Home Page Forums Cymatic Audio Forum uTrack 24 uTrack24 recording level

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  • #27098
    Ruud van Steenis
    Participant

    Hello,
    I just bought a uTrack24 and at the moment I am at the stage of getting used to the device.
    As far as I can see everything works, but the only thing I did not find is how to set the recording level.
    Not all ‘direct outs’ produce the same signal level.
    Is there a way to adjust the recording level in the uTrack24, or is the signal recorded ‘as is’ from the direct out?
    (In some situations, as live recordings, you ‘have to accept’ the level from the direct outs, so it would be good if there was a way to control the recording level n the uTrack24.)

    #27099
    Laszlo
    Keymaster

    Hi RuudNL,

    The uTrack24 has no input attenuator.
    You can use max 20dBu input levels. If the levels are different, you can do attenuation or normalization in your DAW.

    #27101
    Ruud van Steenis
    Participant

    Thanks, that is what I thought.
    The reason I asked this is because I want to use the uTrack24 as a backup recorder next to my DAW.
    In fact they both will be recording the same signal during an important session.
    But the direct outs from my mixer give a signal level that produces a recording level that is too high for the uTrack24 (compared to my DAW)
    If the meters on my DAW would indicate a ‘safe’ level, this would mean the level for the uTrack24 could be too high.
    At the moment I have solved this by adding resistors in the direct out connectors going to the uTrack24 (attenuators), so now the levels are matched.

    #27102
    Laszlo
    Keymaster

    Wow you overload +20dBu input, that is a really hot signal 🙂

    #27103
    Ruud van Steenis
    Participant

    Yes, apparently! The mixer is a Midas Venice F32 and the direct outs are active balanced.
    Levels to the DAW are normal, but the direct outs for the uTrack24 are (=were) a bit too high!

    #29655
    philippe hatstadt
    Participant

    I have the same problem on a TASCAM DM4800. Both the mixer and Logic are clearly in the safe zone whereas the utrack24 overloads and with digital distortion, the tracks become unusable. RuudNL, how exactly did you create the attenuators? In my case, I am using a TRS to DB25 snake, and I soldered the tip and ring together so the insert tap from any mixer would not break the signal for a FOH mixer. I would like to know how to tame down the signal by say 15dB from the TRS side of my snake. In an unrelated discussion, Tech support in a different forum suggested a 200 ohm resistor between tip and ring, but I don’t know why they recommended that. Maybe same reason as attenuator?

    #29656
    Ruud van Steenis
    Participant

    In my case the level difference wasn’t too much (2 dB or so), but I like to have the same level going to my DAW and the uTrack 24. As far as I remember, I placed two resistors in series with the tip and ring of the TRS jack, connected to the (balanced) direct out of my mixer.
    Combined with the input impedance of the uTrack24, they give the correct attenuation.
    The resistors I used had a relative low value, in the order of 1 K.ohm, but you will have to find the correct value for your mixer. You can build the resistors in the TRS jack, if you use small ones (1/10 Watt or so.)

    15 dB is a lot! So I suppose that you will need a ‘real’ voltage divider: like this:
    1 resistor between tip and the wire going to the uTrack24
    1 resistor between ring and the second wire going to the uTrack24
    1 resistor between the two wires going to the uTrack24

    A starting point would be 10 K.ohm for all resistors. But you may have to change the resistor connected between the two wires going to the uTack24, or maybe use a trimpot to determine the correct value first.
    Maybe you can find a ‘technical’ person to help you with that?

    #29660
    philippe hatstadt
    Participant

    Thanks. This has gotten too complex already. Tech support is now saying that the uTrack24 will not work with unbalanced signal coming from the Insert point of a mixer, and only work with a Direct Out. Since many older mixers used at bars and venues in the US where my band is going to play live, I am now thinking that the uTrack24 is not the right device for me. I will be trying it anyways on a mixer with Inserts as I rwwired a TRS snake to supposedly work on an Inseert point. If that fails, I’ll return the unit sadly. So right now, I have bigger problems that the level of the output, which was an issue that appeared in my home studio mixer with send to the first click.

    #29662
    Ruud van Steenis
    Participant

    Of course the uTrack24 will work with an unbalanced signal!
    If you only have an insert available (no direct out), you will have to join the tip and ring of the jack together, in order not to interrupt the signal in the mixer.
    In that case screen and 1 signal wire (to the uTrack24) are connected to the sleeve, and the tip/ring connection of the jack carries the signal.
    So you have to add an unbalanced attenuator.
    If you really need 15 dB attenuation(!), I would add 18K.ohm between tip/ring of the jack and the (other) wire going to the uTrack24, and also add a 10K.ohm resistor between the signal wire and the sleeve of the jack. So the signal wire to the uTrack24 should be at the point where the two resistors are joined.

    #29664
    philippe hatstadt
    Participant

    Tried the TRS snake with tip and ring joined and it works fine on the Tascam mixer. Will try our live mixer Thursday but the user manual states that such wiring will work so I’m not worried. As far as levels, it was fine, about the same actually, whereas when I used balanced connection before soldering my snake then the levels were much higher. I think i’ll Be ok here, will report back after using the live mixer (Soundcraft)

    #29685
    Marc Trainor
    Participant

    That sounds like you did a smart thing here with the resistors. The reason I’m saying that, and by the way, I’m just a curious member here, but the reason I’m saying that is I think phatstadt had the same problem for a while. I started looking online for mike pads or attenuators that might address that, and the attenuators were really expensive. The inline mike pads, like from Switchcraft or Sure, were as much as 13 dollars apiece, or something like that. That can get pretty expensive, so I hope your resistor gig keeps working for you. Marc.

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