I have a very simple problem. I've recorded some music on MiniDisc which I want to transfer onto my G4 Mac running Bias Peak. I have a Midiman Audiophile 2496 sound card. My Sony Net MD does not have digital out, so I have to connect a cable from the headphone socket directly to the sound card. Unfortulately, the highest the sound level I get in Peak is around -18db. Some people suggest I use a DI box, others a mic pre-amp such as Audio-buddy to increase the levels or correct the impedance. I'm not sure what I should do...

Make sure you've got a stereo mini plug that goes to stereo out on the other end of the cable either with rca or 1/4 inch plugs. If you are connecting directly to the Audiophile then you'll want the other end of your cable to have RCA. Make sure you've got a stereo cable rather than a "Y" cable which will put the same signal on both channels.

If the Audiophile had some sort of adjustable input impedance then that might be a help but it doesn't. I have never used Peak but you should be able to push the gain up on individual mixer channels.

I have found gain is something best made up in the analog world. I have never worked with a minidisc system so I couldn't tell you what works the best. You might ask at this forum: http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php

I could see anything from a receiver to a compressor to a mic pre to a DI to a mixer having something that could give you the gain you're needing to the signal.

Thanks Steve. I'll try that.

also (i used to own a delta 44) in the control panel for the card you can set the input level to +4, 0, or -10.

if you havent messed with that, you might have it set to +4.

I have a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz installed in my business workstation. When I wanted to record some bass through my SWR preamp, I had signal issues.

The sound card is consumer (-10) and the SWR is LINE (+4), with the corresponding level differences. I picked up a Rane BB44 xlr-to-rca conversion box, and this was a little help. The SWR IOD isn't really a line level output, as it only hits 0.7v at maximum output.

I finally had to run the SWR into a preamp, then use the BB44 to convert the preamp to the sound card. The preamp provides enough juice to get the recording levels high enough to properly drive the sound card.

What a hassle to record a few bass riffs for string and pickup changes.

Since then, I've acquired a pair of Aardvark Q10 which eliminates the whole problem. But... I have to set up the DAW to use it.

I think the problem is that he's using the headphone out, vs. line out.

The best solution, which Steve kind of said, is to run the mini-disc
output into a mixer then use the mixer out (which is better suited
to match to the soundcard input). Adjust the channel gain for best
performance.