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  #1  
Old 12-28-2015, 11:29 AM
Tyeetime Tyeetime is offline
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Default New recording gear, something not quite right

I have;

Steinberg UR22
Shure SM57
Garageband

I plugged the mic into the input and strummed my acoustic. It is recording but the volume through my headphones is low, even with the headphone volume turned up. Then when I play back through garageband I can't hear it unless I unplug the earphones from the interface and plug into the laptop. This shouldn't be the case should it?

I searched youtube for tutorials but haven't found anything helpful yet. Any help here?
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  #2  
Old 12-28-2015, 11:50 AM
sam.spoons sam.spoons is offline
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OK, use input 1, set the mic about 8-12" from the guitar pointing at the 14th fret. Strum loudly and adjust the gain control 'till the 'peak' light just barely flickers on your loudest playing (If you play fingerstyle or are a flat picker you might use the loudest of your normal style to set the gain). That should give you enough signal going into Garage Band.

If you didn't get the quick start guide and CD Rom with the user manual with UR22 you can find them here
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  #3  
Old 12-28-2015, 12:02 PM
paulp1960 paulp1960 is offline
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The Shure SM57 might struggle to get much signal into the UR22 which may not have enough gain available as well using this mic with an acoustic guitar.

If you can afford it buy a condenser mic you can get one for less than an SM57 these days.

These are pretty cheap and some people rate them quite highly:

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-B-5-.../dp/B0002KZAM6

There are even cheaper ones if you're skint.
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Old 12-28-2015, 12:06 PM
Trevor B. Trevor B. is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyeetime View Post
I have;

Steinberg UR22
Shure SM57
Garageband

I plugged the mic into the input and strummed my acoustic. It is recording but the volume through my headphones is low, even with the headphone volume turned up. Then when I play back through garageband I can't hear it unless I unplug the earphones from the interface and plug into the laptop. This shouldn't be the case should it?

I searched youtube for tutorials but haven't found anything helpful yet. Any help here?
Hello Tyeetime,
Do you have input monitoring turned on? There should be an input monitoring button on your track header(s) and if you open up the Smart Controls window and click the inspector icon (letter i) an input monitoring button should appear in the inspector pane to the left of the Smart Controls. Click on that button and the feedback control beside it. Also, make sure you're routing the output to your headphones on the interface for playback. Hope this helps.

Last edited by Trevor B.; 12-28-2015 at 12:10 PM. Reason: A second thought on the subject.
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  #5  
Old 12-28-2015, 01:00 PM
Fran Guidry Fran Guidry is offline
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Max gain on a UR22 is 54 dB, which is a bit low for using a dynamic mic on an acoustic guitar.

Fran
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Old 12-28-2015, 01:04 PM
Psalad Psalad is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran Guidry View Post
Max gain on a UR22 is 54 dB, which is a bit low for using a dynamic mic on an acoustic guitar.

Fran
A bit low but not unusable.

I think you are right, it's a gain stage problem. The OP needs to crank up the mic pre gain all the way, that should do it.

I wouldn't say buy a different microphone because that will bring up all kinds of problems potentially.
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Old 12-28-2015, 02:40 PM
paulp1960 paulp1960 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Psalad View Post
A bit low but not unusable.

I think you are right, it's a gain stage problem. The OP needs to crank up the mic pre gain all the way, that should do it.

I wouldn't say buy a different microphone because that will bring up all kinds of problems potentially.
Err, like what kind of problems do you envisage with recording his guitar with a condenser mic versus a dynamic mic?

But I would always agree with getting the best out of what you've got first.
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  #8  
Old 12-28-2015, 02:48 PM
Psalad Psalad is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paulp1960 View Post
Err, like what kind of problems do you envisage with recording his guitar with a condenser mic versus a dynamic mic?

But I would always agree with getting the best out of what you've got first.
A condenser brings the room into play, especially a good condenser. If the room is not so good/untreated/etc, sometimes a dynamic is a great choice.
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  #9  
Old 12-29-2015, 08:45 AM
Tyeetime Tyeetime is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trevor B. View Post
Hello Tyeetime,
Do you have input monitoring turned on? There should be an input monitoring button on your track header(s) and if you open up the Smart Controls window and click the inspector icon (letter i) an input monitoring button should appear in the inspector pane to the left of the Smart Controls. Click on that button and the feedback control beside it. Also, make sure you're routing the output to your headphones on the interface for playback. Hope this helps.
This was very helpful, thank you.

Thanks to all who replied, now the fun begins.
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  #10  
Old 12-30-2015, 12:49 PM
Trevor B. Trevor B. is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyeetime View Post
This was very helpful, thank you.

Thanks to all who replied, now the fun begins.
You're welcome. After all the help I've received here on the AGF recording forum I'm happy to return the favour.
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