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How to Pad a Mic Input

Dialing in the proper settings on a microphone preamp is critical to capturing a clean and consistent audio signal. Almost every commercial preamp features a positive and negative decibel (dBu) pad on each input. When activated, these pads increase or decrease the volume of the audio signal as it travels through the preamp and into the recording device so that it is not too loud or too quiet when it is captured.

Instructions

    • 1

      Connect a microphone to the preamp via XLR cable.

    • 2

      Locate the input controls for the channel to which the microphone is connected.

    • 3

      Watch the meter while audio is playing to determine whether the audio signal requires positive or negative pad adjustments.

    • 4

      Press the positive dBu pad to increase the audio signal if the meter turns yellow while audio is playing; press the negative dBu pad to decrease the audio signal if the meter turns red.

    • 5

      Turn the volume knob to fine tune the level of the audio signal so that the meter remains green while audio is playing.

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Recording Music

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