Starting A New Session; Recording/Tracking; Setup; Input Sensitivity Adjustment Procedure For Channels 1-24 - Mackie Digital 8 Bus Owner's Manual

6. Starting a New Session

In this section we'll see what it's like to ac-
tually use the Digital 8•Bus in three of the
most common applications. First we'll look at
recording from the standpoint of tracking —
how to create individual tracks on your multi-
track recorder, bouncing down tracks to free up
more room for tracking, and setting up cue
mixes for the performers. Next we'll look at
mixing down those tracks with effects to create
a two-track master. Then we'll take a look at
the unique requirements of live mixing. To finish
up, we'll take a look at automation and what
you can do with it.

Recording/Tracking

The recording process can be as simple as
one microphone recorded to one track, or as
complex as 24 tracks (or more with cascaded
consoles) recorded simultaneously, composed
of a number of microphones, instruments, and
submixes fed direct-out to tracks, and each
submix composed of a number of microphones
and instruments. Whew. Most sessions fall
somewhere in between. Refer to the "Record-
ing—Tracking Hookup Diagram" at the end of
Chapter 6 while reading this section.

Setup

We'll assume that you've already connected
your multitrack recorder(s) to the Digital
8•Bus. If you haven't, refer to Chapter 4,
"Making the Connections."
Okay, now we'll get ready for your session.
Make a diagram of your studio setup showing
mic positioning, keyboards, and other line-level
input sources. Then assign an input source to
each mic and line-level input.
Clarifying your mic/line-to-input layout now
will avoid confusion later. Group similar instru-
ments together. If there is a left-to-right
pattern to the mics (like drum mics or a vocal
group), keep the same left-to-right sequence on
the console. Plan your basic track assignments
the same way. It's very confusing to have in-
puts randomly strewn across a mixing console.
Now, normal your console (also called "zero-
ing"). This means checking the position of
every switch and knob to be sure they're in the
normal position. Your normal may be different
from someone else's (isn't that always the
case!), but generally it means all switches off
or up, and all knobs either all the way down or
at their unity setting. This can be accomplished
quite easily with the Digital 8•Bus by recalling
Snapshot 00, or any other snapshot you may
have reserved for your own normal settings.
There are two strips provided for labeling
channels. Lay a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" white pa-
per tape between the meters and the analog
TRIM controls and label your inputs for track-
ing. Do the same across the bottom of the
faders and label all your tape returns for
mixdown. (By the way, avoid using masking
tape. It will muck up your console. Take the
time to go to an art supply store or a recording
supply store and get some better-quality "low
tack" tape.)
If you're using a video monitor connected to
the VIDEO port on the Remote CPU, locate the
monitor just behind the console. This way you
can easily refer to either the console or the
screen to see the current settings on the Digital
8•Bus.
Also, there is a scribble strip located just
above the faders in the monitor screen. You can
use this to label your channels with up to five
alpha-numeric characters, so you don't have to
stick tape on your monitor screen!
After you've connected all the inputs, follow
this input sensitivity adjustment procedure for
each and every input.
Input Sensitivity Adjustment Procedure for
Channels 1–24
(–15 dB FS on the meter is equivalent to
+5 dBu analog)
The input sensitivity adjustment procedure is
similar to that of an analog mixing console be-
cause the input section for channels 1–24 is the
same as on most analog large-format consoles.
FOLLOW THIS SENSITIVITY ADJUSTMENT
PROCEDURE FOR EACH CHANNEL IN USE
(Channels 1–24):
1. If you're starting from scratch, it's a good
idea to normal the console (also called
"zeroing") to some starting point, such as
all level controls down, and EQ and pan
controls centered. Snapshot 00 is pre-
programmed with our default factory
settings — our version of a "normalled"
console. You can reprogram Snapshot 00
so that it resets the console to your
preferred "normal state," or keep the
factory default settings and save your own
settings to another snapshot (Snapshot 01,
for example). See "Creating and Storing
Snapshots" in Chapter 5.
TRIM
0 60
-
20dB +40dB
12
MIC
REC/RDY
ASSIGN
WRITE
12
36
SELECT
SOLO
MUTE
MIDI 4
FX 12
12
36
dB
10
5
U
5
10
20
30
40
50
60
Starting a New Session
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