Recording DI guitar signal too loud, please help!

Hello!

I record guitars with my old POD XT. Connecting it via USB makes it work as the sound card and I am able to record the DI signal, the dry guitar.

Now the output volume of my POD cannot be changed it the POD itself is bypassed...my Fender works well but my Ibanez is too loud. How can I lower the recorded signal in Sonar so it does not distort or pop?

Newer versions of the POD have a knob to change the volume but mine from 2004 doesn't. I don't want to lower the guitar's volume as it does not have numbers on it...and connecting my Whammy pedal lowers the volume but I also don't want to do this...there must be a way to do this in Sonar?!

Thanks for your reply! My POD XT is old...it only has a Windows driver and you can transfer sounds.
 
Just browsed the drivers and software..."Driver 4.2.5.1 adds gain control for USB audio. You can now control the levels sent from your POD HD to your recording application using Line 6 Audio-MIDI Devices control panel. These controls have been added for POD HD, POD HD300, POD HD400, POD HD500 and POD HD Pro."

=> only added for new PODs...mine is legacy.

Thanks!

No, there isn't. Only L+R out, pedal, USB, midi in, midi out...besides, there are different XT versions (also live and pro).
 
What about Sonar? Is there something to reduce the volume of an input?

LeanderAT
 
What about Sonar? Is there something to reduce the volume of an input?

No, DAWs record the signal as delivered. By the time the signal arrives at the DAW it is too late to alter the level. If it is too loud for the DAW it is too loud for the A/D converters in the interface.

Cactus Music
BBottom line is your trying to kludge an obsolete piece of gear into a modernn  system.
You have options and they involve not even bothering with the usb because it won't work if the signal is too hot, Sonar has no way to change USB/ digital signal levels, That is always done by the interface. There either needs to be a control on the device or a software mixer or forget using the usb connection. 
So just use the audio output of the pod into your audio interface. Don't have an interface? You need to buy one or forget about making a good audio recording. 
 

Yep, I've only ever used the analog outs from my POD into SONAR

Thanks for your replies!

I don't want to record my POD using analog outs as I don't need the sound. I only need the dry signal for later use...I have some Toontrack metal packs.

I have a Delta 1010LT soundcard that is old and isn't available in stores anymore but still a good card:


I only need a DI box to record the dry signal...I have passive picksups (Ibanez RG 350EX with default INF humbuckers). Of course a volume knob is important so my guitar won't be too loud anymore.

Simplest / cheapest solution is to turn down volume on the guitar.
If that is unacceptable because it affects the tone (on some guitars the highs get rolled off along with the volume) then you'll either need to modify the guitar (there are easy mods to specifically address this issue) or use a pedal to attenuate the signal instead of increasing it.
 

I was under the impression that the OP was looking for a low/no $ option.
but Johnny is on the money - if the quality of the DI signal is important then a good DI will make a significant difference.
For DI's, this is still my favorite.
http://www.countryman.com/type-85-direct-box/
While I haven't compared it directly against radial engineering's boxes (which I've heard nice things about) my experience / preference has been to always go with an active DI (Radial Engineering does have an active DI version).
The Countryman can be picked up used on Ebay or Reverb at a decent price.
 
On the other hand the 'quality' of the DI signal may not be significant factor when using the Toontrack metal packs.  Depends on how it uses the original signal and other factors.
With Amp modelers like Line6 having a better quality DI signal doesn't usually correlate to a better result. I switched from using a Line6 DI because I thought the output was too low and lacking quality but found that a hotter cleaner signal made the PODFarm plugin sound terribile - it needs a lower input to get the best results.
Also the first piece of advice many pros give metal heads or high gain amp fans is to use a band pass filter to roll off the highs & low end off your guitar signal before passing the signal to your virtual amps.
So just saying that you could end up spending time/money pursuing a pristine DI signal and then have to throw away the gains to get your desired amp sound.
 
Maybe a Toontrack Metal user can comment on what the plug prefers for input.

chuckebaby

LeanderAT
I'll get a Palmer PAN 01 DI box.

Im sorry maybe im missing something.
Your going to buy a DI box that will cost almost the same price as a Focusrite Scarlet solo (which has a built in DI and built in pre amps and volume control and an XLR jack - 1/4 jack) ? But I guess if that Delta 1010LT (that was specifically made for Windows 98) is running good than...
Good luck with this.
 

Good point