KVR Audio

bustedfist · Post by **bustedfist** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:13 pm

Play the keyboard and look at the meter for the input you're using to see the level.

You have Montage as the input of the audio track, is that a stereo input assigned to the correct ports in VST Connections. Why is there a level on the mono input?

sacredmimi · Post by **sacredmimi** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:26 pm

bustedfist wrote:Play the keyboard and look at the meter for the input you're using to see the level.

You have Montage as the input of the audio track, is that a stereo input assigned to the correct ports in VST Connections. Why is there a level on the mono input?

Yes, it is a stereo input, I just changed the name 'stereo in' to montage. The mono input is my microphone.

I just checked the meter and took a screen capture. This is what's being shown:

Mister Gibson · Post by **Mister Gibson** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:47 pm

sacredmimi wrote:

Your Montage input level looks way too low. Is Montage volume set to 100%? Should be. Will someone please explain Gain Staging for us?

bustedfist · Post by **bustedfist** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:01 pm

Mister Gibson wrote:
sacredmimi wrote:

Your Montage input level looks way too low. Is Montage volume set to 100%? Should be. Will someone please explain Gain Staging for us?

Mr Gibson is correct, input is way too low. Without getting into specific, correct detail, turn up the output of the keyboard until the input meter in Cubase clips ( do it slowly, don't just peg it and then turn it down) when playing loudest and back it off some. At some point you need to get a grasp of proper gain staging. Plenty of info on the web.

sacredmimi · Post by **sacredmimi** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:24 pm

Mister Gibson wrote:
sacredmimi wrote:

Your Montage input level looks way too low. Is Montage volume set to 100%? Should be. Will someone please explain Gain Staging for us?

No, I think the montage volume had a good chunk of reason why though.. I just maximized the volume on the montage and lowered the volume on the totalmix. (The reason why montage's volume wasn't all the way up was because the fadar value was seto to 6, and I don't know why..)

So currently, the montage's volume is full, and the montage's fadar value is -10 on totalmix. The volume on both midi track and audio track are much more similar in terms of volume.

But still, the audio track is a bit too soft. I could compensate totalmix' fadar value to bring it down to match the output level of the audio track, but that would be meaningless as I'm wanting the audio track to match the current volume of the midi track, not vice versa.

sacredmimi · Post by **sacredmimi** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:25 pm

sacredmimi wrote:
Mister Gibson wrote:
sacredmimi wrote:

Your Montage input level looks way too low. Is Montage volume set to 100%? Should be. Will someone please explain Gain Staging for us?

No, I think the montage volume had a good chunk of reason why though.. I just maximized the volume on the montage and lowered the volume on the totalmix. (The reason why montage's volume wasn't all the way up was because the fadar value on the totalmix was seto to 6, and I don't know why..)

So currently, the montage's volume is full, and the montage's fadar value is -10 on totalmix. The volume on both midi track and audio track are much more similar in terms of volume.

But still, the audio track is a bit too soft. I could compensate totalmix' fadar value to bring it down to match the output level of the audio track, but that would be meaningless as I'm wanting the audio track to match the current volume of the midi track, not vice versa.

bustedfist · Post by **bustedfist** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:35 pm

On one of my interface's software control panel I have the ability to give 12 db boost to the input signal and have to use it to alleviate the same problem. Wondering if yours is similar. It's just a check box.

You're not using Hi-Z inputs, right?

sacredmimi · Post by **sacredmimi** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:41 pm

bustedfist wrote:On one of my interface's software control panel I have the ability to give 12 db boost to the input signal and have to use it to alleviate the same problem. Wondering if yours is similar. It's just a check box.

You're not using Hi-Z inputs, right?

They're both connected to line level inputs via TRS. Level set to +4dBu on totalmix.

Mister Gibson · Post by **Mister Gibson** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:42 pm

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here: TotalMix is the problem. Bypass TotalMix so Cubase can do its magic.

bustedfist · Post by **bustedfist** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:53 pm

Mister Gibson wrote:Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here: TotalMix is the problem. Bypass TotalMix so Cubase can do its magic.

Very well could be, but I've heard of many using total mix, raving about it, actually . Maybe a rogue setting there like I mentioned. As above, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

bustedfist · Post by **bustedfist** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:57 pm

sacredmimi wrote:
bustedfist wrote:On one of my interface's software control panel I have the ability to give 12 db boost to the input signal and have to use it to alleviate the same problem. Wondering if yours is similar. It's just a check box.

You're not using Hi-Z inputs, right?
They're both connected to line level inputs via TRS. Level set to +4dBu on totalmix.

Ah, I may see the light. Why TRS? If the keyboard has one 1/4" stereo jack for output, it needs a TRS there but it has to be split to two TS connectors which plug into two line level inputs of the interface.

Mister Gibson · Post by **Mister Gibson** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 6:05 pm

Long video but a good overview of gain staging:

https://youtu.be/TGFy-s-mG70

External Instruments:

https://youtu.be/4onY2KxYLXI

bustedfist · Post by **bustedfist** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 7:40 pm

Mister Gibson wrote:Long video but a good overview of gain staging:

https://youtu.be/TGFy-s-mG70

External Instruments:

https://youtu.be/4onY2KxYLXI

Dude in the first vid, comes across a little gruff. Like "Do it this way, or else!".

Mister Gibson · Post by **Mister Gibson** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:13 pm

bustedfist wrote:Dude in the first vid, comes across a little gruff...".

Some of us introverts don't get out enough.

bustedfist · Post by **bustedfist** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:45 pm

Mister Gibson wrote:
bustedfist wrote:Dude in the first vid, comes across a little gruff...".
Some of us introverts don't get out enough.

Wondered if that was you.

It's a good video, though. I watched it start to finish. Refresher never hurts.

Cubase9 pro and External Instrument