Going from stand alone preamp to tape

[Nu-tra]

bump

[numrologst]

How many db do you need to roll off to get your desired level. I have some preamps that don't have output control, and haven't ever encountered an issue with going too hard or too soft to tape?

What level are you going to to tape at? Surely you aren't hitting the tape so hard that there is audible bad distortion?

[Nu-tra]

Well I'm trying to hit odbvu on tape machine with stuff I don't want to compress/distort. I am having to push the pad in and turn the gain knob almost all the way down.

V

[jasonraboin]

A Designs Audio - Atty Passive Stereo Level Control

Does exactly what you need and does it very well.

[numrologst]

you still have more room beforedistortion than you probably think.

I don't typically use my console faders to ride to tape, I just let it hit tape a little harder or a little softer when needed.

The adesigns atty might be something to look into.

[Nu-tra]

Thanks I have a few of those attys at my rehearsal space. Thanks

[dbbubba]

I used to feed a blue stripe 1176 from any outboard mic pre I used on vocals before hitting tape, but that was vocals.
I think I was able to dial in a decent level in most cases using the mic pres I had.
I used a Demeter VTMP-2 a lot, but every other stand alone mic pre I have used or built has had a fader.

My Sphere mic pre/920 EQ pair has a pot in place of where the fader would go.
It is so handy.

I don't like tailoring my gain structure of a mic pre to hit the tape right.
You need a gain stage really because you might need to pad the mic pre down (GTRs) and need a bit of make-up gain.

Trying to use a mic pre by itself is where I see alot of people mess up.

[Nu-tra]

Thanks Danny

I'll get the hang of this soon enough haha

[Quint]

I'm planning on getting a tape machine soon myself so I've been wondering about this as well. Does anybody make a passive multi-pot unit that is nothing more than an input, a fader or pot, and an output? Possibly in 8 or 16 channel sections? If not, I suppose you could make one without too much fuss but a manufactured one would be nice.

The console's coming next but it's gonna take a little time before I can get around to picking one up. In the meantime, I'd like to have a means of sending the proper level to the tape machine without having to raise and lower the gain for my mics. Who's doing this without a console and how are you dealing with this issue?

By the way, the Atty would be nice but I don't really want to spend $1,000 to buy 16 channels worth of level control. Is there a cheaper way to do this? Maybe something that is rack mountable?

Also, I found this thread: Rackable Faders for External Pres . There seems to be some info there but I'm curious how others are dealing with this scenario.