Focusrite TrakMaster, Руководство пользователя

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9
OBTAINING A GOOD QUALITY VOCAL SOUND
MICROPHONE POSITIONING
For a natural sound without pops, position the microphone at a distance of about 1 metre
from the singer. Recording vocals requires a different technique to that used when singing
on stage, where the vocalist usually sings with the microphone touching his or her lips, so
your vocalist may find it difficult to perform a long way from the mic. If this affects the
performance (or if the vocal sounds weak), allow the vocalist move closer, but use a pop
shield on the mic. It may also be necessary to use the High Pass Filter (
) in the Discrete
Transistor Input section to remove excessive bass caused by this technique.
USING THE OPTICAL COMPRESSOR
If the vocalist is having difficulty staying a consistent distance from the microphone, the
recorded performance will get softer and louder as the distance from the mic varies. The
vocalist may also vary the volume of their performance to such an extent that when they
are singing loudly, the vocal is far too dominant, and when they are singing quietly, the
vocal is lost in the mix. To even out these variations, use the OPTICAL COMPRESSOR
set as follows:
•
COMPRESSION set around 9 o’clock
•
TIGHT and PUNCH switches disengaged
•
RELEASE set around 12 o’clock
•
TUBE SOUND set fully anticlockwise
•
MAKEUP set around the ‘4’ position
Depending on the variations in the vocalist’s volume level, you may need to increase the
COMPRESSION control until the vocal level sounds more consistent.
If the vocalist’s performance is very ‘dynamic’ (going from soft to very loud, as described
earlier), try setting the OPTICAL COMPRESSOR as follows:
•
COMPRESSION set around 12 o’clock
•
TIGHT switch engaged
•
PUNCH switch disengaged
•
RELEASE set around 12 o’clock
•
TUBE SOUND set fully anticlockwise
•
MAKEUP set around the ‘10’ position
Compression avoids overloading the input to the 3-BAND EQUALISER during loud parts
of the performance. The RELEASE time is set as short as possible, to avoid compressing
the quiet parts of the performance.
SPOKEN WORD
When recording the spoken word, use the BASS control to boost the low frequency areas
with the INST/VOCAL switch set to the VOCAL position. As voices differ in pitch,
adjust the FREQ control until you get a deep, resonant and powerful-sounding voice. This
is the sort of effect used by radio DJs.
BACKING VOCALS
Backing vocals are normally heavily compressed, since you want them to have a continuous
presence without volume variations. Set the OPTICAL COMPRESSOR as follows:
•
COMPRESSION set around 3 o’clock
•
TIGHT switch engaged
•
PUNCH switch disengaged
•
RELEASE set around 12 o’clock
•
TUBE SOUND set fully anticlockwise
•
MAKEUP set around the ‘13’ position
To stop the backing vocals sounding too ‘fat’ and overpowering, reduce the bass with the
BASS control, ensuring that the INST/VOCAL switch is set to the VOCAL position.
Also, use the TREBLE control (with the INST/VOCAL switch in the VOCAL position)
to boost the higher frequencies.
OBTAINING A GOOD QUALITY ELECTRIC GUITAR
SOUND
USING THE 3-BAND EQUALISER
With a guitar plugged into the instrument input, you should get a great sound straight
away. Use the 3-BAND EQUALISER to get the sound you want; in particular:
•
Set the INST/VOCAL switch is set to the INST position . Then, using the BASS control
to boost frequencies below 250 Hz, you can add more ‘body’ to the sound.
•
Boosting the PRESENCE control should give more ‘bite’ to the guitar sound.
•
When cutting the BASS and TREBLE controls, and boosting the PRESENCE
control, a ‘lo-fi’ guitar sound can be achieved. This effect works well when there are
two or more guitars, only one of which is being treated in this way.