Topic: Best settings for electric guitar DI - inst/pad etc. FF400
Hi,
If I set input 3 to "inst" (which is definitely needed for a DI) the level clips slightly when DI'ing an electric guitar. If I also select "pad", and increase the gain setting (also in the RME settings) by about 3db, it's fine, peaks at around -2db.
However I just wanted to check what exactly "pad" is doing...
The manual says it "reduces sensitivity by 6db", but if you select "pad", and increase gain to +6db (all in the RME settings), this does not sound the same as no pad, gain at 0. To confirm what I'm hearing, the waveform I'm seeing in cubase is different (smaller, and seems to have less dynamic range when pad selected, even if gain pushed up by 6db). So it doesn't seem to be as simple as "pad" just reducing the input level by 6db. I'm guessing the key is in the word "sensitivity" - but what exactly does this mean?
Another option is to leave "pad" unchecked, and route the guitar thru an fx box before reaching the FF400, reducing gain on the fx box by a few db (and of course bypassing fx) so it doesn't clip. Now this seems to result in a better sound, and the waveform has more dynamic range than if I select "pad".
Can anyone explain why this is? And what the best settings should be - in theory - to get the very best DI sound from my guitars pickups?
Incidentally, my pickups are not active, and I'm running the signal into Cubase 8 and then Amplitube.
Thanks!