Share your knowledge on these two classic MPCs
By flextone Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:20 pm
Hi

Recently i've noticed that even when playing a mono sample like a kick drum, the MPC3k stereo output's left side is louder then the right one. I can see this in cubase visualy. On my soundcard (Fireface400) the levels are alligned to play at the same level for the two inputs, so i narrowed it down to the 3K. Is anybody else having this problem? any fix?

Thanks
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By neilium Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:36 pm
Most passive electronic components are made to +/-10% tolerances. That means there can be as much as a 20% difference between two identically spec'ed resistors or two volume controls. Over the years, component values drift even further.

Give the right channel a little more gain and don't worry about it.
By flextone Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:48 pm
Is there a way of doing this from within the mpc? or should i just adjust the volums fro inside my DAW?
By lumin Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:09 pm
im experiencing this as well. not much of a volume difference, but it is noticeable when viewing my meters.
i was curious about what was goin on as well
thanks
By hoveone Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:21 pm
i got the same problem going on. left channel is louder. maximum 2 dB. i checked everything in my signal chain. i thaugt it was my turntable. so i copped a new technics sl 1210 mk2. i found out that the turntable was nothing wrong with my old stanton because the strange difference in panorama was also there with the new turntable. after checking everything again [plugging the turntable directly into mpc 2000, 3000 (no phono preamp) and emu 1616m (that has a phono preamp), plugging a mp3 player with a mono 10 seconds sine tone into the mpcs and the phono in of the emu] i found out that my sound system is ok (the phono amp inside my emu got ca. +.4 db on the left side). then i began to analyze my vinyls. i found out that the left channel is slightly stronger in average but the outcome depends heavily on the vinyl. i got an old tina turner record that is heavy on the left side. this was also the record that freaked me out in the beginning. but i found out that there are also some albums that are stronger on the right side of the panorama.
sometimes i'll have to record my desired sample into the pc and normalize it (not equal of course). i think i can live with that.
if someone got a better solution, tell me! i searched many forums but found nothing helpful. i got to the point that i thaugt, that the power connection of some of my equipment was the reason. this is probably not the case. but i found out that the noise of my 1210 can be reduced by plugging it into a different power connection bar (i'm german so excuse me for not knowing the word for that thing with many plugs attached).
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By neilium Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:04 pm
Short answer: adjust the difference in the DAW, or mixer, or at your input device; whatever's easiest, and don't worry about it. If you insist on worrying about it, here's a few things to consider:

1: Your turntable: If the anti-skate is improperly adjusted, one side of the groove will get more pressure from the stylus and thus be louder.

2: Your vinyl: Because of a improperly adjusted tonearm, the grooves on you record may be worn more on one side than the other.

3: 1 or 2 decibels between friends really doesn't matter: You have to compare what you're seeing on your Db meters v. what you're actually hearing. Back in the analog days, there was always the question "What are the meters actually measuring?" Is it the entire range of human hearing? Or is it a specific range of frequencies? And, when was the last time anyone calibrated these things? I know in the digital age some of these questions should be put to bed, but one thing is still true: trust your ears.

There can be a lot of energy in the bass frequencies that you'll see on the meter but really can't hear.

Image

This is the Fletcher-Munson Curve. It's a representation of the ear's frequency response. Bass below 100 hz falls off considerably. For example, look at the blue curve trace. What that is saying is that at 60Hz signal at 60Db will sound as loud as a 1000Hz signal at 20Db. But to a Db meter, 60Db is 60 Db regardless of whether you can hear it or not.

(BTW: This is part of the reason why getting good bass is such hard work.)