4-Track routing/level question

famous beagle

famous beagle

Well-known member
Hey y'all,

So I'm in the middle of a recording on my Yamaha MT4x 4-track recorder. I've filled up all four tracks and am going to do an external stereo bounce. The MT4X does not have inserts, but I'd like to process one of the guitars with my KT2A compressor. The machine does have Tape Outs, though, so I thought I'd do the following:

1. Send a cable from the TAPE OUT jack (track 2) to the INPUT on my compressor. (RCA to TS cable)
2. Send a cable from the OUTPUT of the compressor to the CHANNEL INPUT on TRK 2. (TS cable)
3. Set CH 2 for MIC/LINE input.

This way, I can bring the compressed track back in to the channel for the stereo bounce.

It's working, however, the level that's getting to the compressor is very weak. Even with the Peak Reduction knob fully dimed on the KT2A, I'm barely getting any gain reduction at all.

Is there any way I can get a more usable signal to the compressor?

Or is there another way to do what I'm trying to do that I'm not thinking of?

I've attached the manual for reference.

Thanks!
 

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  • Yamaha MT4X.pdf
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I have a feeling that the way you have cabled it is causing the grief. If you have output of Trk2 going into compressor, then output of going into input of trk2, it strikes me that the output of trk2 is not going to be what is recorded on tape, but what is coming in from the compressor, i.e. nothing much except a bit of cross-talk.

If you have four tracks filled, I can't see an easy way of doing a stereo bounce while including the compressor. If you could go to the stereo bounce via an external mixer, you would have a sporting chance.
 
It's not the loudest thing in the world (it's a fingerpicked 12-string acoustic), but there are times when it gets up to the 0dB or +3dB level on the 4-track (which is nominal level).

I haven't tried another cord yet - I guess I could do that to rule out a bad connection or something.

The thing is that, with the TAPE OUT jacks, there's no send level or anything. You're stuck with the level coming off the tape.

I thought about first running it through my Warm Audio WA273EQ preamp to boost the level and then into the compressor, but that seems like a lot of processing.
 
gecko zzed said:
I have a feeling that the way you have cabled it is causing the grief. If you have output of Trk2 going into compressor, then output of going into input of trk2, it strikes me that the output of trk2 is not going to be what is recorded on tape, but what is coming in from the compressor, i.e. nothing much except a bit of cross-talk.

If you have four tracks filled, I can't see an easy way of doing a stereo bounce while including the compressor. If you could go to the stereo bounce via an external mixer, you would have a sporting chance.
Click to expand...

Well ... I'm not wanting to record it to tape, actually. It just needs to get back to the main bus, which will then be recorded to my computer via the STEREO OUT jacks.

I don't know if that makes a difference in what you're saying.
 
It makes no difference really. The problem is getting a compressed trk2 signal back into the mix before the stereo out.

One option to try, if you have four inputs on your interface, is to record all four tracks into the computer, play them back and re-record them on the MT4x, but apply the compressor on the way back.

You would then have the four tracks including a compressed trk2 for bouncing to stereo.
 
gecko zzed said:
It makes no difference really. The problem is getting a compressed trk2 signal back into the mix before the stereo out.

One option to try, if you have four inputs on your interface, is to record all four tracks into the computer, play them back and re-record them on the MT4x, but apply the compressor on the way back.

You would then have the four tracks including a compressed trk2 for bouncing to stereo.
Click to expand...
I actually just got rid of my bigger interface (Focusrite Scarlett 18i20) and got an Audient ID14 MKII, so transferring all four tracks at once isn't an option.

However, I just tried what I had mentioned up above - ran the 12-string from the TAPE OUT into my WA273EQ (to boost the level) and then into the KT2A - and it gave me a good, usable level. And it actually sounds fantastic.

I'm not sure why the signal from the TAPE OUT is so quiet, but at least I found a good workaround.
 
The tape outs on the Yamaha are -10db and the compressor i/o is +4db, that's one of the reasons the level wasn't hot enough. Finger-picked acoustic tends to have higher peaks, but lower average level and the average level is what is going to trip the compressor into reduction. Between those two things, there wasn't enough to drive the compressor to do anything without adding a level boost somewhere.
 
Farview said:
The tape outs on the Yamaha are -10db and the compressor i/o is +4db, that's one of the reasons the level wasn't hot enough. Finger-picked acoustic tends to have higher peaks, but lower average level and the average level is what is going to trip the compressor into reduction. Between those two things, there wasn't enough to drive the compressor to do anything without adding a level boost somewhere.
Click to expand...
Thanks much for the info. I figured the prosumer/pro level (-10/+4) may be the reason.
 
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