Torpedo Live low output volume?

2

2ninety

Member
I've been using a Torpedo LIVE in a live situation (not home/studio) for a while now and it's very common for me to hear from the FOH guys the signal they get is very low and they have to gain it up much more than most other DI's. Is that normal with the Torpedo LIVE? Typical settings : Input is peaking at -6. Output is set to 0. In the past I've bumped up the Output to +2 or so, but usually any more than that and the output clip starts to light.

Anyone else getting told the signal they send to FOH is not very hot at all?
 
Could you try using a 1/4 balanced jack -> XLR cable directly to FOH? The output level of the Live is more than 16dBU on a traditional balanced line input which is PLENTY. ;)
 
FOH will only hook up to a DI box typically (like the radial) so they have ground lift options etc... I'll double check and make sure the 1/4 inch i'm using from the line out on the Torpedo Live to the DI box is balanced. Would using an unbalanced cable (line out of Torpedo LIVE to the DI) cause a significant drop in level? Be great if it turns out to be that simple (that the 1/4 inch isn't balanced)...
 
So my next question would be, most DI box 1/4 inch inputs are NOT balanced. Only the XLR outs on the DI are usually balanced. Example, my Radial ProD2 DI is unbalanced 1/4 inputs and balanced XLR outputs. So if i used a balanced 1/4 out of the Torpedo Live to the unbalanced 1/4 input of the DI box, would that still give me the full 16dbu? or will it still experience that 6-10dbu drop since it's going into the unbalanced input on the DI?
 
Indeed, a DI jack input is unbalanced, because it's one of the purposes of a DI to balance the signal. So, if you are using a DI, you are using the output of the Live unbalanced.

That's still 10 dBu of output level before clipping, which should be more than a typical guitar.

The passive DI heavily reduces the signal. One way of getting more level would be to use an active DI without attenuation.
 
Another possibility is an Ebtech Line Level Shifter, which is an isolated transformer based solution, so it also solves potential ground loop problems. That'll give a plenty hot signal for your FOH guys.
 
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