Yamaha MD 8 manual

MULTITRACK MD RECORDER Owner’s Manual E MULTITRACK MD RECORDER GROUP 1 CH 1 CH 2 CH 3 CH 4 CH 5 CH 6 CH 7 CH 8 2345678 REC SELECT DISPLAY REPEAT MARK SEARCH MARK AUTO PUNCH I/O SONG SEARCH PAUSE REHE REC PLAY STOP A B LAST REC SEARCH SET EXIT ADJUST PITCH EDIT UTILITY ENTER PHONES PUNCH I/O DATA + – CURSOR 1 1 2 3 4 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 GROUP ASSIGN G[...]

Laser Diode Properties * Material : GaAlAs * Wavelength : 780–790 nm * Emission Duration : Continuous * Laser Output Power : Less than 44.6 µ W Laser output is measured at a distance of 20cm from the object lens on the optical pick-up head. (Note) This unit is classified as a Class 1 laser product. The CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT label is located on t[...]

• Explanation of Graphical Symbols The exclamation point within an equilat- eral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the product. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user t[...]

ii MD8—Owner’s Manual Important Read the Following Before Operating the MD8 W arnings • Do not locate the MD8 in a place subject t o exc essive heat or dir ect sunlig ht. This could be a fire hazar d. • Do not place MD8 in a plac e subject to exc essive humidity or dust. This could be a fire or electrical shock hazard. • Connect the sup[...]

iii MD8—Owner’s Manual V entilation Allow a distanc e of 10 cm between the unit and the wall so that heat gener ated from the unit will be released effectively . Also, allo w enoug h space between the unit and other devices. If you mount the unit in an audio rack, keep a space of 10 cm to the side panel. Remov e the rear panel of the r ack or o[...]

iv MD8—Owner’s Manual Contents 1. Welcome to the MD8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 MD8 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

v MD8—Owner’s Manual Ping-Pong Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Preparing for Ping-Pong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Rehearsing Ping-Pong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Performing Ping-Pong [...]

vi MD8—Owner’s Manual 9. The MD8 & MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Using the MD8 in a Synchronized MIDI System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 About Tempo Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Setting Up a Synchronized MIDI System . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

Welcome to the MD8 1 MD8—Owner’s Manual 1 W elcome to the MD8 Thank you for choosing the Y amaha MD8 M ultitrack MD Recor der . The MD8 uses the MiniDisc format for 8-track multitra ck recor ding, with superior sound qualit y and quick search capabilities. T o take best advantage of your MD8, read this Ow ner’ s Ma nual thoroughly . MD8 Featu[...]

2 Welcome to the MD8 MD8—Owner’s Manual • The con venient MD D A T A disc medium requires no formatting before use, and when a project is c omplete, simply pop in a new disc and star t tracking st raightaway . • Quick location of song star t, song end, last rec ording in/out points, and up to 10 user mark points per song. • Pr ecise punch[...]

Buying Discs for the MD8 3 MD8—Owner’s Manual Buying Discs for the MD8 It ’ s important that you buy the corr ect t y pe of disc for use with your MD8. F or 8-track reco rding and playback, you must use MD D A T A discs. R egular MiniDiscs can only be used for 2-track recording and pla yback (2TR mode). MD D A T A discs ar e used as a storage[...]

4 Touring the MD8 MD8—Owner’s Manual 2 Touring the MD8 This chapter tak es you on a tour of the MD8, identifying the various parts to help you become familiar with your new recor der . Topside V iew The individual sections of the MD8 are explained on the following pages. MULTITRACK MD RECORDER GROUP 1 CH 1 CH 2 CH 3 CH 4 CH 5 CH 6 CH 7 CH 8 234[...]

Input Channels 5 MD8—Owner’s Manual Input Channels A GAIN control This rotary control adjusts the sensitivity of the MIC/LINE input so that both microphone and line-level signals can be handled with ease. B FLIP switch This switch is used to select the signal sources for the input c hannel and CUE con- trols. W ith the [FLIP] sw itch in the up [...]

6 Touring the MD8 MD8—Owner’s Manual F GROUP ASSIGN switches These switches are used to assign (i.e., send) the input channel signal to groups. They work in conjunction with the P AN control. For example, w ith GROUP ASSIGN switch [1–2] ON and the P AN control set midwa y , the c hannel sig nal is sent equally to Gr oups 1 and 2. W ith the P [...]

Master Section 7 MD8—Owner’s Manual Master Section A 9–10/11–12 input level controls These rotary controls are used t o adjust the level of the 9–10 and 11–12 input signals that are sent to the Ster eo bus for mixing . They’ re also used in conjunction with the GROUP ASSIGN switches to adjust the level of the 9–10 and 11–12 input [...]

8 Touring the MD8 MD8—Owner’s Manual Display A Status indicators These indicators show the curre nt operating mode. B Pitch indicators These indicators show the curre nt Pitch mode: FIX (fix ed) or V ARI (variable). C MTC, MIDI CLK, and MMC indicators These indicators light when the MIDI synchronization options are used. MTC appears when the M[...]

Display 9 MD8—Owner’s Manual REMAIN —This mode shows the time r emaining for a song or when you are rec ording a new song, it sho ws the available time remaining for the song (on disc). TOT AL —This mode shows the time position within the entire disc. F Title and function display Disc titles, song titles, functions, messages, and other info[...]

10 Touring the MD8 MD8—Owner’s Manual Disc T ransport Section A Disc T ransport buttons REHE —This button is used to ent er Rehearse mode. The REHE indicators flash in R ehearse P ause mode and stay on co ntinuously while rehearsal is in progress. REC —This button is used to ent er Reco rd mode. The REC indicators flash in Rec ord P ause [...]

Disc Transport Section 11 MD8—Owner’s Manual E A B Repeat buttons These buttons are used t o enter the A and B points for A -B Repeat. F REPEA T button This button is used to select the 1 Song, All Song, A -B, and A uto Punc h Rehearse R epeat modes. It’ s also used to cancel A -B Repeat mode. G MARK SEARCH & MARK buttons The MARK SEARCH [...]

12 Touring the MD8 MD8—Owner’s Manual Rear Panel A AC IN Connect the supplied po wer cord her e. B POWER ON/OFF switch This switch is used to turn on and off the MD8. C MIDI IN, OUT & THRU The MD8 recei ves MMC (MIDI Mac hine Control) commands via the MIDI IN port, and outputs MIDI Clock or MT C (MIDI Timecode) fr om the MIDI OUT por t. The[...]

Rear Panel 13 MD8—Owner’s Manual D AUX SEND These 1/4-inch phone jacks are used t o send the A ux Send signals to external effects pro- cessors. Connect them to the effects pr oces- sors’ inputs. E LINE INPUT 9–10/11–12 These 1/4-inch phone jacks are used t o con- nect unbalanced electronic m usical instr u- ments and other line-level sou[...]

14 Touring the MD8 MD8—Owner’s Manual G INSERT I/O These TRS phone jacks are used to c onnect signal processors for use with input channel 1 and input channel 2 ex clusively . T y pically , c ompressors, limiters, and noise gat es are con- nected to this type of connection. H MIC/LINE INPUT s 1 & 2 These inputs are used to c onnect balanced[...]

Front Connectors 15 MD8—Owner’s Manual M PHANTOM POWER ON/OFF switch This switch is used to turn on and off the phantom pow er for the XLR -ty pe MIC/LINE (BAL) inputs on channels 1 and 2. Phantom powe r is used to power c ondenser microphones. It should be turned off when de vices other than condenser micr ophones are connected t o these input[...]

16 The First Session MD8—Owner’s Manual 3 The First Session This chapter e xplains how to rec ord and mix your first MD8 session. If this is your first time with a multitr ack reco rder , we r ecommend that you start with this chapter and follow all the proc edures closely . When y ou ’ve completed this c hapter , ha ve a look at subsequent[...]

Connecting the Power Cord 17 MD8—Owner’s Manual Connecting the Power Cord 1. Connect the supplied power cord to the AC IN socket on the rear of MD8. 2. Plug the other end of the power cord into a suitable AC wall outlet. Turning on the MD8 1. Press the POWER switch at the rear of the MD8. The display lights up. T o tur n off the MD8, pr ess the[...]

18 The First Session MD8—Owner’s Manual Making the Connections (GRP & DIR) 1. Connect a sound source to MIC/LINE INPUT 1. If you are using a condenser micr ophone, set P HANTOM switch to ON t o turn on phantom pow er ing. 2. Set the [FLIP] switch on Input Channel 1 to MIC/LINE. 3. If you connect a line-level source, set the GAIN control to [...]

Recording the First Track 19 MD8—Owner’s Manual DIR Method 1. Press the REC SELECT [1] button. The TRK 1 DIR indicator flashes, indicating that track 1 is set to recor d directly from input channel 1. 2. Proceed to Monitoring & Recording (GRP & DIR) . Monitoring & Recording (GRP & DIR) 1. Press the MONITOR SELECT [CUE] switch. [...]

20 The First Session MD8—Owner’s Manual Overdubbing Over dubbing is the technique used to rec ord new sounds to empty tracks w hile listening to the sounds already r ecorded on other tracks. The following over dubbing procedure can be used to rec ord to T r acks 2–8, and y ou can use the GRP or DIR method, the latter method is used in this pr[...]

Mixdown 21 MD8—Owner’s Manual Mixdown Mixdown is the final technique in m ultit rack recor ding . Here y ou mix the sounds from all eight tr acks, w ith EQ and effects to creat e a balanced stereo signal that is rec orded to a ster eo master rec order , suc h as a D A T , MiniDisc, or cassette tape deck. 1. Make sure that all [GROUP ASSIGN] sw[...]

22 The First Session MD8—Owner’s Manual An Overview of Multitrack Recording This section describes the fundamental principles of multitrack recording. Basic Multitracking Monitoring —This is the proc ess of listening to a sound as it’ s being recor ded or listening to rec orded sounds as new sounds are r ecorded t o other tr acks. See A bou[...]

About Monitoring 23 MD8—Owner’s Manual About Monitoring The MD8 features a flexible monit or ing system, allowing you to monit or sig nals at various points. Y ou can monitor sounds thr oug h a pair of stereo headphones c onnected to the PHONES jack, or through a monitor amplifier and speakers c onnected to the MONIT OR OUT jacks. The MONITOR[...]

24 The First Session MD8—Owner’s Manual Multi-Sour ce Mixing In addition to the eight disc tracks, you can also connect ext ernal sound sources to the MIC/LINE inputs and mix up to eight more sound sourc es w ith the disc tracks. These extra sound sources ar e mixed using the CUE LE VEL and P AN controls. The [CUE MIX TO STE- REO] switch makes [...]

Multi-Source Mixing 25 MD8—Owner’s Manual 4. Set the input channel and STEREO faders to the 7 – 8 mark, and set the CUE LEVEL controls midway . 5. Set the [CUE MIX TO STEREO] switch to ON. 6. Press the MONITOR SELECT [STEREO] switch and set the MONITOR LEVEL control to an appropriate level. 7. Set the STEREO fader to the 7 – 8 mark. 8. Pres[...]

26 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual 4 Recording & Mixing T echniques This chapter e xplains MD8 recording and mixing t echniques. Recording a New Song The NEW REC function is used to r ecord new songs on a disc. Songs are recor ded sequen- tially , as shown below . W ith a blank disc, simply pressing the [REC] button eng[...]

Recording a New Song 27 MD8—Owner’s Manual Setting the Recording Mode The following table shows the four MD8 R ecording modes. Song s on the same disc can be reco rded in different modes, but you cannot change the mode during or after r ecording. These modes allow y ou to use disc space efficiently . A udio qualit y is the same for all four mo[...]

28 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Recording 1. Press the [REC] button to engage Record Pause mode. The display sho ws the number of the new song and NEW X REC . This is Rec ord P ause mode. Initially , all tracks that can be reco rded in the current R ecording mode ar e selected, as sho wn by the flashing dots. Y ou canno[...]

Manual Punch In/Out 29 MD8—Owner’s Manual Manual Punch In/Out The Punc h In/Out technique allows y ou to rer ecord specific sections of a tr ack. This can be used to co r rect mistak es or record something new int o silent sections of a track. I f you ’ re operating the MD8 and playing or singing the par t to be rec orded, you ’ll find it[...]

30 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Using the REC SELECT buttons 1. Locate to a position before the point at which you want to punch in. 2. Make sure that all REC indicators are off (i.e., no tracks selected). 3. Press the [REC] button. The REC indicators (i.e., the indicator of the [REC] button and the REC message on the di[...]

Manual Punch In/Out 31 MD8—Owner’s Manual Using a Footswitch 1. Connect an optional footswitch to the PUNCH I/O jack (front panel). 2. Locate to a position before the point at which you want to punch in. 3. Press the [REC SELECT] button (or [GROUP] + [REC SELECT]) of the track that you want to record. A dot flashes abov e the corresponding tra[...]

32 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Auto Punch In/Out The A uto Punc h In/Out function automates the punch in/out pr ocedure, allowing you to conc entr ate on your pla ying or sing ing. A uto Punch I n/Out uses the LAST REC IN and OUT points as the punch in and punch out points. So you must set these points first. Once set,[...]

Auto Punch In/Out 33 MD8—Owner’s Manual Using [SET] and LAST REC SEARCH Another way of setting the Punch I n and Out points on the fly is by using the [SET] and LAST REC SEARCH butt ons (also labelled [IN] and [OUT]). Doing so has the ad vantage that you do not need t o select a tr ack for recor ding beforehand: 1. Locate to a position before [...]

34 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Single T ake Auto Punch In/Out Rehearsing Auto Punch (Single T ake) 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button (or [GROUP] + [REC SELECT]) of the track that you want to record. A dot flashes abov e the corresponding track indicator . 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH I/O] button. 3. Select the Auto Punch In[...]

Auto Punch In/Out 35 MD8—Owner’s Manual Performing Auto Punch for Real 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button (or [GROUP] + [REC SELECT]) of the track that you want to record. A dot flashes abov e the corresponding track indicator . 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH I/O] button. 3. Select the Auto Punch In mode (Single T ake) with the DA T A dial and press [[...]

36 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Auto Punch with a Footswitch An optional footswitch can be used to start the A uto Punc h In/Out sequence. 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button (or [GROUP] + [REC SELECT]) of the track that you want to record. A dot flashes abov e the corresponding track indicator . 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH I[...]

Auto Punch In/Out 37 MD8—Owner’s Manual Multi T ake Auto Punch In/Out As previously mentioned, Multi T ake Punc h In/Out means that you can rec ord several v er- sions of the same exc erpt, audition them, decide which one you lik e best, and then discar d the remaining T akes. Y ou need to set the P unch In and Punch Out points for M ulti T ake[...]

38 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Performing Multi T ake Auto Punch for Real 1. See steps (1) – (3) above. The display no w reads TAKE 1 Load . Ne xt, the P re-Roll point is locat ed automatically . The REHE indicators flash and the displa y shows TAKE 1 Rehe . The A UTO PUNCH IN and OUT indicators appear . This is M ul[...]

Auto Punch In/Out 39 MD8—Owner’s Manual Auditioning Y our T akes Her e is how to audition all the tak es you rec orded: 1. At the NEXT TAKE message that appears when the MD8 returns to the Pre-Roll point, use the DA T A dial to select MONI TAKE . 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display no w shows the message TAKE X MONI (where “X” represen[...]

40 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Setting the Pre-Roll & Post-Roll T imes Pr e-Roll and P ost-Roll are used in conjunction with the A uto Punch I n/Out function. Pr e-Roll refers t o the time before the IN point at which playback starts. P ost-Roll refers t o the time after the OUT point at which pla yback stops. The d[...]

Ping-Pong Recording 41 MD8—Owner’s Manual Ping-Pong Recording The ping-pong reco rding technique (also known as bounce do w n) is used to free up tracks for further recording. This is accomplished b y bouncing down (i.e., mixing and r ecording) one or two existing tracks to an unused track. Those tracks can then be used for fur ther reco rding [...]

42 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Preparing for Ping-Pong 1. Press the [ ] SONG SEARCH button to locate the beginning of the song. 2. Set the [FLIP] switches on the source track channels to PB. This sets the disc playback (track) signal as the source for the channels. 3. Set the faders on the source channels to the 7 – 8[...]

Ping-Pong Recording 43 MD8—Owner’s Manual Rehearsing Ping-Pong 8. Press the [REHE] button. The REHE indicators flash. 9. Press the [PLA Y] button to start the rehearsal. The rehearsal starts and the PLA Y indicators light up. The REHE indicators stop flashing and light up continuously . Y ou should now be able to hear the sourc e tr acks comb[...]

44 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Ping-Pong with Overdub The ping-pong technique can be c ombined w ith over dub recor ding . This allows you to bounce do w n tracks and record a new sound sourc e simultaneously . I n the following illus- tration, for example, T racks 5, 6, and 7 are bounced to T rack 1 along w ith a new s[...]

Ping-Pong with Overdub 45 MD8—Owner’s Manual For mono Ping-P ong operations, be sur e to connect the additional signal sourc es to the LINE INPUT s that can be assig ned to the desired GR OUP (1/3 or 2/4). 6. Continue with Preparing for Ping-Pong on page 42. During rehearsal, balance the level of the new source with the existing tracks. If you [...]

46 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Pitch The Pitch function allo ws you to adjust the pitc h for playback and reco rding. The pit ch can be adjusted appro ximately ± 12%. N or mally , the Pitch function should be set to Fix, which means the pitch is fix ed for normal operation. See Pitch Applications on page 87 for some a[...]

Using a Footswitch 47 MD8—Owner’s Manual Using a Footswitch An optional footswitch can be used to c ontrol the MD8. Apart from a few small differenc es, footswitch operation is essentially the same as pressing the MD8 [PLA Y] button. Connect the footswitch to the PUNCH I/O jack at the front of the MD8. The following is a summar y of footsw itch[...]

48 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Applying Effects The A UX SENDs 1 and 2 allow y ou to connect ext ernal effects processors and apply effects to MD8 signals. Effects can be applied when recording tracks, using ping-pong, or during mixdown. T y pically , rev erb and delay ty pe effects, which ar e often applied to several [...]

Applying Effects when Recording 49 MD8—Owner’s Manual Applying Effects when Recording 1. T o send an input channel signal to an effects processor , set the [FLIP] switch to the up position, the fader to the 7 – 8 mark, and turn up an AUX control. The input channel signal is sent to the effects proc essor . 2. Use the GROUP ASSIGN switches to [...]

50 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD8—Owner’s Manual Patching in Signal Processors Input channels 1 and 2 featur e INSER T I/O jacks. These mak e it easy to patch ext ernal sig nal proc essors directly into these two channels. T y pically , compr essors, limit ers, and noise gates are used for this type of connection. Rev erb, delay , and ot[...]

Quick Search Functions 51 MD8—Owner’s Manual 5 Quick Sear ch Functions This chapter e xplains the quick search functions. Sear ching for Songs The [ ] and [ ] SONG SEARCH buttons can be used for locating songs at an y time ex cept when recor ding . The [ ] SONG SEARCH button locat es the previous song and the [ ] SONG SEARCH button locates the [...]

52 Quick Search Functions MD8—Owner’s Manual 3. T urn the CURSOR shuttle to the left to rewind at the desired speed The display sho ws the value of the selected Review (REV) speed (see the above illustration). 4. If you like, you can “ lock ” the currently selected Cue/Review speed by pressing the [ENTER] button. That way , you don ’ t ne[...]

Searching for Markers 53 MD8—Owner’s Manual Sear ching for Markers The [ ] and [ ] MARK SEARCH butt ons are used to search for mark ers within a song . The [ ] MARK SEARCH butt on locates the previous marker and the MARK SEARCH [ ] button locates the ne xt mar ker . F or a song with no mar kers inserted, you can only locate the Start and End ma[...]

54 Quick Search Functions MD8—Owner’s Manual Adjusting Markers Once inserted, markers can be finely adjusted in one-frame steps. This also applies to the LAST REC IN and OUT points (they double as Punch I n and Out points). The Start and End markers cannot be adjusted. 1. Press the [ADJUST] button. The display sho ws MARK X: ADJST (“X ” be[...]

Adjusting Markers 55 MD8—Owner’s Manual 4. Use the DA T A dial to adjust the marker and the [PLA Y] and the CURSOR shuttle to audition the new marker position. The marker can be mo ved in 86-frame steps to a new position within the 10 seconds of sound data loaded into memory . If you want to mo ve the marker t o a position be yond this range, y[...]

56 Quick Search Functions MD8—Owner’s Manual Erasing Markers 1. Press the [ADJUST] button. The display sho ws MAR X: ADJST . 2. Use the DA T A dial to select the marker that you want to erase. 3. T urn the CURSOR shuttle to the right to make the ADJST message fl ash. 4. Use the DA T A dial to select CLEAR. The display sho ws MARK X: CLEAR . 5.[...]

Repeat, Cue List & Program Play 57 MD8—Owner’s Manual 6 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play This chapter e xplains the Repeat, Cue List, and Program Play functions. One Song Repeat One Song Re peat playback allows y ou to play one song r epeatedly . 1. Use the [SONG SEARCH] buttons to select the song for repeat playback. 2. Press the [REPEA[...]

58 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play MD8—Owner’s Manual A – B Repeat A–B Re peat playback allows y ou to repeatedly pla y a section of a song. Pla yback repeats between the specified A and B points, which can be in separate songs. 1. Press the [PLA Y] button to start playback. 2. Press the [A B] button when you hear the beginning of the [...]

Cue List Playback & Copy 59 MD8—Owner’s Manual Cue List Playback & Copy The Cue List function allo ws you to c ompile a cue list (i.e., a sequenc e of cues for playback) using markers. Cues are loaded into memory for continuous, uninterr upted playback. The C ue List can also be copied to creat e a new song . A Cue List can c ontain up [...]

60 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play MD8—Owner’s Manual Program Playback The Pr og ram Play function allo ws you to co mpile a program of songs for custom playback. The Pr ogr am may c ontain up to 36 steps. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the DA T A dial to select the PRG Play function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display sho ws E[...]

Editing Songs & Tracks 61 MD8—Owner’s Manual 7 Editing Songs & T racks This chapter e xplains the edit functions that can be used w ith songs and tr acks. V iewing Disc Contents The Disc Info function allows y ou to view how the songs and blanks on a disc are organized. U sing this function is invaluable for the Song M ove function (see[...]

62 Editing Songs & Tracks MD8—Owner’s Manual Erasing Discs The Disc Erase function allows you t o erase all song s on disc. Erasing all song s formats a disc. A disc that has been used to st ore computer data m ust be formatted using this function before it can be used with the MD8. 1. Press the [EDIT] button and use the DA T A dial to sele[...]

Copying & Converting Songs 63 MD8—Owner’s Manual 6. T urn the CURSOR shuttle to the right to select the fi rst track of the song copy . The number of this track (probably “1” now flashes). 7. Use the DA T A dial to select another track. Doing so means that track 1 of the copy will no longer correspond to track 1 of the orig inal. Y ou[...]

64 Editing Songs & Tracks MD8—Owner’s Manual 12. Press the [TOC WRITE] button to update the TOC. The following illustration shows a few possible applications of the Song Copy function. It is so flexible that we cannot sho w all possibilities. J ust remember that you are fr ee to choose whichever track(s) you lik e for downscaled versions ([...]

Moving Songs 65 MD8—Owner’s Manual 4. Press [ENTER] to renumber the songs. After r enumbering the songs, the displa y w ill briefly show TOC Write to signal that the T OC is being updated. Moving Songs The Song M ove function allows y ou to mov e a song to a blank area. Doing so means that you cr eate a blank area on disc that can be used for [...]

66 Editing Songs & Tracks MD8—Owner’s Manual Dividing Songs The Song Divide function allows you t o divide songs into several independent songs. Songs can also be arranged as a progr am for playback. See Program Playback on page 60 for more information. 1. Locate the position where you want to divide the song and press the [P AUSE] button. [...]

Combining Songs 67 MD8—Owner’s Manual Combining Songs The Song Combine function allows y ou to combine adjac ent songs that were divided using the Song Divide function. Songs that we re recor ded separately cannot be combined (though you can select their n umbers, the displa y w ill tell you Can't Combn when you press the [ENTER] button to[...]

68 Editing Songs & Tracks MD8—Owner’s Manual Erasing Songs The Song Erase function allows you t o erase indiv idual songs, which ma y be necessary to make r oom for new material you wish to recor d. 1. Press the [EDIT] button and use the DA T A dial buttons to select the Song Erase function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display sho ws S[...]

Erasing Parts 69 MD8—Owner’s Manual Erasing Parts The part Er ase function allows y ou to erase a section of a t rack. The section t o be erased is determined by the IN and OUT points. These points can be set by holding down the [SET] button while pressing [IN] or [OUT] r espectively . 1. Press the [EDIT] button and use the DA T A dial to selec[...]

70 Editing Songs & Tracks MD8—Owner’s Manual Copying T racks The T rack Copy function allows y ou to copy indi vidual t racks. The c opy is reco rded at the same volume lev el as the or iginal. 1. Press the [EDIT] button to call up the Edit menu and use the DA T A dial to select the T rack Copy function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. 3. Use [...]

Copying Parts 71 MD8—Owner’s Manual Copying Parts The P ar t Copy function allo ws you to c opy a section of one track to another tr ack. The sec- tion of the source track to be c opied is determined by the IN and OUT points. These points can be set by holding do w n the [SET] button while pressing [IN] or [OUT] respecti vely . The part is copi[...]

72 Other Functions MD8—Owner’s Manual 8 Other Functions Frame Display The Frame Disp function allows y ou to choose whether the display c ounter shows 86 frames per second, the standard frame count for MiniDisc, or 30 frames p er second for when the MD8 is generating MTC. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the DA T A dial to select the Frame[...]

The MD8 & MIDI 73 MD8—Owner’s Manual 9 The MD8 & MIDI MIDI sequencers and MIDI c ontrolled musical instruments have bec ome essential tools for modern recor ding . It’ s common these days not to r ecord MIDI instruments until the final mixdown. This has the benefit of freeing up tracks for acoustic sounds and reduces the need for re[...]

74 The MD8 & MIDI MD8—Owner’s Manual Setting Up a Synchronized MIDI System The following system shows ho w the MD8 can be integrated into a MIDI-based reco rding system. A coustic sounds are rec orded to the MD8, while MIDI instruments are controlled by a MIDI sequence r , which receiv es MTC or MIDI Clock fr om the MD8. R emote MD8 co n- t[...]

Using MTC 75 MD8—Owner’s Manual Using MTC Setting the MD8 for MTC Operation 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the DA T A dial to select the MIDI Sync function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display sho ws Sync OFF . 3. Use the DA T A dial to select MTC (MIDI Timecode). Sync MTC appears on the display and the MT C indicator to the left of[...]

76 The MD8 & MIDI MD8—Owner’s Manual Using MIDI Clock Setting the MIDI Sequencer The MIDI sequencer must be set t o receiv e and synchronize t o an external MIDI Clock source. Refer to y our MIDI sequencer’ s user manual for more information. Exact MIDI Clock operation depends on what external synchronization featur es your MIDI sequencer[...]

Using MIDI Clock 77 MD8—Owner’s Manual 5. Use the CURSOR shuttle to select the measure and time signature param- eters and set the desired values using the DA T A dial. The setting range for the measure parameter is 1–999, while Mete r allows for 1–99/2–16 set- tings. In other words, you could program a 99/16 time signature. W hile the me[...]

78 The MD8 & MIDI MD8—Owner’s Manual 5. Use the CURSOR shuttle to select the measure, beat, and tempo param- eters and set the desired values using the DA T A dial. The measure can be set fr om 1 to 999. The beat paramet er depends on the number of beats per measure, which is specified by the M eter setting. F or example, for a Met er sett[...]

Using MIDI Clock 79 MD8—Owner’s Manual The following example shows ho w sor ting works when a tempo step is delet ed. Saving a T empo Map The Song T empo (Meter and T empo) settings are stor ed as soon as you update the T OC by pressing the [T OC WRITE] (ST OP) button. It will be automatically loaded when you select the song in question. After [...]

80 The MD8 & MIDI MD8—Owner’s Manual Controlling the MD8 with MMC Quite a few of the MD8’ s functions can also be controlled using MIDI Machine C ontrol (MMC) commands. MMC is shor t for a set of MIDI messages that can be used to control audio and video (tape) machines, disc r ecorders, and other equipment. T y pically , MMC commands incl[...]

Controlling the MD8 with MMC 81 MD8—Owner’s Manual Setting the MMC Device ID Because MMC messages are univ ersal commands, you may ha ve to set the MD8 so that it only responds to c er tain MMC messages. This is only necessar y , ho wever , if you are contr ol- ling several MMC-compatible devices that must not ex ecute the same messages. A Dev [...]

82 The MD8 & MIDI MD8—Owner’s Manual Tempo Map Chart Meter Te m p o Step Measure Time Signature Step Measure -Beat T empo A 001 / A 001 – 1 B / B C / C D / D E / E F / F G / G H / H I / I J / J K / K L / L M / M N / N O / O P / P Q / Q R / R S / S T / T U / U V / V W / W X / X Y / Y Z / Z[...]

MD8 Applications 83 MD8—Owner’s Manual 10 MD8 Applications This chapter sho ws how the MD8 can be used for various applications. One-T ake Recording One-T ake rec ording is ideal for liv e recording or r ecording bands that lik e to reco rd with all members playing together . In this system, vocals, backing vocals, guitar , and drums are reco r[...]

84 MD8 Applications MD8—Owner’s Manual MIDI Home Studio In this system, acoustic instruments are recor ded to the MD8, while MIDI instr uments are controlled b y a MIDI sequencer , which receiv es MTC or MIDI Clock fr om the MD8. S ince the MIDI sequencer pr ovides repeatable playback and is synchr onized to the MD8, the MIDI instruments need n[...]

Using the MD8 with Another Mixer 85 MD8—Owner’s Manual Using the MD8 with Another Mixer In this system, the MD8 is used in conjunction w ith another mix er , in this case, a Y amaha 03D Digital Mixing Console. T r ack signals are fed to the 03D via the MD8’ s DIRECT OUT s. The 03D offers 4-band parametr ic EQ, two stereo multi-effects pr oces[...]

86 Beyond the Basics MD8—Owner’s Manual 11 Beyond the Basics This chapter pr ovides some advanced tips and techniques for MD8 r ecording. Effects Return Y ou can use LINE INPUT s 9, 10, 11, and 12 with an external effects proc essor . But they can also be used as extra stereo inputs. The y accept line-lev el sig nals that can be assigned to tra[...]

Pitch Applications 87 MD8—Owner’s Manual Pitch Applications Adjusting the pit ch is a common multitrack technique. It’ s useful when recording instru- ments that are slightly out of tune. For example, you ’ve r ecorded the drum and bass parts and now it ’ s time to recor d the acoustic piano part. H owever , the piano is a little flat. T[...]

88 Beyond the Basics MD8—Owner’s Manual Mixdown This section pro v ides tips and techniques for achieving the perfect MD8 mix. • Balance levels —you should alr eady hav e some idea of how you want y our mix to sound. This w ill, obviously , depend on the application and the instr uments being mix ed. Start w ith all fa ders positioned at th[...]

Q&A Section 89 MD8—Owner’s Manual 12 Q&A Section This section is intended to answ er your questions about the MD8 and MD D A T A discs. What ’ s the difference between MiniDiscs and MD DA T A Discs? MiniDiscs wer e desig ned to stor e mono and stereo sound data. MD D A T A discs were orig- inally designed to store c omputer data. Idea[...]

90 Q&A Section MD8—Owner’s Manual Do I have to sacri fi ce one track to record timecode? N o. The MD8 generates MT C (MIDI Timecode) or MIDI Clock from the disc ’ s internal sync signals. So ev en in a synchronized MIDI system, all eig ht tracks are available for sound reco rding. How many songs can I store on an MD DA T A disc? U p to 2[...]

91 MD8—Owner’s Manual T roubleshooting If you ’re ha ving difficult y operating the MD8 or if it doesn ’t seem to w ork as expected, look up the symptoms in the following table and follow the advice pr ovided. Symptom Advice The MD8 cannot be turned on! Make sure the power cord is connected to a suitable AC wall outlet and plugged into the[...]

92 Troubleshooting MD8—Owner’s Manual MIDI sequencer does not synchronize to the MD8! Make sure that your MIDI sequencer supports MTC or MIDI Clock. Make sure that the MD4 ’ s MTC or CLK function is turned on. MTC appears on the display when MTC is used and MASTER appears when MIDI Clock is used. Make sure your MIDI sequencer is set to synchr[...]

MD8 Transport Modes 93 MD8—Owner’s Manual Appendix MD8 T ransport Modes ● On z Flashing Mode Indicators MD8 Status REHE REC PLA Y Stop ——— No activity . Play —— ● Normal playback Play Pause —— z Playback is paused. Cue FF —— ● Quick preview at 0.5X, 2X, 4X, 8X, 16X or 32X play . Review —— ● Quick review at either 2[...]

94 Appendix MD8—Owner’s Manual Display Messages Message Meaning A A A A D D D D J J J J S S S S T T T T S S S S t t t t o o o o p p p p The [STOP] button was pressed, so the Adjust function was cancelled. B B B B l l l l a a a a n n n n k k k k D D D D i i i i s s s s c c c c The disc is blank. B B B B L L L L A A A A N N N N K K K K X X X X Th[...]

Specifications 95 MD8—Owner’s Manual Speci fi cations Recorder Mixer 0 dB is refer enced to 0.775 V r .m.s. Digital/Audio Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz Compression: A TRAC Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz, +1 dB, – 3 dB THD+N: Less than 0.02% (1 kHz) S/N: 96 dB typ. Rec/Play 8-track independent simultaneous record/play (Recording time: 18[...]

96 Appendix MD8—Owner’s Manual General Specifications subject to change w ithout not ice. Power Requirements USA & Canada: 120 V/60 Hz, Others: 230 V/50 Hz Power Consumption 40 W Dimensions (W x H x D) 484 x 102 x 412.3 mm W eight 6.4 kg Operating Conditions T emperature 5 ˚ C – 35 ˚ C (41 ˚ F – 95 ˚ F) Humidity 10% – 95% Supplie[...]

Block Diagram 97 MD8—Owner’s Manual Block Diagram PB MIC/ LINE 3 Band EQ 3 Band EQ LINE MIC/ PB CUE MASTER 2 1 DIRECT 2 to Ch2 FLIP (CUE) GROUP 2 CH 2 Tr2 to Ch2 FLIP (EQ) from Ch2 from Ch8 GROUP 4 CH 8 to Ch8 FLIP (EQ) Tr8 to Ch8 FLIP (CUE) 8 REC Recorder PB PB Rec REC Recorder PB PB Rec from TRACK DIRECT OUT to Rec from PB 2 4 1 3 MONITOR LEV[...]

98 Appendix MD8—Owner’s Manual Dimensions W: 484 mm D: 412.3 mm H:102 mm Unit: mm[...]

Glossary 99 MD8—Owner’s Manual Glossar y A TRAC —An acron ym for Adapti ve T ransfor m A coustic Coding. This is the c ompression technique used to fit the same amount of data as that of a 120 mm CD on a 64 mm MiniDisc. U sing the A TRAC syst em, the MD8 pr ovides an 8-tr ack recor ding time of 18 minutes. A TRAC uses established psyc hoacou[...]

100 Glossary MD8—Owner’s Manual Low-Level Signal —A signal in the range from –100 dB to –20 dB. Microphone and elec- tric guitar sig nals are in this range. The MD8’ s MIC/LINE inputs support low-level signals. Contrast with Line-Level Signal. MiniDisc —A compact data st or age medium designed to store m usic. MiniDiscs c ome in two v[...]

Glossary 101 MD8—Owner’s Manual Phono Jack —Also know as an R CA jack, this t y pe of connector is oft en used on semipro- fessional audio and video equipment. Ping-Pong —A reco rding technique used to transfer (i.e., mix and rereco rd) one or more tracks to other tracks to free up those tracks for fur ther recor ding . The MD8 allows you t[...]

102 Index MD8—Owner’s Manual Index Numerics 2TR IN Connecting 85 2TR IN connectors 14 2TR IN MONITOR SELECT switch 7 A A-B buttons 11 A–B repeat 58 AC IN connector 12 ADJUST button 11 Adjusting markers 54 Advanced multitracking 22 All song repeat 57 Applications MIDI home studio 84 One-take recording 83 Assign, see Group assign ATRAC, definit[...]

Index 103 MD8—Owner’s Manual Erasing Discs 62 Markers 56 Parts 69 Songs 68 Tracks 68 Error messages 94 EVEN, pan 18 EXE, definition 99 EXIT button 11 F Fader Input channel 6 STEREO 7 Fast Forward 51 First session 16 First track recording 17 FIX 8 FLIP switch 5 Footswitch Auto punch in/out 36 Connector 15 Operation table 47 Punch in/out operatio[...]

104 Index MD8—Owner’s Manual MIDI Clock 79 Definition 100 Indicator 8 Sequencer setting 76 System setup 74 Using 76 MIDI Timecode see MTC MiniDisc Definition 100 Types 3 Mixdown Beyond the basics 88 Definition 100 Operation 21 Overview 22 MMC Device ID 81 Indicator 8 Receive 81 MMC (MIDI Machine Control 80 Moni Take 39 MONITOR LEVEL control 7 O[...]

Index 105 MD8—Owner’s Manual REHE button 10 Rehearse Pause mode 93 Rehearsing Auto punch 34 , 37 Mode 93 Ping-pong 43 Remain 28 REMAIN, time counter 9 Remote control 80 Renumbering 64 Repeat A–B 58 All songs 57 Indicators 9 One song 57 REPEAT 1 indicator 9 REPEAT A-B indicators 9 REPEAT ALL indicator 9 REPEAT button 11 Resetting the pitch 46 [...]

YAMAHA [Multitrack Recorder] Date: 11 Sept 1997 Model: MD8 MIDI Implementation Chart Version: 1.0 Function... Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Channel Default Changed X X X X Mode Default Messages Altered X X ************** X X X Note Number True Voice X ************** X X Velocity Note On Note Off X X X X After Touch Keys Ch ’ s X X X X Pitc[...]

Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: 12345678 Tracking Sheet Title: Session Info Track List Mixer Setup Date: Step: Process: Notes: Step 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 → → → → → → → → → Section Repeat Title Cue List [S] [1] [2] [5] [E] [3] [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Marker Log 1 1 2 3 4 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 GR[...]