5. Editing and Mixing Functions
The ability to re-work recorded material is an important advantage of digital recording systems. With the help of diverse editing tools it is possible, among many other things, to copy, move, extend and shorten the recorded material.
The exact manner in which this is done depends on the model, but the basic way it works is almost always the same: After setting the markers (locator points), parts of songs can be copied and moved. So an already played portion of a song can be used in multiple locations within the recording in the exact way it was played the first time. This allows you to trim something like a drum loop down to the exact timing you want and then copy it in sequence.
Here is a small list of the most common editing functions included with digital mulitrack studios.
COPY
Copies the data from a specified area to the desired location of the desired track.
Scrub-Function
The scrub function is a great relief when it comes to finding the right entry and exit points of a track making it really helpful when setting locator points. With its help you can scan specific areas of a track under an ‘acoustic’ magnifying glass, allowing you to mark and copy individual measures of a phrase or drum track with precision, accuracy and timing. This is how it works: To lay down a simple drum-loop, you need to set a mark in the area immediately before the ‘1’ of a measure. The scrub function helps in finding the ‘1’. At the end a second locator is added before the 1 of the next measure. Now you can copy the data between the locators and repeat it as many times as you want. With a little practice you can reshape and change entire arrangements.
Move-Function
Moves the data from a marked area to the desired position of the desired track. Normally the moved portion of the source track is deleted in the process. Just as with the copy function, the move function can be used to move a section around within a single track as well. The copy and move options are very practical and make hard disc recording systems into very creative work spaces.
Punch In/Out Function
All available models should come with a punch in/out function which allows you to precisely replace different parts of a song. The area to be recorded is highlighted, and after the function is activated, recording mode activates at the corresponding point and ends at the pre-defined exit point.
Ping-Pong Function
More often present on smaller multitrackers (usually with four and eight tracks), the popular ping-pong method offers the option of combining tracks to make space for more.
DELETE
Deletes the data of a specified (marked) region. All data behind the deleted area will be moved forward by its length. So timing problems are avoided.
INSERT
Inserts a blank area in a specified (highlighted) area.
EXCHANGE
Swaps the data of specified tracks.
TIME COMP/EXP (Time Compression/Expansion)
Changes the length of the selected area of an audio track without changing its pitch.
PITCH CHANGE
Changes the pitch of the selected area of an audio track without changing its length.
- Digital Editing
- Location Points
- Track Bouncing
- Punch In/Out
- Auto-Punch
- Mute and Solo
- Sample Rate
- Mastering
- Non-Linear Editing
- What is 'Digital Recording'?
- What is encoding?
- What is a 'marker'?
- What are patches?
- What is 'speaker simulation'?
- What is the undo function?
- What are virtual tracks?
- What is 'amp-modeling'?
Just as you are able to manipulate text in a word processor, you can also cut, copy, paste and insert audio tracks on multitrack recorders.
These enable you to visually mark specific points of a song such as verses and choruses, so that you can quickly and conveniently navigate around without having to continually search through– highly convenient when used in conjunction with copy and paste functions.
If you’re running out of tracks, you can mix several of them down to one or two in order to free them up. This is a handy trick, but care should be taken, as unless you’re using virtual tracks, you cannot later remix.
This feature is often used to replace mistakes or re-record parts of a track that could have been performed better. It lets you enable and disable recording while playing back the song to record the part on the fly. Also sometimes referred to as ‘dropping’ in/out.
Short for ‘Automatic Punch In/Out’, it makes punching in and out both easier and more precise. Typically available on higher-end multitrackers, the feature allows users to set ‘in’ and ‘out’ recording points, which will cause the recorder to automatically drop in and out of record.
Pressing a track’s mute button will simply remove its output from the mix until the button is pushed again. Soloing a track produces the opposite result - all channels are muted except the one being soloed.
The sample rate is a measure of how many times per second the source material is being ‘sampled’. Sample rate affects the frequency response of the final recording - the highest frequency that can be accurately represented is just under half the sample rate. Generally speaking, the higher the sample rate, the better the sound quality, but the most sensible sample rate to use will depend on your system - the higher the rate, the more storage required, and sometimes the lower the track count. The law of diminishing returns definitely applies here – 96kHz does not sound twice as good as 48kHz!
The process whereby recorded material is taken from the multitracker and prepared for duplication in the format of the final release. This can include any or all of the following - equalisation, compression, limiting, normalisation, stereo widening, fades, and simply arranging the songs in the desired order.
The editing of audio on a system that has the ability to randomly access data, with the upshot that the user can define a region and move it forward or backward in relation to other regions.
Audio information saved as digital information. Can be stored on the following mediums: Magnetic band (video cassettes), hard drive, or removable storage such as discs and SD cards.
Refers to reducing the amount of data from audio and video recordings by using a variety of data compression methods. Among the best known variants is the MPEG 3 (MP3) format.
An electronic marking of a specific part of a song, allowing you to narrow down certain areas of an audio track to be replaced or copied. Also serves to mark the entry and exit points in the punch in / out process.
Completed effect presets.
Digital adjustment of the sound characteristics of guitar or bass amps.
Many digital recorders work with a protective recording system. When dubbing tracks, the "deleted" data is stored until it is finally sent to data nirvana when the song data is optimized. The original tracks are recoverable until then by using the 'undo' function.
Each of the main tracks on a digital recorder is divided into up to 10 sub-tracks, depending on the device. The 'v-trax' offer the possibility of recording different takes (versions) of the same song part. You only need to choose one of the virtual tracks when it comes time to mix the recording.
Digital reproduction of the sound characteristics of guitar or bass amps.
Your Contacts
Product Highlights
Top Brands
-
Multitrack Compact Studios
