recorded track plays back distorted

[benjo]

I use m-box with windows xp. i am new to all this. i plug my guitar in to the unit on imput one on a mono track, set the record enable and record a bit. when i listen to the playback it sounds distorted. i can't figure it out.

[StavrosSound]

Only in playback, or when minotiring during record-arm? If on both, you probably have an Impedance issue and need to run through a D/I box to covert it from Hi-Z to Lo-Z, and make sure you're input is looking for, as it seems in your case, a Line level signal (as opposed to Mic). It sounds like your 1.23V Line Level signal may be trying to push through a 60mV Mic Level input and flat line distorts. More than likely its a Mic/Line level issue.

Maybe thats it?

Try these things:

1. Plug your 1/4" cable into input 1 and on the front, with the trim dead, set it to DI (lights up orange)

2. Turn up the trim and listen via headphones to your signal and play some guitar.

3. If you hear your guitar and it sounds non-distorted, try switching between +4/-10. This should alternate between Hi-Z -10 dBm and Lo-Z +4dBm, Consumer Line level unbalanced and Professional Line Level balanced, respectively. I'm not sure what you're guitar operates off of, so try switching between both and use whichever gives you a more definite signal (i.e. when I plug in RCAs via 1/4" adapters from my DJ Mixer to record, I have to enable the DI on the front for Line level, and hit -10 so it reads the Impedance level of the unbalanced Consumer Level signal correctly)

If that doesn't work, try explaining more (signal flow from the guitar to your output monitors, track setup, etc)

If that is it though, it' a common beginniner mistake

It's good your learning on the Digi preamps that have failsafes... much cheaper than pushing a Line through Mic level and/or switching between the two with a hot signal, the voltage frying at best and blowing up at worst a $1000 Neve preamp. I've seen such things happen. Not a pretty sight.

Same thing goes with phantom power (P48) versus an old standard called 12T. If I recall, P48 sends up th 48V up the ground line to power a mic. If you even so much as accidently, on a P48-marked mic, flip the 12T swtich, it will fry the microphone. Basically, its sending 12V right up the mic line, a line only capable of handing up to 1.23V.

Voltage and impedances are something to read up about, especially if you're a musician and/or audio engineer and will be working in studio environments with different audio formats and microphone types. The knowledge is indespensible.