Hello
I just installed and set up a MOTU Microbook 2 external sound card and wondered if there is a good setup for it with kaoss pad 3, routing the mic through KP3. It dawned on me that only the actual XLR mic input on the Microbook has a preamp.
If I connect the mic (shure sm58) like this
Input: xlr to jack->KP3 Mic input
Output from KP3 to motu:
KP3 Line out -> double RCA to double jack ->Motu line in 3/4
The mic signal becomes too weak, goes to ca 48db when thus routed.
(Monitored with the motu control panel mixer)
I'm not enormeously experienced with this kind of setup. Last time I used the KP was with a mixer. Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of setup?
High regards
Johann
Question about Kaoss pad 3 and Motu microbook
Moderators: Sharp, X-Trade, Pepperpotty, karmathanever
Plug your headphones into the KP3. Turn the main headphone volume all the way down. Plug the mic into the 1/4" mic input jack. Speak into the mic loudly while watching the KP3 input level LED light. Adjust the mic gain level knob on the front of the KP3 so that regular speaking produced a green light and loud speaking produces a yellow light, but never flashing red.
Now you can turn up the input level and the headphone level on the KP3 to hear your voice mixed with the KP3 sounds. Do not mess with the mic gain level knob once the LED stays green and peaks yellow. Play a drum pattern on the KP3 and sample it to the first pad to keep it looping. Speak or sing into the mic while the drum pattern is playing so that you can lower or raise the volume of the looping sample to mix well with your voice by pressing [shift] pad, then use the vertical LED bar.
Once everything sounds good on the KP3 through its own headphone output, then you can adjust the input level on the audio box properly, not before. This is called gain staging. The levels are adjusted one stage at a time from the source (the mic) through the signal path to the final destination. You'll get many problems by adjusting levels somewhere down the signal path before you get them right earlier in the path. This also lets you diagnose any problems easier, since you don't proceed from one stage to the next until you know it's good at that point.
So now that you've got the KP3 looping, you can move the headphone to the input box. Adjust the KP3 input level on the I/O box so that it's green and peaking yellow on any meter (or peaking from 0dB to +2dB), but not hitting red at all.
Now you can turn up the input level and the headphone level on the KP3 to hear your voice mixed with the KP3 sounds. Do not mess with the mic gain level knob once the LED stays green and peaks yellow. Play a drum pattern on the KP3 and sample it to the first pad to keep it looping. Speak or sing into the mic while the drum pattern is playing so that you can lower or raise the volume of the looping sample to mix well with your voice by pressing [shift] pad, then use the vertical LED bar.
Once everything sounds good on the KP3 through its own headphone output, then you can adjust the input level on the audio box properly, not before. This is called gain staging. The levels are adjusted one stage at a time from the source (the mic) through the signal path to the final destination. You'll get many problems by adjusting levels somewhere down the signal path before you get them right earlier in the path. This also lets you diagnose any problems easier, since you don't proceed from one stage to the next until you know it's good at that point.
So now that you've got the KP3 looping, you can move the headphone to the input box. Adjust the KP3 input level on the I/O box so that it's green and peaking yellow on any meter (or peaking from 0dB to +2dB), but not hitting red at all.