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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **************************************** 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