aardvark q10 question

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skyway57

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is anyone using the q10 without an external mixer?

how do you alter something other than gain if not using an external mixer...if i want to brighten up an acoustic or fatten up a vocal (throw on a little reverb) for monitoring what do i do? i am using pa9 which came with the aardvark.

i know you should record as clean and as flat of a signal as possible and tweak the sound in mixing, but i don't seem to be getting a good sound directly into the q10.

for others using q10 what does your signal chain look like?

sorry for such a basic question...
 
The things you want to do are found inside the program, not in a mixer.

To brighten up a track you want to change the EQ for that particular track. Same for adding reverb. I don't use CW9 but my friend does and there are EQ and effects setting for each channel, and I believe a seperate one for the overall mix as well. CLick on the track you want to edit and look for EQ or effects up in your menus.
 
I've got a Q10.

As far as my signal chain:

1) I have a RNC compressor connected to the insert jack of channel #1. I use this channel for vocals, mic'ed guitar cabs, etc, anything that will need a little compression during tracking.

2) My sound module (Roland XV5050) is connected to the SPDIF input on the back of the unit.

3) Outputs 1-8 are connected to a pacth bay, as are my external effects units (Lexicon reverb and TC Electronic compressor).

4) My Mackie mixer is also connected to the patch bay. The mixer drives my monitors.

5) I also have a CD player connected to the mixer in order to compare my mixes to commercial CDs.

Like Bass Master said, a lot of what you want to do can be done in software (compression, eq, reverb, etc). I use the eq tool in Sonar, but have migrated outboard for compression and reverb because I don't like the CPU performance hit I take when using software

I'm curious about your statement that you're not getting a very good signal into the Q10. Give us some more info.
 
thanks for your responses...

the main problem seems to be the vocal track...i am running my sp c1 directly to the pre's on the q10 (i have no outboard gear at this point)

i can't seem to get a decent vocal...either too quiet or it clips...i've been unable to get a good full vocal sound to track with...

i also have not yet figured out how to add effects to the monitors (headphones) while tracking...can you do this through the software as well? i have successfully been able to add effects once the track is recorded but with major latency problems if i attempt more than a few effects at once...

right now i am going back and forth between pa9 and a trial version of cool edit pro...

any suggestions or feedback would be greatly apprecitated...
 
Sounds like you need a compressor when you record vocals. I've recorded a freind doing vocals and had similar problems because she tends to sing quitely during the verse and loud during the chorus. I've got her in the habit of moving slightly away from the mike as she starts to sing louder but it's something that takes a lot of practice to do well.

I'll throw out a plug for the RNC compressor you see hyped on this board; for ~$250 it is really quite nice. You can buy cheaper compressors, look around zzounds.com.

I can't get software effects to play through the monitors during recording either, only during playback. I've read through my SONAR manual and it doesn't appear to be possible.
 
thanks phyl...

i have heard nothing but raves on the rnc...i'll start checking out compressors....

do you use your outboard gear for real time effects to throw in the monitor mix while tracking?

would a mic pre with eq help to get a better mic sound as well?
 
Sometimes I'll put some reverb on the playback tracks while I'm recording a new part, it imparts a "vibe" that can be helpful while recording the new part.

I've been tempted to get a separate mic pre with eq and compression, just to have a different flavour for some of my tracks. I think I'll hold off until I've spent a lot more time playing with mic choice, mic placement, in short, making sure I've done everything to get the sound right before it goes into the system.

I think the Aardvark actually has pretty good mic pre's, by that I mean they are transparent and have a low noise floor.
 
twiddling around with what i have is probably a great idea...

it seems that some of the problem was simply me overloading the signal in the c1...

i had the mic set on m1 (on the q10 mixer) and i think that was too hot...i'm getting better results with the "line" setting with the trim at about 8db...

still not as warm and up front as i'd like it to be but getting better...

looking at the rnc and sorting throug posts on mic pres and/or eqs

thanks for the help
 
While researching compressors and Q10 I found your thread. I do not know how bad your vocals are sounding, but I thought I would share this link with you.

Here you will find three tracks... all vocals and most acoustic guitar tracked with a C3 directly into and Aardvark Q10 and then into Sonar.

There is NO COMPRESSION HW or SW on anything (but kick and snare - fx compression plug in sonar)

Go easy on me, these are the first three things I experimented with on my system. Not finished product, just testing gear and working on composition.

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=2999&alid=653
 
I'm also using a Q10. I love it. Here's what I'm using:

Behringer UB2442 Mixer
Sonar XL 2.2
Behringer 2600 Composer Pro
Behringer 2200 Composer
Behringer 4400 Limiter/Gate
Audix D Series Drum Mics
AKG C414 TLII

I do alot of band recordings. Hence all the necessary stuff for drum recording. I used to try to record vocals without a compressor. As awesome as the C414 sounds, you can't do it without one. The effects in Sonar, which you should probably upgrade to, are only post-recording even in "real-time". I use that term loosely. The Behringer 2600 is an awesome unit for the money. I'm on a budget. I think it was $110. And it does a great job especially with vocals, snares and kicks. RNC's are really nice, but just too expensive for my apps, especially since I dropped a bunch of bucks on the C414. Check out the 2600. It may be all you need
 
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