Spirit Digital 328, Руководство пользователя

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SECTION
4: Fr
om Concept T
o CD
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backing vocal parts, drum and percussion parts,
string arrangements and so on.
Try using EQ to boost each instrument in a
slightly different band, preferably the frequency
range that carries most of the character of that
instrument. This will help to distinguish them
from one another, and make them sit apart in the
mix. Using a little reverb on each channel tends to
bring everything back together, creating the
impression that the various sounds are all playing
in the same acoustic space.
I. Using Effects
With two Lexicon effects processors inside the
328, it’s easy to add a wide range of high quality
studio effects. As well as a full selection of classic
studio reverb and delay-based algorithms, each
processor has more distinctive off-the-wall effects
such as Resonant that are worth trying out. When
setting up your effects mix, remember that you’ll
get the best signal-to-noise ratio, and therefore the
most professional sounding mix, by keeping the
send levels high and the return levels low.
You can also use external processors, using one
of the Aux sends to take a signal to the processor,
and bring the effect back on stereo inputs or
linked stereo channels. If your processor has digi-
tal inputs and outputs, by assigning an Aux send
and stereo return to the 328’s stereo digital inputs
and outputs, you can keep the whole effect
send/return loop in the digital domain.
J. Using Dynamics
As well as the two internal Lexicons, the 328 also
has two internal digital dynamics processors.
These let you apply compression and limiting
while track-laying, to avoid clipping and distorton
and get a good level down to your recording medi-
um. Gating any mic’d sources will keep unwanted
background noise out of your mix. Because you
can select the source for each dynamics processor
(the source that determines gain change) inde-
pendently of the destination (the channel or chan-
nels whose levels are changed), you can get cre-
ative with the dynamics section. Try using a gate,
keyed from a rhythmic sound such as a hi-hat, to
modulate the volume of a continuous sound such
as a keyboard pad.
K. Using Automation
Once you have set up a basic mix – instruments
sitting in the right place in the mix, the right
effects balance – think about where you want to
change this through the mix. By using snapshot
automation, running against timecode, you can
change fader levels, effects and aux sends, EQ and
bus routing, wherever you need. Store the varia-
tions on the basic mix in different snapshot loca-
tions, and give them names if you like. Now give
the snapshots timecode locations that correspond
to the point in the song where you want the
change to happen. (Stop the song at whatever
point the change needs to happen, such as when
a solo starts, or an instrument drops out and you
want to mute its track, and give the snapshot this
timecode value.) If you’re anticipating a solo, set
the snapshot to change just a little ahead of the
first note that it will affect, in order that you don’t
cut off the start of anything – and if you’re muting
after an instrument has finished playing, be care-
ful not to mute before the last note has died away
completely.
If you’re using a MIDI sequencer, then you can
use dynamic automation and moving faders to
mix in a different way. If you are using MIDI to
play instruments as well, and you have a multi-
port MIDI inteface, it’s good practice to dedicate
one MIDI port to the automation data rather than
mix note and automation data. By recording pro-
gressive fader and other changes, you can set up
perfect fades at the end of your song, or to take
instrument parts up and down. Remember that
you can also automate EQ and other changes – in
fact, almost every parameter on the desk, apart
from the analogue controls, such as control room
levels, can be automated and therefore used to
creative effect in a mix.
Guide.qxd 02/03/1999 11:25 Page 14