About Direct Paths; Achieving Perfect Levels; What's "Clipping; How Do I Get Good Levels - Roland VS-2400CD Owner's Manual

3—Introduction to the VS-2400CD
Don't be confused by the name "R-BUS." R-BUS isn't a kind of bus—it's Roland's own
digital connector format. Of course, you can route some of the VS-2400CD's busses to
the VS-2400CD's R-BUS connector (Page 272) to send them to an external digital device.

About Direct Paths

There's another type of pathway available in the VS-2400CD called a Direct path, or
"DIR" for short. Unlike a bus, a Direct path can only carry one signal at a time. Each of
the eight Direct paths is handy for routing a single signal to an internal effect or to an
output on its way to an external device. See "Direct Paths" on Page 202.

Achieving Perfect Levels

In all digital recording, the best sound is achieved when a signal is at just below 0 dB in
level so that the audio takes fullest advantage of the recording device's available bit
depth. You need to be careful, though: If the signal exceeds 0 dB, the signal will "clip."
Bit depth

What's "Clipping?"

Clipping is the introduction of clicking and other noises when a signal's too loud.
There's no really good way to get rid of these noises once they've been recorded. You
may have some success importing the audio into a wave editor with de-clicking tools,
but it's best to avoid clipping in the first place.

How Do I Get Good Levels?

The goal, therefore, is to capture as loud a signal as possible without exceeding 0 dB.
Achieving a loud-but-not-too-loud signal is the challenge of digital recording. When
your audio that has a consistent, predictable dynamic range, it's not hard to
accomplish. However, if your project swings wildly between loud and soft passages—or
if you're recording musicians whose volume changes a lot—it can be more tricky.
Take Care During Recording
When it comes to establishing great levels, the most critical stage is during the original
recording process. The most difficult recording situations involve the recording of
musicians whose levels fluctuate between one performance and another, or even
within the same performance—it can be hard to capture a strong level if you can't be
sure how loud the performance is going to get. Fortunately, the VS-2400CD provides
some peak-detection options that can help you anticipate potential level problems
(Page 122). It also offers tools you can use to smooth out a signal.
If you're finding a performer's level just too erratic to manage, consider running the
signal through an external compressor/limiter that can smooth out some of the volume
fluctuations in the performance before it even gets to the VS-2400CD. Try to find an
acceptable trade-off between making the signal manageable on one hand, and not
removing expressive dynamics from the signal on the other.
Compressor, limiter
58 www.RolandUS.com Roland VS-2400CD Owner's Manual