Recording with Yamaha EAD10 + Scarllet 6i6 - Need hints!

[Digirock]

Hello there,

I'm gearing up to hit the studio with my partner in crime—a drummer—for some drum recording sessions as a pre-production test for our upcoming album.

He just got a Yamaha EAD10. Although it's new to us, my research indicates that the best way to record both a stereo track signal (from the internal mic) and MIDI-triggered data from the kick drum trigger is through USB.

So, if I connect my MacBook to the EAD10 via USB, it turns the EAD10 into an audio interface. This brings up a question: Can I simultaneously use my Scarlett 6i6 (on the same laptop) as an audio interface?

Why am I asking this? What's my goal? Let me break it down:

I'd like to record:

The stereo track provided by the EAD10's mic (via EAD10)
The kick drum MIDI track notes (via EAD10)
A snare kick audio track captured through a microphone inserted in my Scarlett 6i6
Two more audio tracks for the toms, captured through microphones and inserted in my Scarlett 6i6.
Perhaps the most straightforward way is to use two computers, right?

Computer 'A' for Yamaha EAD10
Computer 'B' for Scarlett 6i6
Is it possible to achieve this using only one laptop? Can I record the MIDI track (kick drum) via EAD10 and also the stereo track from EAD10?

Thanks in advance,

[James Perrett]

On a Mac you can use both at the same time by setting up an aggregate device. Ideally you would want them all to run from the same digital audio clock but this doesn't appear to be possible in this case so there may be the odd glitch here and there.

[adrian_k]

If it was me I would record all of the audio through the 6i6, and the midi directly through USB into the same computer. You’ll need to connect the L/R outs of the EAD10 to two inputs on the 6i6. This would avoid any clocking issues with the audio.

[tacitus]

If it was me I would record all of the audio through the 6i6, and the midi directly through USB into the same computer. You’ll need to connect the L/R outs of the EAD10 to two inputs on the 6i6. This would avoid any clocking issues with the audio.

This is how I’d do it, too.

[Digirock]

If it was me I would record all of the audio through the 6i6, and the midi directly through USB into the same computer. You’ll need to connect the L/R outs of the EAD10 to two inputs on the 6i6. This would avoid any clocking issues with the audio.

This definitely sounds like a plan. I've thought about this before, but I'm not sure if I can record the MIDI notes from the EAD trigger without selecting it (the EAD) as my audio hardware in Logic Pro. If this is somehow possible, I will definitely go this way.

[Sam Spoons]

MIDI is usually handled separately from audio in a DAW so as long as your interface can be recognised as a MIDi interface without also being the active audio interface it should be fine.

[adrian_k]

What he said

[Digirock]

MIDI is usually handled separately from audio in a DAW so as long as your interface can be recognised as a MIDi interface without also being the active audio interface it should be fine.

Yes, I know that MIDI and audio are different in terms of digital information.
I don't have the EAD10 in my hands right now, otherwise I'd be running tests.
Just wondering here how EAD will act/behave when plugged via USB, with Scarlett 6i6 set as the audio hardware.

[Wonks]

The audio side should do nothing if it's not selected as the input to the DAW. It's just the same as if you have an audio chip on your motherboard that's not selected.

What is important is that the computer sees the Yamaha as a MIDI connection.

[Sam Spoons]

As Wonks says, the audio interface and midi interface are two separate things as far as the computer is concerned. How the EAD behaves when it is not the active audio interface, as I said, who knows? But the computer will be perfectly happy with different devices handling audio and midi.

A quick Google found the reference manual which says "Connecting the Main Unit to a computer using a USB cable lets you send and receive audio or MIDI data." (my emphasis) which strongly implies that the EAD10 will happily converse with your DAW via midi without need to send audio simultaneously so I don't imagine you'll have a problem. But, you'll have to suck it and see to be 100% sure.

https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/o ... _rm_a0.pdf

[Digirock]

Hello guys!

Here I am a few months later to give feedback to all of you who supported me with my doubts.

It worked like a charm.
I could record both the stereo signal from EAD10 via my audio hardware AND the MIDI signal, using the same computer, running Logic Pro X.
All I had to do regarding the MIDI notes was create a MIDI track and properly set it up on Logic's "info" channel, making Logic recognize EAD10 as a MIDI instrument too.

Since I'm here, I will leave a new issue I had, but it was absolutely my fault.
In the first recording session, I recorded the EAD10 audio signal the right way: setting up a stereo audio track on Logic (in my case, Inputs 1-2).
So I got to record the stereo audio spectrum that came from the drums via the two mics from the EAD10.

BUT: in a total lapse on my part, in the second recording session I — don't ask me why, guys! — set TWO MONO channels to record the EAD10 (instead of one stereo track). I was distracted, not thinking clearly, I don't know!
So, after I got to my studio, I opened the session and I had two mono channels of the EAD10 recorded. You can hear the subtle differences between each channel since each one represents a different EAD10 microphone.
But, since it was recorded in mono, voila: both channels sound... MONO! lol.
So I completely lost the stereo spectrum sound of the drums.

I was thinking here, before I set up a new recording session... would there be ANY chance to fix this in post-production?
I mean... I've already tested inserting an iZotope Ozone Imager 2, and I applied some of their 'stereoize' effects... it started to sound better (widely spreading the sound), but this apparently is NOT the right fix, because when you start to 'stereoize' this mono signal, it means that every part of the whole drum take will turn stereo too — and that includes, of course, the kick drum and the snare!

Well... I'm not really asking this because it's pretty clear I made a bad mistake and only re-recording will fix it, but anyway... just leaving this here. If anyone wants to give me some feedback on this technical part, I'd be glad to hear it.

Cheers!

[adrian_k]

Shouldn’t be a problem as long as those mono tracks are the left and right channels. Just pan one of those mono channels hard left and the other hard right, no special plugins needed.

[The Elf]

Most DAWs allow you to combine mono audio files into interleaved stereo files, I'm not a Logic user, so can't give you the steps, but I'm sure it will be possible. A quick search is showing a number of forum postings and YouTube videos of ways to do it.