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Author Topic: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3  (Read 2351 times)

Steve Ferreira

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Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« on: February 03, 2020, 03:51:20 PM »

Hi all,

I did a recording for a band last year and used the direct outs from the Expression Si3 into Waves Track live. They also use Waves to play it back. They came back to me saying that the recording was dry and would like to have the FX in the next recording and they would be happy with just a 2 track record. Without really checking I figured this would be simple enough. Keep the same setup and just send the fx on a direct out with a stereo output. The console doesn't allow the fx to be routed on a direct out. OK, i can just send a matrix out of mixer into waves. Boy was I wrong, the console console doesn't allow that also.

Without having to use a separate piece of equipment (mixer > usb interface > laptop with waves) is there an easier way of doing this? Do I need to pull out an old Marantz CDR-420?  :o

TIA
« Last Edit: February 03, 2020, 04:10:31 PM by Steve Ferreira »
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Si3
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2020, 03:56:05 PM »

Hi all,

I did a recording for a band last year and used the direct outs from the Si3 into Waves Track live. They also use Waves to play it back. They came back to me saying that the recording was dry and would like to have the FX in the next recording and they would be happy with just a 2 track record. Without really checking I figured this would be simple enough. Keep the same setup and just send the fx on a direct out with a stereo output. The console doesn't allow the fx to be routed on a direct out. OK, i can just send a matrix out of mixer into waves. Boy was I wrong, the console console doesn't allow that also.

Without having to use a separate piece of equipment (mixer > usb interface > laptop with waves) is there an easier way of doing this? Do I need to pull out an old Marantz CDR-420?  :o

TIA

Welcome to the discovery of Soundcraft limitations... things that other manufacturers figured out.

I really, really wanted to be able to like Soundcraft again but not enough has changed to get us to spend money with them.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2020, 04:16:33 PM by Tim McCulloch »
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Steve Ferreira

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Si3
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2020, 04:09:37 PM »

Welcome to the discovery of Si limitations... things that other manufacturers figured out.

I really, really wanted to be able to like Soundcraft again but not enough has changed to get us to spend money with them.

just realized I made a typo. Meant to say Soundcraft Expression 3. Not the bigger Si3.
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Si3
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2020, 04:16:20 PM »

just realized I made a typo. Meant to say Soundcraft Expression 3. Not the bigger Si3.

And I should have caught that, plus my text should have read "soundcraft limitations".
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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

James Paul

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2020, 05:00:47 PM »

I would offer a suggestion to record stereo out the mains, and feed the house stereo/mono via a linked mix or matrix pair, if the SC SI bussing architecture allows for such. I have little to no working experience with the SI stable of mixers, and am unable to detail a known solution with such.

This would allow for stereo recording sourced via main L/R, and a separate tailored house mix sourced via post fader/EQ linked bus pair of mono talent and stereo FX. 
All channel strips & fader moves effects record and house simultaneously, though with separate mix and levels.
 
This approach is my preferred SOP when behind the wheel on my own hardware, requiring a minimum of effort with pleasing results of the stereo recording, and the live house performance. Of course, YMMV
« Last Edit: February 03, 2020, 10:17:32 PM by James Paul »
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2020, 07:02:43 PM »

Direct to 2 track as an option?  Eh... I witnessed one of the worst-sounding shows on one of our rigs, where the FOH guy was mixing the entire show over headphones.  The artist was obsessed with the way shows sounded over the stereo in the lounge of his bus. FWD 3 or 4 years and it was even worse but at least I got an explanation that time - the artist had advanced cancer and was trying to build up a library of live performances to provide some income for his family after his death.

So it's up to folks to decide what is important, and in this case it wasn't the audience in the venue.

What I'm not getting... if this is a live to multi-track, why can't the EFX be added back in during the mixdown?  Or do they not want to pay for the mixing time?
« Last Edit: February 03, 2020, 10:21:38 PM by Tim McCulloch »
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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

Keith Erickson

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2020, 08:04:29 PM »

Hi all,

I did a recording for a band last year and used the direct outs from the Expression Si3 into Waves Track live. They also use Waves to play it back. They came back to me saying that the recording was dry and would like to have the FX in the next recording and they would be happy with just a 2 track record. Without really checking I figured this would be simple enough. Keep the same setup and just send the fx on a direct out with a stereo output. The console doesn't allow the fx to be routed on a direct out. OK, i can just send a matrix out of mixer into waves. Boy was I wrong, the console console doesn't allow that also.

Without having to use a separate piece of equipment (mixer > usb interface > laptop with waves) is there an easier way of doing this? Do I need to pull out an old Marantz CDR-420?  :o

TIA

Why not send the FX returns to some of the stereo buses on the console and route the output of that mix to your recording system?
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Mal Brown

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2020, 08:59:05 PM »

Pretty much I would do that if I had to do 2 track.  Personally I'd mik the whole thing pre fader as usual and then apply mix down including efx as usual.
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Steve Ferreira

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2020, 04:38:05 PM »

Why not send the FX returns to some of the stereo buses on the console and route the output of that mix to your recording system?

The fx are internal and can't be routed to an input channel. It's on a dedicated stereo strip. You can only send to a multi-track recorder from the input channels direct outs.
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2020, 05:39:36 PM »

The fx are internal and can't be routed to an input channel. It's on a dedicated stereo strip. You can only send to a multi-track recorder from the input channels direct outs.

From my previous reply:

Quote
What I'm not getting... if this is a live to multi-track, why can't the EFX be added back in during the mixdown?  Or do they not want to pay for the mixing time?
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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Recording live event with Soundcraft Expression Si3
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2020, 05:39:36 PM »


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