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More advanced techniques
Here are a few more techniques that you can
use to help with your recording.
...............
Multi-track recording
The CR-4 allows you to record four tracks at
once. The example we gave above only
recorded one track at a time.
If you are recording a group of musicians, you
can record more than one track at once, and
adjust the balance later.
You can record on a pair of tracks (either 1+2 or
3+4). Press one [REC/OL] button, and then the
other [REC/OL] button of the pair to arm. You
can also arm and record on all four tracks by
using four fingers to press all four [REC/OL]
buttons together.
If you are recording on more than one track,
remember that only one track at the most can
use the Ampworks effects. Don’t try to press
more than one [EFFECT] switch at the same
time.
...............
Expanding the inputs
You can use a small mixer to mix together sev-
eral different instruments (for example, a ste-
reo chorus rhythm guitar and a buttonboard
with the bass), and use this to feed two tracks.
The other two tracks can then be used for lead
guitar and vocals.
Typically, you’ll create a stereo sub-mix using
the small external mixer, and record the left
and right outputs of the mixer on two tracks.
When you come to mix down, you’ll pan these
two tracks hard right and hard left.
...............
Expanding the number of tracks
The CR-4 is restricted to four tracks on a cas-
sette, but you can record more than four tracks
in a song if you use a mixdown stereo recorder.
It’s probably best to use a digital (CD or
MD) recorder as your stereo recorder, to
avoid tape hiss and noise building up.
1 Record the first four tracks as described
above (
→p.9).
2 Mix down to the stereo recorder(
→p.12)
and rewind your CR-4 tape to the start of
the recording (or insert a new tape).
3 Connect the [LINE OUT] of the stereo
recorder to inputs 1 and 2 of the CR-4. You
may not want to add any effects to these
tracks just yet, so make sure all [EFFECT]
switches are off.
4 Arm all the CR-4 tracks from 1 through 4
(so that you write over the previously
recorded tracks). Move the [TRIM] controls
and the faders of tracks 3 and 4 to their
lowest level (all the way down).
5 Play back the stereo recording, and adjust
the [TRIM] controls of tracks 1 and 2.
6 Start recording on the CR-4 and play back
the mixed stereo recording from the begin-
ning. Disconnect the stereo recorder from
the CR-4 inputs, and safe all CR-4 tracks.
If you’re using a cassette recorder as your
stereo recorder, you can take the mixed cas-
sette from the stereo recorder and put it in
the CR-4. The stereo tracks will become
tracks 1 and 2 on the CR-4. Remember you
cannot use noise reduction on your stereo
cassette recorder, and because the track lay-
out of the CR-4 is different to that of an
ordinary cassette recorder, you must use
only one side of the stereo cassette.
7 Now you can use tracks 3 and 4 for new
tracks, along with the previous tracks now
bounced onto 1 and 2.
Once you’ve mixed your first four tracks to
stereo, there’s no way of separating them
again! So if you decide after recording
tracks 5 and 6 that the bass is too quiet (or
you notice a wrong note!), there’s not a lot
you can do about it. You may want to use a
new cassette for the bounced tracks, and
preserve your first four tracks on the origi-
nal cassette.
...............
Using the noise reduction
As part of the Ampworks effector, there is a
noise-reduction system built in. If you’re play-
ing a noisy guitar, or using a microphone in a
noisy situation, this allows you to cut out the
unwanted sound in quiet passages while let-
ting through the wanted sound when the
threshold level is reached.
Adjust the threshold level by pressing and
holding the [TAP] button and turning the
[EFF. DEPTH] control.