Cacophony Forums
Unofficial Mackie User Forums => DL1608/DL806/DL32R/ProDX Mixers => Topic started by: chrishooksbass on February 10, 2015, 10:50:11 PM
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anyone recording multitrack with DL32R ? if so, could you tell me your pros and cons of using the DL32R. Thanks!
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Hi Chris,
I have done two multitrack recordings with the DL32R, one with the USB hard drive, and one with my Mac laptop running Digital Performer.
Both produced great results, unfortunately though for me, when you record directly to the hard drive, the files on the drive are not individual mono wave files as expected.
Instead, they are multichannel wave files, and each wave file has 32 mono files in it, so a third party app like Wave Agent or better, RME WAV File Batch Processor will need
to be used to de-interleave the multichannel wave files. Of course if you record to a laptop or other computer, you would set up 32 individual mono channels.... far less hassel.
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thanks so much for the thorough response,
not much documentation of people using the DL32R as a recorder.
is there a time limit on recording (other than hdd capacity) ?
for instance a 24 track recording using the usb to hdd method to record an hour or hour and half set, will the DL32R operate smoothly?
how does the usb to computer interface work?
does your mac see the DL32R as a sound card? does it allow easy patching from your daw?
i realize the dante card will add functionality to using the Dl32 as an interface, but i'm interested in the usb operation and can't seem to find anyone talking about it. plenty of info on lagging faders etc... but not much on the meat and potatoes of this mixer..
thanks again for the great info
/
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I've been using the DL32R to record rehearsals and one show so far. Hard drive space seems to be the only limit on recording time, but the DL32R will create a new multitrack .WAV after every 2GB or so of recording (FAT16 max file size?). If you are recording quite a few tracks simultaneously, it can start a new file a few times during an hour set.
I am still looking for an efficient way of stitching things back together in Logic when this happens to get a contiguous recording. So far, I've been zooming in the timeline, repositioning, zooming in, repositioning, etc. until the transition between the two segments doesn't produce any audio glitches.
For rehearsals, I start and stop around each song, with each song resulting in one multi-track WAV file. I just drag those into Logic one after the other with a small gap.
FYI, Logic and Garageband handle the multitrack WAVs fine without need for a separate program to separate them into individual per-track WAVs.
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Hi Chris,
there is no recording time limit other than the hard drive space.
The DL32R runs smooth with a four hour recording test and it was all there and clean.
Apple Preferences/sound
DL32R shows up and is available as an audio interface in Digital Performer.
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fantastic info!
have you used it live with Digital Performer?
i'm curious about latency, as well as how well the iPad operates while using a daw .
i'm using logic pro x (live) to run lights,effect changes and sequences and would like to incorporate better effects by using plugins routed through the DL32R, the dante card should offer enhanced performance but ii wonder if the usb would offer suitable results.
i like the direct to usb recording feature, but with the new midas DL32 and M32C bring a fair amount to the table for a small amount more.
i really appreciate your depth of explanation.
Thank You,
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Hi Chris,
the USB port on the DL32R will route audio from all 32 input channels live right into Logic,
it is in Logic where you would set up tracks to process various channels to (for instance) Altiverb or any other plug-in,
and then return those reverb outputs back into some channels on the DL32R.
The latency will be determined by the buffer setting in Logic, so, if you are using this for the purpose of reverb,
it would not be a big deal at all since we almost always want some pre-delay in the reverb anyway.
One thing to remember though, as you raise and lower the vocal channel in Master Fader, the reverb level will not change,
because the USB output of the DL32R is pre-fader and mute. In the Master Fader routing screen, the USB output can be set to pre or post DSP. (EQ, compressiom and gating)
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pti,
first,, welcome to this forum!
thanks very much for your post, I did not see it until just now.
I did not know garageband handled multichannel wave files.
I am going to try that right now.
Then I could perhaps import the wav files into DP.
I did exactly what you did ,, zooming in and stitching the tracks together, not a big deal really, but it sure would be nice if
they were all sitting one right behind the next.
thanks,
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just tried GarageBand and I dragged just one of the multichannel wave files into it and BAMB! it did it's thing,,,,
unfortunatley it converted all the imported 48 Khz. tracks to 44.1 and I want them to stay at 48 because I need the tracks to play nice in Final Cut Pro X.
pti, I thought you were on to something.. :(
BUMMER!
I am doing another test now to see if GarageBand stitches the files together.
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just tried GarageBand and I dragged just one of the multichannel wave files into it and BAMB! it did it's thing,,,,
unfortunatley it converted all the imported 48 Khz.tracks to 44.1 and I want them to stay at 48 because I need the tracks to play nice in Final Cut Pro X.
pti, I thought you were on to something.. :(
BUMMER!
I am doing another test now to see if GarageBand stitches the files together.
Ah, yes. Garageband does seem to be limited to 44.1kHz. I only used it with the DL32R once to provide a band who opened for us a multitrack of their show since they didn't have Logic. I've done everything else in Logic.
Logic Pro X does the splitting of the multitrack WAV like Garageband -and- will allow you to keep everything at 48 kHz if you have the project set to that sample rate. (It will also ask you on import if you want to change the sample rate to 48 kHz if it isn't there already.)
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welcome to the forum too! :)
I am disappointed that DP does not do this task and the engineers at MOTU (DP) are well aware of it now :)
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Recorded all 32 tracks for about 2 hours at a concert yesterday with Pro Tools. Worked flawlessly!
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Great thread!
I've been recording gigs twice a month since late December. It's been working well for me.
Once I bring the drive home, I split the Mulitchannel WAVs using Wave Agent (nice product!).
I try to stop & restart recording at least once during each set, so that there's not too many files to append.
I use WaveLab to combine, normalize and clean up each .WAV, then mix down using an ancient version of Cakewalk Sonar.
Equipment:
iPad Air 2
Apple AirPort Extreme Wireless Router 802.11ac
Western Digital 1 TB Passport USP hard drive
Live sound:
Ashly Protea 3.6SP
Crest & QSC Power Amps
Turbosound TXD speakers
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Hi MrDOS,
I just think it is way too much trouble and time to deal with these files which is why I just record using my laptop.
When I get back home, I open DP and there they are all ready to mix.
It is nice to be able to record with just a hard drive though.
Dan
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I understand. One of the things I like about the DL32R is that I have to bring (and tear down) less. I play my break music off of the USB hard drive, too (I used to use a laptop for break music).
Back at the house, the process with the .WAVs is "semi-automated," so it doesn't take a whole lot of time.
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I have to bring (and tear down) less.
Can I get an AMEN to that :)
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The direct-to-USB-drive recording was the key reason I went with the Mackie over the PreSonus RM32AI, which our occasional sound guy has. Since I perform as well as handle monitoring and recording, I don't want to have to deal with a laptop. I also don't want to have my expensive Retina MacBook Pro sitting unattended at a bar. With the Mackie, I can start the recording right from my iPad on stage.
I do, however, really wish the maximum file size was increased to something well above 2GB to reduce the amount of stitching I have to do for long recordings. The manual implies this is due to limitations of some recording software. If some packages -do- handle larger files, though, the max size should be configurable to save the people with those packages the hassle of reassembling the recordings.
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well said, and I agree about the laptop sitting next to the DL32R unattended.
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I am still looking for an efficient way of stitching things back together in Logic when this happens to get a contiguous recording. So far, I've been zooming in the timeline, repositioning, zooming in, repositioning, etc. until the transition between the two segments doesn't produce any audio glitches.
For rehearsals, I start and stop around each song, with each song resulting in one multi-track WAV file. I just drag those into Logic one after the other with a small gap.
FYI, Logic and Garageband handle the multitrack WAVs fine without need for a separate program to separate them into individual per-track WAVs.
Check out the "move" drop down menu in arrange window. Use overlap when drag and drop multichannel files. than change to "adjust right" and grab your new regions. They will automatically join with the previous regions.
Maybe I did not use the right words. I'm running LOGIC in german language.
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Check out the "move" drop down menu in arrange window. Use overlap when drag and drop multichannel files. than change to "adjust right" and grab your new regions. They will automatically join with the previous regions.
Maybe I did not use the right words. I'm running LOGIC in german language.
Thank you! Yes, the words are a little different in the English version, but you got me on the right track. This will save me a lot of time.
I got it to work using the "Drag:" pulldown menu at the top of the window. I set it to "Shuffle R", then drag the later region over the end of the prior region and when I let go, the later region snaps into place at the end of the prior region.
I don't really understand why they used the word "Shuffle." "Align" would seem more appropriate.
Anyway, from the manual, for anyone else who runs into this:
Shuffle R: Aligns regions when you move, resize, or delete them, in the following ways:
Move: Moving a region to the right aligns the end point of the region with the start point of the region that follows, so there is no space (gap) between them.
Resize: When you resize the left edge of a region, the preceding regions move by the change in length. If this causes preceding regions to move past the start of the project, the resized region then overlaps the preceding ones by the corresponding amount.
Delete: The remaining regions on the track move by the length of the deleted region.
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I've had a similar issue with video MTS files being split into 2GB chunks and I use a free MTS joiner program. Is there really no free WAV joiner available?
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I am still looking for an efficient way of stitching things back together in Logic when this happens to get a contiguous recording. So far, I've been zooming in the timeline, repositioning, zooming in, repositioning, etc. until the transition between the two segments doesn't produce any audio glitches.
For rehearsals, I start and stop around each song, with each song resulting in one multi-track WAV file. I just drag those into Logic one after the other with a small gap.
FYI, Logic and Garageband handle the multitrack WAVs fine without need for a separate program to separate them into individual per-track WAVs.
Check out the "move" drop down menu in arrange window. Use overlap when drag and drop multichannel files. than change to "adjust right" and grab your new regions. They will automatically join with the previous regions.
Maybe I did not use the right words. I'm running LOGIC in german language.
Können Sie bitte ihren profile ändern so das wir wissen whoher sie sind. Danke. Ihre antworten sind sehr gut.
Great solutions and most will get you were you need to be even in another language.
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very encouraging! i like the simple ability to record to a hard disc no muss no fuss, everyone please list any quirks ,hiccups, etc... that you have had and any unforeseen obstacles that have presented themselves.
thanks for all the useful info.
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The only obstacle I have run into is that to start a multitrack recording, you must create a name first. If you hit record with the default name, it stops immediately. Because I did not notice this, I missed part of a set the 2nd night I recorded. For the rest of the night, subsequent recordings are automatically named _2, _3, etc., which is convenient.
I have seen no dropouts or other reliability nasties.
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thanks again for all the help!
the comments led me to purchase one and i'm looking forward to rolling it out tomorrow night.
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The Mackie Users Guide mentions Protools. And if you don't have a DAW that will handle it, they recommend WAVE AGENT. It is a wav file utility for Windows & Mac
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I use WaveAgent (Beta), and it's been easy to learn and use to split up the multi-wavs.
I mixdown in Cakewalk
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I use WaveAgent (Beta), and it's been easy to learn and use to split up the multi-wavs.
I mixdown in Cakewalk
I've been struggling to get two full shows I recorded on my DL32R somehow mixed down to a useable format, with no luck so far. Based on what I'm reading here, the recorded WAV files off my USB hard drive have to be deconstructed, which I think I have been able to do using the Split function in Wave Agent. I also downloaded the trial version of WaveLab Elements, but when I try to import the split files from Wave Agent into WaveLab, it tell me they are an unusable format. I can't quite figure out how to get these files processed into a file I can actually play and hear. I'm probably missing something, but I can't figure out the sequence of how to go from the hard drive files into a finished product. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance!
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Are the results of the split in .WAV format? When you double-click (assuming Windows), do they play in Media Player?
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Are the results of the split in .WAV format? When you double-click (assuming Windows), do they play in Media Player?
Yes, the file folder I created for them contains the whole list of wave files, and when I click on an individual track, it does play in Media Player, and it is only that specific instrument/voice. I am able to import a singe mono file/track into WaveLab, but it does not show any waveform or play. Not sure what I am doing wrong.
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Sounds like an issue with wavelab. I bought the $99 version of wavelab, but to mix multitrack, you need something like Sonar
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Sounds like an issue with wavelab. I bought the $99 version of wavelab, but to mix multitrack, you need something like Sonar
Thanks for the info. I'll keep working on it.
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I would think that Cubase would work too. It's cross platform Mac and Windows. I like that.