User manual YAMAHA MT-100

[. . . ] To take full advantage of the outstanding features and performance capabilities of the MT-100, we urge to read this owner's manual thoroughly. CONTENTS BEFORE OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRACKS AND CHANNELS . . . . . . . . . . . . THE CONTROLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] Do not use rubbing alcohol as this contains mineral oil which can damage the mechanism. Keeping the heads clean is essential for good recordings. For demagnetization, use a quality head demagnetizer, and follow the instructions carefully. Pinchroller * It's important to keep all parts clean! 15 MULTITRACK RECORDING TECHNIQUES n ONE EXAMPLE OF A MULTlTRACK RECORDING PROCESS PLAN CAREFULLY FOR MICROPHONE RECORDING Since the MT-100 only permits microphone recording via channels 1 and 2, one or both of these channels must be kept available if you plan to record with microphones. Multitrack recording is usually used to record a rhythm section, with overdubbing and ping-ponging operations assisting in mixing the parts of the various musicians in the proper balance. Finally, the tape is mixed down to produce a stereo master tape. STEREO POSITIONING It's important to think about the acoustic "position" of all the instruments well before you start your multitrack recording. Here's one example of acoustic positioning. Set the bass drum and the snare drum in the center, with the tomtoms and high hat set off to either side to bring out the "stereo" effect. The bass and other "heavy" instruments should be in the center, with the keyboards to the left and the guitar to the right. Solo instruments and voices should span both right and left. Solo instruments with a stereo output can have their left channel connected to a delay machine, while the right channel is recorded directly. You can probably think of many other different ways to "arrange" the soundstage. These are the steps in our example: Record the drums on track 1 Record the bass on track 2 Record the rhythm guitar on track 3 Ping-ponging tracks 1 ­- 3 onto track 4 (freeing tracks 1 ­ 3) Record the keyboards on track 3 Record the lead guitar on track 2 Record the vocals on track 1 Mixdown tracks 1 ­ 4 to produce a stereo master tape Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4 Mixdown EQUALIZATION AND EFFECT PROCESSING Equalization and effect processing are usually added at the ping-pong and mixdown stages. In multitrack recording, these types of signal processing can be decided on later, and employed to any degree necessary. Connections Plug the AC cord into an AC outlet. Plug the Digital Rhythm Programmer's stereo outputs into INPUTs 1 and 2. 2. Getting ready Lift open the cassette door and insert a chrome position (CrO2) tape. Return all the switches and controls to their normal positions, referring to the control panel illustration on pages 4~10. Turn the power switches on for the effect and rhythm programmer, and then turn the MT-100 "ON". Setting up the recorder section Plug a pair of monitor headphones (rated 8­40 ohms) into the PHONES jack. When using an effect, connect it between the AUX SEND jack (input) and either of the AUX RTN jacks (output). Press the RESET switch to return the counter to "000". Turn "ON" the ZERO STOP switch. Select the appropriate tape speed the 9. 5 cm/sec. Set the RECORD SELECT switch 1 to the "L" position. [. . . ] In order to operate the RX17 by the FSK signal recorded on track 4, connect everything like this: Start the tape, mixdown the sound from tracks 1--3 and the RX17's drum sounds input through the AUX Left and Right jacks, and record it with a stereo tape deck. 34 FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE OF YOUR MT-100 CLEANING THE HEADS The precision of the MT-100 playback/record and erase heads is very high. If the heads are dirty, the fidelity of playback, recording, and erase will be affected. To prevent loss of fidelity, clean the heads regularly with cotton swabs and alcohol or cleaning fluid. RECORDING LEVEL For superior sound recording, be sure to look at the level meters. If recording is done without referring to the level meters, the recording level may turn out to be too high or too low. [. . . ]