Firewire recording system
 

Hi all, I am a newbie here!

Have you guys use any firewire recording system? I recently purchase a PreSonus INSPIRE 1394 FireWire recording system for a small production house. I normally use that with my SM58 to do voice over or record my original song. Sometime put it with ME66 to do ADR. I really like it, I think it’s a very nice product for small production. However, there is some ‘electrical noise’ when I recording a song and try to increase the pre-amp volume. Is there any way to reduce that noise?

What sort of "electrical noise" are you encountering? Could it be you're overloading or clipping when you turn up the gain?

it's sounds like overloading to me....and it happens while I turn up the gain

Just to be sure - noise is a more or less constant rushing or hissing sound which can be heard when there is no input. Overload results in distortion with ordinarily clear sounds sounding fuzzy. It's degree depends on how strong the signal is. It is entirely possible for all of a recording except for a peak or two to be free of overload. Final confirmation comes from looking at the recorded waveform with the editing (DAW) software. Overloaded signals show flat "tops". Once in a recording overload is virtually impossible to correct so guidance is simple: don't turn up the gain to the point where overload occurs. It may be necessary to go through a whole performance or at least the loudest parts of it to find the gain setting which approaches but does not allow overload. The system must have some sort of indication as to when overload is occuring. Don't let the overload light (or whatever it is) illuminate at any time during the recording. While your performers are cranking out full volume find the gain setting at which the overload light blinks and then back off 5 or even 10 dB from this.

A related question is "Why did you turn the gain up?" If the gain is set to prevent overload at program peak it is very rare that it is necessary to set it higher than this during quiet passages though a definitive answer on this would require that we know more about the mic and the preamp-A/D combination than the manufacturer usually makes available.