The M-Audio Microtrack 2496 is an inexpensive ($350) new Compactflash
recorder. The Sonic Studios website has a new review of the
Microtrack 2496 that sheds some new light on how this promising, yet
flawed, recorder works. The full review appears at
http://www.sonicstudios.com/mt2496rv.htm
It turns out that the Record "Level" slide on the front of the
recorder operates only over a 12dB adjustment range. Minimum "Level"
does not mean zero input. Instead, the mic input level is determined
by the "sensitivity" switch on the side of the recorder. Switching
from L to M to H changes sensitivity to input by about 10 dB.
The following chart, copied from the Sonic Studios web page, shows how
the "sensitivity" switch works:
M-Audio Microtrack 2496
dual 1/4" TRS jacks
L-M-H sensitivity switch
Record "Level" set to minimum
-------------------=09
microphone input needed to achieve 0 dB VU
L setting..............+3.2 dBv or 1120 mv RMS
M setting..............-5.6 dBv or 410 mv RMS
H setting.............-14.3 dBv or 150 mv RMS
L with +27 dB boost.....-23 dBv or 52.6 mv RMS
M with +27 dB boost.....-32 dBv or 18.5 mv RMS
H with +27 dB boost.....-41 dBv or 6.6 mv RMS
-------------------
For example, if you're using the H setting, a microphone input of
-14.3 dBv will cause a full scale 0 dB reading. Any stronger signal
will cause clipping.
This information may help explain Raimund Specht's comment: "In my
experience, it is necessary to activate the '27dB TRS Boost' option in
order to get the best noise performance from the 1/4" TRS inputs."
(Yahoo group message #20309)
--oryoki
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