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Using Effects with the PORTASTUDIO
424
Effects and signal processing is one of the areas
I Setting Effect Send Levels
]
where
you
can
really
start
to
have
fun
customizing your sound, and develop your own
9. When the balance is right and the level is peaking at =+6" on the
unique recording
style.
Because there are so
The goal is to keep the effect unit itself from
TRK 4 meter (or on the RIGHT meter if the METER switch is in
many possibilities,
it also can be confusing,
distorting,
while staying above the noise that
the BUSS position), stop and rewind the tape to the beginning
There
are many different
effect units on the
effect units generate.
To get the best signal-to-
of the track,
market,
all with
different
controls,
types
of
noise from most effects units, you should send
inputs and outputs,
and other characteristics,
it as strong a signal as you can. With a properly
10. Hold RECORD and press PLAY. Track 4 will record a copy of
Read the manual of your effects device, and the
set input signal in the 424, the channel EFFECT
what is on tracks 1-3.
following
sections to get the complete story of
Send set to about 2 o'clock,
and the EFFECT
what's possible for your particular situation.
MASTER at about 2 o'clock,
you should get a
11. You'll
hear the
mix
being
recorded
on track
4 in the
fairly loud signal from the EFFECT SENDjack.
headphones.
If your effects device has an input level control
12. Once the recording is done, press STOP.
1.
In-line processing:
The processing that's
of its own, it should be set so the meter
or
easiest to understand
doesn't
involve the
signal light of the effects device is just under
424 directly
at all.
You can plug your
the overload point on peak signals. When you
13. Switch
the TRK 4's RECORD FUNCTION
switch back to the
instrument
directly
into the input of the
want to hear less effect overall, turn down the
SAFE position,
effect device, and plug the output of the
return LINE control, not the EFFECT MASTER.
device directly into a line input of the 424.
The whole signal gets processed (flanged,
doubled,
limited,
delayed
etc.), and only
I Setting the Output Level of Effect Devices
]
I Ping-pong Plus Live Material I
one
instrument
can use that
processor,
Effect pedals for guitar are typically
used
If the effect send level has been set properly, in
this way. To get a mix of processed ('wet')
most cases the output level of the effect unit
You may use any open channels to add "live" material to the tracks
and original
('dry")
signal, the unit must
should
be set as high as possible
without
have its own "MIX" or "BALANCE" control,
clipping (distorting) the STEREO INPUTS of the
being re-recorded.
In our example, Channel 4 of the mixer is open,
as are the stereo channels. To make use of this :
424,
but low enough
so that
you
have
a
reasonable range of control.
If you can get the
1. Plug the source into the MIC/LINE IN jack 4.
2.
Send/return
mix processing:
This is the
effect sound you want with the return
LINE
most common method of effect processing,
control in the 12 to 2 o'clock range, you're in the
2. Set Channel 4's INPUT switch to MIC/LINE.
especially for reverb and delay. It allows a
ballpark.
If, on the other
hand, very
small
number of different
channels
to use the
settings of the Effects Return still give you a
3. Turn the PAN control to the Right.
same effect, while allowing you to control
mix drowning
in effects, turn down the output
how
much
effect
is mixed
with
each
level of youreffectdevice.
4. Set the TRIM and Channel Fader as for any other recording,
channel.
Each
of the
lower
4 mixer
channels
can send signals to the EFFECT
Some effect units have rear
panel switches
5. Set the other channel faders (1-3) for the final balance. Proceed
SEND output jack. This output can then be
setting input and output level ranges between
!
with the Ping-pong procedure as before,
connected
to the input of an effect device.
"+4" and "-20 dB'.
In this case, try setting the
The processed signal output from the effect
input to -20 (high sensitivity)
and the output to
i
You will wind up with a mix of the live instruments along with the
unit is connected back to the Portastudio,
+4 (full output level).
i
previously recorded tracks all on track 4.
using STEREO INPUTS
5-6 or 7-8, which
becomes an effect return. This effect return
I
can be sent to either
the
L-R mix for
the CUE mix (for hearing
it
I Setting
the Mix/Balance
Control
on Effect
recording,
or
W
Devices
i!
only in the headphones)using
the ASSIGN
I Adding Stereo Channels to a Bounce ]
switch. This whole path - from the EFFECT
SEND
to
the
reverb
and
back
into
a
When it's being used in a send-return mix, set
i
STEREO INPUT - is called an effects loop.
the mix/balance
of your effect device all the
When bouncing tracks using stereo channels 5-6 and 7-8, you must :
The
EFFECT
control
on
the
standard
way to "wet" or full processing with no direct
channels and the EFFECT MASTER control
original signal,
in Send/receive processing, the
1. Set the ASSIGN to L-R.
determine
how much signal goes to the
dry signal goes down the 424's Channel
Fader
i
reverb unit; the LINE control on the stereo
to be mixed with the effect return signal at the
2. Make sure the source you want to add to the mix will feed the
channels
determine
how
much
returns
L-R MASTER.
Therefore,
you
don't need any
l
correct side. In the example of bouncing to track 4 above, the
from the reverb unit.
"dry" signal coming to the effects return.
The
source must be connected
to the Tip of a plug inserted
into
mix/balance
control is set toward
"dry" only
channel 7-8, or the Ring of a plug inserted into channel
5-6,
when you're using the effects device as an in-
since these are the only connectors that feed the RIGHT side of
line processor.
!
the master mix.
For more information, see pp. 30-31, "Stereo Input Section".
25
_A
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