How I use my DP (long, maybe boring)

[Matt B]

I will be glad to answer any questions if I can, though I don't know much else!


How I use my DP-24SD

I record my own music – somewhere between folk, Americana and rock. So far, I do everything myself – write, arrange, record, play record, mix CD art...

Vocal chain – I use a SE Electronics Z5600a large-diaphragm tube condenser mic, recommended to me by a pro producer for my raspy voice. I replaced the tube with one known for smoothness and low gain. The microphone goes directly into a Golden Age Pre-73 MKiii with the Carnhill transformers. This preamp was bought entirely on descriptions of its performance. I caught it on closeout, and got new with the upgraded transformers for $1 less than the best USED price without the Carnhill transformers on Reverb.com at the time. I had to look up what a Carnhill was.

The preamp feeds directly into a hot-rodded (Revive Audio) DBX 160A, set at a 2:1 ratio with no threshold. The compressor was recommended by the same producer. Then I go into the DP.

For drums, I construct the tracks in Toontracks and import. I learned how to import from Reaper very recently, prior I was recording from the computer headphone port!

For electric bass, I use one of several basses, through a cheap Behringer tone box and (most recently) into the Pre-73. Electric bass is the only thing where I don’t roll off the lows for most recordings.

Electric guitar, various through a Vox modeling amp, Shure SM57 angled at the speaker.

Acoustic guitars, percussion, other rattly stuff I use a variety of mics – SM57, Beta 57. Beta 58, Carvin small diaphragm condensers, a Nady ribbon mic, AT 4047. Run through a (recently added) ART Prochannel.

I have some synth that I record direct. It has note stickers on the keys – keys player I am not.

For vocal processing and any unusual effects (pitch change, reverse audio, heavy flange) I export a WAV file to Reaper. Izotope Nectar Elements for vocal processing. I will try Izotope Ozone Elements for mastering – not there yet.

When I mix, I do a trial mix using Effects 2 through a TC Electronics M350, and record the output to a channel, so most of my effects are already printed to a new channel to make mixing easier.

I use a cheap Behringer mixer as my hub – monitors out, headphones out, DP in, computer in. This allows me to listen to my vocal processing from my computer and my other tracks on the DP simultaneously (with some good timing!)

I track and do critical editing with Avantone headphones. I have some Tascam monitors – don’t remember the model.

 

[Mark Richards]

Matt, just this morning I was thinking about starting a thread like this. You beat me to it.

It's just a fun recording hobby for me now, nothing serious. I have a mix of "new toys" and "old toys" I "rescued" from my commercial studio when I sold it. So, here's a brief rundown of my setup.

"New" Toys
DP-24 (5 years old now)
TC-Helicon VOICETONE HarmonyG - XT on Send 1 feeding Inputs A & B
Digitech RP 360 multi-effects unit on Send 2 feeding Inputs C & D.

"Vintage" Toys
TASCAM 40-4 15IPS MultiTrack recorder rescued from the jingle studio
(yes still works quite well - thank you, TEAC)
DBX 155 Noise Reduction
TASCAM DX 4D Noise Reduction
TASCAM M-1 8x2 line level mixer (4-in/4-out for the 40-4 & stereo out to the DP-24)
TASCAM 64 Patch Bay
DBX 163 compressor/limiters (patched in as needed)
ElectroVoice: RE-20 Dynamic mic & 1776A condensor mic
Shure: 545SD Dynamic mic
Audio-Technica: AT 811 & 813 condensor mics
LOFTECH Sine Wave generator and test meter
BK Precision 1403A O'Scope

Reference System (old and new toys)
Vintage Harman-Kardan PM660 studio amp (DEOXIT is my friend)
BEHRINGER Ultragraph Pro FBQ1502HD 15 band stereo EQ
(to flatten the listening position - more or less)
Vintage ElectroVoice Sentry 100A passive near-field monitor speakers
Vintage Auratone 5C Cube passive near-field monitor speakers
AKG Austrian K701 reference headphones
Audeze Sine planar magnetic headphones
Beyerdynamic DT 1350-80 monitor headphones
AudioTechnica M50x monitor headphones
Vintage SONY MDR-V6 monitor Headphones

All that, just so I can have fun remixing old 8 track multi-track studio masters that I digitized (yeah I'm that old), and recording the occasional song for the amusement of my wife and kids (yeah, "amusement" - there's a reason I worked in the control room and not the recording room - )

 

[Matt B]

Back before I bought my (now gone) Korg D3200, and before the analog revival, I was talking with a guy who had a Studer 8-track system for sale. He told me about the difficulty of getting tape, of regular alignment service, all of the issues with tape recording. I thought the problems could be overcome.

Him: "You know, this system weighs over 1000 pounds...

Me, imagining building reinforcement trusses under my bedroom floor: "I just decided no."

I am kind of fascinated with the idea of your Auratones, Yamaha NS-10s and the like. It seems the idea is to sound not very good, but in a very predictable way. I guess a producer could fly from New York to L.A., turn on the house near-fields, and know exactly where things stood. Or pull his-hers out of a suitcase and do the same.

Thanks for sharing. There is so much out there about pieces of gear, but much less about assembled, relatively modest systems.

 

[Mark Richards]

My Auratones (8 Ohm, 25 Watts RMS capacity, FR virtually flat between about 80 Hz and 15kHz) sound very good coupled with my 80 Watt RMS HK PM660 amp.

That's why every studio had a pair. After mixing with the big JBL reference speakers, the mix got played back on the little Auratones. If it still sounded good on those, the mix was in the bag. Mine are great little speakers. I use 'em all the time. Paid $70US for the pair of them in 1980.

Auratone was a privately held family company that went away around 1990. A few years back the family of the original owner started the company up again using the original engineering designs.

If you're interested:
https://www.auratonesoundcubes.com/about-us

 

[Mark Richards]

So, getting back to the purpose of this thread - sharing ideas on how we use the DP-xx:

Here's how I use my DP-24 to create automatic vocal harmonies using the TC-Helicon Voicetune Harmony G-XT.

Background first: the G-XT is meant for live performing by a singer/guitarist. It can create very credible harmonies on the fly based on the vocal and the chord being played in accompaniment. It has a lowZ mic input, hiZ guitar input and pass through, and hiZ stereo harmony output or left-harmony/right-dry vocal output.

My process:

STEP 1

• Connect mic and guitar to G-XT
• Set G-XT output to left-harmony vocal/right-dry vocal
• Select two harmonies that compliment the song (e.g. a 3rd higher and a 3rd lower)
• Use the pass through to connect the guitar to DP-24 Input H
• Set Input H to line (not guitar) and turn trim pot full left
• Connect the G-XT left/right outs to DP-24 Inputs A & B
• Set Inputs A & B trim pots full left
• Set G-XT input/output levels to unity gain
• Assign Input A to Track 1 (Harmony); Input B to Track 2 (Dry Vocal)
• Assign Input H to Track 3 (rhythm guitar)
• Record song

I now have two harmonies on Track 1 in mono; my dry vocal in mono on Track 2; my rhythm guitar in mono on Track 3 and Step 1 is complete.

STEP 2

• Remove mic and guitar cables from the G-XT
• Connect DP-24 Send 1 to G-XT mic input using a Shure hiZ to lowZ stepdown transformer
• Connect DP-24 Send 2 to the G-XT hiZ guitar input
• Set DP-24 Track 2 (Vocal) Send 1 to "Pre, 100" and Master 1 to "100"
• Set DP-24 Track 3 (Guitar) Send 2 to "Pre,127" and Master 2 to "127"
• Assign DP-24 Input A to Track 4 and Input B to Track 5

The G-XT relies on rhythm guitar chords to establish accurate harmonies, so it's necessary to send the now pre-recorded Track 3 rhythm guitar back to the G-XT guitar input via DP-24 Send 2, but there is no need to record the rhythm guitar again.

Step 3

• Set the G-XT to unity gain
• Set G-XT to stereo harmony output (left/right)
• Select the same two harmonies used in Step 1 (e.g. a 3rd higher and a 3rd lower)
• On the DP-24 reset the song to the beginning
• Play the pre-recorded vocal (Track 2) and rhythm guitar (Track 3)
• Record the harmonies again this time in stereo: Track 4 (Harmony a 3rd higher up) and Track 5 (Harmony a 3rd lower down)

Repeat on additional tracks (6/7; 8/9; etc.) for a third harmony part (e.g. 1 octave low) or alternate harmonies (e.g. two high, two low, etc).

RESULT
With only one live pass of the vocal and rhythm guitar, I now have available:

• The dry vocal on Track 2
• The rhythm guitar on track 3
• Two harmonies in mono on Track 1 that I can use as filler or offset slightly for a double track effect to blend with the stereo harmony tracks
• One harmony part on Track 4 (1/3rd up) with full control over blend level, sound field placement, etc.
• One harmony part on Track 5 (1/3rd down) with full control over blend level, sound field placement, etc.

 

[David Porter]

That is outstanding, Mark. Very interesting use of the GTX and DP. Thanks for sharing!