[LAU] Terratec DMX 6Fire 24/96 Mic Input (not Linux specific)

From: David Haggett <david@email-addr-hidden>
Date: Wed Nov 28 2007 - 09:51:12 EET

Hi list

I'm generally happy with this card, but wonder if I'm using it correctly
and/or optimally. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to audio generally.
If it matters, I use openSUSE 10.2 with 2.6.22.9-ccj56-rt. Record using
Ardour2. Use jack-rack as a ladspa effects host when not recording.

First Question

It (the DMX 6Fire) has a 6.3mm (i.e. 1/4 inch) mono microphone input with
built-in pre-amp which the manual claims to be good for a condenser mic. I
typically plug my electric guitar into this, but is quite a fine balancing
act between guitar and pre-amp volume controls to avoid clipping.

Should I have something in the chain to match impedance, or is the clipping
just because my pickup signal is too high? I can eliminate it by turning the
guitar or the pre-amp down but this can lose tone.

Second Question

The mic input feeds to Alsa PCM Inputs 5 and 6, but of course is just 2
identical streams. I have been recording the guitar to a stereo track using
both channels but wondered whether there was any benefit in doing this, or
whether it would be better:
 * take a single input and split it to a stereo track?
 * take a single input and record it as a mono track?
 * take a single input and feed it to a mono-stereo plugin and record
   it as a stereo track?

Thanks in advance

-- 
David Haggett
_______________________________________________
Linux-audio-user mailing list
Linux-audio-user@email-addr-hidden
http://lists.linuxaudio.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-audio-user
Received on Wed Nov 28 12:15:02 2007

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Wed Nov 28 2007 - 12:15:02 EET