Antex Electronics DMX-88 USB Recording Mixer - Manual (Page 19)

DMX-88 USB Mixer User Manual
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Monitor All Level and Playback Level: These 2 sliders control the loudness and signal mix coming out of the Headphone (HP) and
Public Address (PA) outputs. These 2 outputs are not independently controllable; the sliders will change the level in both outputs at
the same time. The Monitor All signal is an analog mix of all 8 inputs. The Playback signal comes from the host computer, if your
recording software supports this feature.
Input and Monitor Labels: These text boxes allow you to type in a label for the input channels and the two monitor channels to
indentify them. These labels will be saved in non-volatile memory in the DMX-88 when the Antex Mixer Program is closed. The labels
will also be part of a “scene” file if saved.
VU Meters: There is one vu meter for each input channel. Note that the meter will only be active when recording software is either
recording or monitoring.
Device Number LEDs: These two LEDs mimic the two Device Number LEDs on the DMX-88 front panel. This will help determine
which instance of the Antex Mixer Program is controlling which DMX-88 if more than one DMX-88 is connected to the same host
computer.
Scenes Open and Save As: These two buttons allow you to save the current mixer settings to a scene file or to restore mixer
settings from a previously saved scene file. Scene files are saved on the host computer hard drive. The settings saved in the scene
file include the Input and Monitor labels, the slider settings and all the button settings.
Adjusting the Recording Level
Having the proper recording level is essential to making good, intelligible recordings. If the level is too low, the recording will contain
a lot of hiss when it is played back loud enough to hear. If the level is set too high, loud sounds or speech will “clip” and the sound will
be distorted. Clipping occurs when the level of the signal being digitized exceeds the maximum level of the analog to digital converter.
The compressor/limiter circuit in the DMX-88 effectively gives almost 20dB more headroom to accommodate unexpected loud sounds
without clipping.
The VU meters in the Antex Mixer Program are used to adjust the recording level. Note that the meters are only active when a
recording program is monitoring or recording. As a rule of thumb, speak at a normal level into the microphone. Adjust the
Input Slider on the Antex Mixer Program until the VU meter peaks are in the –10 to –15dB range. Also, observe the LEDs on the front
panel of the DMX-88 or the LEDs below the Input Level sliders in the Antex Mixer Program. They should be green when speaking at
the normal level. When someone raises their voice, the LED on the front panel may flicker red (the corresponding LED in the Antex
Mixer Program will flicker yellow).