Topic: UA-5 soundboard matrix questions

[jesse]

going to run my first matrix tomarrow night and still have a few questions.  I know there is a thread out there that answers all my questions but I couldn't find it.  1) I want to run SBD>firepod>coax into my ua-5 and run my c4's into the Xlr inputs.  I have my dat pluged into coax out.  I believe that both coax input and output are active at the same time, but record mode do I use digital or analog?  I'm confused my mics running in analog but the feed from the firepod is digi.  2) I assume that the gain knob to adjust the soundboard feed is 50% at 12 o'clock and 75% at 3 o'clock ect ect is this correct?  If for some reason I can't run coax in from the firepod I can always run SBD>UA-5 with rca's.  Any help with this would be great thanks guys.

[jesse]

forgot one  3)  I usually check my levels on my D100.  When I run a matrix what levels will show on my deck my mics or the SBD or both?  little nervous for my first matrix so any advice would be very helpful.

[Brian Skalinder]

You'll need to run analog-in to the UA5 from both the mic and sounboard source.  There isn't a single knob to control the mix of SBD + mics.  You'll use the gain knobs on the front of the UA5 to control your mic levels via the XLR inputs, and the single knob on the back of the UA5 to control your SBD levels via the RCA inputs.

The levels on your D100 will represent the mix of SBD + mics, not just one or the other.  To adjust the level as read on your D100, you'll need to use one or both gain adjustment knobs - as noted above:  the front two for the mic signal, the rear one for the SBD signal.

Take a good set of noise-reducing headphones so you're able to hear the mix from the headphone output of your UA5 - you'll have to mix on the fly and won't have the option to mix the SBD / AUD mic levels in post-production.

Keep in mind if your mics are not on-stage you may have delay issues between your AUD mics and the SBD that muddies things up substantially.  This is not fixable in post-production.

[jesse]

This answers all my questions thanks and +T

[wilsonedits]

i have been wanting  to do this but I never have the balls and opt to just record everything seperate in case one sources has issues

[NJFunk]

i have been wanting  to do this but I never have the balls and opt to just record everything seperate in case one sources has issues

Also, remember, you can't do it if your mics are further than 20 feet or so from the stage because of delay issues.

[Krispy D]

Is this the magic number?? 

20FT??

I'm a total matrix noob but have an opportunity soon as well.  I've been wondering if there was a distance that was considered ok  like anything under XX is OK with out any need of fixing...

[NJFunk]

Is this the magic number?? 

20FT??

I'm a total matrix noob but have an opportunity soon as well.  I've been wondering if there was a distance that was considered ok  like anything under XX is OK with out any need of fixing...

I don't know if there is a "magic number", but if you get farther than that, you can start hearing the delay.  At that point, your best option if you still want to mix on the fly is to mix the aud feed very low in the mix so that it is basically just reverb for a dry SBD feed.  This presumes both that you are starting with a fairly well balanced SBD feed and that you like making SBD tapes, neither of which are true very often in this forum.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I've done a few of matrix tapes with a UA5.  I've only encountered delay issues after about 25'... 

I've found the best for me was to run my AUD levels slightly low and fill them in with the SBD feed.  I'd have the RCA input volume knob set at about "9-10o'clock".  If you want to check the levels of each, you could turn off your phantom to check the SBD levels.  Set to what you want.  Then remembering this level, turn this all the way down, turn on phantom, adjust level.  After adjust of AUD level, turn SBD back to the level you had figured out before. 

Tell you the truth, I've never liked the matrix tapes I've made.  To me they sound unnatural.  Its like the band is right there playing to me and the rest of the audience is behind a glass window cheering away.  But I suppose it about what you are used ot hearing...  Me, I like straight AUD tapes...

Terry

[poorlyconditioned]

Tell you the truth, I've never liked the matrix tapes I've made.  To me they sound unnatural.  Its like the band is right there playing to me and the rest of the audience is behind a glass window cheering away.  But I suppose it about what you are used ot hearing...  Me, I like straight AUD tapes...

Terry

Hey Terry.  This is exactly!!! what I hear.

After soundboard exceeds a certain fraction, it just sounds "pasted" in there, like pasted in the room.

How to fix?  I've tried adding a bit of reverb to the SBD to make it sound like the room.  The other idea is to delay the SBD a bit *behind* the mic signals, maybe a few ms.  Someone else suggested this.

But these are all four four track.  "on the fly" matrix will not work.

  Richard

[cgrooves]

This info may be a little late... but what I do is turn off the phantom power to my mics and adjust the SBD feed so that my levels peak around -7dB to -6dB.  Then I turn on the phantom to the mics and adjust the mic feed so that my levels peak around -4dB to -3dB.  I like to run my levels pretty hot, but you get the idea of the procedure.  I can't be sure, but it seems that I get a 60%-40% to 50%-50%  Mic to SBD ratio.

[stirinthesauce]

This info may be a little late... but what I do is turn off the phantom power to my mics and adjust the SBD feed so that my levels peak around -7dB to -6dB.  Then I turn on the phantom to the mics and adjust the mic feed so that my levels peak around -4dB to -3dB.  I like to run my levels pretty hot, but you get the idea of the procedure.  I can't be sure, but it seems that I get a 60%-40% to 50%-50%  Mic to SBD ratio.

exactly how I ran with my ua-5 for matrices.  I always enjoyed the aud higher in the mix with the sbd supporting it, bringing the recording more "in your face".