Re: An important mixing question
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:49 pm
Hi Abel,
The problem is that in terms of monitoring you are mixing a Vox amp modeller (Tonelab) with a Jazz guitar amp, the connection you describe will only be recording the amp modeller. The Jazz amp is acting as another monitor speaker, which of course it’s not suited to because it has its own tonal characteristics and this may well be why it doesn’t sound right, but it won’t be part of the recording!
To hear the amp without the BT the normal practice would be mic’ing up the amp, the amp is stand alone and it’s the mic that connects to the mixer. However, there is a problem with this if you don’t wan’t to use headphones as you are recording the BT directly through the mixer and it would also get picked up indirectly by the mic from the PA, causing a slight delay and mismatch. In studios they would be likely to use headphones and in the larger ones possibly sound proof rooms where each could be isolated.
You need to be hearing and monitoring what is actually being recorded, which in this instance is the Tonelab. You could have this going into the amp, which is then connected to the mixer or directly to the mixer, it’s an effects pedal with either mono or stereo instrument level output. The cleanest way of doing this is as described with the Tonelab to mixer because you’re not introducing any amp characteristics which may detract from the Vox tone. I have have actually used this setup in a theatre where there wasn’t enough down time to move amps and pedals on stage, we were having to use long leads so the Tonelab went to a DI box to balance the signal then to the mixer which was all off stage.
What you are hearing from the PA is what an audience would hear if playing live using the Tonelab or something like Line 6 Helix hardware. To monitor properly for pro level recordings you would normally use flat response monitor speakers, these tend to be quite clinical and can take a little getting used to. Playback devices often have some form of colouration to optimise the hardware and enhance the sound, the idea is to do a recording that has a flat/neutral response so they sound as intended on different playback devices (I have very much simplified this so as not too over confuse you too much).
The PA may possibly introduce some characteristics and EQ of its own, but you are recording direct to the camcorder via the mixer, so none of this will be part of the actual recording. In other words anything on the output side of the mixer is not part of the recording, anything going into the mixer and settings on the mixer is!
Your mixer is fine, generally speaking it’s pretty much how they work, although you can get more complex mixers with advanced features and routing options (yours is pretty well specified anyway).
Regards
Gary
The problem is that in terms of monitoring you are mixing a Vox amp modeller (Tonelab) with a Jazz guitar amp, the connection you describe will only be recording the amp modeller. The Jazz amp is acting as another monitor speaker, which of course it’s not suited to because it has its own tonal characteristics and this may well be why it doesn’t sound right, but it won’t be part of the recording!
To hear the amp without the BT the normal practice would be mic’ing up the amp, the amp is stand alone and it’s the mic that connects to the mixer. However, there is a problem with this if you don’t wan’t to use headphones as you are recording the BT directly through the mixer and it would also get picked up indirectly by the mic from the PA, causing a slight delay and mismatch. In studios they would be likely to use headphones and in the larger ones possibly sound proof rooms where each could be isolated.
You need to be hearing and monitoring what is actually being recorded, which in this instance is the Tonelab. You could have this going into the amp, which is then connected to the mixer or directly to the mixer, it’s an effects pedal with either mono or stereo instrument level output. The cleanest way of doing this is as described with the Tonelab to mixer because you’re not introducing any amp characteristics which may detract from the Vox tone. I have have actually used this setup in a theatre where there wasn’t enough down time to move amps and pedals on stage, we were having to use long leads so the Tonelab went to a DI box to balance the signal then to the mixer which was all off stage.
What you are hearing from the PA is what an audience would hear if playing live using the Tonelab or something like Line 6 Helix hardware. To monitor properly for pro level recordings you would normally use flat response monitor speakers, these tend to be quite clinical and can take a little getting used to. Playback devices often have some form of colouration to optimise the hardware and enhance the sound, the idea is to do a recording that has a flat/neutral response so they sound as intended on different playback devices (I have very much simplified this so as not too over confuse you too much).
The PA may possibly introduce some characteristics and EQ of its own, but you are recording direct to the camcorder via the mixer, so none of this will be part of the actual recording. In other words anything on the output side of the mixer is not part of the recording, anything going into the mixer and settings on the mixer is!
Your mixer is fine, generally speaking it’s pretty much how they work, although you can get more complex mixers with advanced features and routing options (yours is pretty well specified anyway).
Regards
Gary