Mix Automation to ADAT or DA-88

If you have an adat system with 2 empty tracks, you can enjoy the benefits of snapshot automation. We all have used the adat to punch in takes on overdubs, or maybe even entire rhythm sections to fix a part of an otherwise good take. The groovy thing about the adats seemless punching is that a tiny digital crossfade takes place at the punch point, making it impossible to hear that a punch has even taken place.

So whats to stop you from mixing your entire song to 2 track on an adat? Theres no crosstalk between tracks, and they maintain perfect synch, so just patch the stereo out of your mixer to 2 empty tracks on an adat. Then, monitoring through the auto input monitor, punching in toggles between whats on the adat, and the mix you currently have on the desk. As you wish to change the mix (a little more this or that in the chorus...), just stop, change the mix to suit, then back up and punch in the section of the song. Is that vocal a little too brittle in that spot? just fix the eq for that phrase and punch in the whole stereo mix, it's too easy. Do several mixes on seperate stereo pairs and edit together one super mix as you transfer to DAT.

Another cool trick, if you have enough open tracks, is to mix drums on a stereo pair, guitars on another pair, vocals on another stereo pair. and then if someone says the mix you've done has a problem, you don't have to spend the day getting that kickin' drum sound again.

After you have you mix complete, ideally you would use an Alesis AI-2 digital format converter to transfer the finished mix to a standard DAT tape for mastering and blah, blah, blah...

Hope this tip helps you as much as it has me.

Good Luck,
Mark Matson
Chief Engineer, Saltmine Recording
saltmine@primenet.com
www.primenet.com/~saltmine