Recording Dry, Listening Wet

Now let's move on to recording a backup vocal track. The singer wants to hear only the lead vocal and the rhythm guitar while recording the backup vocal track. Oh, one more thing: The singer wants to hear some reverb on the lead vocal part while it plays back and also wants to hear some reverb on the backup vocal part as it's being sung but doesn't want to record the reverb.

OK, first things first. Let's figure out where to put this backup vocal track. Since the singer wants to hear the lead vocal (track 3-1) and the rhythm guitar (track 4-1), we want to record the backup vocal on something other than recording track 3 or recording track 4. Remember, during recording or playback, you can only select one V-Track per recording track, so we can't record the new vocal track on those recording tracks. For now, let's set up our routing and track parameters to record this backup vocal track to recording track 5-2.

Now let's get some reverb dialed in for these vocal tracks. We first need to select one of the internal reverb effects. If you are using the VS-880 or VSR-880 and don't have the Effect Expansion Board installed, then you won't be able to use any of the internal effects. To select one of the reverb effects, press the EFFECT button. Each effect board contains two stereo effect processors, called EFFECT1 and EFFECT2. Let's use EFFECT 1 for this example, so continue pressing the EFFECT button until you see FX? EFFECT-1 PRM? and then press the YES button. Use the jogwheel to select one of the 200+ built-in effects. A good choice for vocals in this situation is effect A10=RV:Vocal Plt. Select A10 using the jogwheel and then press the YES button. Now that we've selected our reverb effect, we want to use it on the vocal tracks. While it's technically possible to apply the reverb to the new backup vocal track within Input Mixer, I prefer to do this in the Track Mixer. In the Track Mixer, press the SELECT button for track 3, and use the and parameter buttons until you see TR3 EFFECT1 = Off. Use the jogwheel to set the value to PstFade. This will send the signal to the reverb after it has passed though the track fader. Now do this same procedure for track 5.

So, we're set up to record to 5-2, and we have our reverb dialed in and configured in a send/ return fashion for tracks 3-1 and 5-2. The default path for the effect return is the Mix bus, meaning we'll be able to hear the reverb in the headphones and/or monitors , but it won't be recorded. The only thing left to do is adjust how much of the effect return signal is mixed in with the original signal, and this is done in the Effects Return Mixer. Press the FADER[EDIT] button until it lights red, press any track's SELECT button, and use the and parameter buttons until the display reads RTN FX1 TRNLev =. The default value is 100, and you can adjust it by using the jogwheel or by using the fader for track 7. Notice that the label FX1 RTN is printed just above track 7s SELECT button, indicating that when the Effects Return Mixer is active, track 7 controls the return level for EFFECT1. Likewise, track 8 controls the return level for EFFECT2. Let's change the value to 70 by using the fader, then press the PAGE[DISPLAY] button to return to the Play Condition.

Now, since the singer only wants to hear the vocal tracks and the rhythm guitar tracks, we can adjust the levels of these tracks accordingly in the Track Mixer. Finally, mute the remaining tracks by pressing the STATUS button repeatedly for those tracks until it no longer lights up. Now you can record the backup vocal track dry, and the singer will be able to hear the reverb on the lead vocal and backup vocal track while recording.