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Rear panel line in too quiet?

  • 7 replies
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Topic Rear panel line in too quiet?
I just bought a brand new Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen. All installed OK, but one problem:

I have a Line 6 Helix LT guitar digital modeller which I want to connect to the Scarlett. The Helix is set to provide Line level output on stereo XLR balanced outputs, and I am using balanced cables, XLR to TRS, to plug into the back of the Scarlett, line in 3 & 4.

The Helix is turned up full, and hard thrashing is producing peak signals of -18dB. My Helix presets are made to be about the same volume as a bypassed signal.

As a sanity check, I plugged the Helix into the front panel line ins, and I had to turn them down to about 3 or 4 out of 10 (11 o'clock).

Is this normal? Are the rear line ins set for low sensitivity compared to the front ones? There are no gain controls for these rear inputs. Surely we're not expected to record such a low signal, or have to add extra hardware to up the gain?
2
I have been battling this for the past few weeks. Having just bought an ASM hydrasynth and hooked it up with unbalanced TRS to ins 3/4 on the back of the 4i4 I have to boost the gain in Cubase by +20db!!!! To get anywhere near a useful level.

Have you found a fix? Am just about to mail Focusrite tech support.

All the best,

Mike
3
I have just noticed in the manual that:

12. LINE INPUTS 3 and 4 – 2 x 1⁄4” TRS jacks; these are balanced inputs for use with additional line level sources e.g., from a keyboard, synth module or FX unit.

So if I have an unbalanced out, out of the hydra synth I need basically a mono TRS to a stereo TRS for each channel, left and right??

I seem to remember from the very distant past this wil have the effect of at least doubling the input level...
4
Ok after doing some reading and hope this helps someone. The ASM Hydrasynth has BALANCED 6.25mm 1/4” jack outputs and the 4i4 has the same 6.25mm 1/4” BALANCED inputs. I have had them connected with 2 mono leads. If I’m right in thinking this will have no hot cold ring sleeve setup and drastically reduce level to and from the synth to the interface. I have just ordered a pair of stereo leads from kenable on Amazon, £6 bargain! Fingers crossed I can now use my new synth!
5
To answer my original post: I learned from the Line6 forum and Focusrite tech support that the rear line inputs have a lot of headroom because they have no gain controls, and, conversely, the Helix can throw out a lot more signal if the various modules' gains are set high, and several modules high gains are compounded.

In the end, I used the Helix's Global EQ settings to boost XLR output by 12dB, and this mostly puts me in the yellow. I am a bit of a stickler for matching output and bypass levels of effects/amp models, so the extra 12dB fills the gap left for people less obsessive than me.

[ Post last edited on 01/10/2021 at 04:06:19 ]

6
Yammer, thanks for the update matey. I’ll see where the TRS balanced cables get me and then resort to the extra gain in Cubase to pull up the input if needs be. I think it’s VERY dumb that they don’t give you even a fader for the input In Focusrite Control, there must have been a good reason not too...
7
Balanced cables arrived., problem all sorted. :8)
8
Quote from cabl3gu7:
Yammer, thanks for the update matey. I’ll see where the TRS balanced cables get me and then resort to the extra gain in Cubase to pull up the input if needs be. I think it’s VERY dumb that they don’t give you even a fader for the input In Focusrite Control, there must have been a good reason not too...

Cost and space, I'd imagine.