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hi i am in a band that play at a campus ministry at marshall university. i am about to try to record us and make a CD. ill probably be using a firepod for my interface, either Pro Tools or cakewaly far the daw. not heres my question.
1) we will be recording in a church that uses a soundcraft mh4 sound board so i was thinking about coming out of there preamps and runing a quarter inch cabel from the back of the chanel to my firepod. would that work
2)will the sliders and eqs effect the out put to the firepod

3) I'm using the Audix d2's and d4's on toms, d6 on kick, and i5 on snare and probably sm81 overheads on a dw colector series kit. is there anything els i need to get a really good drum sound. i know that allot of time drums can make or break a recording.

thaks in advance for the help

Comments

moonbaby Mon, 08/28/2006 - 15:06

Hey, Hudd:
A quick look at the MH4 on their website tells me a couple of things:
1) There is a pair of "Insert" jacks on each channel. (1) is a Send jack, and it is ALWAYS active (that's good). If you are using the channel as a "direct out" you need to use that, of course.
2) The "Insert" Return jack you will not be able to use, and YOU WILL NEED TO TURN THE INSERT (labelled "INS") OFF!!! Otherwise, the channel will be "looking for" a signal to "see" instead of the input (say the return of a compressor).
3)Needless to say, this system limits you in that there is really no way to insert, say, a coompressor, into the channel while you are tracking out of it...
4) These Insert Send jacks are BALANCED, so make sure that your patch cables are properly wired to accomodate that. And remember that the output level they spec is "0 dBu", so you will need to watch how you set the sensitivity on the Firepod.
5)The Insert Send jacks are internally-switchable to e Pre- or Post-EQ, and you'll have to ask somebody at the facility who is familiar with the board as to which way they've set it. That's not hard to determine in a soundcheck, though.
6) Since this Insert Send was designed primarily as an INSERT, I doubt that it is post-fader as that won't do when dealing with compressors and the like. That has been my personal experience with Soundcraft in the past, too.
Anyway, make sure that you are alotted enough time to mess with the drums to get rid of any unwanted noises/squeaks, etc. Have a couple of maxipads (not kidding!) and gaffers' tape handy to dampen a drumhead if needed, a small can of WD40 (or, I use Smith&Wesson gun oil) to lube things that squeak, and time to play with your set-up and get the drums tuned. Drums are great fun to learn to record, but it takes a lot of patience. Oh, and see if there's an SM57 or two available for the snare. I have used the i5 on snare with mixed results (great as an OH, but the SM 81 will beat it at that)...Good luck!

anonymous Thu, 08/31/2006 - 08:44

It would be a better vocal recording if you use a condensor mic as opposed to dynamic mic. this will give you a more true vocal recording.
If you have any pro sound shops in your area you may be able to rent a better vocal mic. You may even be able to audition different mics to find out what works best. Also, they may be able to help you with the selection too.

Best Wishes :D