Azden FMX-42 Meters

A

Aodfilm

Active member
The quick rundown is with my Azden FXM-42 meters. They seem to be way too low when I'm sending the feed to my Tascam DR-100.

I'm using the mixer to send the feed from my Sennheiser EW100 G2 lavs and Sennheiser ME66 Shotgun. I first send tone to my Tascam DR-100 and set the levels so it's around -12db. The Tascm is set to High and the meters are around 5. I'm running it into one of the XLR inputs. I'm not sure if I should go Line In or if that even matters.

Then with the Azden I have the Master Volume at a little bit around 0 and I set the levels at around 0 or 100%.

I know I'm doing something wrong, because the meters barely move from -20 to -10. However, the sound on the Tascam sounds fine, it's just really hard to meter because the VU meters barely move.

Any help or suggestions?

Thanks
 
VU meters and led meters (and especially digital meters) read differently.Is it the Azden that has a tone generator? Or do you have a separate test tone generator?What I would try is calibrating all of your meters with test tone.Make sure that "zero" on the Azden is the same as "zero" on the Tascam (and any other gear that you have with meters). Set your input level with test tone, and mark it with something, so you know that the two units are reading the same.Then what you hear in the headphones will be pretty accurate to what the Tascam is hearing.

GJ
 
If you are monitoring from the recorder....... I am going to share something I was taught a long time ago: Use your ears, not the meters. Verify the recorder is getting a clean signal from the mixer and set your gain structure up so you can optimize the signal to noise ratio to the recorder. Frankly, on my mixer, the needles barely bounce, but I get a nice clean signal to my recorder.
 
Thanks for replies. The Azden does have a tone generator. I guess I'm more use to reading LED meters, because it's kind of tricky with VU meters. Since the Tascam DR100 is small, I'm going to just go off their meters. That way I know for sure if I'm getting any distortion. It's hitting around -12 dB and sounds pretty good. I guess for the price of the Azden mixer, I should have expected the VU meters to be a bit iffy.
 
That's my point, though; they're not necessarily "iffy," just different (and un-calibrated).

But as to Doc's point, yes, ultimately your ears will decide.

GJ
 
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