Electronic Studio Resources I: Recording Kurzweil Audio

Recording Kurzweil Audio

Note that the procedure detailed below takes the analog signal from the Kurzweil and converts it into a digital signal for use by the computer. (It is also possible to make a digital transfer of Kurzweil audio to the computer, but that is a different procedure.)

NOTE: You must adjust recording levels carefully to get a good-sounding result.

Set up the mixer for recording

Because you will be recording through the mixer, make sure that the level of signal from the Kurzweil is optimal. Make sure the Kurzweil’s volume knob is set to 3 or 4 o’clock, and adjust he trim controls on the K2600 mixer channels to get a good signal level. Set the K2600 channel faders to unity (0 dB).
If you’re using the Mackie 1604 VLZ mixer...
On the K2600 mixer channels, engage the 1-2 button. This routes the Kurzweil signal to group outs 1-2, MOTU Analog In 1-2.
For the Yamaha 01V mixer, this is already done in the CECM Basic preset.
Raise the MOTU Analog In 1-2 faders.
On the Yamaha 01V mixer, do this by switching to the Master layer and turning up the faders for channels Buses 1-2 (labeled “MOTU INPUTS”).
If you’re using the Mackie 1604 VLZ mixer, read on. Ignore this step if using the Yamaha 01V mixer.
In the mixer’s Source section, engage the Subs 1-2 button, to monitor the level of signal in the mixer’s meters.
NOTE: When recording with a microphone, you must be certain that all speakers are off. Here, there is no need to turn the speakers off, since there is no way that any of the sound from the speakers will get into the signal you are recording. However, any time you have the MOTU Analog 1-2 group out faders raised, be sure that the mixer input channels labeled MOTU Analog 1-2 are not assigned to sub outs 1-2, since that could cause an electronic feedback loop (not an acoustic one).

Set up Digital Performer for recording

Make sure your DP project is on the internal hard disk — that is, not on a USB drive or a server. It's best to eject all external disks, including the server disk. Having the server mounted can sometimes confuse Digital Performer. When you record audio from the Kurzweil, Digital Performer writes it to the Audio Files folder in your project folder.
IMPORTANT: If you just have a MIDI sequence file and no project folder, DP will create a new Audio Files folder in which to store the recorded audio. Do not overlook this folder when copying your work back to the server! It’s best to put the sequence file and the Audio Files folder into a project folder, to keep them together.
REALLY IMPORTANT: Recording audio directly onto the server is asking for trouble!
Open your Digital Performer sequence, and create a stereo audio track (Project > Add Track > Stereo Audio Track).
Make sure the output device for this track is set to Analog 1-2.
Set the input device for this track to Analog 1-2. (It may sound risky to set the input and output to the same setting, but there is no internal connection between them, and so no possibility of feedback.)
Record-enable the track, and make sure the track is also play-enabled.
CAUTION: Make sure you don’t have any other tracks record-enabled, or else you might erase them when you start recording!
Play-enable whatever Kurzweil MIDI tracks you want to record.
The simplest thing is to record all the tracks in one pass. But some people like to record MIDI tracks individually, into seperate audio tracks. That way, they can process the resulting audio tracks separately, using the Digital Performer audio effects.
NOTE: If your sequence already has some audio tracks, mute them before recording your Kurzweil tracks. Normally this shouldn’t be necessary, but mixers sometimes suffer from cross-talk that will cause audio played by the computer to leak into the sound you’re trying to record.
In Digital Performer, open the Audio Monitor window (Studio > Audio Monitor).
Play the sequence while looking at the meters in the Audio Monitor window.
The goal is to make the Kurzweil audio signal high enough that you won’t hear much background noise. But if it’s too high, you’ll get clipping, which is an undesirable form of digital distortion. The meter has a clipping indicator that will turn red when this happens. (Click the indicator to turn it off.) It’s best to have the meter show a finer resolution near the top of the scale. To do so, choose a smaller dB value from the Level Range submenu in the Audio Monitor mini-menu.
Control the levels coming into DP with the mixer: group outs 1-2 on the Mackie mixer, or bus 1-2 on the Yamaha mixer. If these faders are high, and your levels still read very low in DP, then go back and be sure the K2600 channel faders are set to unity gain, the volume knob on the K2600 is set to 3 or 4 o’clock, and the trims on the K2600 mixer channels are high enough. Low velocities or MIDI volume in your MIDI tracks can also cause low levels.
When you have the levels you want, rewind and record.
The audio you record will appear as a single soundbite in your stereo track.
Once you’ve turned your MIDI tracks into an audio track, you’ll no longer need to hear your MIDI tracks. So you should mute them now.