Issue with volume recording

[Relapse808Participant]

Hey guys,

I have had my QU-24 for many months now but just started to record with it. I am using a thumb drive hooked up to the QU drive for stereo recording. I am able to record just fine but all of my recordings are coming out at such a low volume. I have the master volume where its pretty up there but the recordings are so low. I have tried a DAW(reaper) and I am getting the same low sounding recordings. Anyone have an idea on why this is happening to me? Thanks.

[volounteerParticipant]

@relapse808

Does it play back too low on the Qu24?

Have you tried amplifying it in the DAW?

What levels were the signals going into the QuDrive when you recorded?
Most people run audio way TOO HOT and AH has a large headroom to stop clipping.

[Relapse808Participant]

When I play it back on the QU it sounds fine. If I take the wav file off the drive and place it on my phone and play in car etc. you can tell the audio is very low. I will have to double check what the levels but the main meter was peaking in the yellow light level. I would much rather get the QU to record right instead of using a amp in a daw to make the wav file louder.

[Mike CParticipant]

In the IO set up menu you can select different inputs for the QU Drive stereo recording input.

To take care of what your experiencing I will select one of the matrix mixes to feed the QU drive to make stereo board mix recordings.

In the matrix bring up the LR main level, you can boost it up there, select pre, the master matrix fader will control the overall record level.
As an added plus on the matrix out feeding the recording you can add some compression and EQ if needed and that will only go the recording.
You can PFL the matrix master and listen to the recording feed.
My default board mix recording is that unless I need both matrix feeds for something else.

You could also select an available mix to send to the Qu Drive, you would want that mix
set post fade, post processing and the channel mix levels all the same, unless you wanted to alter the mix to the recording.

[Relapse808Participant]

Thanks Mike. Let me give your suggestions a try and see how it goes. If I have some issues with it I will report back!

[Dancing BrookParticipant]

My best guess is your speakers/amps are way too loud, and thus your trim/gain and/or mains are way down, to compensate. Is everything at unity?

[Mike CParticipant]

My best guess is your speakers/amps are way too loud, and thus your trim/gain and/or mains are way down, to compensate. Is everything at unity?

True, if the system gain structure is all wacked out and he has the main output fader set really low.

That said in my systems with the gain structure in place I noticed the board mix records running a little low with the QU Drive taking the input directly from the LR mix.

[mt media gruntParticipant]

Having the same problem on our new QU-pac. I can get higher level by patching the desired channel to the qu-drive but still very low levels. Using the main LR output (default) almost no volume. Gain structure is correct. Is the playback and record on the qu-drive always .WAV format ?

[Mike CParticipant]

Having the same problem on our new QU-pac. I can get higher level by patching the desired channel to the qu-drive but still very low levels. Using the main LR output (default) almost no volume. Gain structure is correct. Is the playback and record on the qu-drive always .WAV format ?

Yep .WAV files.

Go up to my first post and try one of those QU Drive recording routing options.

[mt media gruntParticipant]

Thanks Mike C. I’ll try some routing options. I did notice if I patched the channel source versus the main LR output to the drive the volume level was better, but still low. I’ll try the matrix or another mix output that I can crank up the level. At what point does the QU actually start showing distortion?

[Mike CParticipant]

At what point does the QU actually start showing distortion?

Once your hitting solid “red” peaks you will hear it getting fuzzy and more and it’s getting nasty.

[volounteerParticipant]

@mt media grunt

you said:
<<At what point does the QU actually start showing distortion?>>

All digital systems distort once they go over 0dBFS which is when the red light on the Qu lights up.

The QU had 18dB of headroom between the top of the green lights and the red light which is shown by yellow lights.
You should be able to drive the Qu into the yellow occasionally and never have a problem.
If you consistently go deep into the yellow there is the chance of clipping on peaks you do not see in the lights.

That said one mastering service sent me a sample that had clipping all over the track. Unclear if that was really a terrible mastering job or if the kiddies who sent in their ‘beats’ had clipped it when they recorded/edited their ‘music’. Anyway that is what your output would sound like if you hit the red for more than one sample in a row.

[garyhParticipant]

Actually, I believe there is still a small amount of headroom left even when a peak hits the red led. It’s a warning to “back off now”.

[volounteerParticipant]

@garyh

there might be more
but the way I read the docs was that 0dBFS=red light=clipping

and that they gave us 18dB of headroom which is shown as +dB on the board LR lights
with that ending when the green says 0dB so anything more is using the headroom
with the yellow lights show you are approaching clipping

Personally my rule of thumb with digital is to never go above -18dBFS
so I am quite happy with the way they have the Qu marked

Our MD has set the system up with help from the dealer and in practice we are usually at -12dB on the board markings
The highest I have seen was a peak at -3dB on LR

That said on occasion an individual mike has peaked in the red because we do not have enough compression and trying to get enough volume for intelligibility means that some speakers with too much DR will peak when they yell.

Now if AH snuck in a couple more dB headroom that would be okay but I did not see that in the manual.

[Mfk0815Participant]

@relapse808 can it be that you compare your recording with some professional produced reference tracks? These tracks are well produced, mixed and mastered to get the maximum sound and loudness. Because your recordings are missing most of that steps they will be not as loud asthos reference tracks. Thats normal and even not your fault or the fault of the desk.
You can try to normalize the recording and add some EQ, compression, limiters and effects like this in your DAW to increase the loudness of your recording. There are also some plugins out there which helps you to do that job. But even with those plugins you have to do a lot of practice to produce similar results as the pros. Nevertheless, also those pros started some day with the same observation as you did.

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