Using the Sound Room (primer)

important:

It is absolutely essential that no one disconnect any part of the current sound room cables, connectors, etc. If you have extensive experience and know what you are doing, then ASK FIRST and we might be able to arrange something.

No food and drink in the sound room.

Scope of this Document

This document was written as a simple guide to recording sounds, voices, and music to include in a vast array of multimedia projects. It does not cover Soundtrack and its integration with Final Cut Pro, nor does it use extremely technical jargon associated with the sound engineering industry.

Our soundroom offers a large array of sound editing devices and software. Those who want to learn more, as well as those already well-versed in audio recording are encouraged to make use of the sound room. While the staff may not have the expertise you are looking for, we will present you with documentation and assistance whenever possible.

POWERING UP

Make sure the Mac (Danny Elfman) is powered up and ready.

Note: The power-up order is very important! Do not deviate from it or you could blow the speakers.

1. Turn on power strip:

2. Turn on amplifier:

Microphone Recording Workflow

1. Launch Soundtrack :
   
   
2. Locate Microphone 1 (body is labeled "1") and make sure it is switched on.
   
3. Position microphone where you can comfortably speak/play instrument/bang pots and pans.
   
4. On mixing board, make sure that:
   
   1. Microphone is not muted, and that the slider is at unity (U):
      
      
      
      
      
   2. The gain (trim) dial is at Unity:
      
      
      
      
      
      
   3. The COMP IN, COMP OUT are at unity (U) and the slider labeled GAS is almost all the way down:
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
5. In Soundtrack, click the record button:
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. The record dialog box appears:
   
   
   
   
   
   Microphone check:
   Speak, play, or bang near the microphone at the intended level. Watch the two indicators on the right hand side of the dialog box. They should be peaking at about 75%. If the two circles above the indicators are red, this indicates a maximum load has occurred. You do NOT want to record at a level that is constantly peaking above 90% as it will sound terrible.
   
   Most likely when you start the microphone check you will not be peaking anywhere near 75%. To get closer, adjust the gain by tweaking the knob labeled "Trim" to the right. Once you have achieved the correct level, begin recording by clicking the red dot in the lower left corner of the dialog box. Click it again when you are finished.
   
   
7. After you are finished recording, your track appears on the timeline:
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. You can add sound effects and background music, using the drop down menu on each track (small triangle) to adjust volume, etc. Play it back and adjust the "GAS" slider for speaker volume.
   
9. Once you are finished in Soundtrack, you can choose File > Export Mix and it will export your Soundtrack project to an *.aiff file.
   
10. If you need an *.mp3 file, simply drag the *.aiff file into iTunes (make sure "Library" is selected from the menu at left), then choose Advanced > Convert selection to .mp3:
    
    
    

When you are finished:

1. Turn off amplifier.
2. Turn off powerstrip.