summing microphones

[hectc7]

I have heard of people summing two microphones into one track how does one go about doing that. I work with a digi 003 and (of course) protools.

[Jonstudio]

If you are going directly into Pro Tools do this:

Create 2 mono AUX tracks and 1 mono AUDIO track.

Assign the inputs of the AUX tracks to the two different mics. One on each track.

Create a mono buss and assign the outputs of your AUX tracks to the same buss.

Assign the Input of your AUDIO track to that same buss as well.

Solo Safe your two AUX tracks and control their record levels with the AUX track Faders.

Record Enable your AUDIO track and now you have both mics being routed down to one AUDIO track.

-I hope this helps!

Jon Schmitz

[theblue1]

Pardon my idle curiosity but why are you doing that?


If it's to save tracks [in LE's track-limited world] and time, I guess that makes sense. (Like, say, you've got a band in on a tight budget and you got a jillion mics on the kit and you don't want to budget the time later to create a drum submix after the fact.)

But if what I was tracking was at all important I think I'd cut the mics to their own tracks and sum them later if it turned out I did need the track -- and in a non-critical non-realtime framework where, if it didn't turn out right, I could go back and do it again.


Of course, those of us who came up in the analgo tape world, which, for most of us, was always about limited tracks and destructive bounces, we had make compromises all the time. But that's why I like working in an unlimited track environment. (That said, I could easily live inside of 32 tracks, I think.)

[hectc7]

wait....for some reason I thought that if I summed two mics to the same track it would free up input on the 003. unconsciously I thought that. I need more inputs on the 003. Summing only works if I need more tracks on LE. Anyone follow?? Anyway I still have to connect the two mic that were going to be summed to the 003 therefore still occupying 2 input spaces so I AM AN IDIOT! soory bout that guys