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Welcome to the Recording Forums archive of audio recording posts from the old Recording Website Message Board

Home recording and general music post from the archived Yabb Recording Website Message Board. Some of the info here may be outdated but many of the audio recording and home studio tips are still good. Note: The only tags I made and attempt to convert are italics, bold, center and underline. So if you see some gibberish surrounded by brackets, just ignore it.

Recording Website Archived Yabb board Post

Febuary 2001 Yabb Message Board Archive

Subject: Mackie sr32x4 mixer
by David | 04/01/01 at 10:37:48

All types of websites say that the Mackie sr32x4 (32 chan 4 bus) is good as a live sound mixer as well as a recording mixer. Does it have 32, or at least 24 channel outputs, or are you just supposed to record one take???

Subject: Re: Mackie sr32x4 mixer
by Tim_Z | 04/01/01 at 13:19:03

I have a Mackie SR24-4 which has 20 mono channel strips and two stereo strips. The 20 channels each have mic inputs, line inputs and insert or direct out jacks. The 32-4 will have a a minimum of 24 mono strips with direct outs for each one. So yes, you should be able to have 24 direct outs with the 32-4. Not sure what you mean by "or are you supposed to just record one take". This is not a recorder, but rather just a mixer. Even with a real basic mixer you could record more than one track at a time. With the 32-4 you should be able to record 24+ tracks in one take, assuming you have a recorder than can handle that many tracks.

As far as quality. I think they are very good mixers, especially for the price. The worst part about them is the EQ section, which isn't bad, but also isn't great, but again what can you expect for the price. If you are thinking of buying new, I would wait for the new boards that have the new VLZ Pro mic pre's. Much better pre's than the older ones.

Good Luck

Tim Z

Song Structure

by Dan E. Monk

Songs at the most basic level are structured by verse. Most modern songs add a chorus. A bridge, although not as popular can also be added. In addition songs can also contain: an intro, a pre chorus (also called a build), a refrain and an extro (also called an outro or tag).

A brief explanation of the different song sections:

Verse :
Verses are structured lines that while differ in content follow the same musical pattern.

Chorus :
A chorus differs both musically and lyrically from the verse and is repeated at least once in the song.

Bridge :
A bridge differs both musically and lyrically from the verse and the chorus, usually only used once in the song.

Refrain :
A refrain is one or two lines at the end of each verse which while different lyrically from the verse remain consistent to themselves.

Intro :
The into is a different musical form that comes at the beginning of the song. It differs from the verses but can and often does share music and or lyrics with the chorus.

Pre Chorus (also called a build):
A pre chorus precedes the chorus. While keeping the same music form the pre chorus can lyrically change throughout the song. It is usually repeated as often as the chorus.

Extro (also called Outro or Tag):
Stylistically the same as the intro, except it occurs at the end of the song.

The different forms
The Traditional AAA form.
The AAA song form consists only of verses. Sounds simple but it is one of the harder forms to write. Both words and melody must be fresh and compelling, there is not chorus or bridge to break things up. The ABA form.

(A = verse, B = chorus)
The ABA form adds a chorus. More often you will see it as ABABA or AABABA. This fits in well with modern pop music. Adding a chorus allows the songwriter to move the song in a different direction musically. Lyrically, the chorus is the meat of the song, usually repeating the title while summing up what the song is about. The ABCA form.

(A = verse, B = chorus, C = bridge)
Also quite popular the ABCA form adds a bridge. The verse and chorus have the same function as the ABA form. The bridge can be used lyrically to clear up parts of the song that may otherwise be obscure, or to tie the song together, hence the name bridge. Musically a bridge is used to break up a pattern that may be getting a little too monotonous or predictable.

There are other forms of course. These are the most common. What form you use depends a lot on what musical genre you are writing your song in.