AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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| Week 10 |
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1. Explain why it is common for a multitrack hard disk recording system to be able to store more tracks in synchronisation than it can play simultaneously.
2. Explain why some multitrack hard disk recording systems can play back much slower than normal speed, but only a little faster.
3. State TWO major advantages of hard disk recording systems over digital tape recorders.
4. Describe THREE major operational advantages of having two modular digital multitrack recorders such as the ADAT or DTRS formats over a format which records sixteen tracks on the same tape on a single machine.
5. Explain why the punch in process on a hard disk recorder is more flexible than that on an analogue or digital tape recorder.
6. With reference to an analogue multi-track recorder briefly explain
a) the term `sync' output
b) why the `sync' output is required when overdubbing.
7. It is common for a multitrack hard disk recording system to be able to store more tracks in synchronisation than it can play simultaneously. Why is this?
8. Some hard disk recording systems have mixing facilities so that several tracks can be mixed into a stereo output. If no other outputs are available why must the system incorporate reverb internally?
9. What are the two major advantages of hard disk recording systems over digital tape recorders?
10. What piece of equipment is necessary to use a sequencer with a multitrack tape recorder?
b) Why is it preferable to use MTC rather than MIDI clocks and Song Position Pointers when synchronising a sequencer to a tape recorder?
c) If MIDI Machine Control (MMC) is not used, describe briefly the two distinct stages of operation when recording a piece of sequenced music to multitrack tape.
d) What is the advantage of MMC?
e) In a system using MMC, while playback or recording progresses the multitrack and sequencer will be running in sync. At this moment which is master and which is slave?
11. You have been given an unlabelled tape to play which starts with a warbling tone. What noise reduction system might have been used?
b) You have been given an unlabelled tape to play which starts with noise. What noise reduction system might have been used?
c) Name three domestic noise reduction systems invented by the Dolby company.
d) Give the name of another fairly common analogue noise reduction system.
e) Where would you find the ATRAC digital noise reduction system?
12. When recording onto analogue or digital multitrack tape, in a situation where synchronisation is going to be used, what procedure must be carried out before any recording can begin?
b) Your studio manager has given you a multitrack tape containing music and timecode to copy. What must you do to ensure that the timecode is copied correctly?
c) A multitrack tape of a band with no sequenced instruments was striped with timecode at the start of the session and has subsequently been edited? Would it be good practice to use the existing timecode as a synchronisation reference for the console automation system during the mix?
d) Referring to c) above, why would it not be a problem to re-stripe the tape with timecode and erase the original timecode, even if the generator does not have a jam sync function?
e) You have striped timecode on track 24 of an analogue tape and recorded a bass guitar on track 23. When you try and synchronise a MIDI sequencer using a cheap timecode to MTC convertor, the sequencer often stops or loses sync. Why?
13. When working with MIDI and multitrack tape, does the multitrack recorder synchronise to the sequencer or does the sequencer synchronise to the multitrack tape?
b) When working with an ADAT recorder, why wouldn’t you necessarily have to stripe the tape with timecode to synchronise a sequencer?
c) Imagine that several tracks of a MIDI sequence have been transferred to multitrack tape. The producer decides that he wants to varispeed the tape a little faster. Should this be done before or after the remaining sequencer tracks have been transferred to tape? Explain your answer.
14. Noise reduction systems such as dbx and Dolby cause the noise level in a recording to vary. Explain why this is so.
15. You have been asked to remix a song (in the sense of creating a completely new version) originally made on multitrack tape in the early 1970s.
a) What would be the main problem in synchronising a sequencer to the original tape?
b) If you decided only to use the vocal track from the original recording, how would you make the lines fit in time with your new MIDI sequencer arrangement?
c) Suppose you want the song to be around 15% faster in tempo. What should you do to speed up the vocals?
d) The record company decides that it wants to keep a lot of the original instrumentation, but also likes your strict tempo MIDI sequence. What type of equipment should you use to put everything together?
16. You are working with a multitrack recorder that will slave to SMPTE/EBU timecode from (for instance) a video machine, but has no other means by which it may be externally controlled. Imagine you stop the master machine, rewind the tape to the beginning and start playing. What will the multitrack do?
17. What is the frame rate of NTSC?
18. What is the frame rate of PAL (and SECAM)?
19. What is 'drop frame timecode'?
20. Comment on the requirements for recording timecode onto analog tape
21. Comment on the problems that occur when using timecode on analog tape
22. Why must timecode be regenerated when it is copied?
23. What is an 'offset'?
_________________
It's all in the ears. - Learn the concepts not the software.
Audio Courses is a way into the music business for you
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Mon May 08, 2006 11:42 am |
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electrosushi
Tape Op
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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| answers right here |
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1. Explain why it is common for a multitrack hard disk recording system to be able to store more tracks in synchronisation than it can play simultaneously.
Often a HD recorder offers a certain numbers of inputs on which the system can record simultaneously, these tracks can then be stored and on top of these it is possible to add other tracks, punched in.
So this make the HD system work modularly and it is possible to build up a number of tracks all synchronized, the number of these tracks is bigger than the the number of track that the system can record simultaneously.
2. Explain why some multitrack hard disk recording systems can play back much slower than normal speed, but only a little faster.
This is also due to the structure of the disk, every track implies work for the all system, unlike a tape recorder which reads anything that goes through it, the HD needs to process every track, that's why when playing slower the amount of work is lighter than when playing back at higher speed.
3. State TWO major advantages of hard disk recording systems over digital tape recorders.
One advantage is given by the editing capabilities of HD, data can be found and edited in much quicker way than a digital tape recorder, also HD does not suffer of any loss of quality of the data as much as a digital tape.
4. Describe THREE major operational advantages of having two modular digital multitrack recorders such as the ADAT or DTRS formats over a format which records sixteen tracks on the same tape on a single machine.
- A major advantage is the possibility of bouncing the tracks of the first machine onto a number of the second making possible to extend the mix virtually for ever.
- Certainly if 1 unit fails, it is handy to have second one, so the production would not be completely stopped.
- By recording 8 tracks onto a tape, the space that each track takes can be increased thus it would be possible to obtain a higher definition.
5. Explain why the punch in process on a hard disk recorder is more flexible than that on an analogue or digital tape recorder.
Whenever a tape recorder is performing a punch-in the fact that the recording head is placed before the reading head, makes the all punch-in process challenging, on a HD system the punch-in is easily done and does not create any unwanted effect on the recording.
6. With reference to an analogue multi-track recorder briefly explain
a) the term `sync' output
b) why the `sync' output is required when overdubbing.
A tape recorder switched on sync output when monitoring the recording, the output signals are synchronized with the signal being recorded, this also explain why it is necessary to use this sync when overdubbing, in this way there will be no latency and the overdub can be done following the playback.
7. It is common for a multitrack hard disk recording system to be able to store more tracks in synchronisation than it can play simultaneously. Why is this?
Often a HD recorder offers a certain numbers of inputs on which the system can record simultaneously, these tracks can then be stored and on top of these is possible to add other tracks, punched in.
So this make the HD system work modularly and it is possible to build up a number of tracks all synchronized, the number of these tracks is bigger than the the number of track that the system can record simultaneously.
8. Some hard disk recording systems have mixing facilities so that several tracks can be mixed into a stereo output. If no other outputs are available why must the system incorporate reverb internally?
In a situation where a HD system has 1 output, it is useful to have an on-board reverb in order to add specific amount of reverb to each track.
9. What are the two major advantages of hard disk recording systems over digital tape recorders?
One advantage is given by the editing capabilities of HD, data can be found and edited in much quicker way than a digital tape recorder, also HD does not suffer of any loss of quality of the data as much as a digital tape.
10. What piece of equipment is necessary to use a sequencer with a multitrack tape recorder?
An audio interface with sync options MIDI/SMPTE, as the 2 devices need to work in synchronization.
b) Why is it preferable to use MTC rather than MIDI clocks and Song Position Pointers when synchronising a sequencer to a tape recorder?
MTC is the SMPTE translated adapted and sent through a MIDI cable, it is independent of musical tempo and expresses elapsed time in hours, minutes, seconds and frames, and all the common SMPTE variants have an MTC equivalent.
c) If MIDI Machine Control (MMC) is not used, describe briefly the two distinct stages of operation when recording a piece of sequenced music to multitrack tape.
First of all it would be necessary to stripe the tape by recording on one track of the tape the time code, then it is necessary to set the starting point for all the devices and any offset if necessary.
d) What is the advantage of MMC?
MMC is an "evolution" of the MIDI as it allows through the same MIDI cable to send sync information (via standard MIDI) and also control several devices from one, it is capable of sending SysEx, system exclusive messages capable of controlling each device.
e) In a system using MMC, while playback or recording progresses the multitrack and sequencer will be running in sync. At this moment which is master and which is slave?
In such scenario, the sequencer would transmit the play input to the tape recorder, which starts to sent MTC signals to the sequencer, thus the tape recorder still acts as master, but follows inputs of play, stop, rewind and go to position using MMC.
11. You have been given an unlabelled tape to play which starts with a warbling tone. What noise reduction system might have been used?
In case of such a tone I would understand that Dolby A noise reduction system as the warbling tone is set at the beginning of the recording to be used to calibrate the filters when starting the playback.
b) You have been given an unlabelled tape to play which starts with noise. What noise reduction system might have been used?
In case I hear a pink noise, than I would know that Dolby SR has been used and needs to decoded
c) Name three domestic noise reduction systems invented by the Dolby company.
Dolby B
Dolby S
Dolby HX
d) Give the name of another fairly common analogue noise reduction system.
DBX, it operates by applying a fixed ratio of compression to the signal, on playback a the DBX is than decoded
e) Where would you find the ATRAC digital noise reduction system?
ATRAC is a noise reduction system developed by Sony, it can be found on minidisks system and other Sony branded devices, it is common technology applied to minidisks as other MD makers uses it.
12. When recording onto analogue or digital multitrack tape, in a situation where synchronisation is going to be used, what procedure must be carried out before any recording can begin?
It is necessary to establish the synchronization order of the devices to be used, in many cases, the recorder must be set as master and the sequencer the slave so that time code is also copied correctly.
b) Your studio manager has given you a multitrack tape containing music and timecode to copy. What must you do to ensure that the timecode is copied correctly?
The time code may contain errors, in order to make sure that any error is overwritten it is possible to use the jam sync which will dictate a new time code on which the slave will be synchronized.
c) A multitrack tape of a band with no sequenced instruments was striped with timecode at the start of the session and has subsequently been edited? Would it be good practice to use the existing timecode as a synchronisation reference for the console automation system during the mix?
The time code registered on the tape may not be reliable, it can be useful to generate a new time code to refresh it and have good reference.
d) Referring to c) above, why would it not be a problem to re-stripe the tape with timecode and erase the original timecode, even if the generator does not have a jam sync function?
Since the tape does not contain a good time code reference, a newer time code would set it.
e) You have striped timecode on track 24 of an analogue tape and recorded a bass guitar on track 23. When you try and synchronise a MIDI sequencer using a cheap timecode to MTC convertor, the sequencer often stops or loses sync. Why?
The track 23, newly recorded may have written a time code slightly different, in front of this scenario the master devices stops its playback when in front of an error on the time code.
13. When working with MIDI and multitrack tape, does the multitrack recorder synchronise to the sequencer or does the sequencer synchronise to the multitrack tape?
Generally the multitrack tape operates as master, due to its mechanical features, in this way there would be less possibility of errors in the synchronization.
b) When working with an ADAT recorder, why wouldn’t you necessarily have to stripe the tape with timecode to synchronise a sequencer?
The synchronization capabilities of ADAT Optical Digital Interface allow this system to have a sample accuracy when synchronized with other devices, so it wouldn't be needed to re-stripe down the time code.
c) Imagine that several tracks of a MIDI sequence have been transferred to multitrack tape. The producer decides that he wants to varispeed the tape a little faster. Should this be done before or after the remaining sequencer tracks have been transferred to tape? Explain your answer.
The MIDI sequences are all synchronized, whenever it's time to change the speed all the tracks should be laid down and made sure that they all are synchronize, then it would be possible to change the speed without any loss of sync. In case the tracks would be passed on to tape and then change the speed, the pitch would change leading to problems.
14. Noise reduction systems such as dbx and Dolby cause the noise level in a recording to vary. Explain why this is so.
By removing the noise, the Noise reduction systems alter the high frequencies, in order to compensate the noise picked up the effect applied may impact the recording accordingly to the settings of compression, therefore depending by the different levels of the song the NRS output changes.
15. You have been asked to remix a song (in the sense of creating a completely new version) originally made on multitrack tape in the early 1970s.
a) What would be the main problem in synchronising a sequencer to the original tape?
It is possible that the tape has a corrupted time code written on, so it may come useful to generate a new time code for the song.
b) If you decided only to use the vocal track from the original recording, how would you make the lines fit in time with your new MIDI sequencer arrangement?
I would import the vocal track onto my audio sequencer so any adjustment and editing can be done with the same system that will edit the remix.
c) Suppose you want the song to be around 15% faster in tempo. What should you do to speed up the vocals?
In order to obtain the best results in terms of quality I would play the tape 15% faster when importing it on the sequencer, than I would adjust the pitch keeping as reference the original tape.
d) The record company decides that it wants to keep a lot of the original instrumentation, but also likes your strict tempo MIDI sequence. What type of equipment should you use to put everything together?
I would sample the parts of each track so when I would be assemble in my re-mix they would stay in tempo.
16. You are working with a multitrack recorder that will slave to SMPTE/EBU timecode from (for instance) a video machine, but has no other means by which it may be externally controlled. Imagine you stop the master machine, rewind the tape to the beginning and start playing. What will the multitrack do?
The multi track remains in the position where it got stopped as it does not respond to inputs given by the video machine.
17. What is the frame rate of NTSC?
29.97 FPS
18. What is the frame rate of PAL (and SECAM)?
25 FPS
19. What is 'drop frame timecode'?
In order to maintain synchronization with the audio, the NTSC format needs to drop a frame every time the counter clocks at XX:XX:00:00 at XX:XX:00:01 and also XX:X0:XX:XX, this is necessary because when the NTSC with the frame rate of 29.97 would loose its sync with the SMPTE time code.
20. Comment on the requirements for recording timecode onto analog tape
It is important to make sure that all synchronization is done properly by setting master and slaves, also important is to make sure that I have all the equipment necessary to convert the MTC (from the sequencer) to SMPTE. It would be necessary also to set the time code on the tape before recording.
21. Comment on the problems that occur when using timecode on analog tape
Analog tape could, with age, loose the time code or deteriorate its quality (even worse) causing errors in future playbacks, that's way notes on the tapes are useful when they have information also concerning the time code.
Also, when striping the tape, the time code should be written on one of the tracks on the edge of the tape to avoid crosstalk.
22. Why must timecode be regenerated when it is copied?
In a scenario where I have to use the recorded tape as master, the time code will disappear just after 2 generations. For this reason it is necessary to either use the master for further copies or use a generator box that will generate fresh time code synchronized with the incoming signal.
23. What is an 'offset'?
The offset is the gap of time which may be set to make run 2 devices at the same speed but from different locations, for example a sequencer has its starting point at 01:00:00:00 while the recorder at 00:00:00:00, they still would be synchronized but they would have an offset. |
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Fri May 11, 2007 8:02 pm |
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AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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| ace |
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You have done very well here I am really impressed, particularly as much of this technology is no longer used a great deal.
Well done!!
_________________
It's all in the ears. - Learn the concepts not the software.
Audio Courses is a way into the music business for you
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Tue May 15, 2007 10:52 am |
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