Logic Pro 8 HISSING NOISE

[jokermac2007]

Hi everyone I am using Logic Pro 8 with a Motu 828 Mark11 USB soundcard.I am recording via my mixer which is a TL Audio Fat Track. My problem is when I turn my monitor speakers up full and have enabled a channel for recording either a vst or audio track when I press the record button on Logic I am getting a hissing sound. Ok I know the speakers are up full but should I be getting this? I have recorded most of my tracks this way with limited noise floor, however when I recorded a piano vst from logic through the Fat track there was a little more noise floor (I did and always check leveles and re-adjust etc the noise was even worse when I put on one of logics compressors etc.

 

[Eli]

That's a tough one to diagnose. There's always going to inherently be a higher noise floor when you're running out of your sound card - through an analog mixer and then back in. If it's a Software Instrument, why not just bounce and add into Logic, or record to an audio track via a bus routing?

I know this doesn't really address the problem of why you have an increased noise floor though. What Software Instrument is it? Is it possible the samples are just plain noisy? And the noise is getting amplified by the extra analog stage? Try some other Software Instruments and see if the noise floor is consistent - just to rule out the possibility of noisy samples being the issue.

Other than that - although I doubt this is the problem - you could try resetting your MOTU 828 mk ll. It's a relatively benign process and should be done just to rule it out as a possible source of the problem. here are the steps to follow:

Disconnect the USB cable from the 828mkII
Press the Setup knob
Turn the Setup knob all the way to the right
Press the Select knob
Press the Value knob
Power off the interface and plug the USB cable back in
Power the interface back on.

Hope some of this leads to some insight to the problem. Or if nothing else, rules some of the possibilities out.

 

[Peter Ostry]

The hiss comes most likely from your audio gear. Everything fully up means hiss, that's just the case. It's better with top-of-the-top gear and configuration, but this is another story.

If the noise is louder with a virtual instrument I would check the signal path from Logic via the interface to the TLA and back. Maybe you send a low level from Logic and have the TLA well over unity gain on its input or output.

I don't say that there cannot be a failure in Logic or in a virtual instrument. I would just check the gain structure on the outboard path first. Especially when some "fat" device is involved.

Edit: Ah, I see you already got a lot to do while I wrote ;-)

 

[jokermac2007]

HISS

Thank you for your help guys I know i now have a dedicated place to come to for future problems. Yes agreed gear up full = hiss I have spoken with my frined and he has informed me that there are 2 balanced outs which use Male/femael to jack leads apaarently this bypasses the other imput etc and solves this problem. I will be trying this over the coming weeks and keep you informed. By the way as a matter of interest most of the tracks i put through the fat track sounded fuller and sonically better. I also ran a full mix through the unit and again there was suttle differences in the sonics of the mid high and low. I was working for a client last night and told him to take both mixes away and let me know which he thought was best. I explained what I had done one mix through the fat track another straight from logic last night he preferred the logic one but when listening closer today totally agreed the fat trak mix was sonically different. I myself was a little sceptical b4 i bought one and I am no way linked or have anything to do with the company. I will leave a link shortly to let you guys make up your own mind. There is definately a sonic difference and roundness to the sound of this unit. So generally the only problem i have come up against is the signal path which again I will keep you guys informed about. also dont care what anyone say i used to use cubase and a Pc there is no comparisson in the cleanness and sonics of logic it wins hands down in all matters as far as I am concerned