Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

[sunburst79]

Originally Posted by ianbee

Thanks for the input guys, I've practically came to the conclusion that the levesl i'm getting and the volume I am getting for my recordings are natural with the mbox... or maybe most preamps / interfaces out there. But its puzzling to me because with my pv i100 mic... I record with the gain cranked practically all the way up and the levels are so quiet that I have to boost up the gain in PT atleast 12 db for a decent volume. It's not as bad with my TLM 102.. but I just expected it to work in the aspect that if my gain knob is almost all the way to the right and I sing fairly loud... I should get some levels or volume that is atleast in the yellow range... it works like that with my guitar... I record with the gain knob not even at half and I get clipping. But with my tlm 102 mic. I crank the gain knob up almost all the way to the right with my box, sing loud and get somewhat quiet results.

I know you can adjust this all in post.. but when my gain level is cranked up this far I get some annoying noise in my recordings. But maybe I would get the same if the gain knob was more sensitive. I don't know.

It's all very weird to me because the person I spoke to over the phone at avid shared my screen with him, had me do test and then came to the conclusion that I have a "faulty" mbox. But this obviously is not the case since the same "issue" remains on my new mbox.

Again, I appreciate your guys's input and will talk to an avid support worker tommorow. Wish me luck!

Have you tried a different dynamic mic? is it possible the Peavy mic is defective or damaged? Just a thought.

[Ked Thornton]

I am having the same exact issue with my MBox. I also own a 3rd Gen MBox. I have use it several time before and the level were perfect. A few days ago it was giving me lower than normal levels. Even when I crank the gain all the way up, I am getting just around -10dB on the meter. I plugged my MPC1000 into the TRS and the levels are fine. Someone here mentioned that the TRS bypasses the mic preamp. Maybe that's the issue. A hardware defect with the MBox mic preamp.

[Greg0man]

Well, ijust bought the MBOX3 mini(was using the mini2) . I Mic my Tube AMP at the grill cloth with a SM57,(yes xlr's on both ends) I have to turn my Amp up to an uncomfortable level and the input gain Knob on the MB3 to over 3/4's., to get a good unity gain input level in Pro tools LE 8.05. This does not seem right .. Shoudl be able to play softer and turn up the input. Is this typical ? or did I get a lemon?

[Spades]

I've been having this problem with the Mbox 3 Pro, also. I haven't been able to figure out the cause of it and it just seems to correct itself over a couple of days. I have found this interface to be a very reliable paperweight at least. So yeah, swings and roundabouts.

[chrisdee]

I don't know if it's an issue rather just how it works. Monitored mic signals have been lower than instrument signals on all devices I have tried.
But is it both the monitored and recorded signal that's low or just the monitored signal?

If it's just the monitored signal I would check that the input faders in the mbox mixer panel are turned all the way up.
If it's the recorded signal aswell I would borrow a good external preamp and check if the line signal is stronger.

[louieshowers]

Each gain knob has an option to pull outward and create a -20 db pad. Try pulling the knob in and out and make sure you hear a clicking noise. The knobs are designed really poorly and could easily get stuck in the -10 db pad position. Try that!

[ianbee]

Originally Posted by Greg0man

Well, ijust bought the MBOX3 mini(was using the mini2) . I Mic my Tube AMP at the grill cloth with a SM57,(yes xlr's on both ends) I have to turn my Amp up to an uncomfortable level and the input gain Knob on the MB3 to over 3/4's., to get a good unity gain input level in Pro tools LE 8.05. This does not seem right .. Shoudl be able to play softer and turn up the input. Is this typical ? or did I get a lemon?

I have to crank mine almost all the way to the right to get a comfortable level.... so yeah it's pretty normal for me!

[mesaone]

The "sweet spot" for that interface is almost at the very top of the available gain. I have one, but I use it in conjunction with a mixer... So I feed the line inputs. But for a time, I was using the mic pres on the MBOX itself, and never encountered an issue with low gain ( on either dynamic or condenser)

I see the issue you're identifying, but it isn't necessarily a problem. The levels in the pic you shared were fine for vocals - I would back off the gain for that guitar recording, though. On the other hand, you really should find it easy to clip the input with the gain maxed, with most microphones.

Originally Posted by louieshowers

Each gain knob has an option to pull outward and create a -10 db pad

That's the first thing I thought when reading the thread title. It's a 20 dB pad, by the way.

[louieshowers]

Originally Posted by mesaone

That's the first thing I thought when reading the thread title. It's a 20 dB pad, by the way.

Yes! You are right.. Even more of a reason for these guys to try (pulling) clicking them in and out a few times. -20 db is a big deal. As far as the hardware knobs, they really are quite stiff and do not offer a convincing click sound, especially if you haven't utilized the pad feature in a while. So I would be curious to know if these guys have tried that.

Ps. I have found that using the pull out pad feature for guitars/bass is a must..it definitely provides a better sound and reduced signal in my experience. And allows you to set the input knob at about 2 or 3 o'clock or so.

[mesaone]

Originally Posted by louieshowers

As far as the hardware knobs, they really are quite stiff and do not offer a convincing click sound, especially if you haven't utilized the pad feature in a while.

Mine has a hefty "click" you I can both feel and hear... But I don't use it that often. Maybe the something in there wears down after awhile.