Studio Manual

James Feist
Studio Layout
Studio A
Control
Room
Foyer
Studio A
Live
Room
Studio B
Control Room
Studio B
Live
Room
Studio A Layout
Soundcards
/Interfaces
Mixing Desk
P
a
t
c
h

B
a
y

Outboard
Gear
USB Keyboard
Comfy Sofa
Health and Safety
Whilst working in the studios we must be aware of the dangers around us. To
keep ourselves and colleagues safe whilst working we should abide by the
following rules:
No food or drink should be around the studios
Always be aware of trip hazards such as wiring and uneven flooring
No running about through the studios
Ensure all electrical equipment is PAT tested by a qualified electrician
No smoking inside
Ensure all fire exits are clear and available for use
Make sure you know where the fire exits are
Types of Connection
XLR
Jack
USB
Firewire
http://upload.wikimedia.
org/wikipedia/common
s/1/15/Xlr-
connectors.jpg
http://www.emkar
aoke.co.uk/2010/
contents/media/ja
cktojack.jpg
http://www.proleads.co.
uk/shop/images/Jack%
20Leads%20Neutrik%
20S.gif
http://www.advancet
ec.co.uk/media/catal
og/product/cache/1/i
mage/1250x1250/b6
5b7106e6199ae52d
7f08f5a5033ae0/p/u/
pu-353_-
_1.8m_gr_kabel_fire
wire_400_cable_6pi
n_pc-
mac_to_4pin_audio-
video_ieee-1394.jpg
http://upload.wikimedi
a.org/wikipedia/en/b/b
b/Type_A_USB_Conn
ecter_alt.jpg
http://www.soundtown
.com.au/products/tt-
bantam/
Bantam/Patch Leads
USB (Universal Serial Bus) The main type of connection available on
modern day computers, reliable for small and medium amounts of data
transfer. In the studio we use USB for connections between the keyboards
and the computer and for using external media storage devices.
Jack Leads There are two kinds of jack lead; balanced and unbalanced,
the main difference being that balanced leads are stereo, unbalanced are
mono. We use unbalanced jack leads for guitars, bass guitars and other
electric instruments.
Firewire The fastest and most reliable connection for data transfer
available in the college studio. We use firewire connections for connecting
the soundcards to the computer.
XLR A balanced lead, most commonly used for microphones.
Bantam/Patch leads For connecting routings through the patch bay,
Bantam leads are balanced leads.
The Channel Strip
The channel strip serves for two main purposes. For recording
you can use it as a stop gap between the raw material and the
interface, to control the level of the incoming signal and alter it
slightly. In mixing and monitoring you can control levels and send
tracks, individually or grouped, to outboard equipment such as
EQs compressors, reverbs, effects or the suchlike.

On the desk at college there are 6 components to each channel
strip, at the very top there is a VU meter, which tells you how
strong, or weak the incoming signal is. Below this there are the
main gain controls, with options for phantom power, low cut and
phase inversion.
The third part is a noise gate, useful for drums, especially the
toms, which can resonate and affect a mix.
The forth part is a semi parametric EQ, used when only a minor
adjustment is needed.
The fifth part is where the Aux sends are adjusted, used for
effects and in our case the headphone unit into the live room.
The final part of the channel strip is the faders, where the level
being sent into logic is set.
The top knobs are where the input gain is
set. The desk channels can all take
microphone and line inputs.
The +48v switch is to turn
phantom power on, this is
used when using XLR
microphone connections
with compressor
microphones as they need
more power to run
efficiently .
The line button is used to
switch on a line input into the
channel. We use this for
direct input of instruments
and inputting an external
source such as a CD player
or radio.
This button adds a low cut to the channel below 100hz, in
order to remove inactive frequencies. This will be useful
when EQing guitars and vocals as well as the higher parts
of a drum kit and other instruments with relatively high
active frequencies.
There are two main controls on the
gate, threshold and release. The
threshold is the volume at which
the gate will open, the release is
how quickly the gate will shut.
To use the noise gate on a channel
the IN switch must be pressed down.
The LED light above SHUT
is solid when the noise gate
is closed
This part of the channel strip is where an EQ can be placed
along the signal route. This can be done either pre or post
production, or bypassed completely. This kind of EQ is
known as a Semi Parametric EQ, as it only has two of the
functions that EQ can offer. These are frequency and gain,
rather than a Parametric EQ which will also offer a
bandwidth/Q factor parameter.
This is a high frequency control knob, it
affects the gain of frequencies over 12khz.
This is a shelf EQ, as shown in the
diagram on the right.
http://badripatro-
iitb.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/audio
-equalization-filter-design.html
This is a low frequency control knob, it
affects the gain of 60hz, this is not a shelf
EQ but the frequencies around 60hz will
also be boosted or cut.
These controls are for variable frequencies
between 600hz and 12Khz selected here
respectfully. The HM is for the higher mid
section, the LM for lower midrange frequencies.
These are the gain controls for the LM and HM
frequency selectors. The HM on top the LM
below it.
This section is where the selected
channel can be sent to auxiliaries for
effects, or for headphone outputs
into a live room. On the desk at
college Aux 1 is for headphones into
the live room, Aux 2 is sent to a
reverb unit.
DRUM MIC POSITIONS
Overheads.
These are
condenser
mics, for
room sound
and cymbals.
Kick drum mic,
dynamic mic with
a frequency
response tailored
to low end.
Tom mics, clip
on the shell on
the drum,
dynamic
microphones.
Bottom snare,
dynamic mic,
picking up the
actual snare of the
drum.
Hi-hat,
condenser mic.
Top snare, dynamic
mic, picking up the
attack of the snare.
Recording into Logic
When recording through the desk and into the interface there are a few
things to remember. You should remember to group output the channels
that you wish to send into the computer and route them into an input of the
soundcard. It is this input you then select in Logic to record the track. When
multi-channel recording it is probably wise to send each instrument to a
different group output and input into the soundcard. This makes it easier to
edit post recording. To hear the recorded material, an output on logic must
be selected. Depending on how you wish to mix the track this can vary. For
people who like to mix in the computer then only one output needs to be
selected for all the tracks (usually Stereo out, which is faders 1 and 2 on the
college desk) for people who prefer to desk mix, then different outputs
should be selected, which assigns tracks to different faders.
If you then wish to send your recorded track to outboard equipment such as
a compressor, reverb unit or effects, you group output the tracks you wish
to send, then using patch leads, go from the group output to the input of the
equipment you wish to use, then from the output of the outboard gear, into
an input on the soundcard.