MPC Recording Problem

[2nd_Man]

(First, this may belong in troubleshooting instead, if it does, please move it there)

Anyway, you may have seen in another thread, if not, whenever I record into my MPC1000 from my TT I get awful sound quality. But record into my PC and the quality is good.

To shows you what I mean, included 2 recordings of the same record, one into the MPC, one into the PC:
(both are 16bit, 44100hz and mono wavs btw. and incase your wondering, the TT is technics SL-BS22, the premap a cheapo behringer pp400)
(o and i got phono into preamp, then a 1.4inch out into the left channel of the record in of mpc, and recording the mono left channel, gains set right as well)

http://rapidshare.com/files/165423955/RecordingProblem_2m.zip
(i zipped the 2 files up, jus makes things easier)

hope i gave enough info, and hope some1 has any ideas as to why its happening, and how to solve it

i jus realised something, the pc recording is 3 times the size of the mpc recording
err, i feel this being a noob question now :S

 

[LDB]

(First, this may belong in troubleshooting instead, if it does, please move it there)

Anyway, you may have seen in another thread, if not, whenever I record into my MPC1000 from my TT I get awful sound quality. But record into my PC and the quality is good.

To shows you what I mean, included 2 recordings of the same record, one into the MPC, one into the PC:
(both are 16bit, 44100hz and mono wavs btw. and incase your wondering, the TT is technics SL-BS22, the premap a cheapo behringer pp400)
(o and i got phono into preamp, then a 1.4inch out into the left channel of the record in of mpc, and recording the mono left channel, gains set right as well)

http://rapidshare.com/files/165423955/RecordingProblem_2m.zip
(i zipped the 2 files up, jus makes things easier)

hope i gave enough info, and hope some1 has any ideas as to why its happening, and how to solve it

i jus realised something, the pc recording is 3 times the size of the mpc recording
err, i feel this being a noob question now :S

You may need to go thru a phono preamp and from there into your MPC

 

[The Arkitekt]

Maybe it's a setting on the MPC? You said both are 44.1 but you mightve missed something, mistakes happen, and it might be set on like 22hz, I heard you can change the sample rate on the MPC (correct me if i'm wrong). I'm like 99% sure it has something to do with the MPC cuz the problem is on the end of the chain (after the TT and preamp cuz it works fine on your comp).

 

[2nd_Man]

yea got a preamp, behringer pp400 as said in original post, cheap, but it does a job

yea thats what i thought arkitekt, manual shows nothing. no settings in the record feature on mpc, and i know it always works in 44.1.
i must be missing something somewhere in the mpc

 

[Relic]

Have you turned up the input gain on the mpc and maybe down a little on the preamp?
If I could hear it I may be able to tell you better.
At work I cant get to rapid share.

 

[2nd_Man]

preamps got no gain knob on it, no settings at all (other than power). and the mpcs gain is set right, but regardless of whether i increase/decrease same thing happens.
its weird, doesnt seem to be a particular frequency range, or anything, jus general poor quality and the vocals sound lower as well strangely

 

[Shonsteez]

Not sure if that was a typo or I just read it wrong, but are you only recording into the left input on your MPC? If so, you want to plug the L & R in at the same time to get true stereo...im assuming i read that wrong tho.

You sound like you have the same record path as I do essentially, so you really shouldnt be running into any problems in regards to signal chain??
This leads me to believe that the real issue lies somewhere in the hardware your using...
I would try to swap out your needle for a new one and cop some good cables (no hosas), and if possible try another preamp which very well may be the real issue.

Heres how i record into my MPC:

* Turntable > Phono to Phono w/ ground > DJ Pre > Phono to 1/4 TS > MPC...
* When i record a sample into the MP, i always monitor the preamp and make sure its just below clipping - so basically i crank it up till i see red and then taper it off until it stays green 99% of the time.
* I always leave my MPC's record gain set dead center which is like 0db...
​

If your recording into your MPC just as I am then you shouldnt be having any issues.
I would assume that you have a bad piece of hardware in your chain instead.

(I really doubt your MPC is causing the issue...)

**Oh and there is no setting on the MPC to set record levels internally in the options, just the output level for monitoring and tracking.

------------------------------------------------
I just read your last post - it def sounds like your preamp even moreso now that I see you dont even have a gain knob, thats no good dude - you need control over your levels so that you can cater to each source differently. To be honest Ive never even heard of a preamp that doesn't have a gain knob?!....lol

 

[2nd_Man]

You are right in thinking that. if only got a mono 1/4 inch cable, going from pre amp to Left record in of mpc. i know having stereo would be better. but i havent got the cable. and the only 1 1.4inch to left and right 1.4inch cables ive seen have been hosa ones...

i intend to get a new tt soon, so thatll get sorted. and may decide to cop a nice needle as well
yea the preamp is this http://www.behringer.com/PP400/index.cfm very cheap, but works. and im grounded as well

could well be the cables and recording the mono from the left channel then. but what cables to get, are there rca to stereo 1/4 inch cables? if so i can use that

that what really bugs me is theres no problem with my hardware, coz it records fine into the PC, with no quality issues.

thanks for help tho steez, relic, ark and drama boi

 

[Shonsteez]

Yeah man, i mean we all typically go through it...Thats not to say some cheaper consumer gear isnt fully capable of rendering good results, but through my own experience of doing the same thing and trying to pinch pennies, ive learned you def get what you pay for when it comes to music gear. Hell, even my setup is subpar and could really be 10 times better but u gotta start somewhere ya kno?

But yeah i would get some ProCo cables from sweetwater and maybe get a different DJ pre that lets u adjust the gain, because you should be adjusting it to each source you record.
If your turning your Record Gain ALL the way up on your MPC your going to raise the noise floor and add a bunch of unwanted noise to the signal that you dont want in there.

Hosas arent like the end of the world, but once again speaking from personal experience, i started with Hosas out of depseration to just have some cables in the first place but once I stacked my chips i copped some ProCos and they def lowered the noise in my recordings and helped have a cleaner signal....

ProCos are actually really well priced tho for professional grade cables, heres what you would need:
RCA-TS
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DKQR10
RCA-RCA
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DKRR5/
They have other lengths too.

Then if you can get an affordable preamp like this:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DeeJayPre/
(This is the same one I have, its really the cheapest solution you can find thats not total crap)

 

[2nd_Man]

yea, i'll have to sort out my cables and connects. im earning now, and wasnt when i got the preamp, so can afford to not get the budget budget stuff

i'll have to try and find where they sell those decent cables here
and i know a few people that got that preamp, heard nothing but gd things. so will get that

thanks for your help, much appreciated

(btw, whilst on topic of preamps, im thinking of gettin an mobox2 pro, its got a phono input, with a built in preamp, any1 know if that preamps any gd?)

 

[Shonsteez]

Their not bad, about 1/2 my friends have that MBox and they are content with it. It does the job basically. The pres are sufficient enough to make good music but their not mind blowing or anything.

 

[2nd_Man]

k, thanks
i hear mediocre things bout the mbox, im considering a profire instead (yea, lol, i want PT). or considering saving up for an 003 rack, to plan ahead

 

[Shonsteez]

Yeah man get the rack or the mixing interface if your gonna go ProTools...
An old classmate of mine has the mixing interface and he really digs it.

 

[2nd_Man]

ahh, more money to spend. haha, i know its the right choice, but so much moneys
im lookin into the 2626 as an alternative tho
thanks again man

 

[Shonsteez]

Im not a huge PT guy so Im not familiar with that one...
Theres always the M-Powered ProTools too, so I guess if you were trying to get protools but didnt want the MBox that would be your only alternative, it doesn't look like they have a shitload of options tho. Id prob just go with the MBox, that way u already got PT anyways and dont have to buy it separate.

 

[2nd_Man]

yea the 2626 is one of m-audios profires. cheaper than an 003, more expensive than an mbox pro
probably most comparable to the 003 rack tho in terms of number of i/os and pre amps etc

nah, digidesign keep the options short, thats for sure. and m-audio really has 2 firewire interfaces to choose from.
yea, i was drawn towards the mbox pro coz u get pt with it, and u get the ignition pack too. so lots of toys 2 play with

may jus leave it for the mo, wait for PT8 to be released, might be some price cuts or hardware upgrades along with it.
in the mean time, im sure i could treat myself to a new tt, pre amp and some gd cables

 

[Relic]

ok , try runing this through the pc and then into your mpc in the meantime.
But if you ask me you need to run it through an actual mixer with an eq on it before it runs into that mpc.

What it sounds like to me is that you have no control at all over the signal thats coming through it.
A new needle might me good, but I dont ever recommend just going stright into your mpc without something to control and adjust levels prior.
NOW that being said my cd player runs right into my mpc but its stereo.
One thing that Im hearing is that your missing one side of that signal, the reason the vox arent as loud is because they are prolly panned more right.
Check on those settings in the mpc again make sure that its set for mono recording for now.
THEN stop recording in mono. I dont care if you run to radio shack and grab a mixer it will make a diff.
Invest in those rca into 1/4" plugs, those are awsome! lol I cant seem to have enough of those for various reasons.

I PROMISE you your problem is that you are only receiving half the signal. I bet if you put on a beatles record you would hear a REALLY big diff as they LOVED panning shit hard L and R

 

[The Arkitekt]

I PROMISE you your problem is that you are only receiving half the signal. I bet if you put on a beatles record you would hear a REALLY big diff as they LOVED panning shit hard L and R

Quick fun fact lol: Those old recordings have stuff panned hard left/right because when people started mixing in stereo they only had 3 panning options; left, right, and center.

 

[Shonsteez]

Well for the sake of playing devils advocate - on occasion i choose to record to mono only if its a drum break for example that I want to chop since i dont like drums in stereo, their easier to mix later on in mono....
Anyways, the samples are just as loud and clean as the stereo ones, its just that im choosing to record into mono rather then stereo...i am however still following the same procedure to record my samples as I noted earlier.

Also a mixer would be useful but just buying any mixer isnt the solution IMO.
You have to consider the fact that any piece of gear you place into your signal chain imparts its own color and sound onto your audio and this can be good or bad, it goes both ways. So if you buy a cheapy mixer your bound to end up possibly making your signal colored in a way you wouldnt prefer or you could "luck out" and possibly improve your recording signal. Thats not to say my little ART DJ Pre Trumps a mixer, far from it... but it very well could if the mixers a serious piece of shit. In this situation your better off just trying to represent what the original source sounds like as much as possible rather then sending it through more electronics then needed.

Lastly, and in relation to my last comment - id also advise to NOT EQ into the MPC and rather utilize the filters inside the MPC instead and do further processing later on in your DAW, its better to effect the audio going in as little as possible since this is undoable later on....

 

[2nd_Man]

riiight. the plan for right now then is to cop some rca to 1/4inch cables, and record in stereo, and that may simply be the problem
a new preamp for the moment sounds best also

future, i gotta get a new tt and i need an interface anyway.

yea i think steez is right, i dont wanna be adding in extra components to the signal line right yet

thanks for the help all, its gotta be the mono recording. and what idiot decided not to put a phono input on the mpc, i got tons of rca connectors. smh, thats a design flaw right there
thanks again