Spirit Digital 328, User Manual

Page 1: ...The Spirit Guide to Digital Mixing ...

Page 2: ...K A Choosing a Wordclock Master 10 B Where Does Timecode Fit In 10 SECTION 4 FROM CONCEPT TO CD A Connecting to Multitrack Recorders 11 B Using the 328 with Analogue Recorders 11 C Using Tape and Group Outputs 12 D Recording Instruments 12 E Electric Guitars 12 F Recording Vocals 12 G Keyboards and Stereo Recording 13 H Mixing Down 13 I Using Effects 14 J Using Dynamics 14 K Using Automation 14 L ...

Page 3: ...digital audio signals can be passed from one machine to another or from one part of a digital mixer to another with no change to the sound An analogue signal on the other hand cannot be passed through any component without SECTION 1 The Basics Of Digital Mixing 3 THE BASICS OF DIGITAL MIXING Welcome to the Spirit Digital Mixing Handbook the essential guide to the world of digital mixing Over the y...

Page 4: ...ith 24 bit systems such as newer PC based recording platforms At the output stage the 328 s conversion is also 24 bit with 128 times oversampling SECTION 1 The Basics Of Digital Mixing 4 B Bits and Sample Rates The two most important factors determining the quality of a digital audio system are sample rates and bit resolution A properly designed digital recording system can reproduce audio frequen...

Page 5: ...and it s therefore very important to avoid exceeding maximum levels Metering also works differently In analogue mixers and recorders equipment is designed to operate at various operating levels such as 4dBV most professional equipment or 10dBU and the relationship between 0dB on meters and the point at which distortion starts is not fixed Also because distortion comes in gradu ally you can almost ...

Page 6: ...thing that happens inside a digital mixer combining two signals changing a level deriving a feed to an external Aux or internal FX send involve making calculations and these calculations must be carried out with as high a degree of precision as possible Each time a calculation is performed you need a longer wordlength to store the result without rounding off the result and thereby losing precision...

Page 7: ... part of a channel strip s EQ circuitry With a digital mixer things work completely differently The audio processing takes place in chips that are not directly linked to any controls which presents a great opportunity for designers to create new interfaces for their products freed from the slav ery of one control per function Because the audio handling and control aspects of the desks are now sepa...

Page 8: ...12 s eight ADAT inputs and the tape returns go from com puter to the 328 also via an ADAT optical inter face If the computer is fast enough to allow more than eight tracks of playback the internal pre mixing abilities of Cubase Audio can be used to pre mix several tracks to each of the eight avail able output busses 328 FOCUS SNAPSHOTS VERSUS DYNAMIC AUTOMATION Depending on the nature of a project...

Page 9: ... Mix button held down 328 FOCUS FADER LAWS Another aspect of a digital mixer s user interface that can be more easily modified or controlled than on an analogue console is the fader laws that is exactly how your control inputs translate into an audible effect in the signal For example on the channel master and group faders of most mixers including the 328 movements in the top half of the fader pro...

Page 10: ...DAT or whatever Wordclock can also be carried via a separate connection In either case the wordclock signal is present whether audio is sent or not SECTION 3 Wordclock 10 WORDCLOCK A Choosing a Wordclock Master If you are using several digital connections at once you may not be left with much choice as to which device should be your wordclock master If for example you are using a sampler with a di...

Page 11: ... out boxes you can connect a 16 track analogue recorder such as a Fostex G16 to the 328 In this case you could remote control the recorder from the 328 and use snapshot automation slave to timecode from the recorder The small studio probably benefits more than any other area from the advent of digital mixing This section takes a look at typical small studio setups and how to set about recording a ...

Page 12: ...han the old stocking and coathanger trick between singer and mic to avoid problems with C Using Tape Group Outputs There are two approaches to using outputs to tape The first is to use your mixer s group facili ties to combine several channels together for recording the outputs for the eight groups appear at the 8 TRK A outputs on TDIF and ADAT optical outputs The second is to route channels direc...

Page 13: ... ll want to use stereo inputs on the Digital 328 SECTION 4 From Concept To CD 13 to get the benefit of all those stereo samples and stereo outputs There are two stereo input chan nels on the 328 with all the the EQ Aux and FX facilities of the mono channels You can go direct ly into these via stereo digital interfaces either SPDIF or AES EBU or use analogue inputs as on the mono channels Remember ...

Page 14: ... 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 rig...

Page 15: ...ialble to you If your media allows it make your recording at 20 or 24 bits rather than 16 both the SPDIF and AES EBU outputs can be set to run at any of these wordlengths 328 FOCUS MIXER MAPS In a studio based around a computer and PCI card you can extend the integration between sequencer and the 328 beyond audio Cubase Audio VST Emagic Logic and Cakewalk all allow custom mixer maps on screen MIDI...

Page 16: ...ERNAL DIGITAL RECORDERS CAN BE USED AT ONCE Two The Spirit Digital 328 has two Alesis Optical and two Tascam TDIF interfaces located on the back panel one of each for each set of eight tape inputs 17 24 25 32 The front panel includes transport controls with locator points and the ability to arm and indicate arming any of the 16 tracks for recording If two 328s are linked via the cascade facility u...

Page 17: ...between PFL Pre Fade Listen and AFL After Fade Listen and select SIP Solo In Place There is a Clear Solo function which will clear the solo from all 16 channels There is also also a trim adjust for the Solo system which is the final fader on the masters bank HOW DO I SET THE AUXES TO BE PRE POST FADER Hold down the Aux FX Pre switch located on the right hand side of the console and select which of...

Page 18: ...t wordclock is being properly distributed and where appropriate that all devices are set to slave to timecode from the appropriate inputs Try making a different device the master some DAT recorders for example must be the wordclock master when or changing the clock frequency of the wordclock master Try turning everything off and turning them on again in the order they are connected in the wordcloc...

Page 19: ...test software and much more All contents 1999 Spirit by Soundcraft No part of this publication may be copied transmitted or stored electronically or otherwise for commercial gain although the copyright holder will allow copying and distribution for personal or non profit use This guide has been written and compiled by Paul Ireson Shoot That Camel Inc ex editor Sound on Sound magazine FURTHER INFOR...

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