Additional Recording Topics for the VS-880890 Series

Additional Recording Topics for the VS-880/890 Series

Before we move on to editing and mixing on the VS workstations, let's cover a few more topics related to recording.

Song Templates

Each time you create a new song, you might begin to use the same routings, effects, and track parameter settings. If this is the case, you should consider creating a song template. A song template is a song that has all these routings, effects, and track parameters pre-defined, but contains no audio data. Song templates can also contain system settings, such as synchronization parameters and the master clock setting. To create a song template, first create a new song, then customize all the settings that you'd normally do. Name the song "Template" or something similar, then save the song.

Now, each time you want to create a new song, you can use the "Template" as a model. To do this, select the song "Template," and then perform Song Copy. When the copy is done, the true "Template" song is still active, so you'll want to select the new "Template" song, name the song appropriately, and save the song.

One thing to keep in mind when using Song Copy is that you cannot rename the song as part of the copy. Therefore, when you perform Song Select, you'll see two songs with the same name. Another thing to know is that the VS doesn't have a "Save As" function, so once you begin modifying parameters or recording within a song, you can't save a new version of the song without wiping out the old version of the song.

EZ Routing

EZ Routing is a way to create internal templates that contain routing, track parameter, effect, aux, and master block settings. The VS comes with three pre-defined EZ Routing templates and allows you to create 29 user -defined templates. You can apply EZ Routing templates for recording, mixing, and bouncing tracks.

To access the EZ Routing templates, or to create your own, press the EZ ROUTING button. Each time you press the EZ ROUTING button, the display will cycle though the following EZ Routing choices.

• EZR Recording: Apply or create templates for configuring the Input Mixer for recording tracks.

• EZR Bouncing: Apply or create templates for configuring the Track Mixer for bouncing tracks.

• EZR Mix Down: Apply or create templates for configuring the Track Mixer for mixing tracks.

• EZR Mastering: Apply or create templates for configuring the Track Mixer for mastering.

• EZR User Routing: Apply user templates.

• EZR SaveCurRouting: Save all current routing as a user template.

• EZR DelUserRouting: Delete an existing user template.

If you tend to use the same routing, track, and effect settings for your songs, EZ Routing can save you time and effort. While EZ Routing can be helpful, there are some limitations. For example, you cannot have one input routed to multiple recording tracks. Also, system-level settings cannot be saved as EZ Routing templates. I tend to use my own song templates rather than EZ Routing templates, but that's just a matter of personal preference.

STATUS Button Indicators

When you press a track's STATUS button, the button will change color . Green means the track is in playback mode, red means the track is in record mode, orange means the track is in "monitor source" mode, and no light means the track is muted. When you are performing a manual punch-in, you can toggle between hearing the already recorded material and the input signal by pushing the recording track's STATUS button while the song is playing, but before you drop the VS into REC mode. We'll use our punch-in scenario from before, when we punched in a vocal on recording track 3-1. In our manual punch-in mode, the STATUS button is red for track 3, and we press PLAY. We will hear the previously recorded material on track 3 until we push the REC button. However, if we press track 3's STATUS button while the song is playing back, the STATUS button will alternately flash orange and red, and we'll hear whatever noise the vocalist is making. Pressing track 3's STATUS button again toggles back to hearing the previously recorded material.

If you always want to hear the input source instead of the already recorded material in this situation, you can do so via SYSTEM SYS System PRM? SYS Record Mon=SOURCE.

Recording from the Digital Inputs

You can connect external digital devices to the VS and record from them. When you do this, you bypass the internal pre-amps and A/D converters built in to the VS. The digital inputs are stereo signals, and they are identified as physical Inputs 7 and 8. When connecting external digital devices to the VS, the sample rate of the external device should match the sample rate of the VS song, and the VS will need to sync to the "clock" of the external digital device. You can change the clock on the VS via SYSTEM SYS System PRM? SYS Master Clk =. The default is INT, meaning the VS is using its own internal clock. To sync the clock to the external device, turn the jogwheel counterclockwise if the device is connected to the VS using a digital coaxial cable, or clockwise if the connection is via a digital optical cable. Routing signals from an external digital device isnt any different than routing from the analog inputs.

Using the Internal Compressor Effect While Recording

A common technique when recording dynamic signals is to use a compressor between the input source and the recording medium. On the VS workstations, this would equate to using the compressor as an insert effect in the Input Mixer. However, keep in mind that the input source will have already gone through the A/D converters on the VS before the compressor can process it. If the signal coming into the VS causes the A/D converters to clip, the compressor will be trying to compress a distorted signal, and the results will be less than optimal. For this reason, many VS owners use an external compressor between the input source and the VS and use the internal compressors on the VS during mixdown .