Low input gain on Maschine +

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Cren Larvor
Cren Larvor Member Posts: 37 Member

Hello, on my Maschine + I have very weak input signal. When I want to record a guitar for example, my waveform is very small, yet I put the input knob all the way up, choose the right input and put the input gain all the way up. I tried with several guitars and several jacks, and even a Minilogue XD, same problem.


On certain Youtube tutorials, I see that the entry level of people seems rather normal. Could this be due to a fault in my Maschine +?

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  • PK The DJ
    PK The DJ Member Posts: 1,147 Guru
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    What input are you using? Mic would be more suitable than line, but not ideal.

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  • PK The DJ
    PK The DJ Member Posts: 1,147 Guru
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    What input are you using? Mic would be more suitable than line, but not ideal.

  • Cren Larvor
    Cren Larvor Member Posts: 37 Member
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    Thanks @PK The DJ, I didn't think that the mic input was suitable for a guitar or a synth, I was a little afraid to try but actually the levels are better

  • PK The DJ
    PK The DJ Member Posts: 1,147 Guru
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    Levels in general are in the order of mic, instrument, line (from quietest to loudest), so a guitar is in the middle. The impedance is different so using a mic input for guitar is possible but not the best. Buy yourself a DI box.

  • Cren Larvor
    Cren Larvor Member Posts: 37 Member
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    Can plugging a guitar into a MIC output damage the Maschine?

  • ozon
    ozon Member Posts: 1,357 Expert
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    If your guitar is passive, you should use a Hi-Z input (which is not availale) or DI box and/or a preamp or clean booster to bring the signal level up.

    If your guitar is active, it should work with a line level input.

    Driving an input with too much signal can always damage the preamp of that input.

  • tetsuneko
    tetsuneko Member Posts: 609 Guru
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    The Maschine+ line inputs are accepting signals up to +18,6 dBu, which is quite a lot of headroom. Not pro audio levels of headroom but close. You will need to boost the gain after the input in most cases. IME I usually crank the input level to +10dB on a sound level before even adjusting the physical gain knob.

    You can always boost the gain inside Maschine, use the internal EQ module's post gain to get more level for example. As long as you dont run into noise issues, you should be good.

  • Cren Larvor
    Cren Larvor Member Posts: 37 Member
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    Thank you guys for your valuable response, I will test with the information you gave me.

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