain control to lower or raise the signal until its as hot/quiet as you like. AICD's faders are for use with changing the volumes AFTER audio is recorded. However, the faders in ACID dont actually lower the gain of you recorded audio, its literally just turning them down, your recording remains unchanged.

I could be totally wrong here, but im pretty sure this is how it works.

Subject:RE: Acid track Faders: NO affect on incoming signal?

Reply by: Tom B

Date:6/20/2009 10:29:22 AM

Thanks for confirming, Adji ==

Looks like I was expecting too much from software. I want to avoid having a hardware mixing console, entirely.

Certainly I *can* twiddle the little knobs on the Presonus preamp unit, but was really hoping to be able to adjust incoming signal via the DAW software faders.

And point taken regarding the non-destructive nature of volume adjustments via ACID faders

Subject:RE: Acid track Faders: NO affect on incoming signal?

Reply by: Adji

Date:6/20/2009 12:26:11 PM

Usually you get your hardware to contorl your software, not the other way around. Im sure there is a way but itll probably be an expensive system like the protools desk system, i think Tascam used to do something similair.

Anyway, regardless of which setup your end up using, youll have to tweak the gain knobs on the HARDWARE to get the signal level oyu want for recording.

Subject:RE: Acid track Faders: NO affect on incoming signal?

Reply by: jumbuk

Date:6/21/2009 5:15:28 PM

You should want to use hardware control to adjust signal levels coming into your DAW. The gain controls on your pre-amps determine the quality of the incoming signals. Once you have recorded the best possible levels without clipping, you can then enter the digital realm to mix down as per usual.

PS the "twiddly little knobs" on the presonus are gain controls. They adjust the amount of amplification applied to your input signal before it gets passed to the A/D converters to be converted into a digital format that can be understood by Acid. You want the gain to be set as high as it can go before the input starts clipping. Once a signal clips, you can't remove the distortion that gets recorded. The Presonus may have clip LEDs that light up red when a signal is clipping so you know the input is too hot. On the other hand, you don't want the input signal too low or the inherent noise from the pre-amp or your mic may become apparent. Ideal setting is just before clipping. For very dynamic inputs (eg rock vocals) you might need a compressor before the input to control the signal within the maximum that the Presonus can handle.

Subject:RE: Acid track Faders: NO affect on incoming signal?

Reply by: pwppch

Date:6/22/2009 8:44:05 AM

You should set the input signal using your hardware devices physical controls.

You should always record the best signal that your device allows you, even if this means using a compresor/limiter/gate BEFORE the A/D conversion performed by your audio device.

You can use an input bus in ACID Pro 7 to adjust the POST A/D converter of your audio device.

Note that this is not the same thing as using the devices input trims/gain controls. You will merely be adjusting the signal the device sends ACID. So, if it is clipped before ACID gets it you will be adjusting a clipped value. If this signal is very low, you will be increasing the noise floor as well.

Peter