Equipment Issues regarding Line Level

[DeeJay1657]

Hello everyone,

First id like to start off by saying I am very ignorant to the technical aspect of equipment and such, but with that being said lets get to the subject..

I had recently purchased a Korg Volca Sample, and with my ignorance also bought the Audiobox 22VSL (which is not line level) with hopes of recording the audio from the Volca to Ableton. With the issues of buying the Audiobox, it led me to having to buy a DI Box (my current is LiveWire Passive).
So, I set it up, having my:

Korg Volca (1/8 to 1/4 Y Cable) -> In/Out (Parallel) on my Livewire DI with the Output (Female XLR to 1/4) -> Instrument Preamp on the Audiobox 22VSL

Ive followed every step in Ableton to hear the Audio from the Korg being playing back (in Ableton) but yet I dont hear anything.

Is there something im doing wrong? Is my setup with the DI box not correct?

Please help! I dont want to feel like my purchase of the Korg Volca Sample to be a waste!

[Richie Witch]

Can you provide a little more info on the Y-cable you're using? Is the 1/8" plug TS or TRS? Same question about the two 1/4" plugs on the other end.

Hopefully, it's something like this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CMP159

[fishmonkey]

as far as i can see that DI is mono. also, one of the 1/4" jacks is an input, the other is an output. it's not clear how you are using the Y-cable, but you certainly shouldn't have it plugged into both 1/4" jacks of the DI at the same time.

since the Volca has a stereo output, ideally you would use either a pair of mono DIs, or a stereo DI...

[Richie Witch]

as far as i can see that DI is mono. also, one of the 1/4" jacks is an input, the other is an output. it's not clear how you are using the Y-cable, but you certainly shouldn't have it plugged into both 1/4" jacks of the DI at the same time.

since the Volca has a stereo output, ideally you would use either a pair of mono DIs, or a stereo DI...

Yeah, I agree with the DI parallel connection--one is an output, so hopefully he doesn't have that one connected.

Additionally, if he has the right Y-cable, he can actually plug the Volca directly into the Audiobox. No DI box should be required--in fact, I doubt the Volca could drive the signal hot enough to make the DI box worthwhile.

The Volca output is just standard stereo output/impedance, and the instrument inputs on the combi-jacks of the Audiobox are line-level, unbalanced TS jacks (confirmed on the Presonus website). So there really shouldn't be any problem as long as the Y-cable is the right type.

Just as a precaution, I would start with the Volca volume turned up no more than a quarter of the way, then bring up the gain on the Audiobox inputs. If you get to the 12 o'clock position on the Audiovox gain and still don't have enough signal, I'd adjust the Volca a bit.

Otherwise, it should work perfectly.

[fishmonkey]

The Volca output is just standard stereo output/impedance, and the instrument inputs on the combi-jacks of the Audiobox are line-level, unbalanced TS jacks (confirmed on the Presonus website). So there really shouldn't be any problem as long as the Y-cable is the right type.

no, the instrument setting on the 22VSL is for connecting guitars and basses, it is not line level (the 44VSL has an additional pair of line level inputs)...

[Richie Witch]

no, the instrument setting on the 22VSL is for connecting guitars and basses, it is not line level (the 44VSL has an additional pair of line level inputs)...

I just double-checked the user manual. I stand corrected.

[borg]

a typical use for the DI would be to connect an instrument like a bass into the DI's jack in, the DI's jack out goes to the bass amp, and the XLR goes to the mixer, where you use the gain knob to amplify the signal to a line level (which is the level mixers deal with internally). your VSL works a bit like a mixer (with the mic/instrument pre-amp), but lacks the line/mic switch most mixers (and soundcards) have.

so first, as stated above, your connection is wrong (don't insert the second mono output of the volca into the parallel out of the DI), and you would indeed need two mono DI's, or a stereo one (or just connect only one output of the volca and play it mono, leaving the second out unconnected). Start with the mic/instr. gain on the VSL pretty low, and the pad switches on the DI's to -40dB. I heard the volca's are pretty low in output volume, so -20dB is maybe already good enough. Then adjust input gains on the VSL.

here's a concise and easy explanation like the -10dBv/+4dBu difference, and average/common levels:
http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/linelevel.shtml

[DeeJay1657]

Can you provide a little more info on the Y-cable you're using? Is the 1/8" plug TS or TRS? Same question about the two 1/4" plugs on the other end.

Hopefully, it's something like this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CMP159

The Y Cable I purchased is a LiveWire CMP153 (Stereo 3.5mm(M) to Two 1/4" (M))

[DeeJay1657]

Also, the LiveWire Passive SPDI is Mono, so I need to buy another one?

[fishmonkey]

yep. since the Volca output is stereo, it doesn't make much sense to only use one channel of DI...

i guess you realise this now, but buying an audio interface with line inputs would have been a better idea...

[DerDahli]

Why don't you try the two Instrument Ins for the Volca outs? At low gain settings they should work ok.

[DeeJay1657]

yep. since the Volca output is stereo, it doesn't make much sense to only use one channel of DI...

i guess you realise this now, but buying an audio interface with line inputs would have been a better idea...

I was stupid and didnt research my purchase, haha.
But with that aside, did I purchase the right cables for the job?

the XLR I purchased:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Hosa-PXF-10 ... 1429376.gc

The Y Cable I purchased:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Live-Wire-1 ... 1169103.gc

The right cables, or no?

[borg]

The Y-cable is the correct one, the XLR to mono jack should work, but a normal XLR female-male (or female XLR to stereo jack) would have been better. Not that it would matter much with short cable runs, but for longer runs, and especially on stages/places with lots of electrical wiring on the floor, it's best to take advantage of the balanced signal the DI offers. That's what it is meant for in the first place. As your DI is passive, it should have a 9V battery. Active DI's can be powered by +48V phantom power on your soundcard...

I've been there as well... read up, learn, get better and make other mistakes!

[DeeJay1657]

The Y-cable is the correct one, the XLR to mono jack should work, but a normal XLR female-male (or female XLR to stereo jack) would have been better. Not that it would matter much with short cable runs, but for longer runs, and especially on stages/places with lots of electrical wiring on the floor, it's best to take advantage of the balanced signal the DI offers. That's what it is meant for in the first place. As your DI is passive, it should have a 9V battery. Active DI's can be powered by +48V phantom power on your soundcard...

I've been there as well... read up, learn, get better and make other mistakes!

So how would I set it up?

Would I run the Female XLR from my DI Box to my audio interface? From there, with my Y Cable, which jack would I plug into the input of the DI Box?

[fishmonkey]

The Y-cable is the correct one, the XLR to mono jack should work, but a normal XLR female-male (or female XLR to stereo jack) would have been better. Not that it would matter much with short cable runs, but for longer runs, and especially on stages/places with lots of electrical wiring on the floor, it's best to take advantage of the balanced signal the DI offers. That's what it is meant for in the first place. As your DI is passive, it should have a 9V battery. Active DI's can be powered by +48V phantom power on your soundcard...

I've been there as well... read up, learn, get better and make other mistakes!

So how would I set it up?

Would I run the Female XLR from my DI Box to my audio interface? From there, with my Y Cable, which jack would I plug into the input of the DI Box?

just to be clear, if you are using the one DI you have, the Y-cable should work to give you one channel (either left or right from the Volca), depending on which Y-cable jack you plug in to the input of the DI.

the XLR output from the DI should then be connected to your audio interface. using an XLR -> XLR cable would be best...

also, a passive DI won't have a battery, as passive circuitry doesn't need power. on the other hand, an active DI will usually give you the option of either using an internal battery or phantom power.