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Old 02-23-2018, 06:20 AM   #1
chrizzy
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Default Recording level - a newbie first question !

Hi everyone, I'm so newbie I'm not even sure I am in the right place for this question but I've gotta start somewhere.

I want to record saxophone, but close up to get a more "intimate sound" I'm using a Blue Yeti microphone direkt into my Laptop, even with the gain on the mic completely down and the fader on the screen almost off the level is still much too high and clipping.

What should I do to get the level down? I tried a compressor plug in but I unfortunately did not get that too work either :-( got a lot to learn I guess? Thankyou for any advice.
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Old 02-23-2018, 06:48 AM   #2
jiff 41
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Have you seen the videos Kenny has on the download page?
Here's a good one to start with;
https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#LJHm931XQGk
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Old 02-23-2018, 08:31 AM   #3
chrizzy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jiff 41 View Post
Have you seen the videos Kenny has on the download page?
Here's a good one to start with;
https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#LJHm931XQGk
Thankyou, I watched two videos from Kenny, but I already have the fader at zero and my mic gain at zero, and I still have much to much signal, the videos did not address my problem, or there is something I am just not understanding 😕
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Old 02-23-2018, 08:58 AM   #4
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Which Blue Yeti did you get?

Blue Yeti + Saxophone = Harsh metallic sound with exaggerated overtones/harmonics

Normally, the next question should be: "How do I deal with the harsh metallic sound with exaggerated overtones/harmonics?

If it's the 80$ Blue Yeti they sell at Best Buy, then the short answer is:




hehehe
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Old 02-23-2018, 09:31 AM   #5
chrizzy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jiff 41 View Post
Have you seen the videos Kenny has on the download page?
Here's a good one to start with;
https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#LJHm931XQGk
Thankyou I have now added a limter, it seems to have done the trick, all sounds good and there absolutley no hard metallic sounds :-)
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Old 02-23-2018, 11:32 AM   #6
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If a limiter plugin helps, then turning down the track fader should also help. Neither one can stop the mic itself from distorting or from clipping the (mic's?) ADC. If it's not being clipped on that input end before Reaper, then it's not clipped and you should be able to just turn it down.

It's important to remember that (by default) a track's volume fader won't affect the level of a sound being recorded, and it won't change the level you see on the track meter when the track is record armed. But then neither will a limiter in the normal insert FX. These things will affect what you hear back if you're monitoring through Reaper and when you play back what you've recorded, but won't change what you've recorded.

So either it was never actually clipping, or it IS clipped and you're just not hearing it for some reason.

Are you using ASIO drivers for that mic, or is it going through all those layers of Windows crap along the way? There's at least one volume control in the windows sound controls that could affect your level, and it's very often cranked way up.

Otherwise, if it really is just too loud coming in from the mic, the only answer (aside from switching to a less sensitive mic) is probably going to be backing the mic away from the instrument a bit. Yes, that will affect your tone, but if the gain on the mic is all the way down, and it still clips...
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Old 02-26-2018, 04:26 AM   #7
jiff 41
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MAYBE?, As a last resort put a gain plug to reduce! the gain on the 'Input FX' & take it down on the way in??.

https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#9mSDZYGq3u8
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Last edited by jiff 41; 02-26-2018 at 04:33 AM.
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Old 02-26-2018, 04:55 AM   #8
Coachz
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If the gain on your mic is all the way down meaning the preamp and you're still getting clipping then your only choice is to put an inline attenuator like a 10 DB pad in place or tobacco away from the mic. Any clipping at the preamp stage cannot be fixed later on. RMS levels should be around - 18 or so and I like to adjust my Peaks at about minus 7 or - 5.
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