Apogee Users: +4dBu or -10dBv

[ghldgr]

Recently we got a new Apogee Symphony at the studio and was wondering what most Apogee users are using when they are connecting the Axe directly into their Apogee for recording.

There's a bunch of threads from the past about using +4dBu (obvious choice) and barely getting a signal while using an Apogee interface. Note: We did not have this issue with our Metric Halo so I think it's an Apogee / Axe thing.

Default presets using a humbucker based guitar are...
+4dBu = You need to max the Output Vol and boost the mixer level a decent amount. Still somewhat thin sounding.
-10dBv = You need to lower the mixer level a medium amount. Very full sounding.

Thoughts?

 

[chris]

if -10 sounds better, use that!

 

[knoll]

Apogee Symphony max input level for
* +4dBu setting is +24dBu
* -10dBV settins is +6dBV (that's about +8.2dBu)

Axe-Fx II max output level is +20dBu which means you won't reach your interface's max input level with +4dBu setting. The difference between +24dBu and +20dBu is about 4.5V (RMS). Gaining 4.5V is equal to about 13dB. (Hopefully I got the math right.) Is that 13dB the level drop you are experiencing (with axe output at max) or what does "barely getting a signal" mean?

For Metric Halo (I assume ULN-8 or LIO-8 model here) the maximum input depends on jumper setting. Which jumper setting did you have?
Peak Line Output @ 0 dBFS (no jumper/low power) +18.5 dBu
Peak Line Output @ 0 dBFS (output jumper/low power) +22.0 dBu
Peak Line Output @ 0 dBFS (output jumper/high power) +24.5 dBu

For reference, RME UFX max input level for
* Lo Gain setting is +19dBu
* +4dBu setting is +13dBu. I run this setup and I have Axe-Fx II output 1 knob around 1 o'clock.
* -10dBV setting is +2dBV (that's about +4.2dBu)

 

[Drama]

+4dBu here in to Symphony and Ensembles. Hit my daw at around -12db, perfect. If I want to monitor louder, well, I turn up the monitors.

 

[Trazan]

Default presets using a humbucker based guitar are...
+4dBu = You need to max the Output Vol and boost the mixer level a decent amount. Still somewhat thin sounding.
-10dBv = You need to lower the mixer level a medium amount. Very full sounding.

Thoughts?

If +4 dBu sounds thinner than -10 dBV you're doing something wrong. They should sound pretty much the same. What "mixer" are you talking about? I would connect the Axe with XLR to +4 dBu. Leave the Axe output at full (no attenuation). This way the Axe will be set the exact same way every time, no level surprises/inconsistencies.

According to knoll the Symphony is set to 0 dBFS = + 24 dBu. The Axe doesn't provide that much juice, and in addition you will need some dB's of safety within the Axe. Can the reference not be calibrated on the Symphony? At +4 dBU reference, the Axe has a maximum headroom of 16 dB. Set the Symphony to that, if possible.

Still, hitting your Symphony converters at around - 10 dBFS is absolutely no problem. Quite the contrary.

The difference between +24dBu and +20dBu is about 4.5V (RMS). Gaining 4.5V is equal to about 13dB. (Hopefully I got the math right.)

The math is right, but I have no clue what you meant with the 13 dB part. The dB difference netween +20 and +24 is obviously....4 dB

 

[biggestmuff]

I have an Axe-Fx II and an Apogee ensemble. I changed the inputs on the ensemble between +4 and -10 and heard no difference in quality or volume.

Now changing the outputs on the ensemble between +4 and -10 did change volume, but that has nothing to do with the Axe-Fx. This changes what the ensemble outputs to the speakers (Mackie HR824s) regardless of what the ensemble's input sources are.

 

[ghldgr]

I have an Axe-Fx II and an Apogee ensemble. I changed the inputs on the ensemble between +4 and -10 and heard no difference in quality or volume.

Now changing the outputs on the ensemble between +4 and -10 did change volume, but that has nothing to do with the Axe-Fx. This changes what the ensemble outputs to the speakers (Mackie HR824s) regardless of what the ensemble's input sources are.

Yeah. I spoke with them a couple of days ago. They told me to just use the "Variable" setting moving forward.