Calibrating Input Level for Plugins

[Dom Mcsweeney]

For owners of the RME UFX III interface: the Maximum Input Level is 21 dBu, and the interface has a +8dB minimum gain.

- From my previous calculation using the Excel, the gain in TotalMix for NDSP was set at +17.0dB.

- In the tool above, it says to set the Input Gain Adjustment at +8.8dB. But this is on top of the minimum gain, right ? So you need to add 8.8 to 8 for a total of 16.8dB in TotalMix, correct ? (TotalMix only allows integer, so the closest is 17dB.) This sounds fine, no clipping.

Following the same logic (if correct), the tool above mentions +21dBu for TONEX, so in TotalMix that would be +29dB of gain ?!? That clips the hell out of the RME input and of course TONEX. Something is weird here.

Anyone knows what the Gain Adjustment should be for Amalgam Audio TONEX captures?

I personally recommend you leave your hi-z input gain on your interface to minimum, or whatever, and then dial in the input gain on the plugins you use instead.

So, for me that would be like ''zero added input gain'' = 12dbu, so then I would add/subtract as necessary in my amp sim App, or amp sim DAW plugin by the value suggested from where ever it says ''add/subtract gain value''.


What you don't want to ever do is boost the input gain too much on the interface itself (eg. go into the red by clipping your interface input).

 

[MirrorProfiles]

For owners of the RME UFX III interface: the Maximum Input Level is 21 dBu, and the interface has a +8dB minimum gain.

For whatever reason, RME list their specs different to most, in that the maximum input level does not include the 8dB preamp gain. So I believe your maximum input level in real world terms (because you can’t go lower than +8dB) is 13dBu. So you would need to boost NDSP by 0.8dB when gain is set to minimum

 

[Melodioso]

For whatever reason, RME list their specs different to most, in that the maximum input level does not include the 8dB preamp gain. So I believe your maximum input level in real world terms (because you can’t go lower than +8dB) is 13dBu. So you would need to boost NDSP by 0.8dB when gain is set to minimum

I also own a Line 6 Helix Rack. To get similar DI levels in my DAW between Helix Rack and RME UFX III, I need to set the Input Gain of the RME UFX III to around +17dB = + 9dB on top of the 8dB minimum gain of RME UFX III. Only adding 1dB (so 9dB in TotalMix) when using NDSP is definitively "not enough".

In that sense, it looks like the maximum input level of the RME UFX III really is 21dBu EDIT: No !!! It is 29dBu at gain 0dB and 21dBu at gain 8dB which is the minimum gain (END OF EDIT). I'll ask on the RME forums.

Are there any other people using an RME UFX III with plugins around here ?

 

[Melodioso]

Indeed, it looks like for the RME UFX III, the specs if written out like most other manufacturers do would read:

Maximum input level, Gain 0 dB: +29 dBu (but minimum Gain is 8 dB).

If you do that, then the level is correctly displayed for any plugins, such as NDSP with 16.8 Gain needed in TotalMix.

 

[Melodioso]

Just interjecting on the TotalMix thing: TotalMix allows / processes non-integer increments but for some weird reason only displays interger values.

Hi,

According to MC (Admin on the RME forum), the gain range is only adjustable in 1 dB-steps.

 

[2dor]

Hi,

According to MC (Admin on the RME forum), the gain range is only adjustable in 1 dB-steps.

I measured it with a voltmeter and if you put in fractional values by double-clicking (like 1.2 dB or 2.3 dB), they take effect but the GUI will only show 1 dB or 2 dB. That's my experience with the UCX II.