wrote:
>
> Almost every recorder that has a mic input and a switchable pad, places t=
he
> pad before the first gain stage. So activating the pad does help protect
> that first gain stage from clipping. Then the variable volume control co=
mes
> after the first gain stage. With most recorders I've worked with, if you=
're
> seeing hot levels with the volume control set less than a third of the wa=
y up
> you're at risk for clipping the first stage, and you're well advised to
> switch in the pad.
Note what I said about how I set a digital recorder. The times I set it
down to the 1/3 mark or so, I'm setting it there to maintain 20-30 dB of
headroom. It's that much below the practice that was the norm on analog
recorders. So, I'm setting it down there on a weaker signal than you are
talking about.
So far I've not seen the pre on the Portadisc clip while doing this. The
Telinga get's zapped first. That could change with other mics or using a
outboard pre and setting it up wrong. The same thing was the case on the
MZ-R30, where I could go down to 1/4 without problems. Though I'd
usually kick in it's pad if getting down there.
First thing to do in setting levels for a digital recorder is get rid of
all the old analog practice. Learn to set levels for digital. It's a
separate issue for overloading the pre, but it has a bearing on when the
pre will be overloaded. The setpoint may be different. If 1/3 on your
gain is pegging the meter and overloading the pre, that will be only one
of your problems.
Walt
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