Hi, I hope this video is not so old it won’t get a reply! Helpful video - but, I’m confused about what I want to achieve. I have a Summit Audio 200B valve preamp, very nice too! But, I cannot get much clean gain, especially on vocals that are very dynamic and might feature a vocal belt in the finale chorus. A U87 into the 200B - requires that the input is set very low perhaps only 1.5-2.0 The output can be set to 10, but the signal to ‘tape’ is very low. You can adjust using clip gain after its recording, but tracking can be underwhelming or else a struggle against the backing track. I doubt very much that the mic is the issue as its not the same problem when used with a super clean SSL pre. So, I pad the preamp of the 200B. This may reduce the input before the amplification in the 200B by -15 or 20db, but we do then need to raise the input by the same amount to get back on track and to a level I want. Fundamentally, by the time I do this, I’ve basically recreated the same input overload. The actual goal, is that the input is clean, but the output is loud enough to be useful for tracking with. Unless I am missing something, using a pad on the pre seems to not actually solve anything? Please correct my ignorance.
Whats the point of PAD on a DI box? Looking at my mixer, I see the preamps going from +10 to +60, so if I had to guess, the PAD on a DI is there to attenuate a signal so strong, that even minimum +10 gain of the mixer would make it clip. Otherwise I don't see a reason for it, as I would think, that it's ideal to transmit the signal over cables as hot as possible to maximize the SNR and attenuating the signal will only make the SNR worse. Is my guess work correct?
great video. thanks for sharing. quick question. Im using the u87 ai, warm 73 pre/eq, warm wa2a. Would the warm audio wa76 be an ideal piece to add to my chain?
An 1176 is always nice to have, either in software, hardware, or hardware emulation. We couldn't give you reliable advice without testing a range of 1176 clones - our business is in techniques rather than individual products. But this... www.soundonsound.com/reviews/warm-audio-wa76 ...might help you decide. DM
Thank you for your comment, but this isn't something I can provide in the short term. Meanwhile, there is a useful review at www.soundonsound.com/reviews/universal-audio-la610 One thing I would say though is that a tube preamp with both gain and level controls is very versatile in the way you can control warmth. It's a good feature to have in your studio. DM
I found this while searching for the purpose of the pad button on my own microphone. I have one question. The mic Audio-Technica bp4025 I own also has a PAD (-10dB) button. If the button is operated while the phantom power is connected while testing the microphone, a momentary high level of clipping occurs. Do I have to turn the power off to use the buttons on the microphone itself?
My guess would be that you're hearing a click rather than clipping. It would depend how loud it is whether it's a problem but if it's loud then you probably should pull the fader down before switching. I don't see that turning the phantom off would help. My advice would be to contact Audio Technica and see what they say.
Popping occurs in the microphone's capsule so there's nothing downstream of that that can properly fix it. Having said that, popping can sometimes be mild and only in the low frequencies, so if your interface has a high-pass filter, that can help, but it's best for the mic not to pop at all. I'm having trouble though imagining how a pad could possibly help at all. It's probably just making the popping quieter, along with everything else. As I said, it's best for the mic not to pop at all. A fabric pop filter is one answer. Angling the mic so that it points towards the mouth but is not in the direct line of fire of the breath is another. For best results, do both. One more thing... I've seen in BBC radio studios both a foam windscreen and a pop filter used at the same time. That's also worth a try. DM
Hello sir, Question I am getting destoration even my gain level for both vocal and keyboard,rythm pads is low and pads button is active. Would you please tell me sir how pad,hpf should be for both mic and music instruments in yamaha mg16xu
First check you're using the right inputs. A microphone should be connected to an XLR microphone input, other sources to a line or instrument input. An electric guitar should be connected to an instrument input. If you hear distortion then turn down the gain. If there is still distortion use the pad. Check with different channels. Check using the PFL buttons. Check with different cables. Check on headphones connected directly to the mixer. Check on different headphones. If you're still getting distortion then possibly the mixer is faulty. Other than that we suggest reading the manual for your mixer and follow the instructions to the tiniest detail.
If your interface has a pad on the instrument input then it's there to be used if you need it. You would only need to use it if you hear distortion, so if the signal you hear is clean then you can leave it switched out.
Is this the "audiomaster" channel for trolls & bots? You're presenting elementary fundamentals that I would classify as "audio 101 for dummies" where is the "master's" knowledge? Not here....
Thank you for your message. Clearly you were born with this knowledge and never had to learn it from anywhere. Good luck to you - Audio Masterclass can help you no further.
@@AudioMasterclass My "smart arse" remark was un-necessary - I know... I would include attenuation & gain/amplification & Ohm's law in a single video. Recording art/quality has taken a serious nose-dive in the last 2 decades & I think a lack of fundamental education has a lot to do with it. With a name like "Masterclass" I was anticipating information on a different "level" - I think you may know what I mean
Hello D.M.
My mother was a lyric soprano.
My ears are still ringing....
Best regards,
Bill P.
I'm new to audio stuff, and this was the clearest most concise video about this :) Thanks!
Thank you! I will use the PAD button for one of my mics now. It clips very easily even with the Gain barely on.
Thank you for this. I was trying to understand PAD controls on an external mic for my 4K camcorder. Your knowledge was well appreciated.
You're welcome.
Thx, just the clear explanation I was looking for. Knowledge increased !new subscriber🙂
Short and to the point. Thank you very much
Best explanation. Thanks!
Great video!
Hi, I hope this video is not so old it won’t get a reply! Helpful video - but, I’m confused about what I want to achieve.
I have a Summit Audio 200B valve preamp, very nice too! But, I cannot get much clean gain, especially on vocals that are very dynamic and might feature a vocal belt in the finale chorus.
A U87 into the 200B - requires that the input is set very low perhaps only 1.5-2.0 The output can be set to 10, but the signal to ‘tape’ is very low. You can adjust using clip gain after its recording, but tracking can be underwhelming or else a struggle against the backing track.
I doubt very much that the mic is the issue as its not the same problem when used with a super clean SSL pre. So, I pad the preamp of the 200B.
This may reduce the input before the amplification in the 200B by -15 or 20db, but we do then need to raise the input by the same amount to get back on track and to a level I want.
Fundamentally, by the time I do this, I’ve basically recreated the same input overload.
The actual goal, is that the input is clean, but the output is loud enough to be useful for tracking with.
Unless I am missing something, using a pad on the pre seems to not actually solve anything?
Please correct my ignorance.
Thanks. Exactly what I needed to know. Thinking of buying Zoom H5 (-20db PAD on inputs) and using lavalier mics.
You probably wouldn't expect to need a pad for a lavalier mic, but it's a good thing to have if you need it for any other purpose. DM
Whats the point of PAD on a DI box? Looking at my mixer, I see the preamps going from +10 to +60, so if I had to guess, the PAD on a DI is there to attenuate a signal so strong, that even minimum +10 gain of the mixer would make it clip. Otherwise I don't see a reason for it, as I would think, that it's ideal to transmit the signal over cables as hot as possible to maximize the SNR and attenuating the signal will only make the SNR worse. Is my guess work correct?
You are correct. Use the pad if you have to but otherwise leave it out.
great video. thanks for sharing. quick question. Im using the u87 ai, warm 73 pre/eq, warm wa2a. Would the warm audio wa76 be an ideal piece to add to my chain?
An 1176 is always nice to have, either in software, hardware, or hardware emulation. We couldn't give you reliable advice without testing a range of 1176 clones - our business is in techniques rather than individual products. But this... www.soundonsound.com/reviews/warm-audio-wa76 ...might help you decide. DM
Is there any way, in which you would do a walk-through on the controls of the UA "LA-610"? for what the controls are, and what they do?
Thank you for your comment, but this isn't something I can provide in the short term. Meanwhile, there is a useful review at www.soundonsound.com/reviews/universal-audio-la610 One thing I would say though is that a tube preamp with both gain and level controls is very versatile in the way you can control warmth. It's a good feature to have in your studio. DM
@@AudioMasterclass thank you SO VERY MUCH for your consideration and lending resources. :-)
I found this while searching for the purpose of the pad button on my own microphone.
I have one question. The mic Audio-Technica bp4025 I own also has a PAD (-10dB) button.
If the button is operated while the phantom power is connected while testing the microphone, a momentary high level of clipping occurs.
Do I have to turn the power off to use the buttons on the microphone itself?
My guess would be that you're hearing a click rather than clipping. It would depend how loud it is whether it's a problem but if it's loud then you probably should pull the fader down before switching. I don't see that turning the phantom off would help. My advice would be to contact Audio Technica and see what they say.
Is a -20 PAD on the mic preamp enough to handle line level signals from an audio interface (DAW), or do I need a separate attenuator? Thanks
This can work, but maybe not at full line level. You would need to listen carefully for clipping. Make sure to turn phantom power off. DM
Professor, doesn't the PAD kill tone?
I have the feature built into my interface. I tried it and it seems to be useful as a pop filter. Is that a valid example of what they can be for?
Popping occurs in the microphone's capsule so there's nothing downstream of that that can properly fix it. Having said that, popping can sometimes be mild and only in the low frequencies, so if your interface has a high-pass filter, that can help, but it's best for the mic not to pop at all. I'm having trouble though imagining how a pad could possibly help at all. It's probably just making the popping quieter, along with everything else. As I said, it's best for the mic not to pop at all. A fabric pop filter is one answer. Angling the mic so that it points towards the mouth but is not in the direct line of fire of the breath is another. For best results, do both. One more thing... I've seen in BBC radio studios both a foam windscreen and a pop filter used at the same time. That's also worth a try. DM
Thq brob🎶🎶🙋♂️🙋♂️✌
Hello sir,
Question
I am getting destoration even my gain level for both vocal and keyboard,rythm pads is low and pads button is active.
Would you please tell me sir how pad,hpf should be for both mic and music instruments in yamaha mg16xu
First check you're using the right inputs. A microphone should be connected to an XLR microphone input, other sources to a line or instrument input. An electric guitar should be connected to an instrument input. If you hear distortion then turn down the gain. If there is still distortion use the pad. Check with different channels. Check using the PFL buttons. Check with different cables. Check on headphones connected directly to the mixer. Check on different headphones. If you're still getting distortion then possibly the mixer is faulty. Other than that we suggest reading the manual for your mixer and follow the instructions to the tiniest detail.
@@AudioMasterclass thnk you very much sir.
Could I use hpf for vocal and music instruments?
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Sir question, when recording guitar or bass guitar should i activate the pad on my interface? I'm using behringer 204hd
If your interface has a pad on the instrument input then it's there to be used if you need it. You would only need to use it if you hear distortion, so if the signal you hear is clean then you can leave it switched out.
thanks
You're welcome. DM
So you can use a pad on a female soprano, but what about a tena lady? ...................... I'll get me coat!
Hoho.
Is this the "audiomaster" channel for trolls & bots? You're presenting elementary fundamentals that I would classify as "audio 101 for dummies" where is the "master's" knowledge? Not here....
Thank you for your message. Clearly you were born with this knowledge and never had to learn it from anywhere. Good luck to you - Audio Masterclass can help you no further.
@@AudioMasterclass My "smart arse" remark was un-necessary - I know... I would include attenuation & gain/amplification & Ohm's law in a single video. Recording art/quality has taken a serious nose-dive in the last 2 decades & I think a lack of fundamental education has a lot to do with it. With a name like "Masterclass" I was anticipating information on a different "level" - I think you may know what I mean
@@BogdanWeiss you must be the life of the party
@@primee5730 You are assuming the guests don't want to get bogdan in the details :)