need more tracks

[SMITHKI]

could anyone give me some direction on getting more tracks out of my 788.im just a begginner at this so you might have to make it simple.i have used channels 1-6 and i would like to add some more guitar parts,would it better to bounce everything to channel 7 and 8 or can you use the submixer some how.i think i understand the bounce thing but the submixer has got me confused.could i record parts on the submixer and add them to the mix somehow.if anyone could help me here i would appreciate it much.the manual isn't that clear to me.

thanks all

[Rarebird]

Your 788 has 8 channels and 250 virtual tracks. If you press the track button, the name of the current track assigned to that channel will show up with a check mark next to it. You can now scroll down the list and choose a new track, hit ENTER/YES. I would name your current tracks first before doing this.

If you save a scene before you change tracks, you can later choose that scene and all the previously assigned tracks for that scene will jump back into place, as well as volume settings, eq, etc..

If you have 2.02 firmware, then you can copy your "Master Tracks" back into a set of virtual tracks. This way you can record 8 tracks, master them, and end up with 2 new tracks. I do this with a variety of sets, then load the stereo (sub-masters) into the 8 channel strips to create a final master.

Hope that helps.

[aa4ga]

Originally posted by SMITHKI
could anyone give me some direction on getting more tracks out of my 788.im just a begginner at this so you might have to make it simple.i have used channels 1-6 and i would like to add some more guitar parts,would it better to bounce everything to channel 7 and 8 or can you use the submixer some how

The submixer isn't what you need for this. You would use the submixer, for example, bouncing channels 1-6 to 7/8 while adding another part, which also goes to 7/8. Which probably isn't what you want in your case, as you wouldn't have access to the added part, and your mix would be set.

So, you can bounce 1-6 down to 7/8 in stereo, then using the vitual tracks, place new tracks on channels 1-6, which is similar to what Rarebird was saying...you don't need the latest version of software for that, but it does come in handy. With the latest version, you can effectively bounce 1-8 to a stereo pair (the premaster) and then import that pair to two of your channels.

Saving scenes can definitely come in handy, but isn't required. It is a very good idea to name tracks, but also not required.

For example, here's the way I generally work:

1) Record 5 instruments to 1-5 and a scratch vocal to 6.
2) Bounce 1-5 to 7/8 in stereo.
3) Move the tracks in 1-6 out of the mixer, replacing with new virtual tracks.
4) Record 3 or 4 voices on 1-4.
5) Premaster, mixing vocals with the stereo instrument mix.

That works well for us...we mostly record bluegrass, which is pretty straight-forward, but hopefully it illustrates a way to get the extra part in you want....you can add intermediate steps for fancy effects applications and such later on after you've got these basics down.

Have fun,

Lee

[SMITHKI]

thanks guys that does help,i guess i am just going to have to experiment alittle to get the hand of it.just one more thing,i'm not sure i understand the virtual tracts.could you just give me an exlanation of how they work.do you get more tracts out of the unit using them or is it just a way of trying different takes and choosing the best one.i have never tried using them so i dont really understand how they would benefit me.right now i know i am doing things the hard way by recording and erasing and recording again till i get it right.i am so new at this that i'm not using the edit and copy functions like i should to make it easier.i guess i'm just affraid i'm going to mess up a song that i have worked hard to record.i know it will take time but i really want to learn the ins and outs.i appreciate your advice and am so glad i found this site.thanks again

kirk

[Rarebird]

While you don't have to name your tracks, naming them will help avoid confusion.

Don't let the word "virtual" fool you. They are just "Tracks".

You have 250 virtual tracks.
You have 8 channel strips.

You can assign any of these 250 tracks to the 8 channels but only 8 at a time. You can move these tracks freely among the 8 channel strips.

If you needed 12 tracks for a project you could first record 6, then bounce them to 7/8, then move the original 6 tracks and replace with new "empty" tracks, record those, replace tracks 7/8 with new tracks, and create a new bounce of the 2nd set of 6 tracks. Remember, if you name these there will be less confusion.

Now you have 2 sets of bounces. Bring those bounced tracks to 1/2 and 3/4, and you can mix those together. This is just an example, you need to get in there and move some of these tracks around. There are countless ways to approach this, you just need to understand the "Track & Channel" thing. Again, "Scenes" can help you to organize your groups of tracks, in case you want to go back and re-mix any particular group.

[aa4ga]

Rarebird explained it just right...much better than the manual does!

Start a new song...when you hit the track button for the first channel, notice that below Track01, you have Track09,10,11...available. Any track that isn't assigned to a channel can be assigned to that track. If you select Track09 for the first channel, then go to the second channel, you'll see that Track02 is assigned, but you could choose Track01 now, since it's no longer being used by channel 1.

Each channel always has one track assigned to it, and another 242 (250 total less 8 used) available to choose from.

Once you understand the difference between the channels and the tracks, you're on your way...the best way is to just jump in and play with 'em!

HTH,

Lee

[philboyd studge]

I like to keep everything in front of me and don't use the virtual tracks. I'll bounce harmonies and secondary instruments to 7/8 after mixing them and usually have 4 tracks left to work with.