Is it typically possible to control the volume coming out of Rec Out on
a mixer-amplifier, or is this usually Line-Out volume that cannot be
controlled?

Specifically, if I record from Rec Out of a Yamaha EMX640 400W mixer
amplifier, is there a way to control the volume level coming out of the
amplifier and going into the recording device (a digital recorder)? I
cannot find a knob to do this.

I am going from Rec Out into Line In of the digital recorder. The
default "Input Volume" level of this recorder is 16--on a scale of 1
(low) to 20 (high). I have tried recording all the way down to 7 and I
still get great distortion. The sound wave in Amadeus is sometimes
almost solid black.

Help appreciated for this situation, which I know is not really
"rec.audio.pro."
T-L

Trent-Lion wrote:
Is it typically possible to control the volume coming out of Rec Out on
a mixer-amplifier, or is this usually Line-Out volume that cannot be
controlled?

Specifically, if I record from Rec Out of a Yamaha EMX640 400W mixer
amplifier, is there a way to control the volume level coming out of the
amplifier and going into the recording device (a digital recorder)? I
cannot find a knob to do this.

So, you need an attenuator.

I am going from Rec Out into Line In of the digital recorder. The
default "Input Volume" level of this recorder is 16--on a scale of 1
(low) to 20 (high). I have tried recording all the way down to 7 and I
still get great distortion. The sound wave in Amadeus is sometimes
almost solid black.

So, you don't need a variable one, but you might want an adjustable
one. Shure makes a handy adjustable pad that will drop 15, 20, or 25 dB
with a switch. It's built into an XLR barrel.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In article , Scott Dorsey
wrote:

Trent-Lion wrote:
Is it typically possible to control the volume coming out of Rec Out on
a mixer-amplifier, or is this usually Line-Out volume that cannot be
controlled?

Specifically, if I record from Rec Out of a Yamaha EMX640 400W mixer
amplifier, is there a way to control the volume level coming out of the
amplifier and going into the recording device (a digital recorder)? I
cannot find a knob to do this.

So, you need an attenuator.

I am going from Rec Out into Line In of the digital recorder. The
default "Input Volume" level of this recorder is 16--on a scale of 1
(low) to 20 (high). I have tried recording all the way down to 7 and I
still get great distortion. The sound wave in Amadeus is sometimes
almost solid black.

So, you don't need a variable one, but you might want an adjustable
one. Shure makes a handy adjustable pad that will drop 15, 20, or 25 dB
with a switch. It's built into an XLR barrel.
--scott

Thx for advice. The tragedy is that I *have* an attenuator, bought for
use with a mixer that did not have Rec Out. I had thought that with Rec
Out (which I assumed was line level) no attenuation should be needed.
But that seems not to be the case. I am guessing that now I should set
my digital recorder input volume to 16 (the default value) and then
adjust the attenuator while listening through the digital recorder
headphones. If this is not correct, pls advise.
I have one more question. This recorder has, under the "Record"
settings, an "Output Volume" that can be set. What would the purpose of
this setting be for recording? Is it perhaps for the headphones? If so,
how would I coordinate this setting with the attenuator to know what
volume I am truly getting? Thanks. T-L (Audio Idiot)

Cherrill Heaton wrote:
Thx for advice. The tragedy is that I *have* an attenuator, bought for
use with a mixer that did not have Rec Out. I had thought that with Rec
Out (which I assumed was line level) no attenuation should be needed.

Well, if the input is clipping, you need an attenuator. Not all "line out"
levels are the same. And most of these cheapie recorders don't have a
huge available dynamic range... the input stages are running on very low
voltages so you don't have the ability to handle a huge range of input
levels.

But that seems not to be the case. I am guessing that now I should set
my digital recorder input volume to 16 (the default value) and then
adjust the attenuator while listening through the digital recorder
headphones. If this is not correct, pls advise.

I don't know, because I have no idea what "16" is. If you have no
calibrated metering that corresponds to something in the real world,
setting the knobs to 12:00 and adjusting the input level until the
metering is good and it doesn't sound distorted seems like a good
first step.

I have one more question. This recorder has, under the "Record"
settings, an "Output Volume" that can be set. What would the purpose of
this setting be for recording? Is it perhaps for the headphones? If so,
how would I coordinate this setting with the attenuator to know what
volume I am truly getting? Thanks. T-L (Audio Idiot)

It is probably for a monitor output that allows you to send the output
being recorded to some other device. Again, if you don't have real
metering and you don't know what your reference levels are, you just have
to listen.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."