TransAudio Group
7320 Smoke Ranch RoadSuite G
Las Vegas, NV. 89128
702-365-5155
fax: 702-365-5145
sales@transaudiogroup.com
Daking Audio Inc.
(302) 482-4898
geoff@daking.com
dave@daking.com
Geoff Daking will be presenting at the Audio Underground Roadshow on Saturday February 25 from 12 – 6 PM. The show is is held at SAE Institute Herald Square Campus, 1293 Broadway on the 9th floor New York, New York. He will be presenting both the Mic Pre 500 and the new Comp 500.
Please come and visit us at NAMM January 19-22nd in Anaheim. We will be at Hall A 6945 at the TransAudio Group booth. Hope to see you there!
June 24 and 25 in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Check out the new Mic Pre 500 as well as the FET III Stereo Compressor!
Come and see us at Musik Messe!
April 6-9 booth 5.1 A-71 or 5.1 A-795
These days, most of us are recording into a DAW like Pro Tools, Sonar, Logic or Nuendo. All the DAKING equipment is professional gear and as such, expects equipment patched to it to also be set up for professional signal levels. You should set your levels on your audio interface for +4 and not for -10. +4 is the standard for pro gear and -10 is the standard for consumer gear, like a CD player or a cassette tape player. Setting your levels to +4 will give you 14 dB more headroom before clipping. If your gear is set to +4 and you’re still clipping into your audio interface, then you need to engage the Pad function to decrease the gain.
All of this confusion stems from the fact that their are many different reference levels that are used for “0 dB” in pro-audio. For instance:
In a DAW and on digital audio interfaces, 0 dB is the highest possible level without clipping. You should avoid hitting zero at all costs. Depending on your set up, you might get crackling digital distortion, no sound at all (drop out), or very yucky-sounding hard clipping that squares off the tops of your waveforms.
In the analog console and tape worlds, O dB VU is the nominal level and is a good place for your levels to hover around. In the analog world, 0 dB VU is 16-30 dB below the point where the signal clips. The fancier the equipment, the more headroom you have available. This means that you can send a bigger signal to a better piece of gear. The Daking gear was created based on concepts and designs from the Trident A-Range consoles and as such conforms to the higher levels that are possible with fancy analog gear. We included the digital meters to make it easier to switch between the analog and digital realms.
The Mic Pre One comes equipped with a Direct Box or DI built right into the preamp. When you plug a Hi-Z source like a bass or guitar into the 1/4″ input with a TS-TS guitar cable, you are plugging straight into the amplifier section. This bypasses the Pad and the input transformer.
Geoff Daking, with Mark Hornsby, will be at Full Sail University on October 12th to present a recording seminar, including Geoff’s history in the business (From pop drummer to engineer to designer) and the Daking signal processors and amplifiers. Students will be checking out the gear in action and learning recording tips and techniques from a couple of true pros.
Question: How do I test the amount of noise added by a mic preamplifier?
Answer: First you need to terminate the input of the mic pre by connecting pins 2 and 3 together. This can be done with a paperclip inserted into pins 2 and 3 on the microphone input. If you have a microphone plugged into the mic input, then you are hearing the self-noise of the mic AND the noise of the preamp. If you have it connected to nothing then you are hearing an un-terminated connection which is likely to include electro-magnetic and radio interference.
With pins 2 and 3 shorted, you can easily evaluate the noise added by the pre-amplifier either by ear or with your favorite meter.
“If you’re looking for that vintage sound of a Trident A Range, and you want to add warmth to the digital recording chain, look no further: the Daking mic preamps add a distinctive sonic character that really make your recordings come alive!”
-Butch Vig
On Jul 10, 2009, at 11:01 PM, Chris wrote:
Geoff
Let me start by saying that i purchased your 4 channel mic pre and i LOVE IT!
I was wondering, do the front DI inputs by-pass the mic transformer?
Thanks
Chris
Chris,
The direct input does not go through the transformer, it goes straight to the preamp.
Guitars have high impedance outputs and would be loaded down by the 1200Ω input of a mic pre. The DI has a very high input impedance, >100kΩ.
Geoff
A number of users of the Mic Pre One and the Mic Pre IV have asked the question:
“If I have the Gain control turned all the way down, how can the mic pre still be peaking? If I engage the Pad button, will this change the sound?”
The Mic Pre One by Daking Audio
Here’s the answer:
Gain Explained
The “Gain” control is not a volume pot. It will not shut off the signal. It controls the amount of gain the mic pre can produce. The minimum gain is about 25 db, (or 5db with the pad in) and the maximum is >70db (about 10 dB more than most pre-amps.)
Microphone Output Explained
All microphones have different output levels. Ribbons generally have the lowest outputs while condensers have the highest. Dynamics are somewhere in the middle.
If you mic a guitar amp with an RCA 44 (the premier ribbon mic), you will probably need to add gain. If you use a Neuman U87, you will need the pad. That’s why condenser microphones usually have pads built in.
How to Use the Pad Control
Some people believe that the pad changes the sound. Not really true. Most good preamps have an input impedance of 1200Ω. This is the “load” or “termination” that the microphone is looking for. The frequency response of a mic is frequently affected by the load so they are optimized for this standard reflected impedance. In many mic pres, the reflected impedance changes when the pad is inserted, so the mic behaves differently when padded. We are very careful to see that this does not happen with our pres, the impedance does not change.
Do Not Fear the Pad.
