confused: +4 or -10 ?
 

well..... what should one use??????????? i am really confused with this...
when i set to the audiophile outs and the mackie ins to -10, i get a little higher volume and more headroom in cubase! but will the mix sound very different than +4 ??
and what about the virus? what does its outs deliver? consumer +4 or -10?

heeeeeeeeeelp

-10dBV is the standard for unbalanced devices, whose output @ 0VU with a 1k tone should be 0.316V

+4dBu is the standard for balanced devices, with an output reading (@ 0VU, 1k sine wave) of 1.23V

Theres about a difference of 2.2dB, which would explain the difference in levels you hear....which also equates to about 11.8dB more headroom when using a totally balanced system, running at +4dBu

Most synths operate at -10dBV, but for some reason I find the Virus too hot when I switch the -10 level, so I keep it at +4, and adjust levels of individual patches.....

Check the specs for the audiophile, and also the Virus......and, I guess, just try each and see which one works best for you....

:)

Sometimes if I'm working on a ballanced mix at +4 I think the virus can't cut it (If the rest of the mix is huge) By turning up a part volume on the virus to high you can actually hear it distort! At -10 the virus has loads of power left over, so I'd say it's actually somewhere in between.

My current solution is to add a pre-amp or channel gain to the virus when working in +4.

Test all your sutdio components; mixer, convertors etc at +4 with a 0db digitally clean kik drum. I found my converters crackle a bit so this extra head room for me was going to contain distortions in transients of other instruments too.

As far as the audiophile specs go, i know it can do both +4 and -10 , it is simply an option to check in the asio control panel affecting its outputs
but i din't remember i've seen this info in the virus manual, about balanced or unbalanced outputs....

Are you talking about a virus b or a virus c? (or the new TI?)
My virus b I believe is -10 unbalanced.

i'm takling about virus c, so i guess it is the same as b ?

The TI has upped the specs to Balanced and your choice of -10 +4.

Do you send the Virus audio to the DAW via alt 3/4 buss?

Leave the stereo line channel at -10dBV and keep the soundcard at +4dBu (The Alt 3/4 buss output is balanced) and then adjust the individual patch volume to suit

Obviously, if you find working another way suits you better, stick to it!!! You can spend alot of time worrying about this stuff......I do :)

And now Im up to my armpits in balanced multicore and TRS jacks :(

I'm curious when you say "The Alt 3/4 buss output is balanced", where does this info come from?
My understanding is they are all the same 1,2/3,4/5,6. Unbalanced, -10. with the 1 being doubled as a headphone jack (stereo) which makes it interesting being that it needs 3 points of contact in the jack housing. This raises more questions than answers.

This is on the mackie mixer.....