• Location: The Frozen North
  • Joined: December 28, 2008

Topic: My audio levels are too low

I have a decent microphone going into a fostex MR-8 multi-track recorder to record my dialogue, and even with the mic knob turned all the way up, my audio is super quiet.  When I scream into the mic, I can barely get to -12db, let alone 0db!  Any suggestions?  Would a pre-amp help me here?
Thanks,
- Yo-Blob
P.S, turning the volume levels up in post production makes the audio sound like garbage, so that isn't a viable option. mini/smile

Blast from the Past? Or Beleaguered Mediocrity from the Past?
  • MB
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Location: Halifax, UK
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: My audio levels are too low

Is there a master volume on the recorder? Maybe it's turned down.

  • Location: The Frozen North
  • Joined: December 28, 2008

Re: My audio levels are too low

MB wrote:

Is there a master volume on the recorder? Maybe it's turned down.

That's cranked to maximum as well.  Does anyone know if a pre-amp would boost the input levels (the mic's volume) and give me louder sound?

Blast from the Past? Or Beleaguered Mediocrity from the Past?
  • MB
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Location: Halifax, UK
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: My audio levels are too low

A preamp would definitely boost the input levels, but that seems a bit like ignoring the problem rather than fixing it. Surely the mixer should be working at a sensible volume in the first place? Hmm...

  • Location: The Frozen North
  • Joined: December 28, 2008

Re: My audio levels are too low

Apparently low volume levels are a common problem with this sound mixer (or so a google search would have me believe) so it might be my only option.  Thanks for the help!

Blast from the Past? Or Beleaguered Mediocrity from the Past?
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: My audio levels are too low

Are you using a dynamic or condenser mic? Dynamic microphones tend to have incredibly weak output signal, barely audible without some form of amplification. If your audio levels are an issue then you may want to look into either a condenser or battery powered microphone, provided your mixer has phantom power. They usually have a higher output than dynamics.

The mixer should really be amplifying it to some extent, even if it is a dynamic microphone...so I'm not sure what to say. It might be in your best interest to just get a new mixer/recorder, they go for so cheap nowadays.

https://i.imgur.com/x8mil9Z.png
  • Location: The Frozen North
  • Joined: December 28, 2008

Re: My audio levels are too low

I'm using the Samson VR88 ribbon microphone, it actually does require 48v phantom power to run, so I bought an ART II phantom power supply (kinda like a crappy pre-amp with no gain control settings or anything like that) but since the internal mic on the mixer was just as quiet I figured the problem was with the mixer and not the mic, and didn't think it was worth mentioning all that phantom power stuff.
The mic I have is supposed to be a fairly good one, so if I can get a decent pre-amp that supplies 48v phantom power and has gain control, I might just do that; cheap sound mixers probably don't have very good built in pre-amps anyway.
Thanks for all the help guys!

Blast from the Past? Or Beleaguered Mediocrity from the Past?