Recording Main Out? Best way

Whats the best way to record the main out. I always hear a lesser quality version when i play back the recording of the main out. Almost sounds like theres a bit of phasing. I'm trying to have a good mixdown on the mpc itself so i can then put the recorded beat .wav file on the computer

I have my Master Level at -6db, does that need to change?

Changing the master level will affect the quality of the Main Out record function, yes. I don't remember the optimum setting at the moment thou.. somebody else?

Seems it really shouldn't work that way, but I guess it does.

Also, for best results do the Rec Gain and Main Volume need to be turned down or to a certain level while recording the Main Out

i rarely use the "MAIN OUT" feature to resample things, because i just have a sort of "loop" with cables so the outs of the mpc goes to the ins of my Korg Kaoss pad which goes to the mixer which one of the outs go to ins of the mpc. This is an alternative and then there are many places where you adjust the volume. Just be careful cause if you turn the rec gain all the way up on the mpc feedback will be generated, and its very loud.

Brassco wrote:Also, for best results do the Rec Gain and Main Volume need to be turned down or to a certain level while recording the Main Out

Maybe you should just turn off the monitor? That's probably where the phasing is coming from.

turn the monitor off on the record screen? ill try it out

what ive been experiencin is when i play back the recording of the main out, it doesnt sound the same as it did as it was being recorded.

Yes, this issue has come up before.. there's a thread in the archive from not too long ago somewhere with some answers on this topic.. not sure if I can find it right now but feel free to have a look in there yourself.

tried searching for it? do you remember the topic title?

I just used keyword search "main" and found a few after flipping back a couple pages, but the threads don't really cover anything new. They basically just say turning up the master makes a difference.

Turn your Db to 0. No More Problems.

Actually, the best way to record the main output is via the digital output.
If you have a digital port on your soundcard, thats the way to go.

This ties in with something I have been meaning to makie a thread about. Sometimes when resmaple the Main Out with 0dB set, it clips. This also happens if I record using spdif, I get clipping. Now surely something is wrong if the machine is clipping a digital signal. I think the ties in with the debate that resmapling the main out doesn't sound as good, maybe because at higher volumes it is clipping, acting like a hard limiter.

The clipping could be happening anywhere in the analogue audio chain before it is converted to digital.
I wonder if the audio being passed internally to the effects is analogue or digital ?
I would hope it is digital.
If you reduce the level of everything by 3dB and it stops the clipping, this will have no effect on the s/n level or fidelity of the digital out, only the analogue outs.
try that.

Hey Brassco, hey people there !
Got exactly the same problem, still can't find no issues.
When resampling kick, snares... in "main out" mode, the recorded sample sounds a lot less louder than what i'm hearing when recording, so it's totally unuseful...(i'm trying to resample drum elements after having added some Eqs and compression)

I tried to put the master level at 0 db (currently at 12db) but I find that method a bit strange and sadly it clips a lot

So my question is : technically, why do I have to do that ?? I mean, why exactly don't I record what I'm hearing because master level (mode+ "other") sets what you hear AND what you recording, no ?
I'm wondering if there's something that I don't understand in all that "db" stuff. Even if (it's jut an example) I put the threshold at 0db when resampling my drums, when master level is set at 0db, the sounds clips. And if I stick to the -12db setting that I originally used, resampling has no effects ? I'm a bit (a lot !) confused about that.

Maybe someone here got the theoric knowledge to explain what's going on exactly ? (Sorry for this incredibly boring post and for the english mistakes.)

When I record I set the MPC mixer to 0 or +6 and doesn't sound bad at all.