Recording volume is very quiet.

Author
Post
Essentials Only Full Version
nategesner
Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 14
  • Joined: 2004/02/15 19:58:38
  • Status: offline
2004/11/30 00:56:50 (permalink)

Recording volume is very quiet.

I'm recording from my digital piano through a SoundBlaster Live card. Everything works great, but the midi files seem really quiet and I can't get them any louder. If I record a song and play it back, the loudest volume on my computer isn't even half as loud as a midi file that came with my cakewalk software.

I see three buttons up top that claim to adjust the volume, but I can't get them to make a difference on my midi files. I can bounce a midi track to audio and then adjust the volume, but the midi always sounds the same. The volume settings on my computer are all at about 90%, so it's not the computer.

Also, the program doesn't show a peak meter below the midi tracks. I see a peak meter below my audio track, but not midi. I followed the instructions in the help file, but the meter still doesn't show and the volume still doesn't adjust. I've also tried adjusting volume on my keyboard, but that didn't help either.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.
#1

4 Replies Related Threads
    Fandango
    Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 84
    • Joined: 2004/02/15 21:45:37
    • Location: Boston
    • Status: offline
    RE: Recording volume is very quiet. 2004/11/30 11:34:38 (permalink)
    Hi Nategsner,

    got a couple of questions for you and maybe I can help.

    First, when you say that MIDI files are too soft, are you playing them back through your digital piano, or through a soft synth?

    Second, if you are recording and playing back MIDI tracks through your digital piano, where is the audio for the piano connected to?

    ~Fandango
    #2
    nategesner
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 14
    • Joined: 2004/02/15 19:58:38
    • Status: offline
    RE: Recording volume is very quiet. 2004/11/30 20:27:02 (permalink)
    I record the digital piano into a midi track. If I then play it back through the piano, the piano volume plays at the same level as if I were playing the piano. But if I play the same file through the sound card and my computer speakers, it is very quiet.

    I compared a midi track I recorded with a midi track that shipped with my cakewalk software. The track I recorded is only half as loud as the track recorded by cakewalk. This tells me I'm missing an adjustment somewhere.

    Also, the help file states that there are peak meters displayed when recording. But the only peak meters I can find are during playback of audio files, not midi files.
    #3
    57Gregy
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 14404
    • Joined: 2004/05/31 17:04:17
    • Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
    • Status: offline
    RE: Recording volume is very quiet. 2004/11/30 22:32:59 (permalink)
    There are no peaks in MIDI or meters to measure them. The maximum value of a MIDI signal is 127. MIDI cannot be recorded too loud. Only audio has meters, to keep you from distorting and/or clipping. If you want to see how "loud" the MIDI info is, record from your keyboard and then open the event list in your 'view' menu. You can even adjust 1 note there, if that 1 note is grossly loud or inaudibly soft, by clicking on the volume number and entering the volume value you want it to be. To adjust the MIDI volume of a track, click on view, then console and adjust the track volumes there, just like a mixer. Of course the apparent volume of a signal is going to be different when the amplifers and speakers are changed. Your keyboard's amp is rated at a different wattage than your computer's speakers, and undoubtedly the speakers are also very different. Greg
    < Message edited by 57Gregy -- 11/30/2004 10:41:16 PM >
    #4
    nategesner
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 14
    • Joined: 2004/02/15 19:58:38
    • Status: offline
    RE: Recording volume is very quiet. 2004/12/02 00:51:28 (permalink)
    It was the console that did the trick. My track window was showing volume at 127, but when I opened the console it was actually lower than that. I increased it and the midi file plays back louder.

    When I convert it to an audio track, it plays back at a normal volume and sounds great. Thanks for the help!
    #5
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1