Yamaha MD4S owner manual Ping-pong recording

Ping-pong recording 39

Ping-pong recording

The process of mixing two or more previously-recorded tracks and re-recording them onto one or two tracks is called “ping-pong recording.” By ping-ponging, you can free up other tracks to record additional parts, so this is a useful technique when you wish to record a larger number of parts than you have actual tracks. Since the MD4S records signals digitally, it is able to playback a track while recording onto the same track. Thus, while a conventional cassette- tape type MTR needs one or two vacant tracks in order to ping-pong, the MD4S allows you to ping-pong even if there are no unused tracks.

MD4S

Track 1

Track 2

Track 3

Track 4

Drums

Guitar

Bass

Vocal

Stereo mix	Drums+Guitar+	Track 1
	Bass+Vocal	Track 2
		Track 3
		Track 4

The following diagram shows the process of mixing four recorded tracks into a stereo pair, and continuing to overdub while ping-pong recording additional tracks.

Ping-pong	Overdubbing	Ping-pong	Overdubbing
recording	(parts E and F)	recording	(parts G and H)

Track 1

Track 2

Track 3

Track 4

A

B

C

D

L

R

A (vacant)

B (vacant)

A+B+C+D

(STEREO)

E

F

A+B+C+D

(STEREO)

L

R

E (vacant)

F (vacant)

A+B+C+D

+E+F

(STEREO)

G

H

A+B+C+D

+E+F

(STEREO)

Mixdown

(parts A~H)

Note: Since the MD4S records data in digital form, repeated ping-pong recording as shown above will not impair the audio quality. However, please be aware that since the MD4S’s mixer section is analog, repeated ping-pong recording will result in a very small decrease in audio quality (although compared to the result of ping-pong recording on a tape MTR, this loss will be virtually undetectable).

Tip: If you ping-pong record tracks 1–4 to tracks 3 and 4 as shown above, the content that had been recorded on tracks 3 and 4 will be erased. Before you ping-pong record, we recommend that you copy the song to backup the original. (See “Copying/converting a song (Song Copy)” on page 76 for more information.)

—Owner’s Manual