dB Input: Speakers or HW4?

My active Behringer speakers have a dB input dial. And, as we all know, HW has a dB adjustment screen. I go back and forth in trying to get the right balance between the two. Adjust one up, e.g., speakers, one needs to adjust down the other. Somehow to my ears, the overall sound is better if I adjust up the dB level on the speakers and moderate the HW setting rather than the other way around.

Are there technical reasons why it should be one way rather than the other? Is it all the same and I am in a (normal for me anyway) deluded state. Any help much appreciated.

Sandy Hackney
Easton, NY

[mdyde]

Hello Sandy,

If you haven't already done so, have a read through the 'Performance tuning: setting the audio output level' section in the Hauptwerk user guide (pages 282-283 in the v4.0.0 guide).

In summary, you should get the best audio quality by setting the Hauptwerk level 'Trim dB' setting as high as possible for each organ so that it just goes into the yellow (but never into the red) on Hauptwerk's audio meter when you play full organ:



Then adjust your amplifier levels for comfortable listening.

Thank you Martin!!! Will do.

By the By,
On this subject, I have had severe intermodulation distortion from my K 701 Headphones, mixer output,
upon examination, I found that the "Submix settings" in HWv4 were way high, at 0db Level.

When I reduced all the submix levels to below -10 the distortion ceased.

Its not just the main channel levels that have to be set properly, but also the submixes !
Mel

[mdyde]

Hello Mel,

Its not just the main channel levels that have to be set properly, but also the submixes !

Probably an obvious point:

The 'Aux send N level adjust dB' level settings on the 'General settings | Audio outputs | Routing and aux mix' screen tab only make a difference if you're actually using those aux sends to route audio. For example, if you're using multi-channel audio and using the aux sends to mix the output down from a set of direct channels down to a single headphones, recording or reverb aux mix-down output.

Assuming that's the case in your set-up, then just use those aux send level settings to balance the various channels if needed relative to each other (their defaults of 0 dB are appropriate for all channels being mixed at equal volume) - the output level for the relevant aux mix (e.g. for your headphones) can be adjusted as a whole by selecting it in the left-hand browse list and adjusting its 'Speaker level adjust dB' setting on the Main screen tab.

Thank You Martin,
I use the HW's submix to feed my Behringer mixer with its inbuilt digital reveb to feed my K701 Phones,
as well as my reverb - percussion speakers.

The inputs of the mixer have their both of their pads set to line level, (max reduction).
with the submixes set at 0 level, there was severe distortion (Growl) when playing a 16' Bourdon note,
and various notes on the keyboards,
after reducing the submix level to -12, the growl was apparently gone.

Had not noticed this until I purchased and installed Neil Jensen's 3/11 sample set, with it's higher bit depth.

I have been very busy since the first of the year, and have not been able to recheck my results.

Will try it again this evening and report the results.

Thanks again,
Mel

Hello Mel,

Its not just the main channel levels that have to be set properly, but also the submixes !

Probably an obvious point:

The 'Aux send N level adjust dB' level settings on the 'General settings | Audio outputs | Routing and aux mix' screen tab only make a difference if you're actually using those aux sends to route audio. For example, if you're using multi-channel audio and using the aux sends to mix the output down from a set of direct channels down to a single headphones, recording or reverb aux mix-down output.

Assuming that's the case in your set-up, then just use those aux send level settings to balance the various channels if needed relative to each other (their defaults of 0 dB are appropriate for all channels being mixed at equal volume) - the output level for the relevant aux mix (e.g. for your headphones) can be adjusted as a whole by selecting it in the left-hand browse list and adjusting its 'Speaker level adjust dB' setting on the Main screen tab.

Martin, I use multi-channel and a mix-down for the headphones. I also use the mix-down for recording. I have found that the recording levels are way too low when I have the overall trim set to -10dB. Could I use the speaker level adjust to fix that? Or should I use to mix-downs, one for headphones and one for recording and set the latter higher?

[mdyde]

Hello Mike,

My advice would be to use two separate aux mix-downs - one for headphones and one for recording. That way you don't need to keep adjusting any settings. You need to select the audio interface as the audio device for the recording output (so that sync. can be maintained correctly), but you you can leave its left and right channels as blank selections, thus not wasting any physical outputs on the device.

Thank you, Martin. That makes most sense to me. Then do I just adjust the "speaker output" for the recording mix-down?

[mdyde]

Hello Mike,

Correct.

Hello Martin,

Apparently my IM distortion is caused by the single diaphragm's in the AKG K701's,
vibrating at say, 32 HZ, and trying to reproduce keyboard tones at the same time.
The problem diminished somewhat with the my submix gain reduction, but is still present.

To try to prove my synopsis, I tried the same with my multichannel speaker system,
and viola, absolute clarity !

I live in an apartment, and can rarely play through my speaker system,
so the headphones are a necessity !

Does anyone with Neil's 3/11 sample set, monitoring through AKG K701's,
tell me if they have the same distortion, and or how to clear this problem.

(Possibly installing a Buttkicker shaker, under the bench and removing the bass from the headphone mix
would work.)

Best wishes and Thanks, Mel