Members snaresmacker Posted June 4, 2006 Members Share Posted June 4, 2006 What exactly do these three terms mean and what's the difference? Also, on my tascam 424mkIII 4-track recorder, is their a difference between the slider level and the trim level? (Is having lots of trim and little level different than lots of level and little trim?) Thanks much,Jesse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 5, 2006 Members Share Posted June 5, 2006 Typically, a trim control on a mixer is a variable gain control of the input stage (preamp). (Some mixers have switchable LINE / MIC circuits. In such a case, the trim control may act in a passive circuit in LINE mode and in an active circuit with the switch set for the mic preamp. But many modern mixers simply go with a single, unswitched circuit, relying on the trim control to go from line level to mic level in a continuously variable fashion.) [The term, I think, comes from radio, where an antenna "trim" control would electonically tune an antenna circuit for a given range. Nothing about it is analogous to how we use the term.] The purpose of the mixer preamp's trim control is to set an optimal level for the signal as it travels from the input stage through the EQ and finally into the summing bus. So, you generally set your trim to the produce an optimal, clean signal through the circuit (as reflected in metering with the fader at unity gain). While the fader control is typically physically at the bottom of the channel strip -- it is actually a part of the summing bus circuitry. Its purpose is for setting mix levels, vis a vis other tracks. So, there is no "proper" setting for a fader in a mix. That said, if you're tracking a single track through a channel and then through the summing bus (as you might have to do on a simple mixer that doesn't have direct outs), you would have optimal signal flow with the channel fader set at unity gain. The trim control, by and large, should always be set for an optimal signal going through the mixer channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted June 5, 2006 Members Share Posted June 5, 2006 In addition.. be aware that setting the input gain too high can overdrive the input, causing the entire rest of the signal chain through the mixer to be garbage. Always set your input gain first..If you have a "clip" light, set the gain to where the light starts to flicker, and then back off a bit. Everything after that setting is related to the volume of the signal from that point "downstream". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 5, 2006 Members Share Posted June 5, 2006 Excellent points! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the stranger Posted June 9, 2006 Members Share Posted June 9, 2006 Originally posted by snaresmacker What exactly do these three terms mean and what's the difference?Also, on my tascam 424mkIII 4-track recorder, is their a difference between the slider level and the trim level? (Is having lots of trim and little level different than lots of level and little trim?)Thanks much,Jesse In addition to blue's comments, if you take a look at your manual it will tell you what the recommended settings for optimum signal level. Unity gain is the goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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