Behringer Eurorack mixer

Wobbit · 04-21-2003, 04:36 PM

Hey guys,
I just bought a little mini mixer for my home recording, it's the Behringer Eurorack MX 602A. Its just a little 'un with a couple mono tracks and a couple stereo tracks.
Supposedly it's supposed to be absolutely awesome for the price (around 100 bucks) - with like no noise and really good sound quality.
Anyhow, I used it to record some stuff and it all sounds really crappy. like totally not stereo and quite a bit of hum. Honestly, my old computer mic recorded better than this.,
SO, I think I'm probably doing something wrong. I've got the mixer hooked up into the mic jack on the back of the computer.
I didn't record my guitar directly into it, I used a mic into the mixer.
It sounds like crap, any helpful hints? I must be doing something wrong.

Brent · 04-21-2003, 05:53 PM

That doesn't sound half as bad as you make it out to be... Maybe if you crank it up too loud, but it's acoustic guitar so there's no point in that...

Plug the mixer into the line-in jack of your computer and not the mic jack. The mic jack is not stereo in the first place, so you're not going to get a stereo recording by plugging the mixer into that. You're also only going to get a stereo recording using the line-in jack of your computer if you have some sort of cord adapter that takes your two (L and R) cables from the mixer and mixes them into ONE stereo plug (usually 1/8" mini plug for your line-in). The only way you'll even notice anything in stereo is if you have things panned left or right on the mixer or if you're recording from a stereo source (which would use two channels of the mixer).

If using the line-in doesn't get rid of this "bad" hum you refer to (which I certainly don't hear at normal volume levels), then try turning off your computer monitor while you're recording. They can cause some interference with sound equipment.

Wobbit · 04-21-2003, 06:41 PM

sweet man, thank you for the tips.
I think part of my problem might be my soundcard. I think it might have bit the biscuit, that might be where my hum is coming from. I'll plug it into the line-in now, and thankfully I DO have one of those funky stereo cords.

drumguy515 · 04-21-2003, 09:23 PM

I'm not hearing the hum either - could the hum be happening when you play the file back on your computer?

Wobbit · 04-21-2003, 10:22 PM

ya i think the hum was something that i didn't have muted or something just making background noise.
anyway, now that i think i've gotten it pretty well figured out, heres a clip of how good it sounds

note that the drums are a loop i got off the net, but all the guitars I recorded.
sounds pretty good quality eh? i just need better mics
thanks for your guys help

Nate · 04-21-2003, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brent
Plug the mixer into the line-in jack of your computer and not the mic jack.

I was about to suggest this, but for a different reason than the one Brent stated (which was also a good reason, BTW).

Most mic jacks (even on computers, I think) have a pre-amp of some sort on them. If you run a microphone into your mixer, then from the mixer's output into your computer's microphone jack... you will effectively be running the signal through two pre-amps (one in the mixer, and one in the computer). This is not good for your signal at all. Basically, it will make it impossible to get a good sound without clipping... which will result in a very harsh distortion of your signal.

In His love,
Nate