22
Mute
The mute switches the channel on and off. On the AW2816 it is the ON button directly above
the fader.
Mute Group
The mute group on the AW2816 allows the mutes of channels to be grouped together. When any
channel within the mute group is turned off or on, the rest of the channels in the mute group will
do the same. The mute group is also very useful for drums and background vocals. Mute groups
can be set within the Channel View screen.
Channel Pairing
The channel pairing allows adjacent channels to be paired beginning with Channels 1 and 2. For
example, Channels 1 and 2 can be paired together but Channels 2 and 3 cannot. When channels
are paired any adjustment made on one channel is duplicated on the other channel.
The Multi-Track Recorder
After the mixer, the signal would be routed to a multi-track recorder. A multi-track recorder is
just what it sounds like; a recording device that has multiple tracks. By recording each
instrument onto a separate track adjustments to the levels, equalization, and effects can be made
once all of the tracks are recorded. When recording of music began there were no multi-track
recorders. Recording was done directly to a single track. This required all of the musicians to
perform the song together and it was mixed as it was being recorded. As recording technology
advanced the number of tracks on a multi-track recorder increased. This led to modern multi-
track recorders that can have anywhere from 8 to 48 tracks. There are also computer-based,
multi-track recorders in which the number of tracks is only limited by the amount of processing
power available and the size of the hard drive.
Analog Multi-track Recorders
Analog multi-track recorders record the signal from the mixer onto tape. On an analog recorder
a continuos representation of the signal is recorded onto the tape. A good analogy to use when
comparing analog and digital recording would be the difference between an analog watch and a
digital watch. On an analog watch the hands are moving continuously and can show intervals in
between the minutes and seconds. On a digital watch an exact number is displayed. There are
no spaces between the numbers. This is basically the same way that analog and digital recorders
work.
