Question for Pro Tools Eleven Rack users

[Cornholio]

I am new to Pro Tools ( long time sonar user). I am trying to record a direct track and a eleven rack rig track simultaneously.

The direct track has a very low input level. Where in the heck, or can you, adjust the input levels? I am not talking about the rig, just the direct input, dry guitar signal.

[Sui_City]

Corn,

They even make mention of this in the manual.

Just a couple of things:

1. As you know, guitars general have a low output, given that there is no gain device in the guitar itself.
2. PT is capturing the guitar at its actual level which is what one would really want. Otherwise when reamping, you'll change the amount of drive your amp will get.
3. If you're worried from a recording perspective, the old "got to use as many bits of the audio path as possible", that is no longer true. In 24 bit recording, one has a theoretical dynamic range of 144dB. (In actuality closer to 115dB). But even at 115dB, if your level is 30-40dB down from digital 0dB, that still gives a 75-85dB range. More than enough to accommodate the guitar signal, over the noise floor.

Are you needing to increase the level for some other reason?

[Cornholio]

I have to roll my guitar pickup volume back from 10 to about 7 to get rid of flub and fizz with the eleven rack. I would love to compensate for the that loss in signal on the direct track, so that when I reamp-it's exactly the same as my guitar plugged it a full pickup volume.

[Axe-Man]

I have to roll my guitar pickup volume back from 10 to about 7 to get rid of flub and fizz with the eleven rack. I would love to compensate for the that loss in signal on the direct track, so that when I reamp-it's exactly the same as my guitar plugged it a full pickup volume.

Hey Cornholio,

Can you dial out the flub with just adjustments of the bass/drive/pre knobs? Or even using a little EQ?

I had this issue with many of the stock patches but found that it was pretty simple for me to dial it out.

Do you get fizz with any of the low/mid gain amps?

I get a little 'thinness' on a couple of the stock high gain patches (without EQing for my setup) on my ibanez but with another guitar with actives, the high gain tones sound pretty good to me...definately better than my X3 Live anyway.

I get zero sonic artifacts compared to the POD. The X3 would make lots of strange subtle crackly/fizzy artifacts in the high end.

If the fizz is just really high end distortion, maybe it's the lack of parametric that is causing the difference. With the X3 you can just cut it right off at the right level.

If you're getting fizz anywhere, including outside the high gainers, maybe you have a defective unit.

I get zero flub...none I can detect anyway...when using a guitar cab. Only flub is stock patch settings via the headphones or FRFR.

[Cornholio]

Most of the fizz and flub is on the higher gain stuff. I have tried all the eq and volume changes at various stages. Rolling back my volume knob seems to solve most of it. Of course this is only on the two humbucker guitars that I use.

For example, If I dime the gain on the Plexi, it's a fizzy mess. It sounds nothing like a dimed plexi, even when I adjust the eq, cabs, and mics. Now if I do all that and I roll back my guitar volume some, its MUCH better and pretty darn close. Clean stuff seems to be fine. The issues arise when I want to get some higher gain tones. Keep in mind that I am not using this with a live rig. This is through studio monitors. I am trying to recreate various amp rigs for direct recording that sound close to real thing live and when they are played back.

I doubt that the unit is defective, because a few others seem to be having the same issue. I am chalking it up to that this unit is very senstive to everything in the signal path. It may sound like miced amps, but it sure does not behave like them.

[Axe-Man]

Hey Cornholio,

So to lock it down...using both your HB equipped guitars, you can't dial out any of the rumbly 'flubby' tone without dropping your guitars volume pot down?

Are they really hot pickups?

I've got an active equipped Schecter and an ibanez satriani and whilst they do 'flub' on stock patches, it's pretty easy to dial it out with master volume/pre/bass/gain adjustments.

I don't get any fizz on any patches that aren't really high gain...naturally no parametric so I don't blame the amp models...likely the Axe does this just the same as the X3...well maybe not, but I'm guessing all modelers are basically afflicted with this.

I find that anything over 55% on both plexi pre's and it goes a little crazy flub wise (not necessarily with fizz though) with my HB guitars. But...with some bass/EQ adjustment it just seems to be a normal high gain plexi type tone. Saying that, it's not my personal preference as I prefer a JCM800 at this gain level...but it does sound like a high gain Plexi I guess.