OT: Delta 1010LT question

Hi guys,

Sorry to post an OT here, but I'm grasping at straws here...and if you guys don't know the answer to this, no one will as far as I'm concerned. :)

I talked my bud into buying Sonar 8. He also needed a soundcard and I thought the Delta 1010LT would be a good bang for the buck card that would give him some decent results. He's not trying to be a pro engineer or anything, he just wants decent recordings and better than Sh!tBlaster sound.

So he got everything, but he can't seem to get enough level out of the 1010 no matter what he tries to do. All his Windows mixer levels are jacked, he's got the card at +4dB....it's just not giving him any level on any channel. I asked him to give me some specs and this is what he reported.

Guitar Gear: Digitech RP350 Amp Modeler pedal, an out is going out on a guitar cable, being split with an adaptor into left/right RCA cable, and then going in on inputs 5/6 (it was 3/4 originally, but I switched it to see if going in on another pair fixed the problem).

The exact problem is, my input signal is low, when I record in any DAW, I can barely hear my guitar. I have my pedal volume turned all the way up, and the input on the control panel is too. On my previous computer, the exact same setup worked fine and was actually a bit too loud.

My audio card is still set to all the default settings, as I haven't had time to tweak anything since I've been working on simply getting sound into my computer. I'm pretty sure the default settings are something like 44100 sample rate, locked internal. I don't don't really remember the other stuff as I'm at work and away from my computer right now.

My operating system is Vista 64-bit on a brand new pc. (he didn't list the specs but that shouldn't matter for low input.)

So do you guys have any ideas I may be able to tell him to try? To my knowledge, he shouldn't need a pre-amp to push his levels up with a card like this, should he? I mean I know a pre-amp is helpful to everyone, but is it something that is needed with this card? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance everyone. I figured someone here must have or HAD this card and may have had these same issues. :)

Well, at first glance it may be the old reverse logic thing.

If he has the input on the Delta set to +4dBu then that is in anticipation of a HOT signal coming down the line. +4dBu would be the nominal peak and the circuit will allow for some specified amount of headroom as well. The spec might be "clipping occurs at +16dBu" or something like that.

So if the signal getting to the Delta is too low then the +4dBu input may be inappropriate. Perhaps select an input setting that is designed for lower levels?

The Digitech pedal is meant to feed a guitar amp... that's nowhere near a +4dBu spec. Off hand I don't recall what instrument level is in dBu. The digitech will be putting out a relatively hot instrument level... anything more and it would blow out the preamp of a guitar amp.

The Y split is dropping the signal 3dB unless you are using a transformer with a 1:2 step up.

There is also the possibility of impedance incompatibility... but the Digi should be buffering that so save that for last.

best regards,
mike


edit spelling

I have no problems with my 1010 (not the LT version) - but each input/output has a +4/-10 switch on it. Does the LT have those?

I have never been to fond of the M-Audio/64-bit combination though... Their drivers have left a lot to be desired on x64 in the past.

M

Hey Dan,

I own the 1010LT and have had it since Sonar 4PE, now i am on Sonar 8 PE and the 1010lt is working fine. It's probably a slight oversight with your buddy's set-up that is causing the level issue. Really need to open up the control panel of the 1010lt and go through all the set-up controls with a fine tooth comb.

Tom, you can get them if you sign up for their beta program.. on the drivers page there's a link

to me it's a bit silly in the sense of it's a driver.. what the heck would people be doing with it if they didn't have the card... same goes with anyone else who makes hardware, some force you to register.. in some cases I understand why... BUT not in all cases, just seems like an information gathering exercise.