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Operation Guide
Time Display
MDR24/96 Front Panel
Current Time Display
HOURS MINUTES SECONDS FRAMES
K
BARS BEATS TICKS
The Current Time display shows the exact position of the MDR24/96’s
“playback head.” Current Time is displayed in SMPTE time
(HH:MM:SS:FRAMES).
To change the Current Time:
♦
Use the Transport PLAY, REWIND, FAST FWD or LOC buttons.
Locate Points and Looping
Locate points provide fast access to frequently used locations in your Project.
The MDR24/96 has two numbered Locates (
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Recording Saying the MDR24/96 is just a 24-track recorder is like saying a Ferrari 550 is just a car. It’s true, but it misses the point entirely. The MDR24/96 has many features that place it above an ordinary 24-track recorder. Virtual Tracks One difference between the MDR24/96 and some other recorders is the virtual tracks. Each of the 24 tracks on the MDR24/96 is actually one of eight virtual tracks. These virtual tracks give you places to hold onto old takes, just in case they turn out to be
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Operation Guide 4. Use the << and >> SELECT buttons to select a track number from the top line; the selected track number will appear as an “_” instead of its number. Now press the (–) DEC INC DEC / (+) INC buttons to change the virtual track on the selected channels. This screen allows you to manually set any track to any of its eight virtual tracks. It is often convenient to display the virtual track window while tracking so you are always aware of which virtual track you are recording onto f
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Auto Take Sometimes you may want to record multiple passes, each on a different Virtual Track. Instead of forcing you to manually change virtual takes after each record pass, we have included the handy AUTO TAKE AUTO button to automate this for you. With the AUTO TAKE button engaged, TAKE the MDR24/96 will step through virtual tracks on each record pass for all Record Ready tracks. For example, if you are recording vocals on track 12, your first take may be on virtual track one. With the Auto Ta
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Operation Guide Metering and Setting Record Levels A professional analog recorder has meters that indicate 0 VU at a +4 dBu nominal signal level. Generally you can record peaks 10 to 15 dB above that before distortion becomes objectionable. This 10-15 dB range above the nominal level is called “headroom”. The overload indicators on the MDR24/96 light when the signal level reaches –1 dBFS. On digital recorder meters, zero represents the full-scale digital signal level, 0 dBFS for short. 0 dBFS is
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4. After adjusting the tape output levels for each console channel, follow your console manufacturer’s instructions for setting the console tape return levels. With analog I/O, a +22 dBu signal at the dBu equivalent MDR24/96 inputs and outputs corresponds to OL +22 dBu 0 dBFS inside the MDR24/96. So, if your 2 +20 4 +18 console has a nominal output level (0 VU) of 7 +15 +4 dBu, there is 18 dB of headroom before 10 +12 15 +7 you hit the maximum record level on the 20 +2 MDR24/96. It also mea
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Operation Guide Rehearse Rehearse (only available on the remote control) is a tool that you can use to determine if a punch-in at your chosen point will work, without committing a recording pass to disk. In the Rehearse mode, upon entering Record (track enabled and the Master Record button pressed), monitoring switches from playback to input, just as in the Auto Input On monitor mode. The difference is that no audio is recorded. This is a carry-over from the days of destructive punch- ins, when
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Solo (Remote Only): This choice is available for the Remote Footswitch but not for the MDR24/96 Footswitch. Although you cannot solo a track on the MDR directly, it can be soloed with a footswitch attached to a Remote 24. The footswitch solos the channel displayed in the Track Number window on the Remote 24. The meters on the MDR24/96 will continue to display signal on all of the tracks with audio, but the MDR24/96 will output audio from only the soloed track. Press the footswitch again with the
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Operation Guide Editing Delete Last One way to save disk space is to use the DELETE LAST button after a bad recording pass. One of the benefits of digital recording with the MDR24/96 is that you can keep every take and decide later which one to use. But sometimes you know right off that the last take will never see the light of day. In these instances you can quickly reclaim disk space by deleting the last record pass. Keep in mind that this command will delete audio from all tracks recorded on
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Track Edit The TRACK/EDIT button gives you access to the set of non-destructive editing tools on the MDR24/96. The MDR24/96 allows you to cut or copy a piece of audio from any track and paste it onto any other track. You can, for example, move a vocal from the first chorus of a song and paste it over a take in the second chorus. You are also able to cut or copy from multiple tracks at once and paste them onto a different group of tracks. If you need to replace the background vocals from a chorus
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Operation Guide 3. Look at the screen and you will see a Start START:00:02:17:12 time and End time (you will not see an End END:00:02:20:04 (trackselect = record) time if you have chosen Paste as the edit Start End Cut Join function). These numbers signify the time range to perform the edit between. The SELECT SELECT SELECT SELECT Start time is where you want the edit to begin and the End time is where you want the edit to end. First, enter the end time by moving the transport to the desir
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Copy Access the Copy command by first START:00:02:17:12 pressing TRACK/EDIT, then pressing the Copy select button, and then END:00:02:20:04 (trackselect = record) choosing Copy when you are ready to perform the operation. The copy Start End Cancel Copy command places the selected audio onto the clipboard but it does not remove it from the original tracks; these are unaffected by the copy function. Copying audio is often used to replace bad sections of audio with a good section that came befo
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Operation Guide Insert Access the Paste command by first START:00:02:17:12 pressing TRACK/EDIT, then pressing the Paste select button, and then (trackselect = record) choosing Insert when you are ready to perform the operation. This editing Start Paste Insert function is another digital emulation of analog tape editing. When you perform an Insert, the data on the clipboard is placed onto the track specified. Instead of replacing existing data as would happen with the Paste function, au
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undo:Paste redo:Copy #:32 Undo Redo Exit Undo Current Redo Prior List item number you are Command Command currently on. As you undo or redo items you will see this number decrease or increase. Keep note of this number when you find something you like or write it down before you perform a series of edits so that you can quickly The History List navigate to this history point Number again. 3. Press the Undo select button to undo the command listed. This will reduce the history list numb
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Operation Guide Editing Examples The following are examples of specific applications of the MDR24/96 editing commands. These illustrate how the commands can be effectively used. Use these as jumping off points and apply these techniques to other situations. We will not describe every button to press; refer to the above sections for details. Replacing a Multiple Track Chorus In this example, we would like to move a copy of the first chorus and replace the second chorus with it. What makes it seem
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Making a Vocal Comp When recording vocals, it is often necessary to record multiple takes and combine them into a perfect vocal composite or comp. This can easily be done with the MDR24/96 virtual tracks. When recording, use the Auto Take function to record seven good vocal takes on the first seven virtual tracks of your vocal track. Do this by pressing the AUTO TAKE button. Let’s record the vocal on track 11; record a take, return to the beginning and record again. The Auto Take function will i
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Operation Guide Editing on a Computer HIGH RESOLUTION AUDIO 24TRACK/24BIT DIGITAL AUDIO HARD DISK RECORDER MDR 24/ 96 44.1/48/96K SAMPLE RATES The MDR24/96 allows you OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL HOURS MINUTES SECONDS FRAMES 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 44.1k 48k 96k 4 7 7 4 4 7 7 4 7 4 4 7 4 7 4 7 7 4 7 4 7 4 4 7 4 7 4 7 7 4 7 4 4 7 4 7 4 7 7 4 7 4 4 7 7 4 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 VARI 16 B
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or 2000 on it, or with any Mac that has File Exchange or PC Exchange installed (Mac OS 7 or later). You can format your own UDMA IDE drives with any PC that has Windows 98 SE, Millenium, or 2000 on it, or with any Mac that has OS 10 installed. Mackie Media drives can also be read by any system that can Format them. So, for example, you can insert a Mackie Media PROJECT disk into your Macintosh SCSI or IDE ORB drive and copy your Projects’ Recorded (WAV) and Rendered (WAV or AIFF) files directly
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Operation Guide To Verify the Performance of external media: 1. Press the DISK UTIL button. If the Active Drive is the Internal drive, then select Set. 2. From the Set Active Drive menu, Select External, then select OK. 3. Select Verify. When the message appears asking you to confirm the operation, select OK. After a couple of minutes, the result of the test will be reported in the front panel display. 4. After the performance verification is completed, select Continue. DISK UTILITY MENU Mou
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Appendix A: Troubleshooting and Service Additional information and troubleshooting tips can be found in the HDR24/96 Technical Reference Guide. Technical support is available by contacting your Mackie dealer, calling Mackie Designs at (800) 258-6883 (8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time), or visiting Mackie’s website at www.mackie.com. Please read the included warranty information, then complete and return the included Warranty Registration card. You can also register online at www.mackie.com. Appen
