Changing The Action Of The Pitch / Mod Joystick; Audio Connection And Setup; Setting Up The Microphone Or Instrument Inputs; Monitoring - Novation X-Station User Manual

Setting Up Inputs - Monitoring - Recording And Listening

Setting Up The Microphone Or Instrument Inputs

Both of the audio inputs allow either 1/4" jack plugs or XLR type con-
nectors to be plugged in and the input sensitivity of the high quality pre-
amplifiers can be adjusted to accommodate different signal levels.
Adjusting the Input Gain
Select Input Channel 1 by pressing the INPUT button. With a micro-
phone plugged into Channel 1, turn the GAIN knob until the GREEN
LED next to the GAIN knob is fully lit when speaking or singing into the
Microphone and the RED LED occasionally flashes.
This will set the gain of the preamplifier to
the correct level for the Microphone such
that it will not distort or be too quiet when
recording.
Check that the Audio level that is being
sent from the X-Station to the recording
software is not too low or too high. To do
this, look at the input meters within the
recording software.
Adjust the LINE OUT LEVEL knob to
ensure that the level on the input
meters does not go too high (consult
the recording software documentation
for more information on this).
Using Phantom Power
If the Microphone being used is a 'condenser' type it will need to have a
DC voltage (normally 48V) sent to it before if will generate any audio
output signal. Some microphones have their own power supply to do
this but if not, the X-Station can supply the necessary voltage.
With the appropriate input channel selected (LED lit) press the
PHANTOM button and the LED to the left of the button will light
indicating that phantom power is being sent to the microphone on the
selected channel.
WARNING : Some Ribbon, Dynamic and Electret type Microphones
should NOT have phantom power delivered to them and if so may be
damaged! - Check with the documentation supplied with the
Microphone so see if it requires phantom power.

Monitoring

The process whereby audio material already recorded into the audio
sequencer is listened to by the artist or recording engineer while blend-
ed with any new material such as a voice or an instrument is known as
Monitoring.
In order that a Microphone used for recording a vocal does not pick up
any of the already recorded sound tracks of, for example drums and
bass back into the vocal track, headphones are usually used by the
vocalist. A 'mix' is sent to the Headphones of the live Microphone
sound with the previously recorded material.
In a typical setup a separate audio mixer would be required to mix the
signal from the live Microphone with the one already recorded. Since
the X-Station provides independent headphone level and monitor knobs
an external audio mixer is not required.
QUICK START GUIDE
Zero latency monitoring
The input signal from either microphone or instrument is converted to a
digital signal and is sent to the computer via a USB connection. It then
goes into the music software application and is sent back for listening.
Using the ASIO driver software installed earlier, the time delays this
process causes are kept to a minimum. It may however be annoying to
the artist when making a new recording since this slight delay is per-
ceived as an 'out of time' feel, or as an echo if this delay time is long.
The X-Station has a zero latency monitoring feature whereby a knob is
provided to balance the previously recorded material with the live sound
to be recorded.
There is also a knob 'LINE OUT LEVEL' to control the level of the sig-
nal going to powered Loudspeakers. With control over the output level
to the Loudspeakers, it is very quick to switch between listening back to
a new recording (for example a new vocal take has been added) to
reverting to a Headphones only monitoring situation for recording a fur-
ther vocal.

Recording And Listening

Listening
Check that the Microphone(s),
Headphones and Loudspeakers are
plugged in and setup as described on
the previous page. If the session is
purely for listening then turn up the LINEOUT knob and press the PLAY
button on the software music sequencer. Any audio information that has
been previously recorded should be heard in the loudspeakers. Notice
that the headphones level may also be individually controlled by the
PHONES VOL knob.
Mono Recording
If the Microphone and Loudspeakers are in the same room turn the
LINEOUT knob fully anti-clockwise to ensure no previously recorded
audio information is being sent to the loudspeakers.
Rotate the MONITOR knob fully anti-clockwise to listen to the
Microphone input signal only. Put on the Headphones and talk into the
Microphone. It should now be possible to hear the microphone in the
Headphones.
If not, check that the monitor button is pressed on the software music
sequencers track (consult the music software documentation on how to
do this) When recording a new track, in this example a vocal, press the
record and play button (consult the music software documentation on
how to do this) on the sequencer and begin to talk or sing into the
microphone.
The balance between the previously recorded tracks and the new live
vocal may be adjusted to suit by rotating the MONITOR input to output
knob.
Using Channel 1 and with the BALANCE knob set fully anti-clockwise,
the live vocal will be sent to the left output of the Headphones or
Loudspeakers. Rotate the BALANCE knob to position it anywhere in the
stereo field. Once the recording is complete, the finished, updated
recording can be played back and listened in either the Headphones or
Loudspeakers or both by adjusting the LINE OUT LEVEL and
PHONES VOL knobs.
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