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Comments
Lookin’ good with hi-z and gain -6. You might be able to push it a tiny bit more if what you demoed was the loudest you’re going to play.
Next up is to add plugins one by one, checking the input to each to keep those appropriate. Some you may want to push into saturation, others you will want to treat as you did the input gain. Finally into a limiter on the master, again making sure the input level is appropriate to what you want the compression to do. Last of all, adjusting the makeup gain so you get peaks around -3db or so, but never over 0db.
If your sound guy still isn’t happy at that point, then you’ll have to look at how to boost the output of the zoom.
@wim agreed in regards to hi-z and gain at -6db.
It's good to have a little bit of headroom.
If the sound guy hasn't got enough level at this point I would be very surprised.
I have a Zoom U-44 which I use everyday and the output from it is more than sufficient for live purposes.
It has both balanced and unbalanced outputs.
When giging live use the 6.5mm jack outputs for a balanced signal.
@wim @Gravitas
Thank you so much for helping me out here.
@Vmusic : given the pretty wide dynamic range of the violin signal, I think you would be well-served to use a touch of compression on the violin.
Also, I think it is worth having a simple calibration project that has a pre-recorded loop of a test tone at 0 dB that you can play at the venue so that the sound person can judge whether they are getting enough signal—if they feel they aren’t with that project then you may need a DI box to go after the interface.
You shouldn’t need one [a decent venue should be able to handle this situation] but a couple of people have mentioned in the past that they sometimes play at poorly equipped venues and sometimes need to bring their own DI.
No worries.
Good advice.
Agreed.
The whole signal chain needs to be complete before putting this to bed and talking to the sound guy. Getting the input levels right is just the start. Based on the original question in another thread, there are several effects involved. Any one of them can bung up the output levels, or produce bad levels to the next effect in the chain.
Step by step, ending with getting the master output from Loopy correctly trimmed. Basing any decisions about the final level going out to the board is premature.
(If you only read this thread, you wouldn't know the context I'm speaking about. The problem has been a full signal path with several effects that was sounding OK, but had too low output to the board according to the sound guy. Here's the original discussion for context: https://forum.loopypro.com/discussion/63245/in-and-output-levels-h-e-l-p.)
Personally speaking I've taken that into consideration as I actually read that thread when it first was posted.
I suggested an impendance matcher of some sort as it's a piezo pickup.
I'm also presuming that they would have figured out a nice sounding signal chain
before they went to perform also taking into consideration this thread as the O.P
was asking about levels.
How they need their instrument to sound is up to them.
First thing's thing first though is making sure there is a nice sounding level
going in and going out which I think has been acheived by the O.P.
My clarification wasn't in response to or assuming anything about your or others' comments. It was for @vmusic's sake as a reminder that the job isn't done until the whole signal chain is taken into account.
It was also to provide context for anyone else who hadn't seen the original thread.
No problem.
@espiegel123
QUESTION: You mentioned having a touch of compression. Should that be (a) on the input channel (b) on the master bus or (c) on one or more of my audio buses?
MY ROUTING: Input channel (here I have an attack softener and an IR of a violin to help make it sound more "woody" and natural) --from the input channel-- I route the signal to an audio bus depending on what types of fx I want, for example: I have an audio bus for clean violin sounds, an audio bus for distorted sounds, an audio bus for funky (filter /wah-wah) sounds, an audio bus pitch to MIDI, an audio bus for thick /lush string sounds with shimmer --> I use the LP UI to select the fx I want and route the input channel to one of the audio buses. Finally from whichever audio bus I route it to, it goes out to the master out.
My "guess" would be to put the light ("touch") of compression on the input channel??
Thanks!!
Probably as the first pre-fader effect on the input channel. Depending on your effect chain, you may want/need a compressor/limiter elsewhere, too.
I urge you to read some articles about recording stringed instruments and also about compression.
As an independent test…really the primary test at the venue…is the test I mentioned earlier of playing a just under 0db prepared signal from the iPad to see if you need additional gear…you shouldn’t…but you might.
I’d also suggest that you find someone locally that has real expertise in live sound to help you out learning the ropes.