Topic: Basic 722 set-up

[waltmon]

Hey gang...

       Looking to debut the 4022 > 722 set-up next weekend at the Montego Bay Music Fest ( Mary J. Blidge, Junior Gong, a bunch of others) next weekend. I have been working my way through the menues on the unit. I plann running 24/96. Just wanted some basic tips for set-up and stuff. The menues on the unit are pretty intense.


    Basically looking for some set-up recommendations.

[boojum]

WM - good luck with getting the tips.  I will be checking them later this week when mine rolls in.  Looks like we are going to be working with some prime equipment.  Yup!     

[waltmon]

...the only thing I've gotten so far is to roll low gain setting when running mics directly into unit. I need to know which settings to set, not to brickwall. Been doing a few tests set up in front of the stereo wit the 4022's X/Y.

  Also. I guess the other dubm question as I am new to 24/96, I can use Sounforge 7.0 to dither my 24/96 master to 44.1 for CD burning, correct?

[RobertNC]

Running mic in I try to keep my levels peaking only occasionally on the first red (-12dbFS) and add gain in post.

When I get home tonight I can roll through all the menus and post exactly how I have my unit setup.

[kgreener]

this might be a bit old but i think it's still relevant, hopefully it will help:

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,55496.msg726603.html#msg726603

Here's a few things that I'd suggest...(from Jason Reiser)

- Rec: Pre-Roll Time - Use it!  Anything in the 2-4 second range will be super helpful.  This is basically a constantly running record buffer that will start recording X seconds *before* you press the record button.  When you've got your gear all set up and are waiting for the band to come on stage, and get distracted by a cutie asking if she can get a copy of your tape, you've still got a few seconds to reach down and start recording without missing a thing.  Easily one of the coolest features of the 7 series.

- Input: Routing - default would be 1 > A / 2 > B for stereo recording.  That will put the Left channel on the top meter, Right on the bottom.  Not so much a suggestion since it's what we would all do, but this was a little confusing to me at first.

- Mic Input 1/2: Low Cut & Low Cut Freq - Note that these ONLY apply when running analog MIC input, not LINE.

- Mic Input 1/2: Gain Range - maybe ask others which setting they're using for particular mics.  I ran my 722 at home next to decks I'm more familiar with, being fed with a line-out from a CD player, just to get a feeling for what things would look like in the field.  And using a live recording of yours is a good way to get a feel for things beforehand.

Input 1,2: Linking, MS: If you run mainly stereo (other than mid-side), the "Linked 1/2" setting is ideal.  Pot #1 becomes level control for the channel pair, and Pot #2 is a left/right balance control.  This is perfect for when you just want to bring the overall levels up or down during a show but trust your L/R setup based on a static mic and room.

Line Input 1,2: Gain Control & Line Input 1/2: Gain - Ignore these.  The first will be at "Use front panel knobs" and then the second has no meaning based on that.  It gives you an option to set the gains from the menu rather than the front pots which is interesting but confusing and, for me, just silly.

Meter: Ballistics -peak and VU

Meter: Peak Threshold - This one's a little confusing.  Basically you can adjust the level where the far right set of lights on the meter will come on.  By default it's 0dBFS but you can set it to -1, -2, -3, etc.  Personally I would find either 0 or -1 to be logical.

Meter: Stealth Mode - Poorly named feature... basically when it's on, the LEDs all turn on or off with the backlight.  When off, the backlight functions independently and the meters are always running.  Note that you can DIM the LEDs in what appear to be around 30 brightness steps by holding down the LCD backlight button and turning the multifunction dial.  I believe the default is around 10 steps up from the dimmest.

HP: Encoder Switch Function - The "Select Favorite Mode" is a neat way to monitor something other than just the L/R source while recording.  Depending on your preference, you can quickly change to a confidence monitoring (tracks vs. inputs), or individual inputs or tracks "Solo" style.  Probably great when troubleshooting something like a M-S setup.

Check that your firmware version is current

- Jason

[baustin]

I don't know about rolling the low gain. I'd like to hear others thoughts on this because I personally have not heard anybody say anything about it.

Other tips. THIS IS ALL COMING FROM A 744T MENU
-File: Max Size - I and some others like to do 1GB file splits.
-Rec: File Type - If there is the choice on the 722, run poly files vs. mono files.
-Rec: Media Select - INHDD - runs only the internal HD
-Rec: Pre-Roll Time - Selects preroll, I do as much time as possible.
-Input 1,2: Linking, MS - Run UNLINKED if you'd like to control each channel independently, Run LINKED 1,2 if you'd like to control both channels' gain with one knob
-Meter: Ballistics - I like Peak Hold + VU, most others I've encountered like the same
-Meter: Peak Threshold - Please correct me if this is wrong people, but I run mine at -1dBFS. Basically the last red light lights up at -1 rather than 0 giving me a tab bit extra 'headroom'.
-Meter: Stealth Mode - Off - When you hit the front light button, the screen goes dark, but the level meter stays on so you can watch the levels
-Adjust the brightness of the screen/LED's - Hold down the 'Light' button at the bottom right of the screen and turn the knob on the right side of the unit - I run as low as it will go unless I want to annoy people
-Lock the unit - hold down the 'light' button and the button directly above it - select 'Lock All' - Repeat to unlock

PS - Oh yeah, and the battery - On my unit, with an NP-F970 battery, 8.1 is a full battery. The unit will DIE around 6.5. I've never come near that at a normal concert.

PPS - I never run the limiter! I like to try to have the unit stay between the first 2 red lights with the very occasional 3rd red light.

This should be a start!

[RobertNC]

I always run the low mic gain because I am generally taping amplified shows.  With amplified bluegrass/acoustic I still have plenty of room on the gain knobs, and for a rock and roll band I find myself running at like 10-11:00.  Have never needed the high gain setting.

I leave the meter offset at 0 because it is logical to me - by peaking at the first red I have plenty of head room anyway.

I never run the limiters.  If you get close to needing them you are running way too hot for where the sweet spot of the 722 seems to be for mic in.

File splits is a matter of preference and depends on what you do your post work on.  Some people like 'em as huge as possible I guess because it is a "simpler" workflow  (in reality it is ultimately about the same).  I've switched from 2 gig splits to 1 gig splits because sometimes I want to do post on my laptop, and I have limited hard drive swap space/FAT32 file system.  It chokes on bigger files, but I can easily do all my post work on 1 gig files in 24/96, dither each one to 16/44, join up the much smaller peices and track out the final wav.  If you have a monster desktop with NTFS it's a different story.

I recently started running the 40HZ/12DB low cut filter and really like it with the TLs but that depends on your mics/venues/music being taped etc.

[baustin]

I can easily do all my post work on 1 gig files in 24/96, dither each one to 16/44, join up the much smaller peices and track out the final wav. 

do you have any problems with sector boundaries doing this? ie - if you listen very closely to the spot where the 16/44 files are joined, is the a 'tic' or hiccup?

[RobertNC]

I can easily do all my post work on 1 gig files in 24/96, dither each one to 16/44, join up the much smaller peices and track out the final wav. 

do you have any problems with sector boundaries doing this? ie - if you listen very closely to the spot where the 16/44 files are joined, is the a 'tic' or hiccup?

No.  The first time I tried it I was concerned this was going to be a problem.  But I have not seen any SBEs from dithering in CEP and then joining the 16/44 files in CEP