Power Booster when processing through LP?

[Josef_K]

Hi all,

I just bought my TE LP and tried to process my Nord Electro 2 through it. It works fine, I still don't understand fully how the EG works with external audio, but that's ok. My main problem is that even though I have both the "master volume" and the "output level" knobs maxed on the Electro, its output level from the Phatty is very low. The oscillators drown the electro as soon as you raise their volume a tiny bit. Now, this could work, just by turning up the output knob on the phatty gives me a decent recording level on my soundcard. The problem is that then the output level is so high, I get these high-pitched noise, just like when you raise a speaker volume too high.

A solution I have thought of is to get a cheap power booster, to boost the Electro signal before going into the LP. The EHX Nano LPB seems to be the best candidate. However I'm not completely sure even a power booster could bring up the Electro signal high enough, though it will surely make things better. I just wanted to check with you guys and see if you have had this problem with your gear and how you solved it. Thanks in advance.

[Sir Nose]

I use the channel gain on a mixer with individual outs.

[Josef_K]

I use the channel gain on a mixer with individual outs.

I'm guessing you have more than one signals going into that mixer? Cos I only have one other instrument that will need processing through the Moog. So I guess a booster is better for me anyway. Still thank you for replying :D

[Sir Nose]

I also considered a boost pedal when I first sent external audio through my phatty. It will work. A preamp may give you a more leveled boost across the frequency spectrum than a pedal designed for guitar. Or a tube preamp to color the signal before sending it.

I have other instruments going to my mixer, but only one instrument goes to the lp external in at a time. Each channel of my mixer has an individual out. The external instrument goes into the mixer and back out the channel send, not the mix out, to the lp in. The lp out goes into a different channel.
You'd have to look at a specific mixer's configuration depending on your needs (are the channel out pre or post fader), but individual outs that are after the preamp to boost the signal.

If space is an issue then a pedal makes sense. Cost new would be more for a mixer, but used it be close and you'd get so much more with a mixer (mixer, eq, as many boost pedals as the mixer has individual outs).

[Josef_K]

That's a good point, I'll have to check that the boost is not too much mid-range for an organ. If I feel that I'm not entirely happy with the booster I'd probably go for some kind of preamp, a tube preamp feels a bit too far, considering my economy and the fact that I just bought a Moog ^^. I see your point with the mixer though. One problem is, as you mentioned, space. I don't really have a whole studio at home, only having my Moog there takes up more space than was the main idea to begin with. So it will be very good to be able to have a pedal that can be on the floor, also the EHX Nano Linear Power Booster is extremely small and extremely cheap, it would be the best given that it works good enough.