Setting up Busses help!

[kokomo]

The manual makes suggestions. But what is a good setup?
I'm a Lambda user. I won't be recording more than 2 twacks at once.
(Siwy Wabbit!) i.e. 2 mono microphones. or inputting a Line in / stereo signal
(Drum machine, Stereo Keyboard, or Stereo Vocal / Guitar effect.)

But I don't know about what else is good for a simple one/two man setup. I also don't know what's needed for monitoring. Headphones.
Or Midi tracks. Is that internal within the computer?
I am knowlegable about analogue 4track cassette. Of course, more tracks to mixdown is great, but this bus thingie is kinda new.

So any basic flexible suggestions for the Lambada/ Lambda?
What would you use? Thanks very much for any help!

[brandondrury]

It sounds like you are asking...."What should I blow my money on next?".

If so, I'd check out the modern drum samples. Superior Drummer 2.0 is incredible. I just got it and I HIGHLY recommend it!

I also don't know what's needed for monitoring.

Either headphones or studio monitors. I just ordered the
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones which I've read nothing but great things about.

As for actual studio monitors, who knows!
Budget Studio Monitors: Do They Work?

Or Midi tracks. Is that internal within the computer?

I'm not sure what you are asking.

[Vulconizer]

What is it that you want to know about busses?

How to route your sound out to a monitoring device?

How to set up inputs?

[kokomo]

Thanks, yes! The term "set-up" can mean physical equipment. And later, I will ask about that!

I mean set-up Buses.
The term "busses" are not fully understood by me. A little maybe.

I can get around a fostex 4 track cassette. No Brainer! All in front of you...plug the mic in track 1's input, record! Plug stereo into track
2 & 3's inputs...record.

Now on computer, I will be probebly recording at the most, 2 mics. Or a stereo signal. At a time.
Mostly 1 track here, one track later. It's just me and occasionaly a guest musician.

Now, in order to use the Lambada with Cubase, it suggests a stereo in,
and 2 extra mono ins. And one stereo out.
So, me, like a monkey, obeys this suggestion.
Except, I want to know if there are any "smarter " setups to use.
I would like to hear someone explain to me, "This is what I use, and this is why.." or " There's a cute little shortcut trick you can do if you..."
Or "don't forget to save this set-up"
So, thanks for the help, if you can!

I wanna get to recording! I already tested the Lambda and Cubase,
It records, it works! Better said...."IT"S AAAAALLLLIVEEE!"
But I want the comfort of having it set-up so I can throw meat at it!

[Vulconizer]

Busses and buses are the same thing to me. I spell them either way at times, just because I am weird like that.

I'm sure someone can come up with a better explanation of busses than I can. I have sat here and tried 3 times and each one seems to me as if I might confuse the crap out of anyone who tried to read it. I was getting too technical, I think.
One of those things that I'd have a much easier time showing with the actual program up, rather than trying to write about.

I always took it as if your signal hopped on a cross-town bus. You put it on the bus that's going to where you need it to.

If you have a track and you want it heard, it needs to ride the bus that will end up getting it to your speakers.

If the track needs to go to an effect, then it hops the bus that goes to that effect. The track then hops another bus that goes from the effect to the output.

The output signal is what goes into your speakers.

You have to be the guy that sets up how the bus line runs. This is called " routing ".

You have yourself up and recording, so you have a handle on some of it at least. Rock on. Experiment.

Have fun with it.

[kokomo]

Thanks for the help Vulcanizer!!
I appreciate it! It makes sense to me.
I think I'll ask another question on the forum.

[brandondrury]

Now, in order to use the Lambada with Cubase, it suggests a stereo in,
and 2 extra mono ins. And one stereo out.
So, me, like a monkey, obeys this suggestion.
Except, I want to know if there are any "smarter " setups to use.
I would like to hear someone explain to me, "This is what I use, and this is why.." or " There's a cute little shortcut trick you can do if you..."
Or "don't forget to save this set-up"
So, thanks for the help, if you can!

Vulcanizer explained it pretty well with his clever "bus" analogy. That's okay. I have him beat. In my upcoming home recording book I have a room acoustics / cheating on your wife analogy.

Anyway, there is nothing clever about setting up the ins and outs of Cubase. I don't even call these busses. Technically, they are I guess, but to me it's just an issue of activating inputs. So if you want to activate inputs 1 and 2 on your audio interface just toss up a "bus" in the F4 menu and make sure that 1/2 from your souncard feed that bus. That's the extent of it.

When I think of a bus in audio, I think of what Cubase called "Group Tracks" where you route all the drums to one bus, all the guitars to another, etc.

Brandon

[kokomo]

Thanks O' Honorable Grand Poobah!
You have a really needed site! I like the no spreading lies part.
I used to visit another place, and man the Bologna was so deep you had to wear chest waders with built in stilts (the circus variety).
I used to think, "Where's all the music?"
It seemed everybody was only interested how superior their boutique guitar amp was to anybody elses, and how much a certain famous guitar players sucked.
It was kinda like King of the Hill. (the game)

But, I have a few more questions if you, (and anyone else) please...
Believe me, I am learning everything you tell me!
Cubase again.. Mainly Project menu/Add track/...
1.)What's the diff between audio tracks and instrument?
Instrument has choices...no VST and HALionOne. What's Diff there?
And each track has an "count" selection box to add what? More tracks?? So, Track #1 can have 100 tracks? In Stereo even????
2.)With old tape multitracks, you needed 2 tracks to produce stereo.
Cubase tracks give a choice of mono or stereo. Stereo on a single track???? Waz up wit dat? And again...a "count" box!
And then...Group channel..up to 100 on a track. Please Help me wrap my Jello pudding loving brain around that!
3.) My only experience editing MIDI is with old Cakewalk Pro 9.
A midi-file may have many tracks. Does that mean I need to
add many Midi tracks to Cubse to hold whatever I load into it?
One track with a large number assigned in the "count" box? Or Just alot more midi tracks?

Thanks! er....did I tell you I love you? ...No?
Mahalo Brah!!

[brandondrury]

I used to visit another place, and man the Bologna was so deep you had to wear chest waders with built in stilts (the circus variety).
I used to think, "Where's all the music?"
It seemed everybody was only interested how superior their boutique guitar amp was to anybody elses, and how much a certain famous guitar players sucked.
It was kinda like King of the Hill. (the game)

Yup. I don't know why so many music sites get this way, but they do. It seems like a community without the excessive egos or whatever would provide a superior environment for making killer ruckus.

1.)What's the diff between audio tracks and instrument?

Audio tracks physically record a wav file from whatever audio signal you are cramming into your audio interface from a mic or line level source.

2.)With old tape multitracks, you needed 2 tracks to produce stereo.
Cubase tracks give a choice of mono or stereo. Stereo on a single track???? Waz up wit dat? And again...a "count" box!

It's common in computer land to combine the two inputs to a single stereo track. You could just as easily use two mono tracks too. You get a bit more control with two independent mono tracks, but there is a convenience when using the stereo track. It just depends on what you want. You still have to send it 2 individual signals.

And then...Group channel..up to 100 on a track. Please Help me wrap my Jello pudding loving brain around that!

These are just busses from analog land. A great a group channel and name it "drums'. That's my drum bus. I route the output of all drum tracks to the drum bus. Then I can compress or EQ the entire drum signal. It's also handy for reducing the level of all the drums at once.

3.) My only experience editing MIDI is with old Cakewalk Pro 9.
A midi-file may have many tracks. Does that mean I need to
add many Midi tracks to Cubse to hold whatever I load into it?
One track with a large number assigned in the "count" box? Or Just alot more midi tracks?

Could you rephrase that one? I'm not exactly sure what you are asking.

Brandon

[Vulconizer]

The count number that you see in the creating a track dialogue window is just asking how many tracks do you want to create at that time. You can create just one track ( mono or stereo ) or you can go ahead and create as many tracks as you think you'll need for all the instruments and vocals at one time. You will " usually " only put one thing on one track, same as in analogue.

You're just being given the ability to set up what you think you may need ahead of time. Or, if you want to make copies of a guitar track, then you can make like 4 copies or whatever if you want to do the paste thing.

The same thing goes for creating Midi tracks. It is just asking how many midi tracks do you want to create at that particular time. If it's only 1, then cool.

It is up to you to decide if you want to create say, 4 midi tracks and then put a bass synth on one, then later a piano part on the next, and a violin part on one of the others after that.

Yeah, Brandon. I tend to think of group channels and effects channels as the real busses for the most part, but I figured the concept also carries across to the whole signal chain pretty much. I was just hoping the idea of thinking about what signal you have and where all it needs to go would be grasped the easiest way possible.