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Audio Technica ATH-M50 to the computer

If you use the front combo jacks with TRS, make sure to set it to LINE and not INSTRUMENT

I am now bit confused how everything is connected in the setup, but I know that headphone very well I have a ATH-50x myself, it is very easy to drive and not very sensitive to being enhanced or otherwise changed in sound by whatever it is connected to in terms of EQ, it is only 38 Ohms anyway.

At least I am confident that the headphones themselves are not a factor here. That's about all I know, I know a fair number of headphones fairly well and a headphone amp for example hardly affects this type of phone, your mac should drive it across the range well enough to a degree that any differences would be very subtle at best.

I am a PC man myself windows/linux so can't comment on the macs, but in windows you will find that there is a setting for headphones versus speakers you can set when you plug it in with some soundcard chips, that can change the sound a bit too.

On another note, I do recall some time ago I plugged my headphones into the little computer speakers plugged into the PC, and the headphones plugged into the speakers headphone out, it did drastically enhance the bass and coloured the sound, like it had a build in loudness switched on all the time, but were talking dirt cheap little consumer speakers, not studio level stuff, avoid that kind of connection to your headphones

Okay, thank you for clarifying.

As OneWatt mentioned above, the MP11/MP7 have an 'AudioOutMode' setting in the SYSTEM:Utility menu. The default is 'Stereo', however it's possible to select '2xMono'. Even though you note that you're using the factory settings, I would still double-check this setting to be sure the outputted signal is indeed Stereo.

Also, have you tried recording from the MP11's 1/4" outputs (and even the headphone out) to rule-out that your DAW or computer isn't 'colouring' the sound in some way? The volume level produced by the different outputs may vary a little, however the tonal character should be the same.

Kind regards,
James
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I wouldn't rule out that the computer's headphone circuitry or some dodgy "Sound enhancer" app is colouring the sound...

well if the MP11's outs are set to mono I will be so wrong-so very wrong
and if I'm wrong about that, how many other things have I been wrong about.

I would ask how-ever, when you are recording with the balanced connectors plugged into the mic inputs, what volume level do you have the MP11 adjusted to and how low do you have to adjust the input trims on your interface?

The MP11's Master Volume fader has no influence over the level of the XLR outputs - the volume is always fixed. The section volume faders must be used to adjust the level.

Kind regards,
James
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Thank-you for pointing that out James. I wonder how the interface's gain control is set then. The mic inputs and the line level have very different gain and impedance. Balanced +4 Line Level can really slam a mic pre.

Though after reading your description of the mono vs stereo setting it makes me question my previous view.

How does the Octopre plug into the computer?
Is it an Octopre 2 or Octopre 2 Dynamic?

It's just a pre, not an interface correct?

A totally different approach to diagnosing the issue you've described...

Grab any other sound source (e.g., an mp3 or CD player, the output of a guitar FX box or another keyboard, etc.) and listen via the headphone jack and then record the same musical content on your DAW. Hear the same sort of difference as you're hearing with the MP11 output vs DAW?

If so, this would strongly suggest your DAW is doing something, not your MP11.

- OneWatt

Correct. Its the MKII, no compression or eq on it. I have a long history of live and recorded sound (kinda old), so the gain stages, impedance, etc. are fine. The difference is only noticeable on the MPII XLRs. I saw an old thread here discussing something similar, but I can't locate it. I'll keep looking. Thanks.

Do you have a simple mixing board to plug the MP 11 into, anything?
You seem confident but you are plugging dedicated line level balanced into minimum +10 balanced mic level. Without a pad that will overload that gain.stage, won't it.
Running mac with Logic sounds professional and in the past would mean that you are running a Pro-Tools hardware front end but you are monitoring with your phones plugged into your computer. The Octopre is not an interface. How do you connect it to your Mac?

Borrow a little mixer to test those XLR's

Thanks, but the levels are fine, I know what the Octopre is. It's connected light-pipe to a UA Apollo Twin. I'll try the 1/4 in to see if that is the same as a test.

Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the troubleshooting help.

interested to know how the TRS' works out if you get to it
or going direct into the apollo

Thanks to all for the suggestions and a big thanks (again!) to Alan from Kawai. The issue was not related to gain staging, output type, circuitry, interface, or cabling. The issue was phase cancellation. The UA Console monitor panned a stereo feed hard left/right when the two channels were linked in the console. Once I placed the pan in the middle for both channels, phasing was restored and matched the headphone sound.

congrats
I thought it might be panning in Logic but it was your interfaces mixer then
I am glad you posted the result

I wanted to bump this to make a point.

When you post on a forum and get people to help you ….
The issue was your interface and the mixer in it(which is gain staging.
I looked back through all of the lack of and misinformation you offered as well as your final post ..
WOW

I must be missing something, because I thought stereo outputs are supposed to be panned hard left/right, and you risk phasing issues if you place both in the middle.

Thanks for the update GA MP6. I'm glad to learn that you were eventually able to configure your equipment correctly to record the MP11.

Kind regards,
James
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