Mixing down from a 388 (with outboard effects)

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batterista

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Hey all. We've finished recording our first song, and it's sounding great. We're ready to mix it down, but I don't know what I'm doing with effects. Here's what I've got:

Tracks 1 and 2 are Roland drum tracks straight in.
Tracks 3 and 4 are guitar (same performance take using orange amp miked with an Audix i5 about a foot in front off center, and a Sterling Large Condenser about 3 ft in front).
Tracks 5-8 are different vox takes using a Neumann KSM 105. We're using all of the vox tracks during the mix, bringing up and down certain verses, choruses, etc. on the fly.

I can mix down without effects fine, but we need to get some effects on the vox (reverb, maybe digital delay, and maybe a hair of compression). Here's my gear:

Alesis Midiverb (I've been advised to use setting #18 for vox)

Fostex Digital Delay 3050

Yamaha Compressor/Limiter GC2020

On the 388, how do I run some tracks through these effects during the mixdown. I want to keep the original tracks dry and paint effects only on the mixdown. I may want to apply a hair of reverb on the drums, but the guitar is ruthless as it is. Also, can I use the EQ on the 388 during the mixdown, or are those only for when you're recording a track? A separate EQ is what I'm lacking, although I've got some other crazy looking outboard rack effects (all this gear was given to me... and this is my first time engineering my own stuff)

I don't know if I'm supposed to use the specific send and returns for each track when mixing down. There's one effect send/return separated from individual tracks, and maybe I run everything through that and control the level of effects for each track... and turn the level all the way down for those tracks where I don't want any?). The manual is most unhelpful regarding mixing down using effects.

Thanks. And may I just say that the 388 is one beautiful machine. I will post the recording when I'm finished (hopefully this weekend).
 
I don't have a manual in front of me and my firewall prevents me from viewing it online . . . however, it seems to me that the 388 has at least one (if not two or more) effects sends/returns. Try setting up your effects chain(s) and routing the effects send throu it/them. You can ajust the amount of signal sent from each track to the unit and the amount of signal returned. Be sure to set your effects output to 100% as you will control the amount added via the effects send knobs. Again, sorry I don't have a manual that I can give you more direct advice but that's where I'd start.
 
Amost there!

Nate: Thanks... when you say "effects chain" - should I run it into the reverb unit, and then on to the dig delay, then to the compression, then back to the 388?

Thanks man!
 
There is no "should." But I would go . . . compression, into delay, into reverb and here's why. I'm not an expert on compression (as is obvious from my questions on the subject in other forums) but I'd hit that first to even out your volumes. Reverb, typically, is used to simulate a "live" room. Or for another way to look at it; your delay is echoing your compressed signal; but you then want to place that whole sound into a "room." So I would put your reverb last. But by all means experiment with which sounds best. But that's how "I" in my infinite newbness would do it. :D
 
Rad. Thanks... I'm hitting that mixdown tonight... I'll let you know how it goes.
 
WORD! Just experiment with what sounds good. Can't wait to hear it.
 
Okay.

Use the compression "inline" to ONE of the vocal tracks, (yes: choose one), by using the Access-Snd/Rcv 1/4" patch points on the ONE SINGLE vocal channel. Unfortunately, you have to choose one vocal track to add compression to, as compression needs to be "inline" to the signal. Unless you have a stereo compressor, in which case you could apply compression to TWO tracks "inline". I can't make that determination on the model #.

The other two effects, Reverb and Delay, may be put on separate "effects loops" by using the Aux-Send and Effect-Send outputs,... looping a "dry" signal out to the effects running in parallel, then the effected signal is mixed back into the L/R-Stereo (master) buss. No manual in front of me, but as I remember the 388 has both "Aux" sends and "Effects" sends,... the difference being one would be switchable between "Pre/Post/Off". Most "Aux" and "Eff" sends would be typically a "Post" fader send, with exceptions of course.

Given your basic scenario in the question in the first post, that's my 2¢.:eek:;)
 
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