recording a modual synth

O.k. the synth has an output that depending on the patches can be as little as 3V, yes 3 volts and as much as 10V. Any ideas...

Don't understand where the problem is. The output volume of a modular depend from the voltage going to VCA, so if you attenuate there you can choose your output volume.
maybe I misunderstood the question.

I liked to record synths with a DI box, the bottom end felt better to me. Our tech always felt the output caps were a bit small for a desk input impedance.

If you do use a DI box, it is easy to use the pad to get the level down.

Peter

Cardinen said:

Don't understand where the problem is. The output volume of a modular depend from the voltage going to VCA, so if you attenuate there you can choose your output volume.
maybe I misunderstood the question.

Click to expand...

The listed peak to peak voltages are  the output volume.  Yes you can attenuate it but was asked how to handle it without doing so.

peterc said:

I liked to record synths with a DI box, the bottom end felt better to me. Our tech always felt the output caps were a bit small for a desk input impedance.

If you do use a DI box, it is easy to use the pad to get the level down.

Peter

Click to expand...

Yes I was thinking a DI box. This will end up as a solution to a friend who has his own modular and wishes to record it. Maybe I do a pad and go in after the input transformer on a preamp.  that way I can do an all in one solution.

This is a bizarre question.

'How can I attenuate it without turning it down' kinda thing.

If you're going to use pads, DI boxes or whatever, you're attenuating it.

If your friend thinks that this is somehow automatically 'better' than reducing the output volume, maybe get some better-informed (or less ridiculously superstitious) friends?

Keith I think you misunderstood. He is looking to not have to adjust volume on the synth which would be easiest. Anything outside the synth itself is fair game.

A good quality passive DI usually does the trick.

I have a modular which I use in my tracks regularly, I'm actually feeding it through a tube mic pre that has an input gain with clip indicator and a separate output gain. I just adjust the input gain as I work to keep it shy of the clip level if I want it clean, then just push the input higher if I fancy a bit of drive. (although that's moot now I have an opto-distortion module in my synth)
I tend to take note of the levels as i'm working with a patch and adjust mixer levels (the mixer on the modular that is) as I go. Modulars tend to have quite a few different gain stages in a relatively simple patch, for example I feed my oscillators to my 4 signal mixer, each signal has its own attenuator, the mixer has an output pot which can attenuate or add gain (as it also doubles for CV as well as audio) I then feed the mixer to the filter, the filter has 2 signal inputs each with their own level control. The final mixed signal is then fed to the VCA which has level control, yet some of my EG's also have a CV level control, varying levels of CV will dictate the VCA's final out put level as well.
You probably know most of that anyway.
But as other people have suggested, a nice clean DI will do the trick, although I cant see why your friend wont just turn the VCA knob?