focusrite + fethead or Sound devices mixpre 3M

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deleuze3

Well-known member
Hi, i have a focusrite itrak solo, and i have to put the level of gain at the maximum in order to use the focusrite with a rode lavalier.

I thought of buying a Fethead to resolve the issue.

Or maybe i should buy something better like a Sound Devices Mixpre 3m and not upgrade my focusrite with a fethead?

What do you guys would use?
Thanks in advance,
 
Hi, Julien.

RØDE lavalieres come in several configurations. Which one do you have, and how is it connected to your iTrack Solo?

Also, just out of curiosity, why are you connecting a lav to your iTrack Solo?
 
Hi Alex, thanks for the message. Yes, i forgot to give details. I use the rode lavalier (https://fr.rode.com/microphones/lavalier) with a XLR connector to connect on the Focusrite itrack solo.
I use the rode lavalier in the Focusrite in my computer to record webcam conversations on Skype and to send recorded webcam video i use with a software provided by Logitech (my webcam).
Thanks in advance
 
Yes. I cranked the gain at max. I could use also a Oktava mk-012 or an audiotechnica AT875R maybe (this latter has more gain)
 
Without testing the lav with XLR adapter on some other pre-amps (field recorder, perhaps?), there’s no way to troubleshoot the issue. But that’s what you have to do. Does the same lav with the same MiCron XLR adapter work perfectly on another system? Then the issue may be with your iTrack Solo.

When you turn the input gain all the way up, is the ring LED glowing at all? Green? Red?

Are you connecting the XLR adapter straight to the Focusrite, or do you have an XLR cable in between?

In the meantime, if you have a better mic that works without issue with the Focusrite, go with that.
 
Hi, thanks for your message.
the ring led glow green and it glow red a bit if my mouth is very very close from the mic (but i dont like to use the lav too close to my mouth because it could distort suddenly).
The focusrite doesnt have much gain. With a sound devices mp1 it has more.
I'll try to use the AT875R with the focusrite then.

Would the fethead help me on the focusrite for the rode lav? instead of buying a fethead i'll try the AT875R mic.
 
deleuze3 said:
the ring led glow green and it glow red a bit if my mouth is very very close from the mic (but i dont like to use the lav too close to my mouth because it could distort suddenly).
Click to expand...

I ask because that’s a very basic gain meter. It should be green when you speak, maybe occasionally hitting red at peaks, but having to turn the input gain all the way up to get anything is strange. And no, you shouldn’t have the lav right in front of your mouth. Of course that can and will distort.

I use Focusrite interfaces and never have any issue with having enough clean gain. I still wonder if there’s something off with the lav and XLR adapter, which I’ve mentioned a couple of times now. Until that is tested, there’s no way to know for sure. Do yourself a favor and connect that rig to another system, like your field recorder, using the XLR input and phantom power. If you still have low gain issues, then the problem is probably with your mic and/or XLR adapter.

deleuze3 said:
Would the fethead help me on the focusrite for the rode lav?
Click to expand...

There’s no way to answer this. We haven’t eliminated the lav and XLR adapter as the root of the problem. Why go buy another trinket to try and solve your issues? You need to make sure what you already own is working properly. And again: if you have another mic that works just fine with your Focusrite, use it instead.
 
yes i will make tests with other mics and see. And even use the lav + xlr adaptor with a sound devices mp1 i have to see if the sound devices can give enough gain too.
Thanks a lot Alex for your comments, i appreciate.
 
Something is clearly not working properly, as Alex has suggested: you can tell that from the specs (i.e. sensitivity of Rode lav and max gain of the focusrite). I have just plugged my Rode lav (same model) into an SD Mixpre-3, and the gain required for normal speaking with lav mic positioned normally over sternum is 30-35dB: the iTrack Solo specs say its max gain is +55dB.

Cheers,

Roland
 
deleuze3 said:
I use the rode lavalier in the Focusrite in my computer to record webcam conversations on Skype and to send recorded webcam video i use with a software provided by Logitech
Click to expand...

My bet is against the computer: that eternal merchant of chaos, the source of all suffering, the pandora in a box.

There are probably 8 different places to adjust the volume in all your software, including not least of all, your operating system. I am a computer programmer, and it took my wife and I about 30 minutes to get her set-up right (with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, I might add). We succeeded. I don't think it's the Focusrite. It's a well-reviewed brand, and we love it.

EDIT: Sorry, to be clear: if you want, please help troubleshoot this problem however you think best. As for me, I am an old, burned-up crisp. All I can sanely offer over a forum in a normal amount of time is this Tech Support Cheat Sheet.
 
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combatentropy said:
My bet is against the computer: that eternal merchant of chaos, the source of all suffering, the pandora in a box.

There are probably 8 different places to adjust the volume in all your software, including not least of all, your operating system.
Click to expand...

This is a possibility, and we may or may not get there.

Of course, when something is wrong in an audio signal path, one must start at the source and chase the problem down the line until the issue is located. The OP would rather a quick answer of what new thing to buy than a tutorial on audio troubleshooting, but... teach a man to fish and all that.

So first, we try the mic on a different system and see if we get the same results, while trying a different mic on the Focusrite and seeing if we get the same results. This can eliminate the mic as the source of the issue (or expose it as the problem). If not the mic, and there’s a cable in between, try swapping cables. Still having the issue? Now we’ve chased it into the interface, at which point we can start exploring drivers, OS, audio settings, etc.
 
Free advice for the OP. It is worth what he is paying for it. Assuming his mics are OK, it is a certain path to success without all the pain and pretzel twisting:

Sound Devices Mixpre 3m.

OK, a little pain and twisting at the checkout.
 
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