Maschines Input Level Low

How can I boost the signal for Maschines input? I am plugging a mininova directly into the back of maschine, and even at full volume of the synth, and turning the virtual channel level in maschine OR ableton, I am getting a -10 signal at its max.

 

both MK3 and Mininova powered via adapter and not USB.

 

Idk anything about a mininova, but if the signal is too low, I assume you would need to do the same thing you would do with any signal that's too low, you need an amplifier. That said, -10db is a perfectly fine range to be working with, you never want signal coming in at 0, that's clipping. -10 gives you a lot of headroom without introducing a lot of noise, I'd be very happy working at -10.

 

nobody should need an external amplifier for running into an audio interface. this is a problem with the MK3 that many have noticed, there's nothing good/normal about it.

 

that makes no sense sending an amplified audio signal from a synth into the input of a soundcard. NEXT

absolutely, but not having to max out fader levels and the output volume of a synth to achieve this, or did you miss that part?

 

glad to know this is an issue. guess its time to ditch the MK3 fully, as it cant even be used as a decent soundcard

 

It's a drum machine/beatbox with an entry sound card.

Buy something like a Focusrite Scarlett to run alongside it.

 

that's absolutely ridiculous. (makes me wonder though... does anyone who buys Maschine lately actually know how to use it? do they even know what they can do with it? who the hell would sell, or really even complain about Maschine once they get to know it? what else is going to do what Maschine can?)

normalizing/boosting the sample works well enough. i'm going to try playing around with it later (input gain, etc) to see what else i can find.

"entry level sound card" is no excuse, that's exactly what the Scarlett is. nobody should have to buy anything else to get acceptable levels into this thing. the only reason to buy another sound card should be for more i/o, phantom power, etc.

 

Lol if you think the MK3 gets anywhere near a Scarlett then it's no wonder you are disappointed. Focusrite do very decent gear, the more you pay the more you get. Entry level is it not, and sure there are more high spec'd and more expensive solutions out there.

MK3 has an entry level soundcard, you even have to use ASIO4ALL to do loopbacks and stuff.

Btw I'm talking about what it IS, not what it SHOULD be. Not supplying excuses either, I didn't buy an MK3 nor do I want one. I certainly would not have bought one for its audio interface I've already read the reviews here

 

You asked "How can I boost the signal for Maschines input?" - If the signal is not loud enough for you, you need to amplify it. If you are not happy with that suggestion, feel free to try something else. Or, feel free to sell the MK3 like you are suggesting you might do and gtf off the forum. Don't ask for advice and then get pissed when it's not what you want to hear. If you want to bitch and moan about how bad the MK3 is as an audio interface, buy a real audio interface, not a drum machine that just happens to have an interface built in.

 

I have both a Scarlett 2i2 and an MK3 and just ran a test recording line in of same audio source and both recorded in at exactly the same volume. The difference with the Scarlett is that there is a digital gain knob on the front you can crank up, which is no different than adding more gain after recording in your software of choice.

Worth noting, there are some Focusrite users that recommend keeping the digital gain knob all the way down when recording and adding it in after. Obviously digital gain is different than analog, but Focusrite is considered "professional" and they used a digital gain control on their device to let users' get an artificial loudness boost.

I also recorded the line noise of both with nothing audible in either. Clean signals. I record on my Maschine all the time, but avoid using normalize to keep that noise floor down. There are some great levelers you can apply to your sounds to boost the dynamic range while targeting only the loudest and softest parts of the sound.

There is one major difference and that Is the MK3 line outs for monitoring have a bit more idle hiss on my speakers.