Adjust audio gain

Having the right amount of gain applied to your microphone or other type of audio source optimizes the performance of the transcription. You can adjust the gain for XLR, ¼" TRS, RCA, and 3.5 mm inputs using the touch screen, web interface, and Epiphan Cloud when your LiveScrypt device is paired with your Epiphan Cloud team.

The amount of gain you need to add depends on the strength of the original audio signal. Adjusting the Input Gain affects the volume of the audio that's sent to the cloud for transcription and what you hear in the headphone jack.

Be aware that excessive amounts of gain increases the noise that may already be present in the audio signal, which can affect the accuracy of transcription.

The following table offers some guidelines for adjusting the gain at the various audio input ports on the LiveScrypt device for common types of audio input devices. Add the suggested gain to the audio input to get an average signal to register at a nominal level in the VU meter (i.e. where the green bars change to yellow).

Audio input port gain guidelines

Audio source Input port Gain

Dynamic microphone

XLR

 Add +50 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port.
Electret microphone XLR Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port.
3.5 mm Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port.
Wireless microphone receiver XLR Add +18 to +40 dB gain to the audio input port.
3.5 mm Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port.

Condenser microphone with phantom power

 XLR Add +40 to +60 dB gain to the audio input port.
Mobile phone or other consumer line level device TRS Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port.
XLR Add +6 to +12 dB gain to the audio input port.
RCA1 Nominal
Professional mixer TRS

Nominal
XLR Nominal
RCA Not recommended.

1 To avoid unwanted signal noise on the RCA ports, we recommend adding no more than 12dB of gain to the RCA ports or when RCA/3.5 mm is used.

Ensure the audio input source is connected to an analog audio input port on the LiveScrypt device before proceeding. Gain is added to both the RCA and 3.5 mm inputs if the audio mode is set to RCA + 3.5 mm. For information about setting the audio input mode, see Assign audio sources to an input.

To adjust the gain for an audio source:

  1. Open the device Settings:
    1. Using the touch screen and web interface, select Settings .
    2. Using Epiphan Cloud, select the LiveScrypt devices icon in the side navigation panel, and then select a LiveScrypt device to open the device Settings.

      3. You can also open the LiveScrypt device settings page from the Devices Dashboard when you click the LiveScrypt device name or click the three dots in the row for the LiveScrypt device and select Settings.

  2. From the Settings, select Audio. The Audio menu opens.

  3. Select a value from the Gain drop-down menu for the audio source.

  4. Select Apply if you're using the touch screen or web interface.