Newbie - is -73db noise floor OK from Delta 44 + (older) M..

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Hi,

I'm new here, more of a regular at rec.music.makers.percusion. I've
recently tried a bit of for recording, and I'm not sure if I have
things setup adequately.

To keep things simple: I'm running a mic into an older Mackie 1202 (pre
VLZ pro preamps) and into a Delta-44. There was a severe hum problem
which I greatly reduced by lifting the ground on my LCD monitor
(removing the ground pin from the power plug, that's how things are in
Australia).

Currently, if I set things up for decent recording levels, silence
clocks in at -73 db on the SF playback meter. It's more annoying on
playback, but that's something I can live with as long as the recorded
material is clean.

Is that OK in today's world? I'm considering a Firewire 410, on the
basis that analogue signal doesn't have to travel through so much wire,
and doesn't have to get inside my PC.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1109127325.924628.78580@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com> trevors_decoy@hotmail.com writes:

> To keep things simple: I'm running a mic into an older Mackie 1202 (pre
> VLZ pro preamps) and into a Delta-44.

> Currently, if I set things up for decent recording levels, silence
> clocks in at -73 db on the SF playback meter.

It depends on how you create that silence and just what's being
measured. That's actually not such a bad figure for broadband noise,
which is what you're seeing on the meter.

> It's more annoying on playback

What's the deal with playback? What's annoying? Do you mean that you
can hear hiss when you turn the volume up all the way? The way to
evaluate playback noise is to record some music (you can send a CD
through your mixer) at normal recording level, then record some
silence by stopping the CD. Then play back the recording. Set the
playback volume to a comfortably loud listening level, then listen to
what the recorded silence sounds like. If it's not too bad when
listening at a normal volume, your setup is fine.

> Is that OK in today's world? I'm considering a Firewire 410, on the
> basis that analogue signal doesn't have to travel through so much wire,
> and doesn't have to get inside my PC.

That might be an improvement, but you should get some practice making
recordings before you start spending money on more gear. People just
getting started worry that any recordings they make on less than the
greatest equipment won't be good enough to use. Well, chances are they
really won't be good enough to use, but not because you don't have the
best interface or the best cables. Don't let this worry you. If you
have a recording made on your present system that's so fantastic that
you absolutely have to put it on your next CD, noises can be dealt
with effectively.

Don't let measurments drive your life.



--
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However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
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