User manual ALESIS STUDIO 32 REFERENCE MANUAL

[. . . ] ALESIS Studio 32 Reference Manual Contents CONTENTS Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Safety symbols used in this product. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Please follow these precautions when using this product:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 How to use this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 For beginners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 For the experienced: a quick overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 About the Studio 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Basic Principles of Mixing & Multitrack Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The stages of multitrack recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The different mixes and what they're needed for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Multitrack Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Monitor (Control Room) Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Aux Sends and Returns: Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Guided Tour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Recorder Mix/Monitor Mix System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Starting at the source: input and TRIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 The equalizer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fader and assignment section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Monitor 1/2 section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Aux Send/Return System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Aux sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Stereo Aux Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Control Room System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Control Room source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Solo/PFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Hooking It Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] If the panning is fully left, the Channel will be routed to Group 1. If the panning is fully right, the Channel will be routed to Group 2. The GROUP FADER will now control the level going to tape. Raise the GROUP FADER to its maximum position. To check the level of the group on the Studio 32's meter, press the GRP 1/2 switch in the control room section. Be sure that the Group's TO L/R switch is in the "Off" position (up). Otherwise the signal will be assigned to the Main L/R Output directly, instead of monitoring what's coming back from the multitrack via the MONITOR 1/2 section. To monitor the track through the multitrack tape machine, place the tape machine track you are recording on into record or "input" mode, and raise the MONITOR 1/2 control the track's output is connected to. 2 3 4 5 6 7 Be sure the L/R buttons are in the "Off" position (up) for the Channels being recorded. Otherwise, this will cause the monitoring to be false since the signals will be heard from two sources: the Channels and MONITOR 1/2. Studio 32 Reference Manual 48 Recording Recording Multiple Sources to Two Tracks (Stereo) Recording multiple sources onto two tape tracks is simple--you just use two Groups. Pan hard left all channels going to the odd-number Group, and pan hard right all channels going to the even-number Group. You can pan each channel to obtain the proper stereo positioning between left and right. To record multiple sources to two tracks in stereo: 1 With microphones or instruments connected to the desired input channels, set the input level correctly (see page 45, Setting Levels). Assign each of the Channels or Aux Returns you wish to record onto the same track of tape to GROUPS 1 and 2 by pressing the 1/2 button situated next to the Channel FADER. Use the PAN control on each of the assigned Channels to position the signals as desired between the left (Group 1) and right (Group 2). The GROUP 1 and GROUP 2 FADERS will now control the levels going to tape. Be sure that the Groups' TO L/R buttons are in the "Off" position (up). Otherwise the signals will be assigned to the Main Output directly, instead of monitoring what's coming back from the multitrack on the small fader. To monitor the tracks through the multitrack tape machine, place the tape machine tracks you wish to record on into the record-ready or "input" mode, and raise the MONITOR 1/2 LEVEL controls the tracks' outputs are connected to. Set the Monitor PAN controls to hard left and right to hear the proper stereo image in the control room. If you don't perform this last step, the main PAN settings you make on the channels you're recording in step 3 will be incorrect in the final stereo image. 2 3 4 5 6 7 Be sure the L/R buttons are in the "Off" position (up) for the Channels being recorded. Otherwise, this will cause the monitoring to be false since the signals will be heard from two sources: the Channels and the Tape Monitors. Studio 32 Reference Manual 49 Recording Recording Tips For the cleanest possible recording, the Group FADERS (or Channel FADERS if the DIRECT OUTS are being used) should be adjusted so that the level going to tape averages 0 VU on the meters of a typical analog multitrack tape machine, or peaks just below MAX or 0 dBFS on a digital multitrack machine such as the Alesis ADAT. About Metering The meters of the Studio 32 are the instantaneous peak reading type, which are preferred in digital recording where the "ideal" recording level comes close to, but never exceeds the point where all the bits are filled (called 0 dBfs, for full scale). Note that "0 dB" on the Studio 32's meters means that the output of the Studio 32 is at "nominal" level (either +4 dBu balanced or -2 dBu unbalanced, depending on the connector), as opposed to "0 dB" on a digital recorder like ADAT which means "maximum" level (+19 dBu balanced, +5 dBV unbalanced) . [. . . ] It's better to use a damp plug to clean the jacks, or use a cotton or foam swab (but be careful not to get cotton or foam stuck in the mixer). While Alesis does not endorse the use of any specific product, certain contact enhancers (such as Cramolin) may be used to keep the connections from corroding in the future. · · · Warranty Information This product is warranted by Alesis to the original purchaser against defects in material and workmanship for a period of 1 year for parts and labor from the date of purchase. Complete terms of the Limited Warranty are stated on the Warranty Card packed with the product. Please retain a copy of your dated sales receipt for proof of warranty status should repairs be necessary. Studio 32 Reference Manual 84 Troubleshooting Refer All Servicing to Alesis We believe that the Studio 32 is one of the most reliable mixing consoles that can be made using current technology, and should provide years of trouble-free use. [. . . ]