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  #31  
Old 01-24-2014, 09:48 AM
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Greg0man Greg0man is offline
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

Still , having the same issue , after replacing mbox 3 with another new one. have to turn up gain all the way to where you can actually here noise to get adequate input level .. Using: Shure 57./w xlr both ends, 110 watt Fender tube amp. NO Pad. and pahntom power. THinking about trying a different mic for recording guitar....
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  #32  
Old 01-24-2014, 10:54 AM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is online now
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg0man View Post
Still , having the same issue , after replacing mbox 3 with another new one. have to turn up gain all the way to where you can actually here noise to get adequate input level .. Using: Shure 57./w xlr both ends, 110 watt Fender tube amp. NO Pad. and pahntom power. THinking about trying a different mic for recording guitar....
As others have pointed out the gain knob on the box is not exactly very linear.

How loud are you running the guitar amp and is the SM57 right at the speaker (within inches?).

You do not need phantom power on an SM57 or any other dynamic mic.

Are you sure the mic and cable is OK? Do you have spares to check it with? Check for intermittent or corroded connections etc. Try flexing the cable shaking the mic etc.
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  #33  
Old 01-24-2014, 12:31 PM
Greg C Greg C is offline
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Default Re: Mbox mini 3

Correct, you don't need phantom power for an SM57. That said, it shouldn't make any difference if phantom is on or off unless your mic cable is wired incorrectly. Which could also cause other problems. How loud are you running the guitar amp? You may simply need to turn the amp up. And this may sound silly, are you sure you have the mic over the actual driver and not just the part of the grill cloth over solid wood? It happens...
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  #34  
Old 01-26-2014, 04:23 AM
popajoe popajoe is offline
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

hi inputs 1-2 and 3-4;5-6;7-8 .Win you connect to one of the two it sets the other one,so if you put a instrument in 1 or 2 you should put mic in 3 or 4 and yes the input will be low but not that low put eq;comp;or trim tool on it to bring up input

i use a pre before going in to M-box but thats me !


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  #35  
Old 01-28-2014, 09:30 AM
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Default Re: Mbox mini 3

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Originally Posted by Greg C View Post
Correct, you don't need phantom power for an SM57. That said, it shouldn't make any difference if phantom is on or off unless your mic cable is wired incorrectly. Which could also cause other problems. How loud are you running the guitar amp? You may simply need to turn the amp up. And this may sound silly, are you sure you have the mic over the actual driver and not just the part of the grill cloth over solid wood? It happens...
LOL> No the mic is is to the right of the center of the speaker. And the AMP is turned up to 4- 110 watt.Uncomfortably l0ud for recording.
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  #36  
Old 01-28-2014, 09:31 AM
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

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Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm View Post
As others have pointed out the gain knob on the box is not exactly very linear.

How loud are you running the guitar amp and is the SM57 right at the speaker (within inches?).

You do not need phantom power on an SM57 or any other dynamic mic.

Are you sure the mic and cable is OK? Do you have spares to check it with? Check for intermittent or corroded connections etc. Try flexing the cable shaking the mic etc.
Cables are fine. Mic is fine. AMp is up to an uncomforatbale level.
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  #37  
Old 01-28-2014, 09:53 AM
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

If you can't get a loud enough signal using a SM57 with a 110 watt tube amp set to 4, how can you record vocals or acoustic guitar? Have you tried other inputs on the Mbox?
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  #38  
Old 01-28-2014, 10:06 AM
mesaone mesaone is offline
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

... And you're positive there's nothing wrong with the microphone. You've tested it elsewhere?
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  #39  
Old 06-05-2016, 09:35 PM
kcrimi kcrimi is offline
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

For anyone still having these issues of low input levels on the Mbox 3, I'll share what I found and how I've been working around it.

I get this problem when using my 2 CAD m179 condensers. Apparently these are pretty power hungry condensers and it seems the phantom power on the mbox is not quite beefy enough to keep them both satisfied. I first found this out when I realized that I had normal levels with 1 mic but using them in stereo had very low input.

Additionally, if I unplugged one of them, you can hear a pumping of the remaining mic as it starts to get fed enough juice. After it stabilizes, the level is at a much higher, usable level. If you plug the other one back in, it remains at the lower level and overtime, the loud mic's level will dwindle back down.

Therefore, my workaround (though not fun) is basically, every 10-15 minutes or so, unplug one mic, let the other pump back up, then plug it back in and do the same with the other mic. At the end of this, you will have both mics with usable levels without the high noise floor. My theory is this pumping is charging the capacitors in the condenser mics which then runs down over time.

Another problem I have with this workaround is sometimes plugging the mic back in will cause pro tools to lose contact with the mbox. The workaround I use for this: follow the steps above but before plugging the cable back in, select "Front" on the channel. After it's plugged in, you can reselect the "rear" mode.

Hope this helps someone
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  #40  
Old 06-05-2016, 09:42 PM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is online now
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Default Re: Mic Inputs Very Low (AGAIN WTF!!!) w/ Mbox 3

If phantom power is misbehaving a simple fix is an outboard phantom power box... http://www.sweetwater.com/c959--Phantom_Power
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