Recording in 4.0

[Skybird74]

Trying to understand how the Recording feature works, it sounds like the music records directly from the hard drive while playing. Then you add the microphone to be able to mix the two.

How does this work at a Show so I can record myself? My mic is plugged into an Amp. Can I record what comes out of the Amp by plugging this into the Mic on my laptop? When this cause the recorder to hear the music twice?

What is the purpose of turning the Mic Off when recording? Won't that just record music that is already on the hard drive?

Sorry I'm dumb on this one?

[Skybird74]

I see where it says "Record Microphone Only" can be used. I think this answers my question.

Can a whole Show be saved without clicking on "Save As" after each song?

[admin]

Clicking the RECORD button will record the signal at the Microphone input. If you don't click the STOP button until the end of your show, you recorded the whole thing.

Be aware that this is recording at 44.100 samples/second STEREO .WAV file so it writes directly to an Audio CD. DO NOT record over about 79 minutes or you can't write the file to an 80 minute CD. Yes, you could use an audio editor and split up the .wav file if you want to. Just want to make sure you understand the limitations on doing the whole thing.

Also, make sure you have the disc space: 10.6MB/minute record time.

[Skybird74]

Thanks. That explains a lot.

If I stop recording after 79 minutes, as I understand it, it must then be saved ("save as"), or the next time I hit Record, the new recording will go over the previous one. Is that correct?

I have 20 Gigs on my laptop to put recorded music on.

Another question: Is 512mg RAM enough to run a Show with Hoster & record with MicroStudio at the same time?

[admin]

Originally Posted by Skybird74

Thanks. That explains a lot.

If I stop recording after 79 minutes, as I understand it, it must then be saved ("save as"), or the next time I hit Record, the new recording will go over the previous one. Is that correct?

I have 20 Gigs on my laptop to put recorded music on.

Another question: Is 512mg RAM enough to run a Show with Hoster & record with MicroStudio at the same time?

Please.... read the manual.

512MB RAM, try it at home, not before your audience. If it works ON YOUR COMPUTER, then you have the answer. If it doesn't then you have your answer also.

If you upgrade to VISTA (whch we DO NOT recommend if you already have XP), you would need 2GB of RAM minimum, and a Video card with more RAM also. Vista is very hungry for resources.

[Skybird74]

Yes, I understand the RAM requirements, but RAM does fill up when doing a Show for 4-6 hours. My concern was how much RAM it would use if I keep MicroStudio running & recording for hours at a time while doing a Show with Hoster - I don't have that many hours in a row at home to do the same I would do on stage, particulary not in time to try it out tonight.

Yes, I read the Manual about Recording & I just wanted to make sure I understood it correctly. You said it would record until I hit Stop, but I did read where it says, it will stop recording after each song & record over the previous if you don't save it. However, it doesn't specify it this means whether you're playing from MicroStudio or from Hoster. From practicing with this feature at home, it appears that if it is with "Mic On" while playing from Hoster, then it will continue until it is stopped. That says to me that the explanation in the Manual refers to recording while playing a song using MicroStudio where it will go over each recording unless saved.

However, I hit record (with Mic Off) while playing a song with MicroStudio & then played it back. The sound was so low it could hardly be heard, although the volume level was as high as it could go.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Skybird74

I see where it says "Record Microphone Only" can be used. I think this answers my question.

Can a whole Show be saved without clicking on "Save As" after each song?

For one you are talking apples and oranges. You don't use Microstudio to run a show. That requires Hoster, which as yet doesn't have the record capability.

[Skybird74]

If you'll read my first post about this, I specifically asked about using the Record feature in MicroStudio at a Show using Hoster and was told it could be done by Admin. I wanted to learn as much as possible before trying it "Live" at my Show tonight.

OK, I just came home from doing a Show. Yes, you can record a Live Show. However, when I plugged into the microphone from my Amp, it muted the music so much, that it sounded terrible, until I pulled the plug out from the microphone in my laptop. So, I did my Show as usual with Hoster & did not record anything. Just thought I'd try ...

If Hoster 4.0 includes a Record feature, I am sure it will work much better. For now, I personally would not recommend using MicroStudio to record a live Show that is run with Hoster.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Skybird74

If you'll read my first post about this, I specifically asked about using the Record feature in MicroStudio at a Show using Hoster and was told it could be done by Admin. I wanted to learn as much as possible before trying it "Live" at my Show tonight.

OK, I just came home from doing a Show. Yes, you can record a Live Show. However, when I plugged into the microphone from my Amp, it muted the music so much, that it sounded terrible, until I pulled the plug out from the microphone in my laptop. So, I did my Show as usual with Hoster & did not record anything. Just thought I'd try ...

If Hoster 4.0 includes a Record feature, I am sure it will work much better. For now, I personally would not recommend using MicroStudio to record a live Show that is run with Hoster.

You didn't say anything about Hoster in your first post but no matter. The Hoster recorder will be the same setup. You will still need to get the microphone output back to the mic in/line in input of your laptop to record your singers. Your problem with the decreased output was probably an impedence mismatch. The laptop input is usually a low impedence and your output from the amp may be a high impedence output.

[Skybird74]

I was sure that I had mentioned "Hoster" somewhere, but I couldn't find it either. However, I do see that I asked if I could record with MicroStudio "while doing a Show", which of course is done with Hoster.

What you said about mis-matched impedence makes sense, but how would you fix this? Is there something that can be used between the Amp and laptop that would solve this problem?

If this is a hardware issue, it sounds like a problem that everyone will come across when trying to record. Hopefully Admin will read this and have an answer for us.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Skybird74

I was sure that I had mentioned "Hoster" somewhere, but I couldn't find it either. However, I do see that I asked if I could record with MicroStudio "while doing a Show", which of course is done with Hoster.

What you said about mis-matched impedence makes sense, but how would you fix this? Is there something that can be used between the Amp and laptop that would solve this problem?

If this is a hardware issue, it sounds like a problem that everyone will come across when trying to record. Hopefully Admin will read this and have an answer for us.

Where exactly are you taking the Amp output from? Is it an amplified output or a pre-amplified output? What you feed back to the sound card needs to be a very low level (milliwatts) just like a microphone would output. I take it you have mixer-amplifier combination unit. What brand and model is it? If I can look up the specs on it then I would have a better idea of how to deal with this.

[Skybird74]

I am using a Yamaha EMX640 that I have been using for about 10 years now. It is still being sold on the market as one of the best amps out there. On the front are "Record Out" jacks specifically for this purpose, which in the past I would use to go directly into my cassette recorder.

I still have the book which states: "output jacks which send line level signals from the EMX640 to external devices. A stereo recording device such as a cassette rcorder or MD recorder can be connected to the REC OUT jacks"

The output specs are as follows:
Actual source impedance: 600(icon that looks like a headset)
Norman impedance: 10k(icon...) Lines
Nominal output level: -10dBV (316 mV)
Max. output level before clipping: +10 dBV (3.16 V)

Do you have any idea what all that means?

[ddouglass]

What you are looking for is this:
Actual source impedance: 600 ohms (that is what the symbol means)

Now what we need to know is the input impedence of the sound card. Do you have separate Line In and Microphone jacks or is there only one?

[Skybird74]

I have an HP laptop with a microphone in. I've never seen a laptop with a "line-in" in addition to the microphone in - do you know which models have both?

I went to HP re troubleshooting "recording". Below is what they had to say: (the microphone boost was already disabled - would enabling it help?)

Fixing feedback, noise, and static problems
If the Microphone Boost feature is enabled, noise can interfere with recording. Use the following steps to check for and disable the Microphone Boost feature:

1. In Windows XP, click Start, and then Control Panel.
   In Windows 95, 98, and Me, click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.
2. In Windows XP, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then Sounds and Audio Devices.
   In Windows 95, 98, and Me, double-click Sounds and Multimedia or Multimedia.
3. Click the Voice tab.
4. Click Volume inside Voice Recording or Voice Capture.
5. Click Advanced inside the Balance adjustment for the microphone. If the Advanced option window does not display, select Options and click Advanced Controls (Advanced Controls may not be available on some models).
6. In Advanced Controls for Microphone, select 1 Microphone Boost or +20dB Gain.
7. Click Close and close all Windows. Try recording again.

[ddouglass]

Here is a good article on microphones and impedence:
http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/mi...impedance.html

Most of the laptops I've seen have either. If it is a line-in jack then it is usable for an external player too. Your better quality desktops with a full soundcard will have both as separate inputs. ANy idea what sound card is in your laptop?