Video Transcript
Recording Functions
7m 15s
0:07
In these next few tutorials, we're going to go over the recording and playback functions of the Touchmix.
0:13
If you're looking to capture some tracks and get a great finished recording, the TouchMix is an amazing tool.
0:19
After you've recorded your tracks, you can either get a mix-down on the TouchMix itself,
0:24
or you can import those tracks into your favorite DAW for some more post-production.
0:28
Before we get started, it's important to understand that the TouchMix is not a DAW.
0:33
But on the flip side, your DAW is not a live sound mixer.
0:38
Let's start with some basics. A TouchMix-16 can create up to 22 tracks of 32-bit WAV audio files at a time.
0:46
That's a whole lot of ones and zeroes,
0:48
so it requires a hard drive that is capable of reading and writing at a very fast rate.
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You'll need about 8 or 9 megabytes of storage for every minute of track.
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We've found that the best results come from a USB 3.0 drive that spins at 7200 RPM
1:04
and uses an external power supply, like this one.
1:09
However, there are solid state drives without an external power supply that work great too.
1:14
Check out the QSC website for the most recent list of qualified hard drives.
1:19
It's also possible to successfully use a USB thumb drive when recording a single stereo track.
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USB thumb drives come in thousands of models with varying levels of performance.
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If you're going to record with one,
1:33
be sure to test it in a non-critical situation before recording anything that's important to you.
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Regardless of which hard drive or thumb drive you use,
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it will need to be formatted with the FAT32 file system.
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Here's a quick tip: we like to use a two-drive workflow. We have our "archive drive" and our "show drive".
1:54
The archive drive stores all of our sessions and has a much larger storage capacity than our show drive.
2:01
The show drive goes with you to the show. It's always a good idea to format this guy before every performance.
2:07
Afterwards, use your computer to transfer the recordings from the show drive to the archive drive.
2:13
So let’s get started by plugging the show drive into one of the TouchMix's USB ports.
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Like any USB device, it may take up to ten to fifteen seconds for the TouchMix to initialize the hard drive.
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You can access the TouchMix's recording functions by pressing the
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"Record/Play" button next to the touchscreen.
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You'll see your channel faders shrink to about half their normal height,
2:34
and new controls appear at the bottom of the screen.
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To initiate a new recording session or recall an existing one,
2:40
tap the "New/Recall" button. This takes you to the Recording Setup screen.
2:46
Any sessions already on your hard drive are listed in the "USB Sessions" window.
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If you want to work with one of these, simply select it and tap "Recall Session."
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If you're starting a new session, tap the "New Session" button, give it a unique name, and press Enter.
3:04
This is also where you'll select the record pick-off point. For most cases, set this control to the "Pre" position.
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In this mode, your recorded tracks will be unaffected by any channel EQ, gating or compression,
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so you'll have the freedom to adjust them later during the mix-down.
3:21
Choosing "Post" EQ includes the result of all channel EQ and dynamics onto the recorded track.
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When you're done setting up your session, press the "Record/Play" button again
3:30
and you'll see your session's name displayed here.
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Now that you're ready to record, you need to tell the mixer which tracks you want to capture.
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At the bottom of every channel are two controls: "Track" and "Arm".
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When "Track" is activated, the multi-track recording from the hard drive
3:47
becomes the source for the input channel, overriding the channel's mic or line input.
3:52
This will be useful in Playback functions, which we'll cover in another video.
3:56
To record a channel, you'll want to make sure that "Track" is set to off,
4:00
so you'll have access to the "Arm" switch.
4:03
Tap this switch for every channel you want to arm for recording.
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You'll also see the record indicator appear on all of the armed channels.
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Then tap the "Record" button and start playing because the TouchMix is recording.
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Here's a workflow tip, one thing that's very important: When you're done with your session,
4:22
be sure to hit the "Stop" button before you disconnect your hard drive or power down the mixer.
4:27
When you hit the "Stop" button, the TouchMix creates a project file for the session.
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Without that file, you can't recall your recording on the TouchMix,
4:36
or import it into a DAW. Basically, your recording is hosed!
4:40
So far we've been telling you about multi-track recording,
4:44
but what if you just want a stereo recording and you don't want to mix down tracks after the gig?
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Here's what you do: If you go to the "Stereo In/2-Track" Fader Bank,
4:53
you'll see a channel called "2-Track Record."
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Here, you can record the Main Left and Right Mix.
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On the TouchMix-16, you also have the option of recording one of the stereo Aux mixes.
5:05
So why would you want to use the Aux outputs instead of the Main outputs?
5:10
After all, it sounded good in the house, so the recording should sound good, right? Not necessarily.
5:16
Say you've got this guitar player with a screaming four 12 cabinet and a killer amp head.
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His stage volume is so high that you don't really need to put any guitar in the PA.
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Without the PA, the keyboard can't be heard at all.
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For the live sound mix, you would have little if any guitar in the PA, but the keyboard would be really loud.
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The live audience would hear a good balance - plenty of guitar from the stage,
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and plenty of keys from the PA.
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But a recording of the main output will have a lot of keyboard and not much guitar.
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Ironically, the instruments that are loudest on stage will be vastly under-represented in the stereo mix.
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Here's what I'm telling you: a recording from the Main stereo output of the TouchMix
6:05
is only going to sound like what you're sending to the PA,
6:08
but it's not going to capture what your group sounds like in the room.
6:12
With that in mind, you can choose to select the "Aux 7/8" or "Aux 9/10"
6:18
as the source for your 2-track recording.
6:20
Then, set up a mix on the corresponding Aux with the right blend of keyboards and monster guitar rig.
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You'll probably want to use a set of headphones when you're setting these aux levels,
6:30
so that you're not distracted by the PA levels.
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And there is another use for the stereo recording function.
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You could use it to make a mix-down of the multi-track recording on the hard drive.
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Select "Track" as a source for all the input channels and "Main"
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as the source for your 2-track record channel. Then arm the 2-track channel to record.
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Listen to the Main output and mix your tracks so they sound the way you like.
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Then set the Play indicator to the song's start and push the record button.
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The multi-track recording will play back and be mixed to a stereo track.
7:05
So, those are the basics for recording your gig.
7:08
In the next tutorial, we'll show you what to do with your recordings after your gig. See you next time.
Lesson Description
Recording Functions
7m 15s
We'll demonstrate the multi-track recording and playback capabilities of the TouchMix compact digital mixer.
Downloads and Links
Recording Functions
7m 15s