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Emax II operation manual
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Maintain the Instrument to be Sampled:
Tune your instrument and carefully check
the intonation; change strings (if applicable); and check that the instrument doesn’t have
any loose parts that rattle, squeak, or make other noises.
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Sampling Acoustic Instruments
:
Choose the microphone and mic placement as
carefully as you would for any recording project. Musicians sometimes note how hard
it is to get a good “sound” in the studio, but that’s what sampling is all about...getting
a good sound, and once you’ve got that sound, keeping it.
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Play Naturally:
Sometimes it’s a lot harder to play one note than several hundred.
Unless you’re trying for a special effect, play the sample as you would normally play the
instrument. It’s often a good idea to play several notes, and use truncation to zero in on
the best of the bunch.
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Avoid Ground Loops:
Ground loops occur when electricity can take two different
paths to ground. If there is a resistance difference between the two paths, this can
generate a signal (consisting mostly of digital “hash” or hum) that can work its way into
the recording chain.
With all the instruments patched in place and connected to each other
, turn
off the Emax II and insert a ground lift adapter between the Emax II plug and the wall.
CAUTION
:
Removing the ground connection defeats the safety advantage of using a
three-wire plug, so use this technique only as a last resort and exercise extreme caution.
Make sure the Emax II chassis has some other path to ground
(usually via the audio input and
output cables). Having two paths to ground can cause ground loops, but having no
paths to ground can cause a potential shock hazard if there’s an equipment malfunction
in the studio.
Using Signal Processing While Recording
Just as with regular recording, there are no absolutes about recording signals with or
without signal processing. Some engineers feel that tracks should always be recorded
flat to allow for the maximum number of options during mixdown; others prefer to
record with a bit of processing, especially if the processor might be needed on another
track when mixing. Here are some thoughts about the use of various types of signal
processors when recording samples.
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External Preamp:
If you need to preamplify the signal being sampled, set the sample
gain to 00 dB and use an external, high-quality mic preamp to increase the signal level
going into the Emax II. Emax II’s preamp noise level, while acceptable, may not be as
quiet as an external mic preamp.
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Limiting Dynamic Range:
Limiting the signal being sampled can put a higher
average signal level into the Emax II, thus improving the already excellent signal-to-
noise ratio. Also, the limit point can be set just under Emax II’s overload point, which
makes level setting less critical.
THE ART OF SAMPLING
General Tips
Summary of Contents for EMAX II
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