X-Newsgroups: alt.music.4-track,alt.answers,news.answers (not yet)
Subject: 4-track Recording FAQ v0.44 [alt.music.4-track]
Followup-To: alt.music.4-track
X-From: tom@zipcon.net (not yet)
Summary: The frequently asked questions list for alt.music.4-track.
Contains technical information and opinions on hardware, effects,
and recording techniques relevent to 4-track and other
home recorders. Also contains pointers to related online, print,
and video resources, and a brief explanation of some acronyms
and technical terms.
X-Archive-Name: music/4-track-recording/4-track-faq (not yet)
X-Posting-Frequency: monthly (not quite)
URL: http://homerecording.com/4trackfaq.txt
Maintained-By: David Fiedler
4-track FAQ Version 0.44 DRAFT 99/05/19 17:40
This is a Frequently Asked Questions list for the alt.music.4-track
newsgroup, for music makers who use 4-track recording hardware.
This file may be accessed with the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
http://homerecording.com/4trackfaq.txt
with world-wide web software (e.g. lynx, mosaic, netscape) or by ftp
at the URL:
ftp://ftp.homerecording.com/pub/record/4trackfaq.txt
NOTICE: Since this is a first stab, it is unstable. It may (should)
undergo drastic revision.
Please contribute questions, answers, and suggestions. Comments
welcome (for the moment). Note that this version of the FAQ probably
has known errors that the maintainer just hasn't had time to fix. The
FAQ maintainer is David Fiedler (mailto:dragon@homerecording.com).
Warning: Send me any SPAM and I'll make your life a living hell...
CONTRIBUTIONS: Anywhere there are two or more ??s in a row, that
indicates missing information that I would like you, the reader, to
supply. Also, some of the questions are organically growing huge; an
attempt at a concise rewrite of any question would be appreciated. Of
course all other types of contributions are welcome.
**********************************************************************
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OF THIS INFORMATION. Sorry.
I'll do my best.
END OF WARNING END OF WARNING END OF WARNING END OF WARNING
Statement adapted from Russ Hersch's FAQ FAQ:
I disclaim everything. The contents of this article might be totally
inaccurate, misguided, or otherwise perverse - except for my name
(hopefully I got that right).
Copyright (c) 1999 by David Fiedler. All rights reserved.
This FAQ may be posted to any USENET newsgroup, on-line service, or BBS
as long as it is posted in its entirety and includes this copyright
statement.
This FAQ may not be distributed for financial gain.
This FAQ may not be included in commercial collections or compilations
without express permission from the author.
**********************************************************************
To search for a question with a program, look for Q#, e.g. "Q1.1".
List of contributors (knowing or unknowing). If your name is
wrongfully omitted, or you wish it (and your contributions) removed,
email the FAQ maintainer.
adouglas@belvoir.com (Andrew Douglas)
ak748@detroit.freenet.org (Daniel W. Newport)
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last)
billy-em@telalink.net (Billy Center)
brianb@scorpion.iii.net (brian q. buda or Marc?)
bwill@teleport.com (Brad S Williams)
bwm1894@u.washington.edu (Brett McCarron)
cc@hplb.hpl.hp.com (Costas)
cheyenne@netcom.com ("Will" using the account of Melissa Duncan)
crick@ccnet.com (TEFKAR)
dfrankow@winternet.com (Dan Frankowski)
davidc@access.rrinc.com.blacksburg.va.us (David Copeland)
dragon@homerecording.com (David Fiedler) (Dragon)
ertrinid@girtab.usc.edu (Elson R. Trinidad)
gajoob@utw.com (by way of gajoob@utw.com (Bryan F. Baker))
haibachi@tiamat.umd.umich.edu (Jay Itchon)
jeibisch@revolver.demon.co.uk (James Eibisch)
jmireau@tibalt.supernet.ab.ca (James Mireau)
kowalski@scooter.ping.de (Thorsten Kowalski)
ks43@cornell.edu
leiter@panix.com (Phil Dahl)
lwillia@ix.netcom.com (Larry Williams)
macchi@marina.scn.de (Gian Carlo Macchi)
marcl508@hudson.iii.net (Marc LaFleur)
mcknight@pire.org (Scott McKnight)
michaelj@hstl.ultranet.com (Michael J. Slaney)
mparrott@kendaco.telebyte.com (Michael Parrott)
mucilage@unity.ncsu.edu (Ross A Grady)
mwdrews@mailbox.syr.edu (Mark Drews)
nigelsp@rain.org (Nigel Spencer)
nflorin@med.unc.edu (Nathaniel Paul Florin)
pseo@mail2.sas.upenn.edu (Peter S Seo)
psu02178@odin.cc.pdx.edu (Joshua Meredith)
me@ram.org (Ram Samudrala)
reedijk@gene04.med.utoronto.ca (Rob Reedijk)
robertb@primenet.com (Robert Blackwell)
rwh8234@erc.jscc.cc.tn.us (Robert W. Hough)
schmange@wbb.com
shitcan@eskimo.com (Michael Crowl)
sratte@mindvox.phantom.com (Swamp Ratte)
stabnste@phoenix.phoenix.net (Erik Karlson)
talarczyk@ACFcluster.NYU.EDU (Michael J. Talarczyk)
taroh@kohnolab.dnj.ynu.ac.jp (Dr. Taroh SASAKI)
tmbs@mailserv.mta.ca (monkey 100)
tnolan@frymulti.com (Timothy M. Nolan)
toehser@cais2.cais.com (Tom Oehser)
tstrohma@theodolite.ae.calpoly.edu (Trevor Strohman)
will@iglou.iglou.com (William M. Willis)
zz93f010@polar.etsiig.uniovi.es (Perez Sanchez, Florian Manuel)
Changes between 0.43 and 0.44:
------------------------------
various spelling and grammar errors
Preamp definition added to
clarification of 4-track mixdown
updated table for 424s
Changes between 0.42 and 0.43:
----------------------------------
Maintenance taken over by David Fiedler
(previously Maintained-By: Dan Frankowski who did a great job!!)
URLs and other minor corrections
Some changes between 0.41 and 0.42:
----------------------------------
- added ref to a book by Bruce Bartlett.
- added headers in anticipation of being listed in news.answers someday.
Some changes between 0.4 and 0.41:
----------------------------------
- added ref to the awesome rec.audio.pro FAQ.
- major new info in 4-track comparison table! See Q1.3.
- balanced and unbalanced ins and outs
- rewrite of def of EQ
- difference between amp and pre-amp
- another opinion on "how to get a good sound", Q3.1.
Some changes between 0.31 and 0.4:
----------------------------------
- Added ref to IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION shamelessly lifted from GAJOOB DiY
- Added ref to MIDI book
- Added refs to rec.music.makers.songwriting and alt.music.lyrics
- Added ref to copyright FAQ
- Added questions on other computer software, answers not given.
- Expanded discussion of computers and home recording, including
SAW software, and Macintoshes
- Edited definition of EQ and noise reduction
- Added ref to Audio Technica RMX 64 4-track machine
- Added ref to DAT-heads FAQs and email list
- Added ref to the Buddy project
- Added reviews of two books and a great videotape
- Added definitions of DiY, indie, decibels
- Added MTC definition
- Added SMPTE definition and discussion
- Added explanation of gain and volume, and the difference
- Added ref to Sound Effects and Digitrax software
- Added discussion of using compression
- Added line level voltages
- Added discussion of mics
- Added ref to my SAW ftp site
- Added discussion of using Macintoshes
- Added GAJOOB ref
- Added 8-track comments
- Added discussion of improving drum sounds
Table of contents
-----------------
Q0. Philosophy
S0. Definitions and Acronyms not covered elsewhere.
Q0.1 What is MIDI?
Q0.2 What is MTC?
Q0.3 What is SMPTE?
Q0.4 What is gain? What is volume? What is the difference?
Q0.5 What is "DiY"? What is "indie"?
Q0.6 What are decibels? When are they used instead of volts?
S1. Hardware
Q1.1 What is a 4-track machine?
Q1.1.1 What is an FX (effects) loop?
Q1.1.2 What is EQ (ee-kyoo)? What kinds are there?
Q1.1.3 What is noise reduction? What is Dolby? What is DBX?
Q1.1.4 What are balanced and unbalanced ins and outs?
Q1.1.5 What is the difference between a pre-amp and an amp?
Q1.2 What should I look for in buying a 4-track machine?
Q1.3 What are some brands of 4-track machines?
Q1.3.1 What are some good brands of 4-track machines?
Q1.3.2 What is the difference between a Tascam 424 and 464?
Q1.4 How important are microphones?
Q1.5 What are some brands of microphones?
Q1.6 What is a "phantom powered" microphone?
Q1.7 Can I use a personal computer to digitally record and mix music?
Q1.7.1 How is Turtle Beach's Quad Studio package?
Q1.7.2 How can I get a demo of SAW (Software Audio Workshop) software?
Q1.7.3 What is a MIDI sync device?
Q1.7.3.1 What is an SMPTE-to-MIDI converter?
Q1.7.4 What is Sounds Effects?
Q1.7.5 What is DigiTrax?
Q1.7.6 What is Cakewalk?
Q1.8 How does an 8-track machine compare to a 4-track machine?
Q1.9 How should I clean my 4-track machine?
Q1.9.1 Do I need to demagnetize my 4-track heads?
S2. Effects
Q2.1 What is flange?
Q2.2 What is reverb?
Q2.3 What is compression?
Q2.3.1 Do I need stereo compression?
Q2.3.2 Should I use compression on drums? Vocals? Bass?
Q2.4 What is limiting? How is it different from compression?
Q2.5 What is (upward) expansion?
Q2.6 What is companding?
Q2.7 What is a noise gate?
Q2.8 What are some brands of effects boxes?
Q2.9 Should I get an all-in-one effects box or a more basic box and
a separate compressor/limiter?
S3. Recording Techniques
Q3.1 How do I get a good sound?
Q3.2 What should I know about speeding up recordings?
Q3.3 What should I know about using a VCR as a digital recorder?
Q3.4 What should I know about doing an external pre-mix versus
an internal bounce?
Q3.5 Can I use compression on a mixed signal?
Q3.5.1 Is it better to compress when recording or mixing?
Q3.6 How do I improve my drum sound?
Q3.6.1 How would I use noise gates to improve my drum sound?
S4. Related information
S4.1. Information online
Q4.1.1 What are some related newsgroups?
Q4.1.2 What are some related FAQ lists?
Q4.1.3 What are some related email lists?
Q4.1.4 What are some related WWW (World-Wide Web) pages?
Q4.1.5 What are some related ftp sites?
S4.2. Information not online
Q4.2.1 What are some related magazines?
Q4.2.2 What are some related books?
Q4.2.3 What are some related videos?
S4.3. Company information
Q4.3.1 What is Tascam's address and phone #?
Q4.3.2 What is Musician's Friend?
--------------------------------------------------
Q0. Philosophy
A short quote from an alt.music.4-track reader:
From mucilage@unity.ncsu.edu Thu Sep 15 02:29:08 1994
Message-ID: <358anr$pmq@taco.cc.ncsu.edu>
"Now, of course, I'm not Mr. Hi-fi, but then any idiot who goes crazy
trying to replicate perfect hi-fi sound in a home studio is
by-and-large nuts, when he/she could just save up that money and go
rent studio time in a 16-track analog studio with a decent mic package
for about $30 - $35 an hour.
"I've got some advice fer you: spend a little more time writing songs and
practicing them, and a little less time tweaking your superbedroomstudio.
I've heard more clean-sounding 4-track demos of more shitty songs than
I'll ever care to elaborate on.
"And always remember this: every single device in the signal path alters
the signal. Period. There is no perfect transparent mic. There are not
even different levels of alteration, really--just different types, some
of which sound more "normal" than others.
"So your best bet is to use whatever equipment makes the coolest
sound--whether it's a zillion-dollar vocal mic or a paper cup."
S0. Definitions and Acronyms not covered elsewhere.
Q0.1 What is MIDI?
Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A standard which allows sending
and receiving of messages such as "Play an A 440 for 100 ms with patch
#9 and some pitch bend." Since many instruments and controllers use
this standard, you can hook up a lot of equipment.
There are many books on this subject. Go to the library. See also
Q4.2.2.
Q0.2 What is MTC?
MIDI Time Code.
Q0.3 What is SMPTE?
Adapted from talarczyk@ACFcluster.NYU.EDU (Michael J. Talarczyk):
Society of Motion Picture and Televison Engineers (time code).
See also Q1.7.3.
Q0.4 What is gain? What is volume? What is the difference?
Adapted from tstrohma@theodolite.ae.calpoly.edu (Trevor Strohman):
Gain occurs before the preamplifier stage, volume occurs afterward.
When to fiddle with each:
Adjust gain levels once, to find the optimal input levels for your
mixer/4-track: high enough for a good signal-to-noise ratio, low
enough for the desired level of distortion (usually none). Then
adjust volume controls to change the levels in the mix.
Lowering the gain reduces clipping and distortion. The gain also
helps even out levels: you don't have to have one volume slider
cranked while another is almost off to get a good mix. However, the
mix happens in the volume controls.
Cranking gain too high is much more likely to cause distortion than
cranking volume, and more noise occurs on low gain than on low volume.
Q0.5 What is "DiY"? What is "indie"?
"DiY" - Do-it-yourself (music)
"indie" - Independent, meaning not released on a major record label.
Q0.6 What are decibels? When are they used instead of volts?
From a Webster's online dictionary:
deci-bel \'des-e-,bel, -bel\ n
[ISV deci- + bel]
(1928)
1a: a unit for expressing the ratio of two amounts of electric or acoustic
signal power equal to 10 times the common logarithm of this
ratio
1b: a unit for expressing the ratio of the magnitudes of two electric
voltages or currents or analogous acoustic quantities equal to
20 times the common logarithm of the voltage or current ratio
2: a unit for expressing the relative intensity of sounds on a scale
from zero for the average least perceptible sound to about 130 for
the average pain level
3: degree of loudness; also: extremely loud sound -- usu. used in
pl.
From the DAT-heads microphone FAQ:
"Noise is typically referred to in microphones in terms of equivalent
sound pressure level.. The measure used is typically dBA: decibels
above the hearing threshhold of 0.0002 microbar, A-weighted."
tstrohma@theodolite.ae.calpoly.edu (Trevor Strohman) writes:
A decibel is a logarithmic power level. Since mics output such tiny
signals in comparison to line levels, people use dB to talk about
levels. I'm not quite sure what all the levels are in relation to.
However, the formula for decibels is:
/ Vin \
dB = 10*log | ----- |
10 \ C /
Where Vin = the voltage you're measuring and C is the voltage you're
going to call 0 dB. I couldn't tell you in this case what C is, but
I'm assuming it's somewhere around 1 volt.
dB make the numbers more manageable. I can say "It's at -30 dB", or I
can say that "It's at one thousandth the voltage." Some mixers claim
a dynamic range of up to 90 dB or more! I'd rather say -90dB than one
billionth the voltage. I don't usually have reason to talk about
voltage of audio signals much.
S1. Hardware
Q1.1 What is a 4-track machine?
A 4-track machine is an audio device that allows the user to record
four separate channels, perhaps simultaneously or perhaps at different
times (possibly out of sequence), so that they may be played back
simultaneously.
The ability to record at different times or out of sequence
distinguishes 4-tracking from recording onto a stereo deck.
Q1.1.1 What is an FX (effects) loop?
'FX' is the usual abbreviation for 'effects' in scripts and stage
directions.
An effect loop 'splits off' the signals on their way out of the
4-track (or mixer) and sends them to an external effects unit. The
output of that unit is then fed back into the output of the 4-track /
mixer. You can set, for each track, what level of signal is sent to
the effect unit, so you can have some tracks heavily treated and some
not treated at all.
For example, suppose you have 4 tracks of soaring music on tape,
including a trumpet. If you played the whole mix through a reverb,
it'd be like listening to it in a cathedral; unusably reverbed. Thus,
you want to add reverb to the trumpet.
The effect unit is set to produce a 'wet' signal because that's what
you want to feed back into the final signal from the 4-track or mixer.
Remember that this is being added to the original, untreated signal,
so there's no point in adding, for example, partially reverbed trumpet
to unreverbed trumpet. What you do is to choose the level of the
trumpet track which is sent to the reverb so that the right level of
reverbed trumpet is heard in the final mix.
Q1.1.2 What is EQ (Ee-Kyoo)? What kinds are there?
Thanks to Michael Parrott for a nearly
complete rewrite for this question.
EQ (where each letter is pronounced: Ee-Kyoo) stands for
"equalization." As a noun, it means those controls on a recording,
mixing, or playback unit which allow for altering the tonal
characteristics of an audio signal by boosting (increasing) or cutting
(decreasing) the prominence of specific frequencies or frequency
ranges within the signal. As a verb, it indicates use of those
controls.
Michael Parrott writes:
"Note that EQ does not tend to make extreme changes in signal levels;
instead, it can be used to reduce or increase the prominence of
certain frequencies in the signal, which in turn reduces or increases
the audible prominence of certain portions of a track or mix. If you
get a chance to experiment, listen to what happens when you boost the
5 KHz range in an evenly-mixed guitar track; the guitar should become
more prominent in the mix without having significantly changed it's
signal level."
Different types of EQ:
(1) Parametric EQ (also "sweepable EQ")
A form of EQ which affects broad sections, or bands, of frequencies in
an audio signal. May be found as either two controls (Low and High),
three controls (Low, Mid, and High), or four controls (Low, Mid, Mid
Freq, and High). They tend to affect frequencies in the following
ways:
Low: Boosts or cuts frequencies in the low (bass) half of the audible
frequency spectrum (20 Hz - 1 KHz). A "shelving" control, it tends to
make more extreme changes at very low frequencies (20 Hz) and less
extreme changes at higher frequencies (1 KHz).
Mid: Boosts or cuts frequencies in the mid range of the frequency
spectrum (100 Hz - 10 Khz). A "peaking" control, it tends to make more
extreme changes at the mid-range frequencies (around 1 KHz) and less
extreme changes at either end of the mid range (100 Hz and 10 KHz).
Mid Freq: Also seen as "Sweep", "Para EQ" and other variations. Alters
the center frequency or "peak" of the Mid EQ control. This allows the
Mid EQ control more flexibility in boosting or cutting frequencies
toward the lower-mid and upper-mid range of the spectrum.
High: Boosts or cuts frequencies in the high (treble) half of the
frequency spectrum (1 KHz - 20 KHz). A "shelving" control, it tends to
make more extreme changes at higher frequencies (20 KHz) and less
extreme changes at lower frequencies (1 KHz).
(2) Graphic EQ
A form of EQ which is generally designed to alter specific, very
narrow frequency bands in an audio signal. The number of controls may
vary from as few as three (effectively another form of parametric EQ)
to as many as 30 or more per channel, with the audible frequency
spectrum evenly divided among them. Controls are usually sliders, but
may also be seen as "plus-or-minus" buttons with an LED or flourescent
display indicating the amount of boost or cut for each frequency.
These controls are of the "peaking" type, centering on a specific
frequency with a small amount of overlap with adjacent controls.
The term "graphic" is used to describe this type of EQ due to the fact
that the sliders (or other indicators), when set to most people's
listening preferences, tend to look like a sine wave or gentle curve.
Hence, a "graphic" representation of the EQ being applied to the
signal.
This type of EQ allows more precise control than parametric EQ over
the tonal characteristics of a signal and makes singling out specific
frequencies for boosting or cutting much simpler and more effective.
Different ways EQ is applied to the mix:
(a) per channel
Each input channel may be separately EQ-ed, as in a mixer.
(b) per bus
Each bus may be EQ-ed, where a "bus" is one of multiple destinations
for an output signal. Example buses: the master mix, feedback
monitors for the musicians, or the effects (FX) loop.
(c) global
The whole output sound may be EQ-ed. The tone controls on a hifi
amplifier are, therefore, global EQ.
Q1.1.3 What is noise reduction? What is Dolby? What is DBX?
See the rec.audio.pro FAQ for incredible detail about this.
There are two major families of noise reduction technology which
you're likely to find on 4-tracks: Dolby and DBX. These are each
discussed in a paragraph below.
There are (at least) three varieties of Dolby on cassette decks, but
they all work more or less the same way: whilst recording, they
enhance the high frequencies in the same area where hiss occurs.
During playback, they reduce those frequencies back to the same level
they were originally. This also reduces the hiss. You can play back
a Dolby-encoded tape without Dolby; the only effect you'll hear will
be a brighter, higher top end.
DBX processes the sound more severely than Dolby [and more
effectively?? --DSF]. If you record using DBX, you *must* play back
with it on. You may even find that a DBX-encoded tape from one
machine does not replay exactly on another.
Q1.1.4 What are balanced and unbalanced ins and outs?
reedijk@gene04.med.utoronto.ca writes:
An unbalanced signal pathway is identified by having two wires (RCA
plugs, guitar jacks, some mic cables). These are high impedence and
are less desirable because as the cable gets longer, more noise is
introduced into the signal. A balanced signal pathway has three wires
which is most common in mics (SM58s for example). A few 4 tracks
have balanced inputs whcih means you can use better quality mics
without adaptors. AT RMX64s as far as I know are the only ones with
balanced outputs which you would use for hooking it up to high-end
gear (I have yet to use them!)
Q1.1.5 What is the difference between a pre-amp and an amp?
reedijk@gene04.med.utoronto.ca writes:
Pre-amps ("pre-amplifiers") shape the character of the signal. This
is where the equalization and gain (sometimes distortion) are
controlled. An amp simply generates the raw power to push a speaker.
A bad pre-amp can distort the signal in many ways including clipping,
compression, poor frequency response (e.g. the "highs" disappear or
sound harsh etc.) or noise.
dragon@homerecording.com adds:
Preamps are designed to boost a mic level signal to a line level also.
Q1.2 What should I look for in buying a 4-track machine?
Adapted from correspondence with Ben Last :
First, understand how 4-tracks work and how you would use the unit
you're thinking of buying in a real, working, setup. Consider how
you'd record and mix a track with it, from 'which instrument plugs in
where' to 'how many bounces will I need' to 'how will I eq the final
mix.' If you can't answer these questions, you're not going to get
something *wrong*; it's just that the more you look into it, the more
you will (hopefully) understand about what the various systems on the
market can do.
Below are some specific questions to ask:
(1) How many simultaneous tracks can I record?
Most modern 4-tracks will handle 4 at once; lower end systems only
operate with a single stereo bus, and can therefore handle only two at
once. Consider how many people you might have playing at once.
For example, I work with one other guy (I suppose two is too small a
number to constitute a 'band' :-); both usually play guitar. Thus,
since the synth backing (all the MIDI) comes in as two tracks
(stereo), we need to be able to record 4 tracks as well so that the
two guitars each get a track of their own.
(2) Does the 4-track machine run at double speed?
This is probably almost mandatory in a quality 4-track these days.
However, if you want to play normal cassettes in it, or record for
replay in a normal deck, then you need the ability to run at normal
speed. Note: it is *not* normal procedure to record a tape on a 4-track
for replaying in a normal cassette deck, since the 3rd and 4th tracks will
come out backwards. You must mix down to an external machine instead.
(3) Does the 4-track machine have appropriate noise reduction?
If at any time you want to record onto a cassette to be played back on
a normal deck, you need to consider that normal decks will not have
DBX, only Dolby, so you either use no noise reduction, or Dolby.
See also Q1.1.3.
(4) Is noise reduction controllable per track while recording?
If you are using MIDI and tape sync you need to ensure that you can
record sync with no noise reduction on one track (usually 4) and get
it back out without hearing it in the mix. Usually track 4 can have
the noise reduction switched on or off separately.
(5) Does it have an outboard FX (effects) loop; can you use it to do
most (if not all) of your mixing, or will you need an outboard mixer?
See Q1.1.1 for a discussion of an FX loop.
(6) If you're mixing with it, what eq does it have?
Most 4-tracks will have some form of eq; it may be per channel or a
stereo graphic that covers all the tracks. If you're trying to keep
one instrument per track, will the eq allow you to affect just that
one track? If eq is a real issue, you need to look at some sort of
external mixer.
(7) Will the inputs switch from mic to line level?
Signals are classified into (roughly) two sorts, based on the voltages
involved: 'mic level' signals are lower voltage, typically seen from
microphones (of course) and electric guitars; 'Line level' signals are
higher voltage, typically seen from synths, hi-fis, etc.
NOTE: Guitars can provide a hell of a signal if played heavily,
especially Les Pauls!
Most 4-tracks will at least have a 'line / mic' switch on the input.
Some have a slider to allow the best matching to be selected.
It's important to get this right: you can connect a mic level signal
to a line level input and hear the sound by turning the volume up, but
you'll also turn up the noise. Similarly, you can put a line level
signal into a mic level input and turn the channel down, but you may
overload the input and cause distortion.
Typically, you want to see a good strong (but not distorting) signal
when the input channel is a 80% or so of maximum volume. With a
slider to set the input impedance, you can get the best 'match'
between instrument and 4-track.
tstrohma@theodolite.ae.calpoly.edu (Trevor Strohman) writes:
Line levels come in two types: -10 dB and +4dB. Consumer equipment is
usually -10dB and pro equipment is -10 or +4. Usually the difference
between the two types is small enough that the gain control on the
mixer/4-track can handle the difference.
For a 4-track studio, +4 signals almost are never come across.
Examples of consumer line level equipment include tape decks, CD
players, and synthesizers. Record players are _not_ line level and
require a preamp. Their voltages are comparable to microphone levels.
Electric guitars are tricky, because they are usually stronger in
voltage than a microphone and yet lower than a line-level signal. Use
the gain knob wisely.
Typical voltages for these signals are roughly 1 volt for line level
signals, and maybe 100 millivolts for a microphone (depends on the
microphone type).
Remember to give yourself plenty of room to mix. Often I see people
with the volume sliders all the way up. This gives no flexibility.
If you have input gain knobs, play/sing at a normal level through all
sources and adjust so that there's equal volume coming out at equal
slider positions, and so that you don't have to push the slider too
high to get a good amount of volume. Now you have total flexibility
to mix with.
Q1.3 What are some brands of 4-track machines?
Table of Features
Note: this is way out of date. If you have updated info,
please email it to dragon@homerecording.com in the same format it is in
the table, i.e. just a line like:
Phlegm X007 666 Y N N Y N 9 4 Y 3P Y Y Y Y
This info is culled from different sources and may be WILDLY INACCURATE!
Brand Price(US$) NS DS SS NR #I #X #R FX EQ ST SY PT PI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audio Technica
RM X64 ??? Y Y N C 6 -- -- 2 P Y N -- --
Fostex 280 949 (699) -- Y -- D 8 -- 4 Y ?P Y -- -- Y
Fostex 380S 1195 -- Y -- D 6 -- 4 Y 3P Y -- Y Y
Fostex X-26 ??? Y N N B 6 -- 2 Y 3P Y? Y -- --
Fostex X18 350-500 (new) Y N N B 4% -- -- @ -- Y Y -- --
Fostex X18-h 450 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Fostex XR-3 399 Y N N D 2 -- 2 -- ?P -- -- Y --
Fostex XR-5 499 N Y N D 4 -- 2 Y 2P Y Y Y Y
Fostex XR-7 699 Y Y N D 6 -- 4 Y 3P Y Y Y Y
Marantz PMD740 999 Y Y N -- -- -- -- Y 3P Y Y -- Y
Tascam Porta 01 350 (used)
Tascam Porta 03 150 (used) Y N N D 2 -- 2 -- 2P -- -- -- --
Tascam Porta 07 499 (400) N Y N D 4 -- 2 Y 2P Y -- -- --
Tascam 424 250 (used) Y Y Y X 4 -- 4 Y 2P -- Y Y --
Tascam 424Mk2 300 Y Y Y X 6M2S 2 4 2 3S Y Y Y --
Tascam 424Mk3 479 (600) Y Y N X 6M2S 2 4 2 3S Y Y Y --
Tascam 464 999 (800) Y Y N X 8* -- -- Y 4+ Y Y -- --
Tascam 644 1599 (1100) Y Y N D 16 -- 4 Y ?P Y Y -- Y
Yamaha MT120 -- Y Y -- X 4 -- -- Y G Y Y -- --
Yamaha MT120S 579 (list) Y Y -- D 4 -- 4 Y ?G Y Y -- --
Yamaha MT4X 599 (540) Y Y N D 4 -- 4 Y 3P Y Y Y Y
Yamaha MT50 449 (400) Y -- N D 4 -- 4 Y 2P Y Y -- --
* - 4 of these are stereo inputs.
+ - 4 channels have one high, one low, and two mid. The others have
just one high and one low.
% - it also has an aux return.
@ - you have to use the mono-mix output as an effects send and the aux
return as an effects return during mixdown
(Note: Any block containing "??" or "--" means I don't have that
information for that unit; if you happen know, please let me know!)
Features in table above:
Brand - The company and name of the machine. Listed in alphabetical
order.
Price - Price is in U.S. dollars, manufactuere's list unless otherwise
specified. Sorry international folk. Stores will often give a
discount from the list price. For example, a store offered me a
Tascam Porta 07 for $400 (list $499). Prices in parenthesis indicate
approximate 'street' prices of a fairly new unit (probably inaccurate
and surely highly dependent on location and condition of the unit).
NS - Normal speed record/play (4.8 cm/s or 1.875 in/s). This allows tapes
to be recorded at the speed of a normal cassette deck.
DS - Double speed record/play (9.5 cm/s or 3.75 in/s). This allots
double the tape to the same amount of time as normal speed, thus
improving sound quality.
SS - Half speed play (2.4 cm/s or .9375 in/s). This allows you to
play quick phrases slowly so you can hear them.
NR - noise reduction. D for Dolby (B for Dolby B, C for Dolby C if known),
X for DBX.
#I - Number of simultaneous inputs (mono and/or stereo).
#X - Number of XLR inputs
#R - Number of simultaneously recordable tracks.
FX - Has an effects loop or aux send/return buss.
EQ - Type of equalization on mic inputs. First character is number
of controls, second character is type: "P" for parametric,
"G" for graphic, "S" for swept mids.
ST - Stereo out channel or buss.
SY - MIDI tape sync capability.
PT - Pitch control.
PI - Punch In/Punch Out editing.
#X - Number of XLR inputs
Q1.3.1 What are some good brands of 4-track machines?
Ben Last recommends the Yamaha MT120 ("'cos I bought mine after much
research!"). Double / normal speed, DBX noise reduction, 4
simultaneous inputs, FX loop, graphic eq, monitor / mix / stereo out,
tape sync capability. 320 pounds (UK) in 1992. They are no longer
sold new.
reedijk@gene04.med.utoronto.ca (Rob Reedijk) writes:
There is a brand missing from your info: Audio Technica RMX 64. I
have not one but two and I think they're fantastic.. They only made
them for short period (around '85) and I think they stopped because
they cost too much to manufacture. They have 6 full channels plus two
returns which can also be used as channels, parametric e.q., balance
and unbalance inputs on all six channels, balanced and unbalanced outs,
phantom power on all six channels, Dolby B and C, two speed with pitch
adjust, real V.U. meters, zillions of inputs and outputs on the back,
4 headphone outs etc, etc. They also weigh 50 lbs. Because in
reality they contain a sort of pro mixer they sound fantastic and
they're built like tanks. They are kind of low tech in fact that
there is no auto locate programmable punch-in type features. Get one
if you can. I bought my first one in 1985. I bought my second one
last year for $225 Canadian (about 4 cents U.S.). Compare that to a
new fostex $1000+ made of plastic planned obsolescence disaster
(apologies to the fostex contingent).
The reason I have two is I can connect them together and get 10
channels (two used for signal routing). I can also bounce 4 to 2 with
only one generation of signal loss. Furthermore, I have, this way, an
excellent stereo cassette directly linked up for final mixing.
ram@indigo3.carb.nist.gov (Ram Samudrala) writes:
Needless to say, the Tascam 464 is one of the best analog 4-tracks out
there, IMO. It is particularly useful if you're a solo recording
artist and want the computer automation to do a lot of the punching
in, etc. for you. I have found the mixer to be quite superior, and I
think the noise reduction system works quite well at high speed.
Q1.3.2 What is the difference between a Tascam 424 and 464?
toehser@cais.cais.com (Tom Oehser) writes:
>What does the 464 have that makes it sell for $230 more than the 424?
>(Best I can tell, the difference is extra channels in the mixer and XLR
>inputs. Is this difference worth it?)
More channels. XLR and preamps. I think the 424 has a wall-wart and
the 464 has an internal power suppoly. Computerized auto-locate and
auto-punch. Large LCD display with 6 meters, 424 has LED with 4
meters. More/better EQ and cueing section controls. Just overall,
more bells and whistles. Yes, I think it is worth it, unless you have
a good mixer with preamps, like a Mackie 1202, and are willing to
forego the extra automation.
Q1.4 How important are microphones?
You can't fix a bad sound in the mix. Start with a good source (a
good mic) and you're halfway there.
Adapted from tstrohma@theodolite.ae.calpoly.edu (Trevor Strohman):
It happens all too often. A group is looking for great sound on a
limited budget. They go to the music store and see all the glitzy
4-tracks and other recorders. Maybe they have deeper pockets and go
straight for an ADAT. Then they need a microphone. Microphones, not
having the sizzle factor of the recorders, are last on the list, and
there's only $50 left. They leave with a digital recording studio and
a Radio Shack tie-clip microphone.
They get home and plug it in. The features work just like they did in
the store, but the sound isn't quite right. So they go back with more
money. They still skip the mics, and go for compressors, equalizers,
reverbs. They have a little money left over. This time they buy a
Shure SM57.
They go back and try it out. Neat sounds! Not quite like the CDs,
but it sounds pretty good. They want more. They go back to the
store... the cycle continues.
Of course, there will always be this cycle with musicians looking for
the perfect sound, but you can get to the perfect sound a lot faster
if you invest in microphones first. As they say in computing, garbage
in, garbage out. No effects can compensate for a terrible microphone.
When you're at the store looking at boxes, think about it. Do you
really need to spring an extra $300 for a half-octave equalizer, or
could you spend the same $300 on a very good home mic and not need the
EQ at all? This works for speakers too. My church runs the most
horrible sounding monitor speakers (12" woofers in little boxes) and
uses a very expensive equalizer to try to clean up the sound. The
sound that comes out still sounds terrible (not as bad, though), but
if they'd just taken the money and invested in new speakers, they
could have much better sound.
Of course, you need to do what's right for you, but I would say to at
the very least spend 50% of what you do on the 4-track on microphones.
I would try for 100%. Check the DAT-Heads microphone FAQ before
buying.
Q1.5 What are some brands of microphones?
[I'll leave the previous text in for a few versions, but all of this
is probably superseded by the impressive-looking DAT-heads microphone
FAQ. See Q4.1.2. --DSF]
Realistic (i.e. Radio Shack) omnidirectional US$11.99
nflorin@med.unc.edu (Nathaniel Paul Florin) writes:
"The $11.99 omni-directional ones (don't know what they're called;
they come in a clear pack that hangs by a peg in the store and come
with a little stand) work very well for electric guitars."
"Replacement" US$23.99
nflorin@med.unc.edu (Nathaniel Paul Florin) writes:
"an electret condenser mic; it comes in a little red box with a stand
and windscreen and needs a new AAA battery every six months. Works
great for vocals, acoustic guitars, banjos, ukeleles, and for light
percussion."
Shure SM-57 US$99
Shure SM-58 US$109
bwm1894@u.washington.edu (Brett McCarron) writes:
"A '58 will work well for vocals, Will also add a warm sound to mic'ed
guitar amps. I used to use an SM58 when mic'ing my Marshall stack.
Most people would opt for the more universal Shure SM57, though."
Shure PROLOGUE US$25-30
Shure SM-81 US$279-300
Electrovoice microphone (ND 357) US$150
ram@indigo3.carb.nist.gov writes:
"[The Electrovoice] is better than any of the Shure microphones I tried
out. The clarity of the sound and the way it captures the reverb in a
room is amazing. It is very crisp, and great for recording the flute
or acoustic guitar."
Other brands:
Neumann U-87 ~US$1200
Audio-Technica
Q1.6 What is a "phantom powered" microphone?
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last) writes:
A microphone that is supplied with 48V (usually) via the same cable
that connects to the mixer / whatever. It's unusual to find any
4-track gear that provides phantom power; it requires a balanced line
(3 wire) cable. You can get external boxes to phantom power such a
mic, which will also give you the micx signal on a standard 1/4" jack.
ak748@detroit.freenet.org (Daniel W. Newport) writes:
Condenser mics, need to be powered (48v) from mic preamp input.
Generally more expensive, more responsive, studio quality mic.
Sometimes can be damaged by high sound pressure levels.
Q1.7 Can I use a personal computer to digitally record and mix music?
mcknight@pire.org (Scott McKnight) writes:
>I haven't really thought too much about digital recording to PCs
>because I assumed that the cost of a powerful enough PC with
>sufficient HD space would be out of my price range. What would be
>involved in setting up the kind of system you're describing from
>scratch? Am I understanding correctly that you're talking recording
>live audio to a PC's HD, not MIDI? What would be involved in getting
>it to lock to MIDI? How about locking to an external analog tape deck?
nigelsp@rain.org (Nigel Spencer) writes:
Yeah we're talking 44.1 khz digital recording here so yeah you need
some reasonable hard disk space. Here's a sample system presuming you
chase down parts from vendors at shows or discount outlets.
Motherboard DX33 minimum - DX 2- 66 US$150-US$300 (VLBUS + DX-2 66 is
cheap now), Case, floppy, VGA card, IDE controller with
serial\parallel IO, US$150 all up
IDE 420 mb hard disk (SCSI's better but IDE is fast enough & cheap)
US$240 Western Digital, Conner or Quantum (best) can be had for this
price.
8 mb RAM US$320
The monitor of choice is up to you !! whatever you want to spend
So a basic DX33 system would cost you about US$900 + a monitor
obviously. Sure it's not cheap but provides you a platform for
sequencing, patch editing and digital audio, and being a PC can be
upgraded by you as your needs expand, much easier & cheaper than the
MAC. You may see cheap off the shelf systems but usually only have
smallish hard drives and 4 mb of RAM instead of 8.
Quad will generate MTC, that's about all I can tell you, so you can at
least sync an external sequencer. I don't know whether it can chase
lock to tape or not ...??? Ring Turtle Beach and ask them. If you want
full recording power there is SAW which is US$599 software only, but is
phenomenal. Can chase lock, 4 STEREO track simultaneous, automated
faders & mutes, and fast non destructive editing, edit lists, and
automatic crossfade tools for 'razor' edits.
Quad is now available mail order for .... US$350 card & software. If you
want upgrade later to SAW (when you're rich) the Tahiti card that
comes with Quad is fully supported by SAW.
tstrohma@theodolite.ae.calpoly.edu (Trevor Strohman) writes:
The new Power Macintosh computers and the older 660AV and 840AV Macs
all have 16-bit stereo input and output built-in. The public domain
program Sound Effects is incredible and supports multiple tracks, but
only works when all of the sound is in memory. DigiTrax is around
$200 and supports up to 6 tracks.
The Macintosh has long had a large foothold in the audio market.
ProTools is a major standard but costs $8000 for a decent setup. The
high costs of manufaturing NuBus cards and the few low-end Macs that
support NuBus have kept out the low-end audio market. By fall of
1995, however, new low-cost PCI based Macintoshes will be out (the
high-end PowerMac 9500 PCI has been released), and audio options for
the Mac should increase dramatically as PC PCI audio boards become
Mac-compatible.
Q1.7.1 How is Turtle Beach's Quad Studio package?
Information in March 1995:
ks43@cornell.edu writes:
I recently found out about Turtle Beach's Quad Studio package. It's
an expansion card that you use with your computer as a digital
four-track recorder. The great part about it is that is only about
US$350. Can anyone give me some feedback on this product? Has anyone
tried it? Thanks.
billy-em@telalink.net writes:
From everything I have seen this is a technology that still needs
time. I was really interested in this product until I logged onto
Turtle Beaches BBS <(717) 767-5934> and saw numerous messages from
very upset users about problems with Quad Studio. Have seen several
messages here about people getting it, and sending it right back with
days. It uses about 25Mb per song on average, so you need a Healthy
Disk Drive.
Q1.7.2 How can I get a demo of SAW (Software Audio Workshop) software?
The company which produces SAW is Innovative Quality Software, Las
Vegas, NV, phone 702-435-9077
Someone emailed me a copy downloaded from their BBS; you can find it
BinHex-ed at:
ftp://ftp.winternet.com/users/dfrankow/saw
or
ftp://ftp.winternet.com/users/dfrankow/saw.gz
-----
billy-em@telalink.net writes:
Another product you might want to check into would be SAW (Software
Audio Studio) you can get a demo from
ftp.vortex.com/audio/SAW
The thing that turned me against this product is that to get around
Bus contentions and other PC and/or Hard drive issues you have to have
an External Midi Sync.
rwh8234@erc.jscc.cc.tn.us (Robert W. Hough) writes:
you can download the SAW demo from their bbs.
[what is the name and phone# of the BBS?? --DSF]
: Also, what is the limitation that the demo holds that the full product
: doesn't?
they say you can only record for 1 or 2 minutes with the demo
: Finally, how much is the full product and where can you buy it?
any software vendor...i imagine....i'll tell you this, though, the
advertisement is VERY misleading. I have a friend who bought SAW. He
had all the requirments of the ad, but come to find out that he could
only record on 2 tracks. Not enough memory or something.
Furthermore, after further investigation, he found out he would have
to purchase a "quicker" harddrive (he just bought a brand new PC
_just_ so he could get SAW). If you want more details, let me know.
I'll talk to my friend and find out exactly what wasn't right.
I wasn't too impressed with it when I downloaded the demo..
toehser@cais2.cais.com (Tom Oehser) writes:
>Also, what is the limitation that the demo holds that the full
>product doesn't?
Uh... guessing... older version... limited to 1 minute... no smpte
sync...
It is US$400 from SoundWare
jmireau@tibalt.supernet.ab.ca (James Mireau) writes:
I was reading [about] SAW when I came across the story .. [of]
hardware woes.. [Some guy] had recently bought a new computer system
for specific use with SAW. Then he discovered that he could only
record two tracks and required memory and hard drive upgrades. What
was his system lacking? (I've also heard rumours that SAW requires
extra toys to function at full capacity.)
(**CAUTION** The information below may be totally erroneous. It is an
amalgam of the fruits of personal research, the advice of friends and
potentially bull-sh*tty rumours. Please e-mail me with corrections or
expressions of disgust. Proceed.)
I've picked the brains of a few friends and learned that:
1. You need an advanced IDE card for your computer. I guess
motherboards made earlier than last fall can't access hard drives
larger than 540Mb. An advanced IDE card will access up to 1.08Gig and
function quite quickly. A friend claims that advanced IDE has a data
transfer rate that is even faster than SCSI (though SCSI drives can be
much larger than IDE drives).
2. You should go with a decent soundcard. According to a
hardware/software guru-friend, all current Soundblaster cards are
incapable of simultaneous recording and playback (not to mention that
their S/N ratio kind of bites). I saw this claim contradicted in a
recent issue of Keyboard magazine (Nov 94?). I'm still trying to
figure this one out. Apparently, Turtle Beach's Tahiti card works
nicely with SAW. I also hear that SAW has been optimized for a
semi-obscure professional sound card called CardD+ ($1100 Canadian).
3. As far as memory goes, I heard that 8 megs of RAM is sufficient.
Please let me know [people's experiences getting the right hardware
for SAW]. I am seriously considering buying SAW and I would like to
know what I'm getting myself into. It retails here for $700
(Canadian), and I'm on a student budget. If I need to sink another
$1000 into hardware, it's game over for my digital recording dreams.
Q1.7.3 What is a MIDI sync device?
A "sync" (synchronization) device does two things:
- When you play a sequenced MIDI set of backing tracks to the sync
device, it will generate an audio signal that specifies the timing of
the MIDI. This signal (which is not at all musical, it sounds like
white noise or a modem) can be recorded.
- When the recording is played back to the sync device, it will
generate timing MIDI data to drive the sequencer.
In short, it allows you to synchronise a MIDI track (or many) being
played by a software or hardware MIDI sequencer to a 4-track recorder.
You require one track of the 4 for the sync signal. You don't need to
record the MIDI parts, since you can play them in sync with the tape
while you record the guitars, vox, etc (all the 'human' parts) on the
other three tracks of the 4-track. Finally, master the whole lot in
sync onto your DAT or whatever.
Remember, the *key* thing is that the MIDI parts don't ever need to go
onto any tape until you master. This means that you can adjust synth
balances, levels, etc right up until the final mix, and also means
that the synthesised parts will not suffer any degradation due to
being on tape; they're always 'first generation'.
Once again, the process is as follows:
- Record the MIDI sync track on your 4-track machine with a sync
device, having a MIDI device playing through the sync device
- Record the human tracks while using the sync device to play the
MIDI. The MIDI is not recorded; it is used by the humans performing.
- Play back human parts and MIDI parts (with sync device) onto a
master tape
Q1.7.3.1 What is an SMPTE-to-MIDI converter?
What is a JL-Cooper PPS-1??
What is a JL-Cooper PPS-2??
What is a JL-Cooper PPS-100??
What is a Pocket Sync??
talarczyk@ACFcluster.NYU.EDU (Michael J. Talarczyk) writes:
These devices are SMPTE-to-MIDI convertors. While I don't know what
the pros in the studios would say about this, my personal thought is
that I wouldn't call them synchronizers, since there are machines that
sync one or more slave tape decks up to a master SMPTE source by
varying the speed of playback. (Although the JLCooper catalog I have
calls them synchronizers anyways ;)
I have a JLCooper PPS-100, which is a rack-mount version of the PPS-2.
Both devices take an audio input that is streaming SMPTE (Society of
Motion Picture and Televison Engineers [time code]) and converts that
to a MIDI output, which streams out MTC (Midi Time Code.)
Since I do film scoring, I'll tell you how you use this in a scoring
application.
If you have a master video (on a VHS or Beta or whatever tape,) you
stripe one channel of audio with SMPTE code. This gives every frame
of video a corresponding time in hours:minutes: seconds:frames
[e.g. 01:02:39:15] and is expressed by the audio coming from said
audio channel.
This audio output is plugged into the PPS-100 (or PPS-2) and the
output of the PPS-100 is plugged into some MIDI port on your rig.
Assuming the software is set up right (which I won't tell you how to
do in this post!) you can follow the exact frame of video your VCR is
on, on your sequencer or keyboard.
So, when this is set up on my computer with Cakewalk, I can start the
video first, then start play on Cakewalk. It listens for the MTC code
coming from the PPS-100 (which is listening to the audio channel of
the videotape) and plays *exactly* at the spot in your sequence that
corresponds to the video's time frame.
Loosely, the difference between the PPS-2 and the PPS-100 is that the
PPS-100 is programmable, gives you two pulse relay contacts for
triggering non-MIDI devices (lights, klaxons, whatever...) and is
rack-mountable with an LCD panel and buttons instead of tiny levers.
michaelt@nylink.org (Michael J. Talarczyk) writes in a 2nd message:
Let's say you have this rig all set up, and you want to do a demo of
your sound design prowess with your new equipment. Now, let's say I
tape a commercial of, oh, a Scope commercial from regular TV. My VTR
(video tape recorder -- when you buy pro gear you have to be a snob
and call it something to distinguish it from being a VCR ;) has the
ability to selectively erase the sound on a videotape while leaving
the video alone. Let's say I remove all trace of sound on the 15
second clip, and leave just pure visual.
Let's now say that I take my fab VTR and stripe one channel of my
little videotape. I now have a videotape with a lot of funny sounding
noise -- BUT, I can use that noise with my rig to put my own sound in.
Ok, now I have something like this:
VTR --audio--> PPS-100 -- MIDI (MTC) --> Computer
Since the video tape is playing SMPTE time code, and that time code is
being interpreted by the computer via Midi Time Code, my computer
knows what frame of VIDEO I'm on, every time I record something with a
MTC-aware sequencer.
Cakewalk is one such sequencer. It allows you to compose and edit
music in a number of graphical formats, and allows you precise editing
and control of your MIDI sounds and equipment. Assuming my
connections are right up 'till this point, when I press the Record
button on my sequencer, it knows what frame of video the VTR is
playing. This by itself is not really neat or anything, but the
advantage becomes clear when you PLAY the sound.
Locking the sequencer to the video tape means that if Cakewalk has a
cue for a cymbal crash at frame 01:00:01:15.13
(reel:hour:minute:second:frame), it plays a cymbal crash when the VTR
hits that frame.
So, going back to our Scope video. Let's say that at frame
01:00:01:15.13 we have a huge wave crashing over the screen. We think
we have a nice cymbal that approximates that sound (ok, samplers are a
different post.) If we rewind the video tape to, hmm, maybe 10 or 20
seconds before the wave visual, press play on the video tape, and
press record on our sequencer, we're recording in sync. Now, when the
wave crashes, you go BANG on the keyboard (or whatever gear triggers
your cymbal,) and you hear a nice crash, at the exact point where you
see the wave crash over the screen. You wait a few seconds for the
sound to die away, and you stop all the machines.
Now, if you play back the video tape and SLAVE the sequencer to it,
the sounds on the sequencer will play back in EXACTLY the same place
as you recorded. Thus, your cymbal will crash every time you see that
wave crash over the screen, with approximately 1/30 sec accuracy. You
can build up multiple sounds and effects to recreate the entire sound
of the original videotape, using whatever sounds you want. With a
sampler (or an analog deck, for pre-Gen-X'ers,) you can even add your
own dialog this way.
Q1.7.4 What is Sounds Effects?
A public-domain Macintosh multi-tracking program. See Q1.7.
[How is it?? Where do you get it?? --DSF]
Q1.7.5 What is DigiTrax?
A low-cost Macintosh multi-tracking program. See Q1.7.
[How is it?? Where do you get it?? --DSF]
Q1.7.6 What is Cakewalk?
Cakewalk is an MTC-aware sequencing program. See Q1.7.3.1.
[How is it?? Where do you get it?? --DSF]
ram@indigo3.carb.nist.gov writes:
There are two versions of Cakewalk. One called Professional and one
called Home Studio (I think). The Professional one is more expensive,
and better. It lets you play .wav files at the same time as playing a
MIDI file, which is quite useful for doing PC recording where you can
play.
Q1.8 How does an 8-track machine compare to a 4-track machine?
Clearly, they have 8 tracks instead of 4. However, they are also
aimed at a more high-end market. For example, I was unable to find a
4-track machine which used DAT (Digital Audio Tape). I found,
however, the Yamaha D88 8-track, which lists at US$4499.
The Tascam 688 Midistudio 8-track lists at US$3779.
tstrohma@theodolite.ae.calpoly.edu (Trevor Strohman) writes:
The ADAT is now available from Alesis and has been proven in the pro
marketplace. Prices are hovering above $2000. This type of machine
needs an external mixer. Multiple units can be synced together. Many
studios use these, so if you happened to buy one you would be format
compatible with the industry. However, if you're going to spend that
much, you'll need a mixer and good mics... Soon you're out $5000.
Q1.9 How should I clean my 4-track machine?
dragon@homerecording.com (Dragon) writes:
>llinimon@aol.com (L Linimon) writes:
>1) Is it better to clean with a kit (aka swabs and head cleaner,
>etc.) or one of the tapes that head cleaner is placed on? The cleaner
>tape is "played/recorded" on, and the liquid makes slight contact
>with the "dirty" bits.
Use the kit, where you can see what you're doing. The tapes are better
than nothing.
>2) Is the rubber washer (or whatever it is) near the capstan a high
>maintenance item?
It's the pinch roller. Get all the oxide off it and use rubber cleaner
on it.
>3) What is the best way to demag...with a Radio Shack Demag tape or an
>actual heavy-duty degausser?
I'll leave this for the flamefest that will no doubt erupt again...
ak748@detroit.freenet.org (Daniel W. Newport) writes:
Use *only* rubber cleaner on pinch roller. Use a kit to clean with
lintless foam swabs.
Q1.9.1 Do I need to demagnetize my 4-track heads?
[The newsgroup readers appear undecided. Read on. --DSF]
psu02178@odin.cc.pdx.edu (Joshua Meredith) writes:
Demagnetizing on a *cassette* four track is not necessary. Due to the
slim width of the tape and the relatively slow speed of the transport
(even when you're using double speed), magnetism does not really
accumulate. On top of that, every time you put the machine in record,
it demagnetizes the heads so even if you are concerned about it, the
machine does it for you.
With reel to reel tape decks (stereo or multi-tracks), demagnetization
is very important, as the accumulation is too much to be eliminated by
simply engaging record.
kowalski@scooter.ping.de (Thorsten Kowalski) writes:
I use a degausser myself, did cost me about US$20 but there are some
that cost US$60. I don't know if they are better. Mine's very useful
for any kind of tape machine. I prefer it over a battery-powered tape
unit; those are only good if you can't use a degausser, e.g. in a car
radio.
Degaussing should be performed about every twenty hours of usage.
I use a degausser with my home cassette deck, a Nakamichi. There were
some people who asked me if they should go and buy such a device and I
gave them mine so they could test. They have never done so in about 2
years and after degaussing they have lots of treble which they weren't
missing because the loss of treble comes slowly.
I've never heard of any tape device that degausses itself. If there
are some please give me their names.
jeibisch@revolver.demon.co.uk (James Eibisch) writes:
So why does the manual for my Tascam 05HS (cassette), and everyone
I've heard comment on the subject recommend degmagnetising frequently?
S2. Effects
Q2.1 What is flange?
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last) writes:
Roughly speaking, what you'd get if you recorded the same guitar onto
two tape recorders at once and during replay, slowed one of them down
*just a little* by putting your finger on the reel. A bit like a
chorus.
This is *not* a general effect with which you'd treat a whole mix.
[Is this explanation okay?? I thought it produced a somewhat
time-varying signal that sounded a bit like a slow "wa-wa"
sound. --DSF]
Q2.2 What is reverb?
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last) writes:
The technical explanation would be something like: "a composite of
echoes from many sources, including early reflections from nearby
surfaces and remote echoes of longer duration from distant surfaces."
Ben's Patent Simple Explanation is: think about standing on the stage
of an empty theatre (theater for Americans :-). Shout. Imagine how
your voice would sound; sort of echoed back from lots of different
places. Consider how your voice would sound if you were inside a
wardrobe (closet). No echoes at all. The one with the echoes has
more reverb.
Q2.3 What is compression?
Adapted from stabnste@phoenix.phoenix.net (Erik Karlson):
A compressor reduces by a preset ratio the level of any incoming
signal which exceeds its preset level. For example, if your
compressor is set for 10 db and has a compression ratio of 2 to 1, any
signal that comes in over 10 db would be reduced by a factor of 2. For
every 2 db of input signal over 10 db, the output level would only be
increased by 1 db. This is very useful when recording vocals because
they tend to have varying levels. As with all things, too much of a
good thing can be bad. Too much compression can leave your sound dull
and choppy.
pseo@mail2.sas.upenn.edu (Peter S Seo) writes:
[S]ay you're playing the guitar for instance, and for some reason, the
dynamics (loudness, volume, whatever) of each pluck is different maybe
because you're just really bad at playing guitar. (btw, i'm not
inferring that [only bad guitar players] use compression...)
[Compression will] "smooth" out the signals, the plucking, so that
each pluck will be of the same output level or volume.. it makes the
signal much "tighter" i suppose.. this helps out alot for vocals
too.. but it is something that you the musician have to decide to
use.. maybe you don't want it smooth..
you can also use a compressor to sustain a guitar signal.. though someone
else will have to explain how that works.. all i know is that it does.
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last) writes:
Same way as it sustains everything else: You pick the string. The
note starts, and as it goes on, it gets quieter. Without a
compressor, it'd die away. What the compressor does it to keep
'turning up the volume' so that the note appears to stay the same
level. Eventually, the volume (amplitude) of the note coming from the
guitar gets so quiet that the compressor gives up and turns the volume
back down.
Similarly, a compressor can reduce the volume when it hears notes
which are too loud; the end result is that the volume level coming
from the compressor is much more constant than without it.
Q2.3.1 Do I need stereo compression?
> jthan@world.std.com (Jonathan M Richardson) says:
> My local music shop recommended a dual channel rack mount unit which
> costs $180! Is there a cheaper solution?
adouglas@belvoir.com (Andrew Douglas) writes:
I have little experience with recording, but the conventional wisdom
is that you really do need a stereo compressor. You compress vocals
and bass, and in your case acoustic guitar, while laying the track
down, then perhaps add just a touch during mixdown. (which is the
reason for stereo)
A stereo unit will also allow you to put different amounts of
compression on the two channels.
brianb@scorpion.iii.net (brian q. buda) writes:
Well, for one, who makes the compressor? $180 is really cheap. [Y]ou
can save some money by going with a mono compressor. Stereo is all
well and good but for small 4-tracks it has no use. That is if you
don't mind compressing down to track and not on mix down. Stereo is
really only for live gigs and when you have a multi-track system with
several AUX sends so that you can patch each channel into a mix.
Q2.3.2 Should I use compression on drums? Vocals? Bass?
ertrinid@girtab.usc.edu (Elson R. Trinidad) writes:
If you mic up your kit and route it through a separate mixer before
going to your 4-track, put the snare through a compressor (the kick,
too, but through a separate compressor) and you'll have a more
"professional" sound. But never try to compress the entire drum mix,
especially if you use cymbals a lot - there will be a lot of
unnatural-sounding "pumping and breathing".
brianb@scorpion.iii.net (Marc?) writes:
It's great for snares and kicks. (fattens up the kick alot) But I find
that it kills rides and hihats. To really compress drums you need to
have a system that can compress some, but not all.
Also, [noise] gates are needed to really make it sound right.
You need different amounts of compresson on different things. That
is, vocals don't need as much as a bass does.
Q2.4 What is limiting? How is it different from compression?
ak748@detroit.freenet.org (Daniel W. Newport) writes:
It's compression in the extreme. That is, once the signal [level]
reaches some preset threshold instead of compressing it at some ratio
say 2:1 or 4:1, [the limiter] limits it at that level, (infinity:1) by
not allowing the signal level to go beyond this.
lwillia@ix.netcom.com (Larry Williams) writes:
Some limiters will allow a slight increase in level above the
threshold (a ratio of 20:1, for instance), others act as a "brick
wall" limiter allowing absolutely no level above the threshold.
Limiters are useful especially on digital audio equipment where no
signal above 0 VU should ever exist. They are also useful in live
sound systems where feedback volume can be controlled, protecting both
the speaker systems, and the performers' and listeners' ears.
[What is a Dietz dual limiter?? --DSF]
Q2.7 What is a noise gate?
A noise gate lets a signal through when it is louder than a certain
level and cuts it off when it drops below that level.
Imagine you play a chord on your guitar, which is connected to a noise
gate, which is then connected to your amp. The noise gate 'sees' a
decent signal level and lets the sound through. You then damp the
chord off with your hand.. The noise gate sees the signal level drop
and cuts the sound off. If the gate weren't there, you'd still hear
all the low level stuff like hum, the sound of your hand sliding on
the strings, the sound of the guitar clanking against your belt
buckle. As soon as you play a note, the gate 'opens' and you hear the
guitar again.
Q2.5 What is (upward) expansion?
marcl508@hudson.iii.net (Marc LaFleur) writes:
Upward expansion is the inverse of compression. Where compression
decreases excessive peaks over a threshold, upward expansion decreases
excessive troughs below a threshold. As the signal falls below a
preset lower threshold, the gain is scaled "upward" by the set ratio
(e.g. an input signal falling below the threshold by 10dB would be
boosted to 5dB below the threshold with a ratio of 2:1).
Q2.6 What is companding?
Adapted from lwillia@ix.netcom.com (Larry Williams):
Companding is a two-stage process of COMPression and exPANsion which
reduces the lowest noise levels on the tape. Companding typically
refers to a tape recording process (instead of live sound or effects
processing). For example, a signal may be compressed at a 2:1 ratio
when recorded, and expanded at a 1:2 ratio when being played back.
This is also known as double-ended noise reduction, meaning that one
has to have a decoder to listen to the encoded signal, contrasted with
single-ended noise reduction where no decoder is required.
Q2.8 What are some brands of effects boxes?
brand effects price
--------------------------------------------------
Boss SE-50 ?? ??
Lexicon LXP-5 ?? ??
ART FXR Elite ?? ??
Alesis Midiverb III ?? ??
Digitech TSR-12 ?? ??
DSP 256XL ?? ??
See also "Home & Studio Recording," March 1994, page 45.
Q2.9 Should I get an all-in-one effects box or a more basic box and
a separate compressor/limiter?
dragon@homerecording.com (Dragon) writes:
>[S]hould I try to get a super-duper processor that has all this
>stuff in there at once, or should I get a more basic efx box and a
>separate compressor/limiter? The latter course seems more logical,
>but some of these units (like the Boss SE-50, available used for
>decent prices) seem to have an awful lot of stuff in them. OTOH, Boss
>won't quote noise figures for their units, which makes me quite
>suspicious...
>> OK, here I am following up my own article, but I've already
>>found a good article on this very subject in Home & Studio
>>Recording, March 1994, page 45, which says that you should go
>>for the separate compressor/limiter. That's what I
>>suspected. So I guess I'm also looking for recommendations in
>>that area.
taroh@kohnolab.dnj.ynu.ac.jp (Dr. Taroh SASAKI) writes:
First of all, a good flanger (also distortion) inevitably
makes a lot of noise. I tried some multi-effectors of low price, and
[recommend] BOSS SE for your purpose. SE has analog [circuitry] and
its effect is very good for guitarists. Also [has a] low price. I
know (and own) a SONY MP, which processes [effects digitally]. Maybe
pitch shifting, comp/limiter and so many ``clean'' effects work better
than SE, but franger [flanger?], distortion, ... ``dirty'' effects
[are] not vigorous. MP's much better in multi-tracking; maybe SE's
sound becomes [dirty] when you repeat ping-pong-pung-peng-... [^_^],
but in guitar playing.
cheyenne@netcom.com ("Will" using the account of Melissa Duncan) writes:
What works for me is my Digitech RP-1 effects processor. It doesn't
have the pitch shifter but it has the other stuff you wanted, and I
think you can get them new for around US$400. I bought mine for guitar
originally but have had good success running vocals and bass through
it, and even effecting my drum machine with it. I don't think it's
noisy at all, it has been an infinite improvement over my Ibanez stomp
box collection.
dragon@homerecording.com (David Fiedler) writes:
Actually, I went out and got a Digitech TS12. And until it crapped out
on me after 8 hours or so (just before I started recording with it, of
course), it sounded great. But I must warn anyone thinking of getting
one that it is NOT the "little brother" of the TS24 as it is hyped to
be...it does not have anywhere as much sampling memory, and does NOT
do separate processing on both sides like the ART FXR can.
Funny thing, about a year ago (or was it 2?) I bought an RP-1 and sold
it on the net a few months later, as it was overkill for the guitar
stuff I was doing. I was remembering it the other day...it was *lots*
noisier than the TS12...I guess that new circuitry or software or
whatever really does work to cut down the noise. But I think a lot of
that RP1 noise was frm the compressor and analog section, not the
digital. Anyway, you're right, it's certainly better than stomp boxes,
although a lot harder to tweak in real time.
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last) writes:
You need to consider the difference between 'inline' (or 'insert')
effects and 'in loop' effects. The difference is essentially 'how
much of the original signal is passed through the effect?'. For
example, with compressors, limiters, eq's, etc, what you get out is
essentially the original ('dry') signal modified. With reverbs,
chorus, flange, distortion, you can usually set the effect to produce
only the modified ('wet') signal.
Units that just modify the signal need to go 'in line' between the
instrument and the mixer / deck. You can't use them in an effect
loop. Units that can return just the treated (wet) signal can be put
either in line or in a effect loop.
Thus, if your setup includes an effect loop and you get an all-in-one
box including compression, you won't be able to use the compression
whilst the unit is in the effect loop.
S3. Recording Techniques
Q3.1 How do I get a good sound?
David Copeland (davidc@access.rrinc.com.blacksburg.va.us) writes:
- Try to record intruments seperately (unless you have lots of rooms
to isolate the instruments)
- Mike the bass. Plugging a bass straight into a four track usually
leaves a dull thud bass sound. If you don't want to mike it, try to
use an eq pedal or something to shape the sound and boost the signal a
little (or if you have active pickups...)
- To get a really good guitar sound, this is what I try to do.
o Record the drums and bass onto two tracks.
o Have the guitar player play the guitar track on both of the
remaining tracks separately (so there's two takes of the same track)
o Then, put the bass and drums center and one guitar right and one
left. It creates a really cool chorussy sound and makes the guitar
extra heavy.
o Then mix down onto another cassette. The new cassette has
everything but the vocals on two tracks leaving you with two more
tracks to do vocals, leads or whatever. This process can be repeated
for more tracks.
Frank Zappa recorded an album on a 4-track this way and got 48 tracks on it.
- Try to record the guitar at "live" levels. Most amps really shine
when cranked up.
- When doing the final mix, if you have a stereo chorus, you can give
the tape a more stereo sound. Also reverbs and delays on snare,
vocals, guitar (depending on guitarists rig) are good.
mcknight@pire.org (Scott McKnight) writes:
Another approach, and one that's the opposite of that mentioned by
Dave Copland in another post, is to try to get a good live recording
of as much of the band as possible in order to avoid generation loss
due to bouncing.
Basically what you do is to put a couple mikes in front of the drums
in an X-Y configuration. One mic goes to one channel the other to the
other. Find a way to get the bass in the center of the mix, either by
putting the bass amp behind the mics, across from the drummer, or by
running the bass direct and record onto the same two tracks that the
mics are recording on with the bass panned center. Put the rhythm
guitarist off to one side. Experiment with distances from the mics
and volumes until the stereo mix of these three instruments is good.
Record.
Add lead guitar to one of the remaining channels and vocals to the
other. You could add lead guitar as part of the original 2 band
tracks by putting his/her amp on the other side of the mix (across
from the rhythm guitarist) but this eliminates the ability to punch.
Possible changes/additions to this system include adding solos by
punching on to the vocal track when there are no vocals, adding other
percussion (e.g., tambourine) by having friends standing in the room
playing them at appropriate distances from the mic while recording
other tracks, adding instruments by mixing them in while mixing down.
This method of recording your band gives a fairly natural, hifi sound
by eliminating generations and phase cancellation created by having
too many mics open in the room at the same time. If your not sure
what an X-Y config. is ask someone because doing this part correctly
is important.
mparrott@kendaco.telebyte.com writes:
If you have the extra bones, get a Tech 21 SansAmp GT2 (street price
about $175). It's a little stomp box that emulates no less than 27
different tube amplifier/amp modification/cabinet-mic placement
combinations, from nice 'n clean to balls-to-the-wall crunch... not
including the variations possible with the post-EQ, Gain, and Level
controls. It does a great job of simulating the sound of various mic'd
tube amps and cabinets in a 'dead' room. It's very expressive and good
not only for direct input of guitar, bass, keyboard, and vocals but
also for livening up tracks when mixing down. The best thing about it
is you can get the sound of a full-bore Marshall stack when you want
it without disturbing everyone in the neighborhood. :)
When mixing down, let your fingers ride the volume controls for each
track, making EXTREMELY small adjustments in the volume level of each
throughout the song. It's hard to explain why, but it really livens up
a mix and keeps it from sounding flat. Less is more in this case; if
the adjustments are too extreme (to the point you consciously notice
them) then the mix just sounds screwed up.
Q3.2 What should I know about speeding up recordings?
schmange@wbb.com writes:
One secret George Martin always used to use was to speed up the tape
slightly for the finished masters. (All the early Beatles stuff is
speeded up slightly to make them sound more up-tempo)
bwill@teleport.com (Brad S Williams) writes:
Do recording studios have equipment to change pitch *without* changing
speed (so that I can speed up the mix while lowering the pitch to
offset for the chipmunks effect)? Do people do this kind of thing?
will@iglou.iglou.com (William M. Willis) writes:
How much of a speed increase are you going for? I use the varispeed
or pitch control knob (whatever you want to call it) on my 4-track to
slightly increase the speed on most of my recordings. Actually though,
I didn't start doing it to make the songs more uptempo, but rather to
compensate for tapes stretching out and slowing down after numerous
plays. But anyway, I don't get any sort of munchkinization of my
vocals or instruments when I do this...but I'm also not raising the
speed more than a couple of cents.
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last) writes:
The keyword here is 'slightly'; more than a few percent and it's
chipmunk time. It's used reasonably frequently (IMHO) 'cos by the
time the final mix is made, those making it have heard the song
numerous times and it's getting a little stale. Speeding it up a
little gives it a bit of a 'push'.
dragon@homerecording.com (Dragon) writes:
It's trivial with digital processing software.
Q3.3 What should I know about using a VCR as a digital recorder?
schmange@wbb.com writes:
What I've been doing lately .. is mixing 4 tracks down to a Pulse Code
Modulator (Sony PCM701es) and my VCR. It makes your VCR (even a mono
one) work like a digital recorder by converting your audio signal to
digital. You can mix 4 tracks down to the PCM/VCR and then re-record
it back to the 4 track in stereo (channels 1 & 4 panned far left &
right). There's minimal generation loss cause it's digital. Then you
can add more stuff on channels 2 & 3 and repeat the process or just
use the PCM as your digital master when you mix down.
Michael Crowl writes:
>On 4 Mar 1995, Giles. Harney wrote:
> Could somebody please tell me why would people want to
> mixdown/master/record to vcr tape? What are the advantages of
> doing such a thing, and how?
The audio portion on Hi-Fi STEREO vcr tape has a higher bandwidth than
conventional cassette tape, so the sound is much crisper and clean.
However, I have not tried this myself, as I do not have a Stereo vcr
deck. A friend of mine uses one to mix down and he's quite happy with
it and wouldn't even get rid of it for a DAT! Although, maybe he'd
use them side-by-side. He played a few tracks that he had done, and
then he played an XTC album that he had recorded straight off of vinyl
onto his Hi-Fi deck. I have to say, it sounded lovely - all the
percussion was coming through perfectly thick (which digital can strip
sometimes), and it even seemed to limit some of the vinyl crackles
that came through.
jyk7853@is2.nyu.edu (Jason Y. Kaneshiro) writes:
One thing I've noticed which you may want to look out for - is that
some HIFI VCRS (if not all) have built in compression which may or
may not be desirable. As it's in the VCR you can't bypass it which
pretty much makes it useless if you want to avoid that kind of thing.
I still think DAT is the way to go...
Also, if you are making duplicates at a plant I think they would be a
little confused if you offered them a VCR tape and told them to press
your CD or make your cassette copies off of it... the majority of the
stuff is on DAT, and I think even one of those $400 portable walkman
sized DAT things would sound better than a VCR or cassette master.
reedijk@gene04.med.utoronto.ca (Rob Reedijk) writes:
[S]ome of your contributors mentioned Hi Fi VCR as a good format to
mix and bounce to. This is true in that Hi Fi VCRs do have S/N ratios
in the 90 db range (comparable to cd). Where you have to be careful
is that since you can get Hi fi VCRs for $200-300 some of them will
certainly have shit pre-amps. Take it case by case. You probably pay
for what you get.
Q3.4 What should I know about doing an external pre-mix versus
an internal bounce? (Or "Using a second recording device for
mixdown?")
An "internal bounce" is using the 4-track itself to reduce the number
of tracks.
An "external pre-mix" is playing to an external device (e.g. VCR, DAT
recorder) in stereo, then playing that recording back into the 4-track
onto two tracks. This leaves two tracks free.
sratte@mindvox.phantom.com (Swamp Ratte) writes:
Somebody was asking why you'd wanna do an external pre-mix and return
it instead of doing an internal bounce. Well, I've recently started
running into problems doing bounces with my Tascam Porta Two.
This band's demo I've been doing, we definitely want a huge gigantic
wall-of-fuzz-guitar sound. Thing is, it's just one guitarist with no
real leads, just clean parts and dirty parts (it's pop-punk music).
So we laid a track of all-clean, straight through the songs. Then set
up two half-stacks with different distortion sounds and EQ setups on
each one. Ran a line splitter on the guitar out so one went to both
amps and one line went into a SansAmp and then was mixed in with the
miked amps and put on another track. So that's 3 guitar sounds on the
one track, plus the clean...and when I bounced to one track to make
room for bass and vocals, I added SansAmp dist. to the clean track
also...5 guitar sounds total on dirty part. While testing out the
bounce, it was HUGE...especially panning different parts all over the
place, rad as can be.
The actual bounced track though? Ugh. At certain parts the guitars
seem to fade in an out, along with the cymbals...horrible phase
problems, too much stuff at certain freqs, etc. i guess.
However, if i set up a nice stereo mix and record it to my mixdown
deck, then run the lines back in to two tracks, I get the huge stereo
thing with no problems, and two tracks left over.
Plus, it's nondestructive... it's a drag if you do a bounce and then
later decide it sucks and have to tell the band, "Well, you're gonna
have to bring the drummer back with his drums and do it all over
again, 'cause this bounce mix is bad. Uh, sorry." This way, you've
still got the original 4 tracks to mess with again if you want.
me@ram.org (Ram Samudrala) writes:
[Think about using] a 2nd deck or DAT recorder (preferred) for
mixdown. I believe I say why this is good [in my recording tips Web
page-- see below] in terms of elimination of noise, but it is also
good to keep the original tracks around so you can remix and re-edit.
You'd be surprised at how well this technique works.
Q3.5 Can I use compression on a mixed signal?
Adapted from what robertb@primenet.com (Robert Blackwell) writes:
>billrich@caspian.ext.vt.edu (Bill Richardson) says:
>Can you use a compressor on a mixed signal, like between the 4 track
>and the mastering deck?
Yes you can. In fact that is what you want to do to keep [everything]
in its perspective position. [As] I have said before, it should be
used very carefully, if you [over-compress], the mix will [lose] it's
"live" feel and it won't have any dynamics.. It is also good at
keeping the signal going out to the mastering deck from getting too
hot and overloading the circuitry ([with noise]).
Q3.5.1 Is it better to compress when recording or mixing?
mcknight@pire.org (Scott McKnight) writes:
My stock answer is "depends on how much compression you have." If you
have enough channels of compression to compress everything at mixdown
then you might want to hold off compressing til then. Advantages of
doing this include being able to compress based upon hearing
everything at once and not making any compression decisions that you
can't undo. Disadvantages of this include losing a certain amount
noise supression gained by being able to record the compressed signal
hotter overall. If you don't have enough compression to process
everything at mixdown that you want to compress, you'll have to
compress some things when recording.
Q3.6 How do I improve my drum sound?
mcknight@pire.org (Scott McKnight) writes:
I tend to rely on the overheads for the basic sound of the drums and
use the individual drum mics to control the mix a little better and to
be able to put effects on individual drums.
You might also try improving the drum sound by cutting out a
generation, i.e., instead of recording to multiple tracks and mixing
down to 2, try mixing straight to 2 or 3 tracks while recording. I
like to record 3: drums left, drums right and snare. It takes a
little more time to experiment getting the mix right (especially if
you have no control room or engineer) but IMHO it's worth it.
Most articles I've read recommend using as few mics as you can get
away with. This means that everything may not get close mic'd but
I've always preferred the sound of drums mic'd from a few feet away
anyway.
Q3.6.1 How would I use noise gates to improve my drum sound?
mcknight@pire.org (Scott McKnight) writes:
If you are mic-ing a lot of drums individually I'd try using noise
gates on the toms, snare and maybe kick. This is to cut down on phase
cancellation due to having all mics open all the time. Try listening
to your drum tracks at some point where it's a basic beat, no toms.
Listen to the cymbals while bringing the tom mics in and out of the
mix. When I do this I find the cymbals (and for that matter the whole
kit) sound better when the tom mics are out of the mix. By gating
each tom individually you make so that each mic is only open when you
need it.
S4. Related information
S4.1. Information online
Q4.1.1 What are some related newsgroups?
comp.dsp - Digital Signal Processing
rec.music.makers.songwriting - Songwriting discussions
alt.music.lyrics - Lyrics to songs by request
more??
Q4.1.2 What are some related FAQ lists?
Blurbs given below:
Archive-name: AudioFAQ/pro-audio-faq
Archive-name: dsp-faq
Archive-name: music/midi/bibliography
Archive-name: music/midi/archives
Archive-name: music/composition-FAQ
Archive-name: music/netjam-faq
DAT-heads microphone FAQ and other DAT-heads FAQs
Archive-name: law/Copyright-FAQ/part1
[I know there are more. Help here?? --DSF]
****************************************
Archive-name: AudioFAQ/pro-audio-faq
Q1.1 - What is this newsgroup for? What topics are appropriate here, and what
topics are best saved for another newsgroup?
This newsgroup exists for the discussion of issues and topics related
to professional audio engineering. We generally do not discuss issues
relating to home audio reproduction, though they do occasionally come
up. The rec.audio.* hierarchy of newsgroups is as follows:
rec.audio.pro Issues pertaining to professional audio
rec.audio.marketplace Buying and trading of consumer equipment
rec.audio.tech Technical discussions about consumer audio
rec.audio.opinion Everyone's $0.02 on consumer audio
rec.audio.high-end High-end consumer audio discussions
rec.audio.misc Everything else
Please be sure to select the right newsgroup before posting.
Here's a hypertext reference to an HTML file:
rec.audio.pro
FAQ (v2.14)
****************************************
Archive-name: dsp-faq
You can ftp the very latest version of this FAQ from: evans.ee.adfa.oz.au
(131.236.30.24) in pub/dsp/dsp-faq.help, or from copernicus.Berkeley.EDU
in dsp-faq.help.*.
Q0: What is comp.dsp?
Comp.dsp is a worldwide UseNet news group that is used to discuss
various aspects of digital signal processing..
****************************************
Archive-name: music/midi/bibliography
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version: $Id: bibliography,v 1.25 1994/09/08 12:24:00 piet Exp $
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a bibliography on sy [OOPS .. accidentally clipped and lost]
.. structure into it, but not all books will fit into a single
subject. NOTE: I haven't read these books, and the comments are from
other people. On some of them I lost the original commentor's
name. Sorry about that. If you have additions or correction to t
[OOPS].. There is a more scientifically-oriented bibliography
available in the Computer Music Journal archives, on the ftp sites
mitpress.mit.edu /pub/Computer-Music-Journal/EdNotes or
ccrma-ftp.stanford.edu /pub/Publications/cmj/EdNotes. Some references
in this file that belong in that category will be removed in the
future.
A bibliography on alternate tunings can be found on ella.mills.edu in
/ccm/tuning/papers/bibliography.
****************************************
Archive-name: music/midi/archives
---------------------------------------------
Version: $Id: archives,v 1.121 1995/02/24 14:44:20 piet Exp $
Note: the latest version of this file is available from the ftp.cs.ruu.nl
archive as MIDI/DOC/archives (see below how to access the archive) and
ftp.funet.fi /pub/sounds/midi
ftp.ibp.fr /pub/midi
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Archive-name: music/composition-FAQ
Last-modified: 1994/9/30
Version: 2.2
This is a music composition frequently-asked questions (FAQ)
document, distributed by NetJam. It is probably of interest to readers
of the USENET newsgroup rec.music.compose, and anyone else interested
in music composition.
It is posted fortnightly to the above-mentioned group, as well
as to news.answers and rec.answers. It is also available as
ftp://XCF.Berkeley.EDU/misc/netjam/doc/FAQ/composition/compositionFAQ.
Finally, it can be obtained by emailing NetJam-request@XCF with the
subject line "request for composition FAQ". The machine
XCF.Berkeley.EDU has IP address 128.32.138.1.
Please send contributions and comments to
NetJam@XCF.Berkeley.EDU.
For general info about NetJam, email
NetJam-request@XCF.Berkeley.EDU, with the phrase "request for info" in
the subject line.
****************************************
Archive-name: music/netjam-faq
Last-modified: 1994/10/17
Version: 5.5
This is an electronic and computer music frequently-asked
questions (FAQ) document, distributed by NetJam. It is probably of
interest to readers of the USENET newsgrooups:
ucb.becmug
rec.music.makers
rec.music.makers.synth
rec.music.synth
rec.music.compose
comp.music
and anyone else interested in the applications of computers to music
(and vice-versa).
It is posted fortnightly to the above-mentioned groups, as
well as news.answers. It is also available as
ftp://XCF.Berkeley.EDU/pub/misc/netjam/doc/FAQ/ECMFAQ. Finally, it can be
obtained by emailing NetJam-request@XCF with the subject line "request
for ECM FAQ". The machine XCF.Berkeley.EDU has IP address
128.32.138.1.
****************************************
http://www.atd.ucar.edu:80/rdp/dat-heads/
"This is the WWW home page for the DAT-heads mailing list. DAT-heads
concerns itself with Digital Audio Tape decks, with an emphasis on
their use for the recording and distribution of live music, as done by
the followers of the Grateful Dead, Phish, and others."
There are several DAT-head FAQs and related materials and Jeff Maggard's
http://www.ultranet.com/~jgm/dat-home.html
The blurb from the DAT-heads microphone FAQ:
This is a collection of information of potential interest to users of
microphones, especially those who use them to record live musical
performances. The information was contributed by the users of the
DAT-Heads mailing list.
****************************************
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT COPYRIGHT (V. 1.1.3)
Part 1 - Introduction.
Copyright 1994 Terry Carroll
(c) 1994 Terry Carroll
Last update: January 6, 1994.
This article is the first in a series of six articles that contains
frequently asked questions (FAQ) with answers relating to copyright law,
particularly that of the United States. It is posted to the Usenet
misc.legal, misc.legal.computing, misc.int-property, comp.patents,
misc.answers, comp.answers, and news.answers newsgroups monthly, on or
near the 17th of each month.
This FAQ is available for anonymous FTP from rtfm.mit.edu [18.70.0.209],
in directory /pub/usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ, files part1 -
part6. If you do not have direct access by FTP, you can obtain a copy
via email: send a message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the following
lines in it:
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part1
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part2
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part3
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part4
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part5
send usenet/news.answers/law/Copyright-FAQ/part6
quit
****************************************
Q4.1.3 What are some related email lists?
Blurbs below:
Mixmasters
GAJOOB Magazine's DiY Report
DAT-heads
**********************************************************************
Mixmasters is a worldwide group of people who exchange audio tapes and
advice for the sole purpose of helping improve each others' production
values.
For more information, send the command
info
in the body of an email message (*not* in the Subject: line) to
mixmasters-request@netmaniac.com. To join the list, send the command
subscribe
in the body of an email message (*not* in the Subject: line) to
mixmasters-request@netmaniac.com. You can add an email address at the
end of the above line to specify where you want mail from the list to
go. And to send messages to the list itself once you're a member,
send them to:
mixmasters@netmaniac.com
Thanks for your interest, and have fun!
How it works:
You write to the list telling everyone about what kind of tape you've
made (in terms of music genre, or whatever the subject of the tape
is), and then privately correspond with whoever shows an interest in
receiving it. The people who get the tape listen to it, then post
their comments to the entire list. It's kind of like a do-it-yourself
version of Michael Laskow's "Reader's Tapes" column in Recording
magazine, except that none of us are Michael Laskow (who knows, maybe
we can get him in for a cameo one day :-).
We also help each other with ideas on equipment and how to use it.
Join us! No cost or obligation...
--
David Fiedler Internet:dragon@homerecording.com Phone:530/677-5870
USMail: HomeRecording.com, PO Box 220, Rescue, CA 95672
**********************************************************************
gajoob@utw.com (by way of gajoob@utw.com (Bryan F. Baker)) writes:
HOW TO RECEIVE THE DiY REPORT
GAJOOB Magazine's DiY Report is available in a free electronic
edition, e-mailed 2-3 times each month, and available by sending
e-mail to: GAJOOB@UTW.COM. There is no automated list server set-up,
so just send a regular e-mail message telling me you want to subscribe
to the list and you'll start receiving with the very next mailing. You
may request a free sample copy of the paper edition of the DiY Report,
which is published in conjunction with the electronic edition
(information is identical in both editions).
BACK ISSUE ARCHIVES
Currently, archives for GAJOOB Magazine's DiY Report can be found on
the World Wide Web (complete with hypertext links), courtesy of DiY
artist Philip Riley, at: http://www.math.duke.edu/~priley/
GAJOOB MAGAZINE's DiY REPORT INTRODUCTION
Established in September 1994, GAJOOB Magazine's DiY Report is
published 2-3 times each month and contains news of outlets for DiY
artists, such as compilation projects in the works, collaborations,
radio shows, publications, distributors and others. The DiY Report
also contains listings and reviews of the latest DiY releases
(including your own!), whether it's a homemade cassette offered to the
general public or a larger run of CD's. There are also discussions of
relevant topics, including a letters section, articles offering tech
advice and interviews with DiY artists talking about their
craft. There is also some coverage of indie bands as the distinction
between purely DiY and "indie" becomes more and more blurred.
**********************************************************************
DAT-heads concerns itself with Digital Audio Tape decks, with an
emphasis on their use for the recording and distribution of live
music, as done by the followers of the Grateful Dead, Phish, and
others.
To subscribe to DAT-heads, send a message to:
dat-heads-request@virginia.edu
with "subscribe" as the message.
**********************************************************************
Q4.1.4 What are some related WWW (World-Wide Web) pages?
Blurbs below (in no particular order):
Ram's music making tips
Mixmasters (see also previous question)
Shaolin Temple
Internet Showcase
La Factoria Del Ritmo (The Rhythm Factory)
The Buddy Project
**********************************************************************
me@ram.org (Ram Samudrala) writes:
Check out my recording tips page:
http://www.ram.org/music/making/tips/DiY.html
Everything in the tips was done using a 4-track...
**********************************************************************
Mixmasters is a worldwide group of people who exchange audio tapes and
advice for the sole purpose of helping improve each others' production
values.
We now have a home page! Start at
http://homerecording.com/mixmasters.html
**********************************************************************
haibachi@tiamat.umd.umich.edu (Jay Itchon) writes:
well to tell yo why this fits on this group almost all of the music
was recorded on a 4 track! Hello there! theres a new homepage for
the label Shaolin Temple its being worked on but check it out anyway!
http://www.umd.umich.edu/~eth
write me at haibachi@umd.umich.edu
Shaolin Temple is home to Noise, PUNK, Hardcore, Noise and more noise stuff.
Haibachi/Jeenifer Wolski/Ameyeseekayeewhy?/Latch/Friendship/Dreams/...
**********************************************************************
crick@ccnet.com (TEFKAR) writes:
Internet Showcase URL
We have set up a homepage to showcase various local talent, with song samples,
bios, etc... at http://www.ccnet.com/~showcase/
Feel free to stop by and check out some of the local Bay Area talent.
BTW, the site is currently under construction, so please pardon our mess:)
for info, contact showcase@ccnet.com
**********************************************************************
LA FACTORIA DEL RITMO (THE RHYTHM FACTORY)
The first musical fanzine on the INTERNET about Spanish Music.
[As far as I can tell, it's only in Spanish. Esta bien, por que me
interesa leer espanol, aunque no hablo ni escrito muy bien. --DSF]
LA FACTORIA without pictures:
http://www1.uniovi.es/musica/
LA FACTORIA with pictures:
http://www1.uniovi.es/musica2/
e-mail contact address: zz93f010@polar.etsiig.uniovi.es
(Perez Sanchez, Florian Manuel)
**********************************************************************
"The Buddy Project is an electronic clearing house for musical
creations by both electronic and acoustic musicians as well as
vocalists and hey, even beat poets, if you'd like."
URL: http://www.buddy.org/
buddymeister: tnolan@frymulti.com (Timothy M. Nolan)
**********************************************************************
Q4.1.5 What are some related ftp sites?
A great ftp site for computer audio formats and utilities is Guido van
Rossum's place:
ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/audio
The above directory has a hypertext "index.html" file.
S4.2. Information not online
Q4.2.1 What are some related magazines?
1. GAJOOB Magazine, published by Bryan F. Baker. This is the older
sibling of the GAJOOB online "DiY report".
"GAJOOB Magazine has been in publication for nearly eight years and
has a small (2000+), but devoted international readership. Due to the
success and effectiveness of the elctronic newsletter, GAJOOB
Magazine's DiY Report, the focus of GAJOOB Magazine itself has
recently evolved to be a more in-depth look at DiY recording as a
craft and DiY recording artists as creative artists at work. Future
issues of GAJOOB Magazine will focus less on contact information and
reviews and more on people, issues and DiY recording as a craft,
leaving the DiY Report newsletter to keep DiY recording artists
up-to-date with essential information on the most current DiY
activities."
CONTACTING GAJOOB
Direct any further questions, comments or job offers to:
E-MAIL: gajoob@utw.com (preferred) or gajoob@aol.com
Postal enquiries, submissions, Baby Ruth candy bars and the perfect cup of
coffee (or the perfect coffee cup) can be sent to:
GAJOOB Magazine, PO Box 3201, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110.
2. IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION. A writeup from GAJOOB DiY:
ZZAJ PRODUCTIONS " . . . publishes (e-mail) periodic "updates" on new
releases, recording activity at our "In The Shadow" studios & various other
info regarding D.I.Y. activities throughout the world. If you "do" I.Y., or
know of folks who do, drop me an e-mail. IF you want the list, please
specifically ASK for it in your e-mail. We also have information about our
'zine, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION, which reviews D.I.Y. tapes of ALL genres,
as well as some limited, short pieces of poetry. Let us HEAR from you, ok?"
[Rotcod Zzaj, Editor, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION 'zine, & perpetrator of Zzaj
Productions; SNAIL: 5308 65TH Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98513; EMAIL:
rotcod@halcyon.com]
3. Home & Studio Recording - ??
4. Sound on Sound - A home recording magazine in the United Kingdom.
benl@mojo.europe.dg.com (Ben Last) writes:
Sound on Sound deals with all aspect of home recording (with a bias
towards synths), but includes samplers, sample cd reviews, demo tapes
reviews, 'how to' articles, etc. Thoroughly recommended!
Q4.2.2 What are some related books?
1. The book that comes with your 4-track machine!
2. The Musician's Home Recording Handbook, by Ted Greenwald.
kmk@cornell.edu (Jason Kelsey using the account of Kristina Kelsey)
writes,
"I found it to be a very good source of information for beginners and
intermediates."
3. Home Recording Techniques, by J.D. Sharp.
longmire@mcs.com (Bob Longmire) writes,
It's published as an Alfred Handy Guide, by Alfred Publishing Company.
I found this is a music store, but the publisher's address on the back
cover is:
Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.
16380 Roscoe Blvd.
P. O. Box. 10003
Van Nuys, CA 91410-0003
4. New Ears: The Audio Career & Education Handbook
mwdrews@mailbox.syr.edu (Mark Drews) writes:
For those of you considering a career in the wonderful world of music
recording or audio engineering .. The guide lists most everything
you'd ever want to know about music recording programs and
schools. Drop me your email address, and I'll forward a press release.
Happy tracking!
Mark Drews
Senior Audio Engineer/Instructor
SU School of Music
5. Cameo Dictionary of Creative Audio Terms [what is this?? --DSF]
6. Hot Tips for the Home Recording Studio, by Hank Linderman, Writer's
Digest Books, 1994. 161 pages. ISBN 0-89879-651-2.
This slim volume is a collection of thoughts from a producer of
hundreds of demo tapes in the L.A. area. I found it extremely
well-written and up-to-date; it does not try to cover everything. It
has an index.
From the back cover: "[Hank] helps you lay down the music the way you
want it to sound, with advice for: getting the best from your mixer,
multitrack, compressor and other gear; arranging your song; keeping
life in your music; unlocking the mysteries of time code; preventing
acoustic and electrical noise from interfering; laying down good
tracks, using 'production prosody,' 'ramping up'; 'punching in';
working with singers; mixing; .."
"For a FREE catalog of all Writer's Digest Books, write Writer's
Digest Books, 1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 54207, or call
1-800-289-0963." They have books on lyrics, poetry, melody, and other
related issues.
7. The Musician's Guide to Home Recording, by Peter McIan and Larry
Wichman, Simon & Schuster, Inc, 1988. 285 pages. ISBN 0-671-60189-X
PBK, or 0-671-65754-2.
This tome is written by the producer of Men At Work and Mr. Mister,
with help from a free-lance writer. It covers a lot of ground, and is
a little dated. It has an index, bibliography, and glossary.
From the back cover: "Learn: how to specifically EQ and recod
synthesizers, drums, bass, strings, guitar, brass and piano; how to
reduce tape noise and generation loss during a bounce; how to
re-create sounds you hear on hit records; how to properly apply reverb
and special-effect echoes; how to perform overdubs; how to test room
acoustics; how to achieve an effective blend; .."
8. Music Through MIDI: Using MIDI to create your own electronic music
system, by Michael Boom, Microsoft Press, 1987. 271 pages, with
glossary and index. ISBN 1-55615-026-1.
I have not used the book much, but it looks like a gentle yet complete
introduction to MIDI.
Chapter 1 MIDI: An Overture, Ch. 2 Sound and Music, Ch. 3 Synthesizing
Sound, Ch. 4 MIDI Connections, Ch. 5 MIDI Messages, Ch. 6 Computers
and MIDI, Ch. 7 Real MIDI Equipment, Ch. 8 Computerized MIDI Systems,
Ch. 9 MIDI in Live Performance, Ch. 10 MIDI in the Recording Studio,
Ch. 11 MIDI in Education, Ch. 12 MIDI at Home, Appendix A Getting
Technical, Appendix B Companies Mentioned, Appendix C Further
Information.
9. Recording Demo Tapes at Home, Bruce Bartlett, 1988.
I have no info on whether this is a good book or not.
Q4.2.3 What are some related videos?
1. More Top Secret Home Recording Techniques, Vol. 3, Curt Miller
Productions, 1993.
What an excellent idea! Illustrating recording techniques on
videotape, where you can see what they're doing and hear the
difference it makes.
This tape covers: parametric EQ, reverb and delay, noise gates,
monitoring, "advanced mixing."
Curt Miller Productions' address: 4238 Childress, Houston, TX 77005.
Phone # (713) 665-3135.
S4.3. Company information
Q4.3.1 What is Tascam's address and phone #?
Tascam Professional Division
TEAC AMERICA inc.
7733 Telegraph Rd
Montebello, CA 90640-9978
http://www.tascam.com
Phone 213-726-0303 (ext. 617 for product support)
FAX 213-727-7635
Note: they seem unresponsive to email, but calling them might find you
that old manual you've been looking for.
Q4.3.2 What is Musician's Friend?
A mail-order company that can be found at http://www.musiciansfriend.com
Phone # 800-776-5173
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