| During Charade (1997) , I used a BRC with 2 ALESIS ADATS. The 2 ADATS used version 4.03 software. They worked like a charm together. I had bought one ADAT new and one used, (it only had 17 hours on it!)and I linked the live tracks off the ADATS with computer tracks off my Mac SE30 (an older computer, but an absolute workhorse!) and Performer software.
LINKING TOGETHER
The main thing I had to learn was how to set up and label everything from the BRC to the computer. Once I figured that out, the actual recording was easy. The manuals are well-written and were pretty basic. You can run SMTE, MTC (Midi Time-Code) or MIDI-Clock through the BRC.
TECHNICAL STUFF
I used the basic settings of a MIDI-Clock, labeled the song number, the start time on tape and tempo (very important!). On performer, my settings were Standard on the Receive Sync, 30 fps, and 24 clocks=quarter note. I wrote a note to myself after I figured out this set-up and posted it right in front of my nose because if you forget one little thing, you can't get anything to work correctly. I don't know about you, but I hate to waste time re-figuring everything out again!
This system worked like a charm. We set the click track on the computer and did any drum and bass loops that we wanted to start with, then put live rhythm tracks on top of them on the ADATS, using tracks 1-4 for drums, 5-6 for bass, 7-8 for guitar(s) and 9-10 for keys. (9-10 are tracks 1-2 of the second ADAT) From there, you can do the premixes and bouncing, but we did very little of that until we got to the actual mixing.
MIDI-ECHO
The MIDI Echo function on the BRC echoes information received on the MIDI In port to the MIDI Out port. This way, you can combine some of the "live tracking" feel you have on tape with other layering you wanted to do with your keyboard. The BRC merges the information, playing live tracks at the same time as recording and sequencing new tracks on your computer. I liked using this function when adding extra parts I heard after recording most of the live tracks.
FUTURE USE
Having a system that already works well together that's within your budget is a valuable asset when you embark on another project. The time and money spent on learning a new system set-up may not be worth it in the long run.
I'll probably be using the same set-up on my next project since there are other pieces of equipment I'd like to get before newer or different models of ADATS.
The beauty with the basic ADAT and BRC set-up is having the ability to do punch-ins when noone else is in the studio. So when you feel like adding a few background tracks or keyboard pads, you can hook up a foot-pedal and punch them in and out easily. And the LOCATE buttons work like a charm. We set the pre-roll function to 5 seconds and we'd automatically have a few seconds of music prior to our locate point. The post-roll function comes in handy for self-punches as well.
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