(Ben Wilson) wrote in message . com...
What is the typical signal chain for tracking hardware synths? Synth
to direct box to pre-amp to channel to tape? I've been told just to
use line in as the direct box and pre amp would just emphasize noise,
and I'm wondering if that is bull****. (synths I'm using are things
like Matrix 6r, Yamaha TX 7, ensoniq eps sampler, etc...) Any help
would be appreciated.

Depends on what you've got really. If your preamps are nothing special
I would think that the line ins would be preferable, otherwise you are
taking line outs, converting them to a lower level, then reamplifying
them back to line level. Then again, some line ins on consoles are
just padded before the mic pres on the console.

If your mic pre is cool sounding, or has DI inputs (real ones, not
just padded inputs to the mic pre section) you might try using it.

One unit I have found that sounds great on thin sounding ROMpler
keyboards is the Great River MP-2NV, just about any synth sounds
better going through the DI's on that unit.

If you are running a really long line, you might want to use a DI, but
I run unbalanced outputs from synths 20 - 30 feet all the time without
much additional noise or signal loss.

What kind of mic pres would you be running into?

Analogeezer

(Ben Wilson) wrote in message . com...
What is the typical signal chain for tracking hardware synths? Synth
to direct box to pre-amp to channel to tape? I've been told just to
use line in as the direct box and pre amp would just emphasize noise,
and I'm wondering if that is bull****. (synths I'm using are things
like Matrix 6r, Yamaha TX 7, ensoniq eps sampler, etc...) Any help
would be appreciated.

it depends on the kind of preamp you've got. mackie pre's sound like
crap for this application (IMHO). but older stuff like telefunken
tube pre's and trident, neve, and api stuff can add a nice texture.
might be useful to fatten up drums and bass if you're doing clubby
stuff. about the cheapest thing worth trying is probably the Aphex
Tubessence 107 pre.

SAN FRANCISCO SOUNDWORKS
www.sfsoundworks.com
415.503.1110 vox
___________________________________________
The only SSL 9000 mix room in Northern California

stick a mic in front of the cab, its a lot warmer


"tony espinoza" wrote in message
om...
(Ben Wilson) wrote in message
. com...
What is the typical signal chain for tracking hardware synths? Synth
to direct box to pre-amp to channel to tape? I've been told just to
use line in as the direct box and pre amp would just emphasize noise,
and I'm wondering if that is bull****. (synths I'm using are things
like Matrix 6r, Yamaha TX 7, ensoniq eps sampler, etc...) Any help
would be appreciated.

it depends on the kind of preamp you've got. mackie pre's sound like
crap for this application (IMHO). but older stuff like telefunken
tube pre's and trident, neve, and api stuff can add a nice texture.
might be useful to fatten up drums and bass if you're doing clubby
stuff. about the cheapest thing worth trying is probably the Aphex
Tubessence 107 pre.

SAN FRANCISCO SOUNDWORKS
www.sfsoundworks.com
415.503.1110 vox
___________________________________________
The only SSL 9000 mix room in Northern California

Preamps will hopfully be of the older Soundcraft 600- ish variety


(Analogeezer) wrote in message . com...
(Ben Wilson) wrote in message . com...
What is the typical signal chain for tracking hardware synths? Synth
to direct box to pre-amp to channel to tape? I've been told just to
use line in as the direct box and pre amp would just emphasize noise,
and I'm wondering if that is bull****. (synths I'm using are things
like Matrix 6r, Yamaha TX 7, ensoniq eps sampler, etc...) Any help
would be appreciated.

Depends on what you've got really. If your preamps are nothing special
I would think that the line ins would be preferable, otherwise you are
taking line outs, converting them to a lower level, then reamplifying
them back to line level. Then again, some line ins on consoles are
just padded before the mic pres on the console.

If your mic pre is cool sounding, or has DI inputs (real ones, not
just padded inputs to the mic pre section) you might try using it.

One unit I have found that sounds great on thin sounding ROMpler
keyboards is the Great River MP-2NV, just about any synth sounds
better going through the DI's on that unit.

If you are running a really long line, you might want to use a DI, but
I run unbalanced outputs from synths 20 - 30 feet all the time without
much additional noise or signal loss.

What kind of mic pres would you be running into?

Analogeezer

(Ben Wilson) wrote in message . com...
Preamps will hopfully be of the older Soundcraft 600- ish variety


You might try them, I'm not real sure about that design, is there a
separate line in path, or does it just route a padded signal to the
channel? Mike Rivers should know, he owns one of them (a Soundcraft
600).

Your TX7 and Matrix 6R are pretty different sounding though, I'd say
the TX would benefit from a darker pre whereas the Matrix might not.

Another cool thing I have found for keyboards is the Hughes and
Kettner Rotoshere...it's a Leslie emulator with a tube preamp.

It has a "brake" switch, which stops the "rotors".

We take thin sounding synths or patches, route them through the
Rotosphere, and put a brick on the brake switch (say that fast four
times) to just route through the electronics of the unit. It can add
some noise, hash, and dirt to the sound, but sometimes that's just
what patch needs.

I've never had good luck routing synths through guitar amps, too much
level from the synth whacks out the amps preamp, and then the
frequency response doesn't really line up with the output of the synth
patches. It rolls off the real high end, but the 2k stuff that gets
really piercing comes through just fine.

Of course, YMMV.

Analogeezer