Firewire 410 signal in problem

[flex]

Hello all, i found this forum whilst looking for answers to my Firewire 410 soundcard problem. I don't seem to be able to find anyone else who has had this problem on the web so I thought i'd come to the source.

My set up is a Technics 1210 turntable running into a NAD PP-1 preamp which then runs into the 410. This is then plugged into a Mac G4 ibook running OSX 10.4.7 with Core audio selected in the 'sound out' panel of Peak and Firewire 410 everywhere else in the system preferences. I'm using version 1.2, driver 1.5 of the Firewire Control Panel.

This set up is soley for sampling my vinyl and I want to have as few links in the chain as possible between the soundcard and the turntable ie: no mixer.

My problem is the signal coming into the 410 control panel is not adjustable and constantly peaking into the red. if i turn down the faders on the panel the sound in my headphones (plugged into the 410) descreases but the signal level doesn't, same using the rotary knobs on the front of the 410. This is the same in both the mixer and output panels on the control panel. I need to control the level coming in and the software doesn't seem to be doing it.

Am I being a dope and not doing something really obvious or will I have to add a mixer to the chain to control the input level?

[AndyH]

No adjustments on the soundcard line-in is the norm. You need to set the signal level prior to the soundcard input. This means a mixer, line level preamp, or a "passive" attenuator (functional in your case but not for those people with the opposite experience - not enough signal).

[flex]

is the NAD not a line level pre amp then? Not heard of a passive attenuator before - any to recommend?

thanks in advance

[flex]

does this mean (if i put a mixer in the chain that I have to go turntable > preamp > mixer or attenuator > soundcard > mac?

Could an attenuator affect the sound?

[AndyH]

A phono preamp is similar to a microphone preamp. Its purpose is to get the very low level signal from the transducer up to line level (plus, for phono, apply the correct EQ). A line level preamp is to control line level signals. That where the volume control normally lives, as well as other options such as balance, treble & bass control, and such.

The basic passive attenuator is a variable resistor or potentiometer -- the volume control behind the knob. They run from twenty five cents to probably at least a few thousand $$. The low end ones tend to be uneven, sometime noisy, and maybe have shorter lifetimes.

There are a few in the several hundred $ range that are just a very good pot in a box with input and output jacks. There are also "passive preamps" which are similar except they have multiple input jacks and a selector (plug in your CD player, phono preamp, tape deck, etc.) These are the basic HiFi preamp without any amplifying ability.

HiFi preamps tend to be unreasonably expensive from most people's viewpoint. Unless you have a fair amount of money to spend and are strongly oriented towards some things that are hard to put into hardware specs, your best bet is probably a small mixer. You might also want to look at this page. It even claims to have a superior PP-1 replacement with a variable output level.
http://www.phonopreamps.com/index.html

Yes, you have the signal path correct.

[flex]

thanks Andy, that is extremely helpful

[David Muniz]

What Line level is this preamp outputting?
+4 dBu
-10 dBv

I think this 410 is -expecting- +4dBu