External Mixer With A Stereo Track

[EeMm]

ADDING ANALOG CHARACTERISTICS TO A DIGITAL STEREO MASTER RECORDING

How might some analog characteristics be added to a digital stereo mix to smooth out the sound and take off a bit of the edge intrinsic to digital stereo masters?

A few things come to mind about the DP-xx:

(a) I can create a digital stereo mix and use the DP-xx USB port and my computer to import the digital stereo mix into two blank DP-xx Mono Tracks using Audio Depot.

(b) Two Sends are available to the imported mono left and right tracks. I can use the imported digital stereo tracks created in (a) above to output the digital stereo mix to one or more outboard analog stereo devices using the Send Busses.

(c) I can interface an analog stereo tape deck, an analog mixer, an analog stereo vacuum tube compressor, or an analog vacuum tube pre-amp with the DP-xx.

(d) I can return the analog influenced stereo mix through two DP-xx Inputs (Left: Input A / Right: Input B) and record the analog influenced stereo mix to a blank stereo track for use in the final Mixdown/Master process.

° Applying the following process, the difference between the original digital stereo master and the analog influenced stereo master will be subtle but discernible in an A/B comparison.

° Results will vary depending on the type and quality of the analog device used.

° Good quality reference audio systems and reference headphones will best distinguish the differences.

Process:

1. In Mixdown Mode, set the In/Out points for the song.
2. Mix your multi-track recording to a digital stereo working master file (songname.wav).
3. If desired, enter Master Mode to further process the working digital stereo master file using Master Compression and/or EQ. Do not Normalize.
4. Return to Multi-track Mode.
5. Open the DP-xx USB port to your computer.
6. Copy the digital working master songname.wav file to Audio Depot.
7. Unmount the DP-xx from the computer properly and close the USB connection.
8. Open Audio Depot and Import the stereo digital working master songname.wav into two adjacent DP-xx Mono Tracks.
9. Verify that the In points of the imported tracks are aligned with the originally set In/Out points. If not, use Move/Past to align the two imported Mono Tracks and then re-set the In/Out points.
10. The Faders for all Tracks including the two Mono Tracks should be OFF (all the way down).
11. All Track and Input Effects and EQ settings should be turned OFF to prevent processing unwanted signals.
12. Send 1 and Send 2 for all Inputs should be off and set to zero to prevent damaging feedback loops, and to prevent processing unwanted signals.
13. Except for the two Mono Tracks being processed, Send 1 and Send 2 for all other Tracks should be OFF and set to ZERO to prevent processing unwanted signals.
14. Set the Send Levels for the Mono Tracks being processed to 127.
15. Set the Master Send Levels for Send 1 and Send 2 to 127.
16. Confirm or set the In/Out points for the song.
17. Set the input and output controls of the external stereo signal processor.
18. Press the REC button to turn on Record Ready for the Stereo Track that will receive the analog stereo signal being returned for recording.
19. Monitor the stereo analog signal return by raising the Fader for the Stereo Track to which the analog return is being recorded.
20. Press the AutoPunch Button to turn it on. Set the Pre/Post roll to 1 second.
21. Press the AutoPunch Rehearse Button to turn it on.
22. Press the Record button to do a practice run to check levels.
23. Once levels are satisfactory, Press the Rehearse Button again to turn it off.
24. Press the Record Button. The two Mono Track Send Busses will route the stereo digital signal to external analog stereo device.
25. The external analog stereo signal will return to the DP-xx through the two designated Inputs and be routed to the designated Stereo Track, producing a hybrid analog/digital stereo master. The type of analog device will have an impact on the degree of analog influence over the digital stereo master.
26. When the new recording is done on the Stereo Track, press the AutoPunch Button to turn it off.
27. Enter Mixdown Mode and verify the In/Out points.
28. Using only the Stereo Track that has the hybrid analog/digital stereo recording, set the playback level and press the Record Button to create your Final Master .WAV file, and you’re done. (Do not enter Master Mode unless you did not previously apply Master Compression/EQ to your digital stereo working master and you want to further process the master file.)
29. The original digital stereo master is preserved on the two Mono Tracks should you wish to revert to that version for final processing.

Another way to approach adding some analog impact to your recordings is described in this Production Tips post by -mjk- :
http://www.tascamforums.com/threads/share-dp-24-32-sd-production-tips.5747/page-3#post-29715

Can you import that original mixdown/master file into a dp-xx stereo track (rather than two mono tracks), and then send it to an outboard analogue mixer or effects unit in order to further process it before returning it back into another dp-xx stereo track?

 

[Mark Richards]

No. Think it through. Send1 is mono out. Send2 is mono out. How would stereo Tr 13/14 Send1 know it's only supposed to process Track 13, and Send2 process Track 14. You'd be collapsing the Tr 13/14 stereo master to mono on both Sends.

 

[EeMm]

The reason I'm asking is because I already imported a stereo mixdown/master track from the audio depot folder into a stereo track. I'd like to just run it through an external mixer and then back into the dp-xx. I'm not concerned really about seperate tracks, in other words, they are the same on left and right anyway so I'm just wondering if there is a difference with that method compared to importing each respective side from the audio depot folder into a seperate mono track.

 

[-mjk-]

If the left and right tracks are the same, then why not just use a single mono track? At any rate, since there's no difference, it doesn't matter, just use the sends indiscriminately.

As Mark was trying to point out, a stereo track has a single set of controls that apply equally to both tracks. You cannot separate sends, EQ, or FX, and adjust them individually per track.

In the future, if you do a mixdown where anything is panned away from center, and there is a difference between the left and right side of the mix, then import that into two mono tracks so you have independent control of EQ, dynamics, FX and sends.

 

[EeMm]

That's cool information and makes sense to me. I kind of know all that stuff already but I'm not as tech savvy as some people so I'm always the type to want to verify in order to make sure I don't mess something up haha. Considering that the files were stereo files from my already completed song, I figured maybe it was better to import it straightaway right back into a stereo track. I didn't want to mess it up and have to waste time going back in to transfer it from computer to card. Likewise with me asking you guys if I could just keep it now as I have it. I repeated the import process for a bunch of songs already so I don't want to have to again deal with the computer again for transferring files over to the card - not until I'm onto another remix or remastering. I figure it won't make a difference with what I'm trying to accomplish musically just so long it doesn't make a technological difference and affect the quality, which from what you are saying it won't, which is great.

 

[-mjk-]

Honestly, using the USB functionality is not all that inconvenient is it?

All you would mess up is the track and it's just a copy. You may want to consider putting multiple copies of the files into the Audio Depot folder, with slightly different names. That way you can try side-by-side methods and have a few spare file copies to use if you want to start over.

 

[EeMm]

That makes great sense too I didn't think about that haha quite simple and obvious but genius at the same time, yeah just place a few files of the same track into the audio depot folder and voila good to go, really cool!

 

[-mjk-]

@EeMm live and learn! Let us know how it goes.