Recording a Vocal Track

The VS-1680 gives you two XLR inputs. These are mainly used for recording vocals. They are also the only two inputs that are phantom powered . You should only turn on the phantom power when using a condenser microphone, as shown in Figure 9.2. Using the phantom power with dynamic microphones can result in damage to your equipment.

Figure 9.2. Studio Projects C1 Microphone. This is a large diaphragm condenser microphone that can only be used with phantom power. It is an excellent microphone for vocals

Using an External Preamp

The VS-1680's preamps can provide sufficient power to record decent vocal tracks, but adding an external preamp can give your vocal tracks more power at the input gain stage. This will keep you from having to turn the VS-1680's Gain knob almost all the way up to get a decent signal. There are two ways to add an external preamp:

• Go in through the analog inputs: This way does not bypass the internal VS preamps. Instead, it gives you a mix of the VS preamp and the external preamp. I recommend setting the VS Input Gain knob around the nine o'clock position or less when using this method. Raise the external preamp until the desired recording level on the VS monitor screen is reached.

• Go in through the digital inputs: This way allows you to bypass the VS preamps. When this method is used, all gain staging comes from the external preamp. You may only use this method with external preamps that have digital in and out connections.

Using an External A/D (Analog to Digital) Converter

It is possible to connect an external A/D converter, such as the one shown in Figure 9.3, to your VS-1680. Some external preamps already have A/D converters built right into the unit. You can use those, or if you find you are unhappy with the quality of the VS-1680's onboard preamps or A/D converters, you can use a preamp with a separate A/D converter. An A/D converter can be connected to either the coaxial or optical digital input on the VS-1680. Even though the VS-1680's internal A/D converters are 20-bit, it can process an external A/D signal at 24-bit. This is another reason why some people choose to add an external A/D converter to their system.

Figure 9.3. Art DIO 2-Channel Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog Converter with Tube Processing. (To learn more about the D/IO and other ART audio products, please visit www.artproaudio.com.)