Low volume recording problem

I have songs with recorded midi channels. When they play, I am sending their audio into a midi channel with their out assigned as the input. But the volume recorded is much lower and needs to be normalized. Attached are some pictures of Presonus SL16R mixer ins and outs and how I have renamed them in accordance with what I have named the channels on the mixer pictures sent before. then I am sending a picture of how I have assigned audio outs of 2 midi channels playing the Z8 to an audio channel in between them. As I have recorded other channels in a similar way, I have wondered why the recorded signal is so low and needs to be normalized louder. And now I just realized that the faders on the SL16R mixer have no effect at all on the blue signals of activity in the channels. So if that




mixer main fader is brought all the way down, I hear no sound, and the mixer faders all drop to nothing. But the signal faders in the Cubase don’t change at all. So if I want to increase the volume that will be recorded in the audio channel in between these, how would I increase that signal?

What is wrong with this program? I’ve had problems before where I would be looping something to play along with and then it would stop and on restarting return to the beginning. In this case, with a long complicated piece, I figured out the routing to record 4 of the midi track’s audios silmultaneously as all the inputs are different. I started the recording, went to the bathroom and came back and just hear one sustained note. It stopped recording and playing. I back up a little to listen and it gets to the same point and just stops again with the note sounding. Note the low volumes recording as mention above, but I couldn’t even finish this.

I see now that the tempo track dropped to zero somehow. Have to undo the recording and when ever this happened. But still note the low volumes.

Cubase has no control over record levels.
That’s all down to the audio interface.

That is true in general, with the exception of the input channels, where you can of course influence the recorded levels with the fader or pre-gain.

Of course you are completely right. I always forget about the input channels as adjusting anything post convertor seems kind of pointless.

So OP should indeed check that they haven’t accidentally turned down the input channels somehow.

I’ve had such difficulty ever getting the Presonus SL16R mixer, where everything is software based. With Presonus email only horrible help, it took more than a week just to be able to hear anything, sending me to articles that were for a different operating system, different mixer, info scattered all over, and I am still in the position of weeks going back and forth trying to understand the routing, as they ask for videos of what I explain and then don’t follow up or ask for system info, and never getting anywhere. I was finally able to figure out how to record the audio of midi tracks onto new designated audio tracks, after never getting the answers from them., but I am still quite confused about all this and where I would raise the volumes. When my midi instruments play, their activity is all on the 16 channels shown where their audio inputs are. Faders there control that. However if I already have audio channels playing, the only fader activity is the main. Audio is assigned to 17&18 but I see no faders for anything above 16, though Cubase shows 24 possible channels for the 16R.

Please try to bear in mind we have no idea how you’ve set anything up so your descriptions could refer to a number of different possibilities…screencaps might help here.
Audio connections - Mixer with input channels visible - Whatever you are calling the 16 channels with audio inputs for your gear. And a clear explanation of how you route out midi to one synth and audio back in.

I thought I had already followed up on this but I don’t see it, so trying again. the mixer picture shows all inputs and the 12 mic is the only one that is not a synth or drum module. The TD50x goes into the computer with its own USB, while the other midi devices go to the MIDI Express 128 and its USB goes to the computer. The audio outs of all the midi devices go in to the SL16R mixer channels as shown in the mixer picture. So I’ll try a simple example. I want to record the audio of this midi bass to an audio track. It has a very good signal, showing as it plays through the mixer on 1&2 which is the PK2 main R&L. So I am assiging that to the audio for the bass to be the input. I was trying to do a screen shot of the recording to show the levels, as the audio seemed low. So I started the recording and tried to get a good picture a couple of times and then the sound went off. I tested the PK2 and found that its demo sound wasn’t sounding. Also when I reverted the song, it had no input for the Midi express, so I put all. I turned PK2 off and on and it came back and then I tried recording again and for the 1st time ever I had very high recording levels. So it seems maybe I was doing things correctly but other problems were involved. I test recorded the chank with same input.


Seems that was a fluke as the next project, it went back to low levels. I tried to record the same type of pattern and midi part and channel. For each I chose the PK2 ML/MR. But when I look at what shows in the inspector, the low one just says IN. I just called the higher volume Fm9 for short and the low one Reg6.




Your IN bus is shown as not connected…and why are there two different input setups screencapped…both of which only have Stereo In actually assigned to anything?
You realise you need to actually set your track input in inspector as well as assigning stuff in the audio connections first?

I had also gone back to the 'IN1" connection, and routed to PK2 M1/2 but when I create a new track it offers ‘IN1’. Then I tried going to the Inspector and replacing ‘IN1’ with the PK2 M1/2, but record level either was was even lower. I don’t know what was different in the other project. I went back and again had a high level recording level there. Pix from camera of the reg6 song, screen capture closes the floating windows. Here in the list for the new audio track, I chose PK2 ML/MR. Also Presonus told me there are no tracks above 18 so I don’t know why Cubase showed 24.


![20250204_145654|666x500]

(upload://diUxPHOxrx9EamPeu37KDNc597i.jpeg)
![20250204_145843|375x500]
In this picture inspector shows PK2 M1/2
used in the 2nd record of track audio BUB. Looks a little lower.
The track below, Audio left the IN1 choice and looks the same. I don’t know what was special about the Fm9 project, only one to ever give a good level. (upload://dAz5QYatItN9AAZ93TqD8EtYKHN.jpeg)
![20250204_145654|666x500]
Here (upload://diUxPHOxrx9EamPeu37KDNc597i.jpeg)

2 pictures aren’t showing above, so trying here. I had changed IN1 to also be from the PK2 M R/L


Choosing PK2 ML.MR still showed IN 1 in the inspector so I changed it there. either way both recordings were low.

Show input buses in the Cubase mixer…play the midi for one of the tracks you’re trying to record. Look at the meter of the input channel. If the metering here is low and the fader is at unity (which it should be by default) then the signal coming from the mixer on PK2 must be what is low.

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It seems that I have solved the problem. There was confusion becasue when I’d play back songs, most of the tracks were going to the PK2 and loud enough and often needed to be turned down in Cubase. So I kept thinking about the routing in regard to Cubase and the mixer and what controlled input volume and then I went to the other side of the room where the rack of devices is and saw that the volume dial on the PK2. I turned it up and then had to turn down song faders in cubase as they were so blasting. then I did a test record of a track and got a high volume and had to back off somewhat at the PK2. So I recorded a couple of tracks and then tried one sent to the TX81Z, which in playback wasn’t loud in comparison to PK2 tracks. But its individual and master volume were already at 99, the highest. So I test recorded and then it was way too high and I had to back off the master volume at the TX81z from what it’s always been set at. I had just never been thinking about the very source, since tracks played back at high volumes in Cubase, depending on it or the mixers faders.

Again, read the manual thoroughly. And learn about gain staging. Every situation you run into, check the manual first, instead of immediately going to a forum and making others do your work for you. Or search online. Just a thought.

I don’t MAKE anyone do work. If they want to, or like to help, that is up to them, and appreciated. On some problems I spend hours reading, for example regarding drum scoring, and come up with no answers and questions then escalated to developers. For example why is “edit in scores” grayed out and can’t be activated in my C13, but was checked and selectable in 8.5. There are only 2 entries for that. If you know the answer to that, then I would consider you very high level as this has been an escalated question for months. Just don’t read my posts if they annoy you. Maybe I have a learning disability or at 78 I’ less sharp. I recently spent many hours over days reading and watching videos trying Spectralayers and still have found no answer to why, if it used in Cubase 13, there is no file menu for it to export the layers. Escalated.

So only seemingly solved, as I have a very high recorded level but playback is so much weaker than the audio of the midi tracks that I have to turn everything else way down. Its volume is up all the way, and the mixer main fader is about 80%.

Should tracks look clipped like these to have good volume?

Waveform tells us nothing about volume as you can zoom into the waveform as a view setting …use metering to judge volume

Well, at least you’re trying. Sorry about making you feel bad, but just so many questions everywhere. Good luck, and hope all goes well.

As an afterthought, perhaps you could/should simplify your setup until you have more of a grasp of basic Cubase concepts. Too many outboard/effects etc. can complicate things exponentially. Just learn the basics within Cubase until you feel comfortable with all the settings, then add one plug-in, one external piece of hardware at a time, and get those under control. Again, I apologize for any personal slight you may feel from me. Take care…