Recording multiple synth tracks to mix

[Matthewhuk]

Hi, new here so wondered if you guys might help me,
I am a self taught artist so probably don't go about things the professional way, but my set up includes a Roland Juno di and logic pro x.
I use the Roland, setting each midi channel to an Instrument in my composition, setting each pan and volume for each track via the synth, then when I have recorded each seperate midi track I plug the audio out from the synth which plays the entire performance back and I record the complete mix to logic as 1 audio track.
Is this a good way of going about this kind of recording or would I be better, recording each individual track to audio, panned centre at optimum volume, then mix the resulting audio tracks into one final bounce. Or am I going about the whole process wrong? Or is either way ok.
Any pointers would help. Thank you!

 

[ecc83]

Hi, new here so wondered if you guys might help me,
I am a self taught artist so probably don't go about things the professional way, but my set up includes a Roland Juno di and logic pro x.
I use the Roland, setting each midi channel to an Instrument in my composition, setting each pan and volume for each track via the synth, then when I have recorded each seperate midi track I plug the audio out from the synth which plays the entire performance back and I record the complete mix to logic as 1 audio track.
Is this a good way of going about this kind of recording or would I be better, recording each individual track to audio, panned centre at optimum volume, then mix the resulting audio tracks into one final bounce. Or am I going about the whole process wrong? Or is either way ok.
Any pointers would help. Thank you!

Dunno Matt! I am no musician but I wonder why you don't work the way I think most One Man Band singer guitarists do? They record maybe a chord sequence first, maybe to a click track, next put on vocals, lead breaks, cook up some drum loops and build a set of mono tracks.
When all is done they can then sit down and balance, compress, eq and generally fork about to get a nice mix.

Dave.

 

[rob aylestone]

I still have a few synths I use in my projects in a daily basis, so I keep my tracks as midi playing the external devices until I'm absolutely sure I don't need to edit them any longer, then, as most are stereo devices, I simply record their individual outputs in stereo pairs. On one synth, a Roland, I simply mute everything apart from say, syn brass on midi channel 3, and record the sound as a left and right. I do not record it as a panned stereo output preplaced in the stereo field. I need each one to be able to be panned at the mix stage. Sometimes, depending on the sound, I might just record it as a mono track. Then I go back and mute the syn brass and unmute the next source from the device and record it again.

This is a perfectly good question if you use external synths, as you have to make choices. I never like to make them early, so with track count not being important any more, I just end up with an audio version of the two outputs from the synth. What I also do on some projects is turn off the reverb and effects on the synth and then use my nicer ones. It's especially important if you have other tracks with a common sounding reverb because a string sound with a swampy reverb doesn't match in the mix sometimes.

The MOST annoying thing is to discover a note leaps out as being too loud or lost in the mix and having to go back and re-record the damn thing. Happens to me quite often, hence why I leave this stage till I am ready to mix.

Only a few years ago, most of these external tracks came in as mono to save channels, and it didn't really matter that much. Now you just bring in both l and r, leave the panning until the mix.

 

[Matthewhuk]

Dunno Matt! I am no musician but I wonder why you don't work the way I think most One Man Band singer guitarists do? They record maybe a chord sequence first, maybe to a click track, next put on vocals, lead breaks, cook up some drum loops and build a set of mono tracks.
When all is done they can then sit down and balance, compress, eq and generally fork about to get a nice mix.

Dave.

Thanks, that's an interesting idea, I always record the complete backing, then add the vocals last, so It might be another way to try things!
My productions are usually quite lush, invloving piano, synths, strings, guitars, drums etc, (all synth sounds) so far have just found it easier to hear everything back at once through the synth as I compose and record each new track.

 

[Matthewhuk]

Thanks for your reply Rob, I guess it's a case of giving things a go and seeing what works best, but I will certainly give this technique a try and see if it improves my mix.
Ha yes it would be annoying to have to rerecord a track again!

Interesting about recording a seperate L & R, I would have just recorded in stereo panned centre. then adjusted the pan of the Audio track at the editing stage, please excuse my ignorance, but would this not be the same?

Thanks again!