Portastudio 414 & Panning in Direct Recording mode

gpvson

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Portastudio 414
When using Direct Recording mode, during the recording of all four tracks simultaneously, is it possbile to leave all four channels panned in the center, and only pan them separately within the L/R stereo mix during Mix Down? Or will the tracks already have bled together since they were not panned apart in the stereo field during capture?

The example in the manual... ... "Even when using the direct recording capability, a channel still goes to the Left/Right mix. If you record another track with the stereo left or right mix at the same time, you must check your PAN settings. For example, you can record vocal directly onto track 3, and record multiple instruments on track 1 via the stereo left bus at the same time. But channel 3's PAN control must be turned hard right, otherwise you'll wind up with vocals "bleeding through" onto track 1's instruments." ... ...I interpret this as tracks 1, 2 and 4 all being panned hard L and track 3 needing to be panned hard R to keep it from being partially captured in the L stereo field.

BUT what if all four tracks remain panned center during recording, can they still be panned as desired during Mix Down? ELI5?
 
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I'm not familiar with this vintage gear, so it would help to know which version you have.

When using Direct Recording mode, during the recording of all four tracks simultaneously, is it possbile to leave all four channels panned in the center, and only pan them separately within the L/R stereo mix during Mix Down?
The Owner Manual (OM) for the 414mkII is clear in both the text and Block Diagram that in "Direct Mode" there's a 1:1 relation of input channel to recorder track. The Pan control is bypassed in record mode; and is only active during stereo mix-down. This is the typical configuration for multi-track recording.

BUT what if all four tracks remain panned center during recording, can they still be panned as desired during Mix Down?
Based solely on the quote you provided, it seems you would end up with all four signals co-mingled on each track if you're not in "Direct Record" mode for all four tracks.
 
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Mark, your reply is much appreciated and I follow your reasoning-- I have the 414mkI and have looked through both the OMs for the 414mkI and mkII... I hadn't thought to check the signal flow diagram (duh) but knowing that model, I would defer to your expertise?
 
I don't own one of these units but it seems the 414 has three ways to record:
a. Record a 2-track L/R mix (i.e. straight to stereo mix) using Pan settings to create the stereo field;
b. Record multiple channels to a single track (using Pan to send the signals to the desired track);
c. Record direct to individual tracks (ch1 to tr1, ch2 to tr2, etc., Pan controls are bypassed).

The warning you quoted seems to apply if modes "a" and/or "b" and mode "c" are used simultaneously while recording. In that scenario, if the Pan controls are centered, it seems that all the signals will be co-mingled when recorded.
 
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Wonderful. Your input is invaluable. THANK YOU. Will save me some time and headache as I prepare to record some live demos with a group of musicians next month.
 
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