[dodged forgottenn]

Thanks for the "rantings"!!!!

I guess your thought depends on what you mean by "wrongly". I've actually calibrated the 888's two ways. I've followed the new Digidesign method to a T. First calibration mode. Signal generator set to -18 sending to a bus. 24 aux inputs (or however many 888's I have at the time) set with before mentioned bus as the input source. Each aux input set to output to the direct channel of the 888 it correlates to(1-24 as 24 seems to be a good number). Into the console skipping the channel input but still hitting the meters (insert return or tape monitor input) and adjusting the outs on the 888's to zero VU on the meters.

Now -18 is the Digi recomended tone level for signal generator. Since the outs have been too hot, I know I can send a tone 4 or 5 dB less (i.e. -23) to compensate for the high output level rather than have to turn the line input down 4 dB on every track on the SSL when it comes time to mix. Or I could stay with the -18dB tone and and adjust the meters to -4 VU.

Back to my first example. If I stick to the Digidesign way, I send the same tone back out of the desk as direct as possible skipping all pots and faders. I patch directly out the group output of each channel back into the 888's. I make 24 new aux's, select the input of each to it's corresponding 888 "direct" input. Outputs to any bus other than one already being used and adjust to -18. Now adjust levels in Digidesign to -18. If, as I mentioned before, I send a -23 dB signal out of signal generator to cal the outs, and then continue in the Digi fashion and adjust my inputs to -23, will they be too low to get good signal into protools or mess up my gain structure by "bottlenecking" the flow. Instead of this, can I just switch the the output of signal generator back to -18 instead of -23 to cal the inputs, thereby achieving the same amount of the Digi recomended input level. Really if I want to do this, it's just the same as adjusting the level of the meters on the desk receiving from the 888 outputs to -5 VU. Right??? So does anyone find any fault or concurence with my hypothesized methods??

So here's where to introduce a whole new level of complexity to the situation. Now I don't trust Digi calibration mode because I realized you are only calibrating the outputs of the 888's to the desk meters. The inputs are calibrated in Pro Tools. It seems to me that it is best to cal both the outputs and the inputs to the desk VU meters for true desk correlation.

So I go out the the 888's in the same fashion as before, except this time at 5 dB less (-23 on the signal generator). Cal the meters to 0VU. Here is the change. I use the desk oscillator set to cal level patched out my desk group outputs into the corresponding 888 inputs. I route them in Protools straight out the corresponding 888 outputs back into the same signal path of the console as before, adjusting the 888 inputs to 0dB on the desk meters. Any faults with this???

Maybe I need a better "attention-grabbing" subject line like "Do any of you suckers trust calibration mode?" to get people's responses? It's like plotting pickup lines for women (ha,ha).