Track Sharing

Finally, if certain tracks have more than one instrument part on them ("track-sharing" is a common practice if the number of tracks you have is limited), then it is extremely likely that the different parts will need different levels, EQ, and effects on them (although if you've read my article on setting recording levels, you will know that I am an advocate of recording multiple things on the same track at their correct relative levels, so that rough "monitor mixing" during production is much easier).

In order to sort out different parts on the same track, you have two options. You can either (a) automate your mixing desk so that the correct settings "kick in" at the right part of the song, or you can (b) duplicate the track and use different settings with the same track coming through two different channels. On a conventional analog system, option (b) is easy - you just use a patch-cord to plug the track into two different channels at once. On some high-end PC software systems you can do this too (in software), but not always. In some PC systems you might end up having to duplicate the track in order to get it to come up two different mixing channels.

Option (b) is by far the easiest in terms of the amount of work you need to do. Although "automating" the same channel so that it suddenly changes settings at the relevant part of the song seems "clever" and "neat" and is therefore appealing, it is also a lot more time consuming and can often be quiet difficult. By putting the same sound through two different channels you can play around manually, without automation, to your hearts content which is much easier, and the only automation that you need to worry about is the automated "mute" that switches from one channel to the other at the relevant parts of the song.

On an entirely PC based system however, you may find that option (a) is better, as it might make more efficient use of your CPU's resources, because each extra track or channel tends to use up more CPU power. One workaround for this CPU power consumption problem might be to "render" the settings for the two parts and mix them down to one track, saving the originals in case you need them in future.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 776