jebbels

Mixing And Compression

I'm attempting to mix several songs I recorded for my band on Cubase sx. I have all sorts of filters that boost and compress but it seems that whatever I do puts the track into the red zone on the mixer. So I'm wondering if it's ok to have an individual track in the red as long as the master mixer isn't clipping. I've tried mixing the songs quieter over all, but some tracks like the base drum seem too quiet unless I crank them up. I don't really understand how to use the Dynamics VST, is there a way to boost tracks like this without having them go into the red. Should I be living in constant fear of the red zone? I got the impression that when the meter was in the red, it would cause crackling. Can some one point me to a good tutorial or explane the basic of compresion and how to avoid clipping but still get your mix at a decent volume? The Cubase manual doesn't have any practical examples for compression settings. All of my mixdowns are significantly quieter than commercial mixes on my cd player. Thanks for the help.

Vst Enabler For Audacity

Does anyone out there use Audacity? I'm trying to record a demo of my band, and the new version of Audacity comes with a VST enabler. It adds the VSTs to the effects list, but when I try to use them the various controls on the effect don't change the sound of the track at all. Has anyone else had this problem. I know this program is still a beta, but does anyone know of any VSTs that do work in Audacity? Are there only certain types of VSTs that work? Thanks

Tascam Us 122/ Cubase Vst Oem Problem

I'm trying to record my band, mostly for a demo but if it turns out OK we'll also press some cds. I recently bought the Tascam US 122 hoping that I could use the version of Cubase that came with it. I expected a paired down version, but it said on the add that it could record 64 tracks. After reading the manual it appears that most of those tracks are midi related (which I have no use for.) It only records 7 mono audio tracks. Does any one know if it is possable to upgrade this version, or to bounce tracks like you would on a 4 track tape recorder? Or can you have more than 1 track on an audio channel in Cubase? I messed around with Audacity which is a free shareware program and it seemed ok. It has unlimited tracks and you can use vst effects. Is there an advantage to using Cubase(even with it's limited tracks) over Audacity? We don't have much money, so I'm looking for the best option. Could a Cubase expert out there clue me in. I also keep seeing adds for Cubase 5.0 for $89.00 at musicsoftwaresuperstore.com. Is that the same version that I have, or does that have more tracks? My mac runs both OS9.2 and OSX jag so if there's a cheap option, and I mean cheap, I'm open to suggestions.

Tascam Us 122

I just bought a g4 powerbook. I want to record my band, mostly as a demo, but possably to distribute at shows, if it turns out good enough. I saw that the Tascam us 122 comes with a paired down version of Cubase. I need a recording program . When I've tried recording through the mic input of my comupter the sound comes out crackling and week.Will the tascam improve the quality of the sound I'm recording? Is the version of cubase good enough(non of the adds are very specific about about the paired down programs features)? Our funds are very limited which is why I thought this could cure both my sound quality issue and program needs at the same time.