System Setup

forgivenboy · Post by **forgivenboy** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 6:13 pm

Alright, so I need some help here from the "pros". Haha, I need help setting up my recording system. I have a condenser mic (which needs phantom power) that I would like to send through my PCM 70 effects unit, which would then go into my firebox, which goes to mixcraft. mixcraft then sends the mix back to the firebox where the speakers and headphone receive the signal.

This is all good, except I have a problem. The only source of phantom power i have comes from my firebox. Therefore, I have to record the mic through the firebox, send it from there to the PCM 70, then back out to the firebox. This works for recording, but when the final mix is sent from mixcraft to the firebox, the signal ends up going back through the PCM 70 one more time, which messes everything up because the PCM 70 is applying effects to the whole song mix.

Is the answer to my problem just to buy an external source of phantom power and the plug the mic straight into the PCM 70, or what? How do the "pros" set up there studios? that way, i can do it right the first time.

R0ckerb0y · Post by **R0ckerb0y** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 7:34 pm

I'm not a pro, but I can tell you what I've learned from the pros.

Record dry. Don't use the PCM 70 during recording. A dry signal gives you a pure sonic canvas to which you can apply digital effects in the form of VSTs (there are also hardware VSTs out there by companies like UAD).

It took some getting used to, but think of it this way. I you have chorus, reverb, delay etc on the signal coming in, you leave yourself little room to mix and master afterwards.

I'm actually currently in the process of trying to tweak my dry guitar and bass tracks to match my Zoom 9030 effects I use live. It's tough at first, but I'm having a lot of fun tweaking sounds and seeif what I can do with it.

P.s. If it bugs you to record dry, you can put the PCM 70 on your headphone output and still hear it all cool sounding while you record.

Hope that helps!

Post by **Acoustica Eric** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:24 am

The Audio Buddy is a mic preamp which provides phantom power. You can plug your mic into it and then output to the firebox.

As rockerboy said, record dry, that is how the "pros" do it. If you record a bunch of effects, then you won't be able to change them or correct things that might be off. Record 100% dry (accept for compression if you have it) and add all effects from within Mixcraft.

R0ckerb0y · Post by **R0ckerb0y** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:30 am

Hey Eric. Quick question on that.

I record dry except for gain. I can't find gain like I have on my Marshall JMP-1 pre-amp anywhere. (In fact, I can't find it in hardware amps either, except for the Gallien Krueger 200sel... R.I.P. my old amp)

Do you record without gain on a heavy song as well?

Post by **Acoustica Eric** » Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:46 am

yes sorry for not being clear, gain gives you distortion which is part of your dry sound. Just don't use reverb, delay, chorus, flange, etc.

Another thing I would use at amp level is a wah pedal if it is going to be part of the end recording, I have yet to find a wah vst that sounds good.

forgivenboy · Post by **forgivenboy** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:16 pm

Alright, sweet! thanks, I was thinking that recording dry was a good thing, but then i didnt know if the vst plugins were good enough. I dont have the ear to hear what really good reverb and delay sound like yet, so its nice to hear the opinion of some more experienced people. Thanks!