Can you provide more information, what mics? what do you have it going into? What are you recording?

Note: You have to put an extra space in between the "-8" and the parentheses to ditch the emoticon...
Are you using it with the optional A/D card? Is there any processing plugged into the inserts? As far as the meters are concerned, do they seem to correlate with the LED metering? Like BRH indicated, we need more info...

sure guys thanks, um let see... i tried using sm57 , 58, 81, beta 52 with a good XLR cable in and a good XLR cable out into the firepod with the gain the whole way down on the firepod. This 'clipping', seems most prominent on bass instruments but a vocal mic will do it just as easily ,especially using the beta 52 with the vocals(just for test).Bass frequencies seem to do a better job of clipping the unit but it always sounds muffled or smashed.

The meter and lights seem to correlate real well,and i also tried running into a different mixer(yamaha md 8)and listening via phones. same result,distorted sound.I am not using the optional A/D card.

one other note, i had a compressor(266XL) with a bad cable in the insert path while speaking through a sm58 ,the clipping was horrendous.When i took the compessor out of the path entirely, the noise lessened.

The reason it's clipping is that you are most likely running a line level signal out of the ISA into the firepod mic input!
Using an XLR into the firepod is mic level about 50db too hot.
Use an XLR out of the ISA to 1/4 TRS into the firepod.
"Level all the way down" on the firepod is a dead giveaway, you are overloading the mic pres in the firepod.

But isnt it true that even if he goes TRS, he's still going to be hitting the mic pre's on the firepod? As the line ins and the Mic pre's on this unit are 1 in the same.

Ill try it right away

it sounds better for sure but still not right.

also thank you and merry christmas

Merry Christmas to you too.. I think to use your
ISA another converter might be in order.
FireStudio will work. Its line ins are not the Same as the Mic pre's.

hey J, i noticed yr working on nuendo 3. i could use some help there too.

well just to let you guys know, Mr BRH was infact 100 % correct on the reason i was hearing a clipped signal. the reason why it didnt work right when i first attempted to set it up his way was a bad cord. Why didnt i know this(these) cord(s) was bad before? It worked fine for every other application. Matter of fact ,i have a few cords that wont work in the studio but work ok for live sound or running straight into the firepod.Wont work with the ISA though.Another note is that when rigging into the firepod this way , you must use inputs 3 through 8 as jax 1&2 are istrument level.

thanks for helpin me out
will