Hi,
Help! I'm not trained in any of this stuff and don't fully understand it, so I'm hoping somebody can help me out
I have a FF400 and recently bought a new preamp - the DAV BG1, which I'm delighted with.
However, I'm trying to match the two up as best I can.
The DAV has quite a high output. The clipping level is at +29dBu. The green LED goes on at +15dBu and the red at +19dBu. It also has an adjustable pad.
The FF400 inputs can be adjusted. There are 2 line inputs on the front (inputs 3/4) and four on the back (inputs 5-8). These are adjusted differently, but can be set equivalently, as follows:
Reference 5-8.....0 dBFS @......Setting 3/4
Lo Gain................+19 dBu........Pad
+4 dBu................+13 dBu........No Pad
-10 dBV...............+2 dBV..........Inst
-..........................+8 dBu..........Inst + Pad
Thus far, I have simply been watching my levels in Reaper when tracking and setting the gain on my pre so that I get the level I want - let's say peaks at around -12. This doesn't even turn on the green light on the pre, but I haven't worried about that.
Here's the question - would I be better off setting the FF400 to either "Lo Gain" (for 5-8) or with the pad (inputs 3/4), thus setting 0dBFS at +19dBu? Alternatively, I could use a pad on the DAV, but I can't work out whether that makes things better or worse. Lastly, I could get the pre calibrated so that the LEDs come on at lower levels.
Or, should I just not worry about it?
I've been looking at the specs and some discussions, but don't really understand them. I'm sure somebody here does!
If I'm not giving the key information, or if my question makes no sense, don't be surprised! Edumacate me, please, and ask for the relevant stuff!
Thanks