Korg Zero 4 (setup help needed)

[Vandalus]

Since you are using a KorgZ4 with TSP 2 and a mac, I was hoping that you may be able to help me answer a question that's been vexing me for a while now. Do you know or can you diagnose why I get an electrical hiss sound on my TSP recordings only when recording from control vinyl? i.e., using control vinyl I can play fine with no hiss through both monitors, main, or headphone (both master and cue). However, when I record, I get the hiss. Interestingly, it doesn't hiss all the time, it appears to only come through on certain sounds, some more than others. My first thought was it could just be old ortofons that need to be replaced. My ortofon night clubs are pretty old - but when inspecting the needle, I still have plenty of length left - and again, it sounds perfectly fine out of the mixer, but when listening to the recording in traktor is the only time I can hear it. My other thought was that I have a grounding issue - but unless there is something wrong with the ground terminals or wires themselves coming from the 1200's, I don't know how to diagnose that. I mean - I've had them for 12+ years now, but I've kept them in great condition - it seems to me that its either the Korg or Traktor internally causing problems. Maybe it's my crappy macbook pro, which is like 5+ years old now.

If I have the same set up, but no vinyl control, i.e., macbook pro connected via firewire, and I press play using the mouse (so the mixer led's light up but i'm not using the vinyl at all), I don't get any hiss when recording, even though the sound is being routed through the mixer and being recorded in the same fashion. Btw, I have the main outputs routed internally to the "FX" channel, which I then set as the recording input - however, even when I've changed that to make it say, channel "C", I still get the hiss. I've tried recording with key lock, and without, and there is no change.

Here's a link to a mixcloud mix i put up where it's pretty prominent. http://i.mixcloud.com/CB0n0Y It's interesting because it really does appear to depend upon what sounds are coming through at the time of the break - you can hear it the best on breaks, but not all breaks result in a good example of the hiss. It comes through pretty clear at the 13 minute mark. Thoughts on the cause(s), or any other suggestions or ideas? Thanks.

[jessevdriel]

Vandalus

Well, i don't use my z4 with timecode but i might know some things... First try to disable your wireless. (Everyting, bluetooth, wifi, or any other usb wireless reciever/transmitter devices. Make sure you run your mac on battery, because having your soundcard and mixer on the same group may cause interference. Maybe it's an idea to record your rec out of your mixer with another interface? I do so, even the line-in interface of my mac works well. I'm totally unfamiliar with the way you record your sound in your mixer. Do you plug you rec out in channel 4 and then your effects ch select on ch4? The zero4 can't route the master signal through the fx internally right?

You can be sure that it is not an audio hiss tho, it really sounds like a grounding problem or electrical grouping problem.

+1 on the mixes btw dude, nice work

[Vandalus]

Vandalus

Well, i don't use my z4 with timecode but i might know some things... First try to disable your wireless. (Everyting, bluetooth, wifi, or any other usb wireless reciever/transmitter devices. Make sure you run your mac on battery, because having your soundcard and mixer on the same group may cause interference. Maybe it's an idea to record your rec out of your mixer with another interface? I do so, even the line-in interface of my mac works well. I'm totally unfamiliar with the way you record your sound in your mixer. Do you plug you rec out in channel 4 and then your effects ch select on ch4? The zero4 can't route the master signal through the fx internally right?

You can be sure that it is not an audio hiss tho, it really sounds like a grounding problem or electrical grouping problem.

+1 on the mixes btw dude, nice work

I'll try your idea to record into the macbook pro's input instead of using the Korg to route the audio. I agree that it sounds more like a grounding / feedback hiss than anything to do with the needles, since it's not consistent. I've recorded vinyl and I don't get the same hiss - I do get the occasional crackle or pop, but those sound very different - clearly an analogue sound whereas what I'm getting on these traktor recordings very much sounds mechanical or electrical.

Regarding the routing - using the Korg editor I determined which two channels are assigned to the master out - on my setup I think it's 15/16, but I could be wrong. In any event, I then have tracktor using those channels as the "input" for the fx loop, and then in recording settings I tell traktor to record the fx loop as the source. When it's all running, when i'm in the audio settings folder I can see the main output LED's bouncing in traktor on the fx loop channel. Set up this way, I get the post mixer efx / master out being re-routed into traktor for recording. This allows me to mix between DVS and actual vinyl records - I just turn say Channel A off inside traktor, flip the korg channel A line from "audio" to "phono" and whatever comes out of the master is what traktor is capturing for the recording.

Using your suggestions, I'll just take the "rec out" RCA from the korg to macbook audio in and see how it works. I'm at work now - if I remember I'll take a screen shot of my traktor settings when I get home if you're interested.

Thanks re: compliments on the mix.