Lead time and End time added?

[Felt65]

If I cut the silence before a wav and try to save it that way, I open it back up and it has the silence there again. Its like it adds it back in there. Same way on the end. Is there a setting somewhere that has it auto add lead and end time? If so how do I turn that thing off? Ive looked but cant seem to find it.

[lpdeluxe]

How are you cutting it? I use Highlight/Ctrl-X to crop off the front and rear of the tracks, then Save As. If you crop and don't do the save, it will revert to the way it was.

[Stewbone]

Pardon me for diverting from the subject- say lp, are you still using your Tascam US-428 for mixing, etc? I believe you've indicated you're not using it as a soundcard...

And, back on topic: Would you generally use "Save As..." in lieu of another type of "Save", when saving your file with a new change, edit, etc.?

How goes the mixing of your recent road-trip session?

Rog.

[lpdeluxe]

Thank you for asking! Yes, I use the US428 all the time and I would have a hard time going back to the mouse. My setup is a Tascam digital mixer (which does not work as a control surface) connected via a Terratec s/c for audio I/O with monitor outs to powered BX8s, stereo outs to a headphone amp, and S/PDIF out to the US428 which has its stereo outs going to a stereo amp and then to a pair of passive speakers for playback (as opposed to mixdown monitoring). The US428 also has a USB cable into the computer for control surface use. This system traveled very well but next time I will leave the speakers at home and rely on the headphone amp for listening. You can't reproduce your "home" sound when you're not at home. If "real" playback is needed I can burn a rough CD fairly quickly...at least it wouldn't take much longer than setting up the speakers & running cable etc.

As for the mixing, I have gotten it to where I can almost enjoy it when I hear it...next step will be when one member of the duo comes here over Labor Day and we critique what we've got so far. One thing I noticed today: on every cut I panned the 2 guys the same way every time. Now it's starting to bother me. That, I suppose, will await the decision from the musicians. But all the obvious cleanups and enhancements and level setting and panning and tweaking has been done. Whew.

So how are things up yonder? My wife & I are traveling to Manchester-by-the-Sea Mass in October to visit her roomie from college. Hope the weather's nice.

[lpdeluxe]

Oh, I didn't answer your question, did I? The way I work, I don't do alternate mixes (I once did, but now I have a lot more confidence in what I'm going for) so each new mix gets saved as "Name Of Song.wav" in a separate folder form the original recording that I set up for 16-bit mixes. (When I finish a mix I convert from 32 to 16 bit so I can then burn a CD directly out of that folder when I want to.) If I redo the song (which I do, over the course of a couple of weeks as I become more familiar with it, and find new things that need to be brought out, etc) I save it by overwriting the old one. Since these are mixdowns and not modifications of the actual original recordings I can always change my mind. But I have a difficult time being "provisional": I want each mix to be superb (it never is, but that's another story). So I "Save As", type in the name of the song, click Yes when it asks me if I want to overwrite, and go on to the next song.

[Stewbone]

Well, that was a thorough response!

I get the set-up, but don't quite get why the mix coming out of the 428 is not a monitor mix- but that's because I am a NOVICE! Right, never mind for now- unless it's easy to square away...

So yeah, the mixing. I'm feeling good by increment as I go here- been away from it, putting a dormer on our antique pile of stone-rubble, but I'm back and growing some in confidence. Still don't want any cronies standing over me while I'm at it, but things'll change. Got a good sound/room effect with little trouble the last cut I did.

That panning issue you're having- if you want to present two guys sitting in a room playing tunes, sounds like that's what you pretty much might want to do. But I can dig finding yourself in a sort of rut, doing a thing out of habit, as a result of the flow of other things that are working well. But on the other hand, if it works....?

I'm in process of replacing my motherboard- if I were twelve this would segue into humor- with an Intel (thanks to dawbox for the heads-up). Also upping RAM to DDR 400. Then we're cooking with virtual gas! Also picked up an Audix OM-7 mic and a T.C compressor in trade for some JBL's I wasn't using: I've got hooked-up with a loud, pretty good punk band to record this fall. Still looking around for some SM 57's and a good outboard pre.

I'm going to go back and re-read your post. Always educational, lp! Talk to ye.


Rog.

[lpdeluxe]

Well, stewbone, I'm temporarily out of the mixing biz due to a headcold that has squashed my hearing, so I have time to elaborate.

On the issue of the US428, think of my setup this way: my mixer provides sound to the mixdown monitors, the headphone amp, and my own headphones (monitor outs, stereo outs, and headphone jack/volume control on the mixer). I have found that using the monitors for playback for the people recording doesn't work too well, because of placement etc, so I ran a stereo digital out (S/PDIF) from the mixer into the digital input on the US428, then took cables from the RCA stereo outs on the back of the US428 into a power amp and the other set of speakers, which are placed where the clients can hear them. This is controlled by the "Line Out" knob, second from the right, on the top of the US428. I can also change the level from the red "Master" fader but that also changes the level in the software, which is not always what I want. The mixer is connected digitally to the computer, of course, with 8 Ins but I run all the outs through a stereo pair into channels 9-10 of the mixer. This still gives me independent control over the level of each track via the faders on the US428. Anyhow the purpose of routing playback signal back through the US428 is that it provides yet one more independent playback for the room.

It sounds like you are pretty busy. I'm surprised you have any time to post! Down here we're used to a summer that lasts almost til November, so the roofing season is longer.

[Stewbone]

O.k., I got your set-up now. Thanks for clarifying. Making the most of your gear, sounds like.

Yeah, I go over to the library when I have to run out anyway and check e-mail. I'm selling off a couple items so I can get some mics, up-grade stuff so I can actually use the computer to mix!... so I make the time. It's kind of a priority, after home and roof! My friend died a couple years ago, and there's some old music has to get produced for his friends, mom, sisters. I may have run-on about that once before a while back (also, it's hot as a pistol out, and since I'm home for the month doing this I can work into the evening).

The weather: Some of us here feel that the weather's been a bit out-of-the-ordinary. Feeling almost like Fall already, in a funny way. Maybe we're just being hyper about the global warming thing. ? But it's true, we have kind of a short summer 'round here.

Talk to ye down th' road a piece, take care of that cold.

Rog.