record on nagra t audio

[audio anthology]

well, it took me few weeks to figure out how to connect nagra t to cello audio suite p603 properly
sound of p603 is absolutely beautiful and now it is time to record
i tried to record on tape by using nagra t and cello suite
it does record however, it has very low volume with lots of hiss
again this is my first time recording something on analogue deck and need your advise
can anyone tell me if I'm doing something wrong here?
thank you

 

[tony ky ma]

Hi Kevin
How you do in the connection for recording ? do you record from mic or from other source ? if from microphone you need a mic preamp plug into Nagra's input, if from CD or vinyl then connect from your line stage's output
tony ma

 

[audio anthology]

Hi,
tony
actually I try to record cd and it was connected from line out
vu meter for record shows that there is enough gain going into the nagra but I dont have enough sound when I try to play whats recorded
did you tried to record with nagra t before?

 

[Bruce B]

Hi,
tony
actually I try to record cd and it was connected from line out
vu meter for record shows that there is enough gain going into the nagra but I dont have enough sound when I try to play whats recorded
did you tried to record with nagra t before?

Have you adjusted the gain with a 1.23V sine wave at 1k?

 

[audio anthology]

thank you Mr Brown
well I have not adjusted the gain because it was preset at 1.5v
also I do not know how to adjusted it I believe it has to be done internally (somewhere inside the board)
what should be the gain level of the input? it should be 1K? or 1.5K does it makes difference?
please keep me posted
thank you again

 

[Bruce B]

Well is the line out you're recording from a consumer (RCA) or professional (XLR)? The consumer voltage is much lower than professional.

 

[audio anthology]

well actually line out is cello palette and it has rca as record output
it also has fischer as main output but it is not an option since I do not have extra pair of fischer cables or connectors
but actually nagra yt's vu meter for input level reaches all the way up during recording
doesnt it mean there are enough gain going into nagra's input?

by the way the button for vu meter (which switches repro to record) does not stay in (means it always on repro unless manually pushed down)
I have to manually press down and hold the button to monitor input level during recording
is it normal or there is something wrong with the button too?

 

[Bruce B]

well actually line out is cello palette and it has rca as record output
it also has fischer as main output but it is not an option since I do not have extra pair of fischer cables or connectors
but actually nagra yt's vu meter for input level reaches all the way up during recording
doesnt it mean there are enough gain going into nagra's input?

by the way the button for vu meter (which switches repro to record) does not stay in (means it always on repro unless manually pushed down)
I have to manually press down and hold the button to monitor input level during recording
is it normal or there is something wrong with the button too?

Well first thing you need to do is make sure the signal coming out of the Cello is at the correct voltage. You might not have enough gain to record into the Nagra. Do you have an MRL calibration tape? That's the first thing you need. Then you should get a Fluke 115 or similar so you can measure voltages.

The button should toggle on/off.

 

[tony ky ma]

well actually line out is cello palette and it has rca as record output
it also has fischer as main output but it is not an option since I do not have extra pair of fischer cables or connectors
but actually nagra yt's vu meter for input level reaches all the way up during recording
doesnt it mean there are enough gain going into nagra's input?

by the way the button for vu meter (which switches repro to record) does not stay in (means it always on repro unless manually pushed down)
I have to manually press down and hold the button to monitor input level during recording
is it normal or there is something wrong with the button too?

Kevin
I don't have Nagra, but if you said vu meter show OK, is it show input or show repro when in recording ? if input OK (means only input signal not signal recorded on tape ) but low level in repro (you can monitoring the recorded signals at the same time) during recording that your machine's record broad has problem like the repro broad before, ask your tech to check is any current on the recording head, you will have the answer
tony ma

 

[audio anthology]

thank you so much
well I have disconnect nagra's playback line and add line directly from head in order to playback on my cello p603
so meter is not working when playback however, when recording (meter button pushed down manually as it does not toggle on and off) both meter moving and reaches all the way to the right
i'm not an expert but if the meter is moving then I believe there should be enough gain going into the nagra right?
I have meter but its not fluke its radioshack
is there anyway for me to check if it is problem with board?
thank you

 

[tony ky ma]

OK check this first
1) play a tape that you heard before which is no problem tape, in head direct to cello p603 and see the meter is work or not ?. if meter doesn't work but sound level is ok that means meter will related to the head connection
2)put it back to the stock playback of Nagra and check meter and sound level, if both are not working that means head connection is not ok or repro broad still wrong, if meter is ok but no sound that means the output stage is not working
3)when you sure the play back of stock repro is ok then start recording and check meter for both and also sound level in repro, if input show ok but nothing for repro then take off the wire of record head to check any AC voltage appear in those wires by your tester (in small range), if you have a signal generator for 1K input will help you to check more easily
tony ma

 

[Bruce B]

the meter is no indication of what is going in or out until it's also calibrated.

 

[tony ky ma]

the meter is no indication of what is going in or out until it's also calibrated.

I don't know what is Nagra's design, but in Studer, meter for input can show the level of the input, you can adjust it for recording and when repro the meter is connect to the out put, calibrate switch is replace the volume control with two resistors
tony ma