| Hi, Winston. Diving into multitrack CAN be confusing. This is the
right place. First, I don't think you made an error buying the
Quadraverb. Perhaps going thru your questions will help :
> The Quadraverb and D-20 have stereo outs but the MT100 has a mono
> effect return.
> Question: Does this mean that I have wasted my money on the Quadraverb
> or how can I effect my recordings in stereo.
There's a bunch of issues here. I take that the D20 has its own
effects - probably not as high quality as the Qverb. One is that you
still can use the Qverb for your vocal (or indeed the entire mix) during
mixdown to STEREO cassette. You aren't necessarily constrained to use
the effects loop in the 4track. Also, you can use the Qverb in stereo
while recording into the 4track :
d20 Left output > Qverb Left IN. Left Out > --- Ch 1 on 4trk
d20 Right out > Qverb Right In. Rt. Out > --- Ch 2 on 4trk
--- Ch 3 on 4trk
--- Ch 4 on 4trk
> Question: Should I just do all my mixing in the D-20 and use it's
> built-in effects (i.e. sell the Quadraverb)?
Tempting, but again that does nothing for your vocal and acoustic
tracks.
> Question: What if I want to add a different effect to one or two
> instruments in the recording?
Then you have to isolate that instrument and record the effect with the
instrument as it's going to 4-track. This obviously eats tracks in a
hurry.
> Question: How do I get the best recording possible with the set-up I
> have?
A few obvious ones - use virgin Hi-Bias tape, the tape that your
machine is biassed for. Watch your AC grounding. Use only undamaged
patch cords. If it's a dual-speed 4 track, record at the higher speed.
Watch hum and hiss-generating sources especially when using
microphones. Keep your D20's output volume high, and cut back on the
input fader on the 4track (this maximizes the D20's signal to noise
ratio).
For a guide to basic 4tracking, plus adding effects to stereo mixdowns,
please refer to my (ancient) topic #282 in this conference, "Low-Tech
Productions".
best of luck, and welcome to COMMUSIC.
karl in Tucson
p.s. for a quick overview of some noter's music, check out the current
COMMUSIC compilation tape topics (COMMUSIC VII).
|
| RE: QuadraVerb - an excellent choice! Theres one thing about most
effects units, including the QV that isn't obvious - and that is that
the part of the input that gets processed with the effects, gets
treated as if it were a mono input signal. In other words the part that
goes out wet goes out as if it came in mono. Only the dry portion of
the signal gets preserved as stereo. If you ever went directly into the
effects unit, as opposed to using effects sends on a mixer, you would
have to adjust the ratio of wet to dry to your liking.
Good luck!
Bill
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