M-Audio Fastrack Pro USB w/ AT822- low mic level.

Greg Miller · January 18th, 2013, 06:46 PM

Jonathan:

Nothing is simple, because there are a lot of variables.

If only one company made one microphone and one mixer and one recorder, they would design their microphone to feed their mixer and their mixer to feed their recorder. Just buy the stuff and use it... simple!

And if everybody in the world built identical sound stages, and did all their recording in the same acoustic environment (using the world's only microphone, only mixer, only recorder) then everything would be simple.

Assuming, of course, that everybody was recording the same sound source, e.g. a human voice at normal speech levels. Not allowed to record whispers, not allowed to record FX of gunshots, not allowed to record the space shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral.

Of course if you want to record a wide range of sounds, using a wide range of mics, feeding a wide range of mixers, and capturing on a wide range of recorders, well then things aren't nearly so simple

There are few real standards. There is no legal standard for mic sensitivity or pattern; nor for mixer gain or noise floor or frequency response or crosstalk; nor for recorder input and clipping levels, sampling rate, bitrate; nor for balanced vs/ unbalanced signal paths, impedance, etc. Thank God some government agency hasn't come along and tried to legally regulate all these variables.

But since we have variables, we need understanding to cope with the variables. You are coming here for advice because you don't yet possess the understanding. Understanding implies learning. Learning implies capability, time, and effort. "Time and effort" is the opposite of simple.

Once you possess the understanding, then the recording process will be simpler. (However, it requires constant time and effort to keep your level of understanding current with changing technology... you never get a vacation from that.)

January 18th, 2013, 06:46 PM	#16
Greg Miller Trustee Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,792	Re: M-Audio Fastrack Pro USB w/ AT822- low mic level. Jonathan: Nothing is simple, because there are a lot of variables. If only one company made one microphone and one mixer and one recorder, they would design their microphone to feed their mixer and their mixer to feed their recorder. Just buy the stuff and use it... simple! And if everybody in the world built identical sound stages, and did all their recording in the same acoustic environment (using the world's only microphone, only mixer, only recorder) then everything would be simple. Assuming, of course, that everybody was recording the same sound source, e.g. a human voice at normal speech levels. Not allowed to record whispers, not allowed to record FX of gunshots, not allowed to record the space shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral. Of course if you want to record a wide range of sounds, using a wide range of mics, feeding a wide range of mixers, and capturing on a wide range of recorders, well then things aren't nearly so simple There are few real standards. There is no legal standard for mic sensitivity or pattern; nor for mixer gain or noise floor or frequency response or crosstalk; nor for recorder input and clipping levels, sampling rate, bitrate; nor for balanced vs/ unbalanced signal paths, impedance, etc. Thank God some government agency hasn't come along and tried to legally regulate all these variables. But since we have variables, we need understanding to cope with the variables. You are coming here for advice because you don't yet possess the understanding. Understanding implies learning. Learning implies capability, time, and effort. "Time and effort" is the opposite of simple. Once you possess the understanding, then the recording process will be simpler. (However, it requires constant time and effort to keep your level of understanding current with changing technology... you never get a vacation from that.)