QU-USB Drive QU-24

[DerikParticipant]

Would someone be so kind to help me in determining how to increase the output volume recorded to the .wav file on the USB Qu-Drive (Qu-24)? How can I raise the gain or level so the mix is higher? I made a USB recording from a previously recorded service that originally was on a CD. I played the CD back, and had the USB record. The levels were fine coming through the mains as the CD played. It’s easier for me to import a file from the USB than from CD for my podcast. But the level is so low on the USB that I can only raise the volume so much within GarageBand. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[BRSParticipant]

Hi Derik.

I don’t know Mac but does Garageband have a “normalise” function? If you normalise the files then they are amplified just enough to make sure that the highest peak is at maximum. For instance, if your recording has it’s maximum peak at -18dB then when normalised, it will be amplified by +18dB so that the maximum peak is zero. If the highest level is -6dB than it will be amplified by +6dB to ensure the same thing.

the only problem is that if there is a loud pop, the highest level might already be at 0 or close to it in which case normalising won’t do anything.

You might be able to find a batch processor to normalise a bunch of files in one go.

Or download Reaper for your Mac – you’ll have LOTS of options for how to lift the levels of your files in that but there is a learning curve.

[volounteerParticipant]

@Derik

Any DAW should be able to do that.

Audacity is free and allows setting the level of the signal.
Also has an automatic normalise function that will remove DC offsets and then balance both channels
at the maximum dB , for the entire signal , you specify below 0 dBFS.

So you avoid pops but may have a low overall level if there was one really hot spot and the rest was lower.
Just Pick the two parts separately and increase them to the level you want.
You might want to cross fade them into the piece you skipped with that one high spot.

[DerikParticipant]

Thanks

@BRS and @volounteer I will look into using a different DAW but also focus on raising the levels. I spoke to someone running the board and I noticed they had unmuted my mic later in the recording, and some of the recording was picked up by a pulpit mic rather than my lapel mic. That’s probably an issue! Thanks for your quick responses!

[volounteerParticipant]

@Derik

DAWs are very very useful for many things.

People running the board are something to be careful of:)
But you mix with the volounteers you have not the volounteers you wish you had.

Unmuting should have had both mikes picking things up. Maybe they did some other things too.
But still, if you send only the lapel mike out a mix to the CD recorder the pulpit mike should not matter.

We have both pulpit and lapel mikes in use but we route their signal to different sinks.
Cant use the lapel mike in the auditorium or we have terrible feedback because of a standing wave right where the speaker would be at.

We use only the pulpit mike during the sermon in the auditorium.
But the mix has many other mikes that go to the radio, utoob, facebook, and our website.
Soft keys adjust mikes in use in the church automatically. We set the mix and then the livestream guy fixes that level for relay to the various sinks.

[Mike CParticipant]

Would someone be so kind to help me in determining how to increase the output volume recorded to the .wav file on the USB Qu-Drive (Qu-24)? How can I raise the gain or level so the mix is higher? I made a USB recording from a previously recorded service that originally was on a CD. I played the CD back, and had the USB record. The levels were fine coming through the mains as the CD played. It’s easier for me to import a file from the USB than from CD for my podcast. But the level is so low on the USB that I can only raise the volume so much within GarageBand. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I take it you just want to do a straight up LR board mix recording to the QU Drive.

Out of the box the QU drive stereo recording is patched directly off of the LR main out.
What I did was to re-patch the QU Drive stereo recording input to one of the matrix mix outs, you do that in the set up menu under the IO tab.
Then in the matrix set up menu bring up the level to at least 0db on the LR main matrix mix input and select pre.

Now the QU Drive stereo record level is controlled with matrix main level fader of the matrix you selected. The matrix main faders are on the top control layer on the surface.

As a bonus you can now apply separate compression and eq to the signal going to the recording.
When you look at the QU Drive menu you can see the metering level on the stereo input.

That will let bump up the levels to the QU Drive and save some time and additional post production processing.

That’s my default stereo board mix recording set up.

There’s a couple other ways to do it but that is about simplest way to get you
independent level control to the QU Drive.

[volounteerParticipant]

@mikec

Good suggestion!

What page in the manual explained that?

[Mike CParticipant]

Good suggestion!

What page in the manual explained that?

None…just from years of experience in audio system set up.

To be honest I did/do the same thing with analog mixers that have a
matrix so it was not a big deal to apply it to the QU’s and SQ’s
I’ve set up.

If the matrix mixes are needed for other purposes then I go for groups or mixes
to do it, if there are no other options available and the board mix recording is not
a big priority then it’s straight off the LR mix.

That’s not the first time here I have posted that set up.

[Author]

Posts