Gain Structure Basics for an Analog Console

Hi, nice forum here. Plan to take some more looks as need be. Anyway, I am using a cassette deck with a microphone input as a poor me's preamp. But I have a problem when I try to record: the voltage or signal level is too high going into my sound card and it clips the A/D converter. I need to find a way to attenuate the signal so its in an optimal range (peaking around -3 to -5dB).

hello everyone,

I have a couple of questions regarding confingurations for optimal gain structure in Pro Tools. here it goes.
1. I'm using a digi 002, how do you know what the configuration is? {-18dbV = 0 dbFS}

2. with this configuration does it mean that if I clip, whille tracking, it is actually at -18dbV

Usually what I do during a mix on my computer is just keep turning each wave that is low in the mix up, and by the time i'm done I end up having the main mix level at like -15, and each Wavesvolume at like +2 to +12 or something like that. In the analog world I know doing this might create problems, but in the digital domain does it even matter at all?

Given: AT4040 has an open circuit sensitivity of -32dB/25.1mV in relation to 1 volt / 1 Pascal.

Amplifying this signal, or raising it +32dB to 0dB produces a 1 volt output.

Question: does this mean the amplifier must provide 32dB of gain to amplify the mic output to near line level?

Hi there! I have a pretty dumb question, but I gotta ask it. What is proper path between a mic and a recorder (assuming you are working with a compressor, a pre-amp, and a mixer). In what order to you plug things in? If you use aux sends on the mixer, do the mixers preamps get bi-passed? Help!
Thanks all!
Beau.

[ August 18, 2003, 03:08 PM: Message edited by: Beau Landry ]