Recording Input Meter issue Sonar X1

You cannot control input level from within Sonar.  You have to do that from your interface.

The record meter when placed in their nominal position, meaning zeroed, will give you an accurate readout of your level. Adjusting them will only skew this and do nothing to adjust the level. Input levels have to be done before they get to the audio interface i.e. sound card. You have to adjust these levels from the device you are recording. 

Jb has it right. So when recording leave the faders in Sonar alone. If your signal is clipping you need to reduce the input level at its source. 

dabogdan


I think you are probably incorrect. Sonar should be able to control that. That's why there are drivers. If you were correct, then why have a meter or a fader at all? Why would you have a input gain parameter? How would you control the input from say a mic array? no way you are correct. Sonar version 2 does this without any issue. I'll open a service request. And I'll let you know what they say. Thanks for your help anyway.

I know I am not incorrect.  Drivers?
 
Why have a meter - to show the level of the signal.
 
Why have a fader - to adjust the output on playback.
 
Why have an input gain control - for gain staging.
 
Before putting in service request, try reading the manual.

rtfm! Probably should have read it before I bought it. :)

I don't know about Sonar 2, but it has certainly been this way since Sonar 6.

Sonar has never ever done this any differently. Nor did Pro Audio.

What you thought was being controlled was simply your good luck that the input was not clipping. 

First of all there is no way Sonar or any other DAW can adjust the level before it hits the AD converter of a digital device. If you overload the inputs of the device it will remain overloaded no matter what you do after the fact.

You must set your levels before they get into the computer. That is what a sound check is for when using any digital device. Its mandatory. 

First of all there is no way Sonar or any other DAW can adjust the level before it hits the AD converter of a digital device....

Not completely true John. VStudio  VS700R owners have control over the input Pad and level before the signal hits the A to D converter via the software control. But overall you are correct as in this case it is rather specialised. (I have checked the block diagram and unless I am wrong that seems to be the case)

Id use the prefader to make sure your input into Sonar isnt clipping before it goes in. 
Check the entire chain for the level you want before it hits X1

agreed. and that was the point John. I would adjust the faders down on Sonar to keep the tracks from clipping. I was able adjust the fader in any fashion. For example: I could drop the fader to zero and I would get no input at all. I thought this was very useful. I had the best of both worlds. This is apparently no longer the case. Heck, the way everyone is talking, maybe this shouldn't have worked and I was getting lucky. I do know that my setup works as described in Sonar 2. I just verified it again. The Sonar 2 setup is updated to the highest patch level. I have 2 M-Audio Delta 1010 ad/da converters the converters are attached via 25 pin snakes (2 in 2 out) to the Tascam M-1600 analog board. Yes I do use the faders on the board in order to get them close to zero, but I'm able to tweak the input with the faders in Sonar 2 as well for fine adjustment.

In other words I can make-

My Les Paul clip on the Line6 X3live,  Back it off so its NOT clipping

If my MAudio inputs are jacked up, I can make the same signal going into my MAudio clip-Turn down the levels at the MAudio

And I when NOTHING is clipping in the previous steps, I watch Track View or Console View and get the levels coming in set to where I want them

ALL DAWS work this way. in this respect SONAR 2 worked no differently then, than SONAR X2 does today.

It is not possible for a DAW to alter the level being sent from the output of an audio device to the input of a computer Audio interface.

Jeff's comments only serve to confuse the issue as what is being controlled is via MIDI control of the outputs in the cakewalk VS700 audio device not the level coming into SONAR. Its a function of the integration between the hardware and software not the recording software itself eg SONAR.

The only level you will change is what you're monitoring and listening to ; not what you're actually recording.

In a DAW that's all the fader controls during the recording process ie the monitoring level/

The recording level is controlled by the input device. If that is a guitar amp then you need to turn the amp to the correct level if its a mic then the Mic preamp needs to be set with the correct output level.

It would, however, be possible to lower the gain on the digital signal before the record meter, and write that altered level to disk while recording. If you clipped the A/D converter, you'd just have a clipped signal that was below 0dB. But perhaps this is what SONAR 2 was doing before the Bakers came to their senses.

I don't recall, because I was off doing something else for a few years, and jumped straight from PA9 to S4. And even if I had used S2, I probably wouldn't remember anymore. 

dabogdan


Hey guys, looks like you're all correct and I am not. Sonar version 2 did this and X1 doesn't. boo hoo! Thanks again for your help. Dave

There has never been a SONAR or Cakewalk version that can control the input level. The input level is determined in your audio interface when the signal is digitized by A/D converters. After that, if the signal is clipped, you can control how loud you want to hear the clipped signal, but there's no way you can remove the clipping.

Hey, I Think ive found the resolution to this problem. Open X1 & Any project, look right above the actual window with the faders, there will be a row of different options [i.e. View, Options, Tracks, Layers, Clip, MIDI, V- Vocal]. Go into "Options" then go down to Meter Options, Record Meter Options, & Set it to " -12db"  .. The random jumping of the faders should disappear.