Using two 424's to "create an eight track"
Hello Bardo,
I have an idea how you could use both machines, and record on each track so your song will end up with eight tracks. However the process is long, it may also require a lot of planning and you may need some extra pieces of equipment. Here is what I was thinking:
# set up a drummachine, metronome or anything that can produce clicks, these beats will be recorded as you are making your pilot-track.
You could use a separate mixer, or an Y-box to link the output of your drummachine to both recorders.
# Create a pilot-track, now this is mainly to indicate the structure of your song, the track can be played on any instrument which can lay-out the stucture, including all the breaks or little turn-arounds in your song. Now this pilot-track is only a guide eh? So later on you could erase it and replace by something else.
The pilot-track will end up on both the recoders along with the clicktrack. You do need to separate the clicktrack from the pilottrack, so that you can use the clicktrack throughout the recording-process, even after you have replaced the pilot-track.
Once you have carried out these steps you have a similar recording on both machines which are identical. Of course one machine may play a little faster that the other, but the music itself is identical. Keep the speed of both machines at the same time, as this will make it easier for yourself. Only when you come to mixing both tapes onto one master you may need to adjust one of them a little, but later more about idea.
Okay now you can start adding all the parts you feel you need for the song. At this stage you work on each machine seperatly.
Once you have all your "real" rythm parts down you can erase your clicktrack so you have freed yourself another track for extra parts.
You may feel you may want to keep one of the pilot-tracks as it outlines the song so well, but you do not need it on both machines eh? Unless, of course, you like the idea of layering tracks.
NOw the last stage is the mixdown where all the eight tracks would be put onto one master. FOr this you may need an extra mixer, as you have two 424's where both the stereo-outputs need to be connected to a mixdown deck [or minidisc, or computer or whatever..............] Much of this process and the kind of extra tools you need, will depend on your situation. NOt really sure what you mix down to.
So, as you can see, with this process there are only TWO TIMES where both the 424's are BEING PLAYED at the SAME TIME, and these moments will be the most critical ones for getting the "sync.act" together. However I feel that when you work precisely, it should be possible.
Ghost mentioned earlier that you can use the speed button to finetune the 424's to each other, but perhaps you may not need to.
Question for Ghost [If he is reading this]
Will two 424's run at the same speed, I mean, the motor and other parts, will they run identical given the fact that both machines are new and in identical condition? My guess is that there will always be little fluctuations but not sure about this.
Okay Bardo, and others of course, as you can see, it would take some time and planning to record you songs like this but it may be worth it.
Have I done this myself? No, not yet, I read your post yesterday, and after a little while I could see the process of how you to get eight tracks by combing two 424's. So far I have only used one, and I do the "Pilot-track idea" and as mentioned before, it does take a lot of time and planning but I seem to enjoy the hard way of doing things
Cheers.
Eddie
