Distorted Sound When Recording to Profire

i'm trying to record my beat to the computer with the stereo outs going to the profire and it's not recording right. here's the thing, i'm monitoring everything on the MPC from the profire, so when i listen to the beat regularly, it's fine, but when i record it sounds extremely **** up, like a poltergeist. i've searched the forum and saw some stuff about adjusting DB, and i tried it with no luck so far. the main point is that it's sounding fine on the monitors.

the only thing i can really think of is that the cables i'm using to connect the MPC into the inputs are thinner cables than the ones going out to the monitors, but it still doesn't make sense if i'm able to play it back. i've tried recording in both logic and audacity, no luck.

A basic question : Are you sure you're not saturating the soundcard while recording? Is the peakmeter OK?
If you wanna lower the MPC output just go to mode OTHER (pad 10).

JesseHolmz wrote:i'm monitoring everything on the MPC from the profire, so when i listen to the beat regularly, it's fine, but when i record it sounds extremely **** up, like a poltergeist.

The poltergeisty thing sounds like some kind of feedback generated phase issue. As I understand there´s no mixer in between MPC and interface, just master out into the Profire. But you are "monitoring everything on the MPC from the profire".
Does that mean you use the input thru to monitor the Profire outs while recording the beat? If it is so that is your problem: You are feeding the signal from the MPC outs into the interface, slightly delayed it´s fed back out the interface back into the MPC, from the MPC back into the Profire and so on.

JesseHolmz wrote:the only thing i can really think of is that the cables i'm using to connect the MPC into the inputs are thinner cables than the ones going out to the monitors, but it still doesn't make sense if i'm able to play it back.

Cable diameter is not a problem unless you are planning to pack larger currents, like outputs of power amps and such, thru them. Bad quality cables could cause problems, as could balanced cables that are wired wrong, reversing the phase between left and right channel.

ryssen wrote:

JesseHolmz wrote:i'm monitoring everything on the MPC from the profire, so when i listen to the beat regularly, it's fine, but when i record it sounds extremely **** up, like a poltergeist.

The poltergeisty thing sounds like some kind of feedback generated phase issue. As I understand there´s no mixer in between MPC and interface, just master out into the Profire. But you are "monitoring everything on the MPC from the profire".
Does that mean you use the input thru to monitor the Profire outs while recording the beat? If it is so that is your problem: You are feeding the signal from the MPC outs into the interface, slightly delayed it´s fed back out the interface back into the MPC, from the MPC back into the Profire and so on.

the MPC stereo outputs are going into the only 2 stereo inputs on the profire, 3,4 - so i'm monitoring the output with the monitors at all times, not just during recording. i've tried switching the monitors to different outputs and it didn't seem to help. is there any "rule of thumb" i should be following? i appreciate the help

JesseHolmz wrote:the MPC stereo outputs are going into the only 2 stereo inputs on the profire, 3,4 - so i'm monitoring the output with the monitors at all times, not just during recording. i've tried switching the monitors to different outputs and it didn't seem to help. is there any "rule of thumb" i should be following? i appreciate the help

So the outputs on the Profire are then running directly to the monitors I gather? If that is the case then what I proposed isn´t the problem, sorry.

ryssen wrote:

JesseHolmz wrote:the MPC stereo outputs are going into the only 2 stereo inputs on the profire, 3,4 - so i'm monitoring the output with the monitors at all times, not just during recording. i've tried switching the monitors to different outputs and it didn't seem to help. is there any "rule of thumb" i should be following? i appreciate the help

So the outputs on the Profire are then running directly to the monitors I gather? If that is the case then what I proposed isn´t the problem, sorry.

yeah it's like this:

MPC > Profire then out to the monitors from the profire outputs. this way i can use my computer audio at the same time as the MPC. like i said, it's only when i'm recording, actually monitoring the sound doesn't do this