Topic: What to do with onstage access?

[Unitmonster]

+T for the helpful info!  I was always under the impression that digital "drift" wasn't constant (ie. it changes rate at different points throughout a recording) thus the need to do it track by track. However, if this isn't the case, then your method will massively speed up my next matrixing efforts.

[stantheman1976]

Digital devices move at a constant speed.  So even if there is a difference between different sources it will be a fixed difference and easily correctable.  Analog devices move at varying speeds.  So the degree of drift will change. 

Any good editing software should be able to match up multiple sources.  I use Vegas to mix external audio with my video projects so I use it also when I have two audio sources.  It allows me to zoom in as close as I want and be able to match up sources perfectly.

[morst]

I have heard that tracks recorded digitally, even on a multitrack recorder, can drift due to the changing speed of sound caused by differing air temperature and pressure. However, I have never noticed any drift on any digital sources I have tried to mix, once I got the "stretch/squish" factor set properly.

[stevetoney]

I have heard that tracks recorded digitally, even on a multitrack recorder, can drift due to the changing speed of sound caused by differing air temperature and pressure. However, I have never noticed any drift on any digital sources I have tried to mix, once I got the "stretch/squish" factor set properly.

In terms of real data, I find that if my two sources are separated by about .01 second or less, they sound pretty good.  If they're .02 seconds or more, they sound reverb-y and need fixing.

[morst]

In terms of real data, I find that if my two sources are separated by about .01 second or less, they sound pretty good.  If they're .02 seconds or more, they sound reverb-y and need fixing.

I agree for sure. 10 milliseconds is .01 second, 20ms is .02, and in between those figures is the "use your best judgement" zone. Over 20ms I usually notice obvious slapback (delay) on sharp impulses.

[Mr.Fantasy]

I talked to one sound guy the other night. It was the band's one year anniversary so I wanted to get a nice pull for their listening pleasure.

I had started recording, and was walking over to purchase a white russian (being newly 21 and the big lebowski fan that I am)....

...anyways, I saw that the soundguy had a pair of what looked like (and were later confirmed as) AKG C1000's.

I talked to the sound dude, named KB, and he said he was running those C1000's straight into Protools on his laptop...

We arrive at my question...

I did not think of it at the time, but would he be using some sort of external/internal audio card to do this? It doesn't seem like straight into a mini jack on the old laptop would be that great...am I wrong?

He also mentioned that he was planning on making a matrix sometime soon, so I will just have to talk to him further......

[flipp]

Since the C1000s can run on batteries it is possible he was running them directly into an 1/8" jack on the laptop using it's internal sound card/on motherboard soundchip. Far from ideal but it can be done. Depending on what laptop he has there might be a decent card in there but odds are against it unless he added it later or ordered it with an upgraded sound card. He also might have a VX2/VX440 which is a PCMCIA sound card. The four channel has a bulky input/output connector dongle (8 XLRs) but the two channel dongle is much more manageable and unobtrusive. If he was running C1000s > VX2 > ProTools, the results could be surprisingly good.

I started by running Nak 100s directly into a D7. I didn't think the results were that bad at the time but I played one of the DATs the other day and am glad I no longer run that setup succumbed to the upgrade bug.

[fUNKYbret]

I talked to one sound guy the other night. It was the band's one year anniversary so I wanted to get a nice pull for their listening pleasure.

I had started recording, and was walking over to purchase a white russian (being newly 21 and the big lebowski fan that I am)....

...anyways, I saw that the soundguy had a pair of what looked like (and were later confirmed as) AKG C1000's.

I talked to the sound dude, named KB, and he said he was running those C1000's straight into Protools on his laptop...

We arrive at my question...

I did not think of it at the time, but would he be using some sort of external/internal audio card to do this? It doesn't seem like straight into a mini jack on the old laptop would be that great...am I wrong?

He also mentioned that he was planning on making a matrix sometime soon, so I will just have to talk to him further......

If it was a Mac laptop, he would pretty much have to use some type of ProTools interface like the original MBox or MBox 2 series.  As far as I know, you can't even open ProTools without some type of ProTools interface.  Almost all ProTools interfaces have mic pres on them expect for the MBox 2 micro (which is just for mixing/bouncing etc.).  The MBox 2 Pro and MBox 2 would both allow you to pull in 2 mix channels and 2 SBD channels for later matrixing.  I love ProTools.....I love desk.....I love lamp....

Hopefully that helps.  All the dude ever wanted was his rug back.