Yamaha MD4 - Manuals

v MD4—Owner’s Manual Contents 1. Welcome to MD4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 MD4 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

vii MD4—Owner’s Manual Deleting Steps in a Tempo Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Saving a Tempo Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Loading a Tempo Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

Welcome to MD4 1 MD4—Owner’s Manual 1 Welcome to MD4 Thank you for choosing the Yamaha MD4 Multitrack MD Recorder. MD4 is the world’s first multitrack recorder to use the MiniDisc format, with its superior sound quality and quick search capabilities. To take best advantage of your MD4, read this Own...

2 Welcome to MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Buying Discs for MD4 It’s important that you buy the correct type of disc for use with your MD4. For 4-track recording and playback, you must use MD DATA discs. Normal MiniDiscs can only be used for 2-track recording and playback. MD DATA discs are used as a stora...

Touring MD4 3 MD4—Owner’s Manual 2 Touring MD4 This chapter takes you on a tour of MD4, identifying the various parts to help you become famil-iar with your new recorder. Topside View The individual sections of MD4 are explained on the following pages. MULTITRACK MD RECORDER MIC/LINE INPUT AUX RETUR...

4 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Input Channels 1 GAIN control This rotary control adjusts the sensitivity of the MIC/LINE input so that both micro-phone and line-level signals can be handled with ease. 2 EQ controls These rotary controls are used to boost and cut the high, middle, and low frequency...

Master Section 5 MD4—Owner’s Manual Master Section 1 AUX RETURN GROUP ASSIGN switches These switches are used to assign (i.e., send) the Aux Return signals to the recorder’s tracks. The left-channel signal is sent to odd buses 1 and 3. While the right-channel signal is sent to even buses 2 and 4. Th...

6 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Display Note: For explanation purposes, the illustration above shows most of the available indicators. During normal operation, however, you will not see so many indicators on the display at the same. 1 Status indicators These indicators show the current operating mo...

8 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Disc Transport Section 1 AUTO PUNCH I/O button This button is used to turn on the Auto Punch In/Out function. 2 UTILITY button This button is used to access the following functions: Rec Mode, Text, PrePost Roll, OffLinePunch, Track Erase, Song Erase, Song Copy, Song ...

10 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Topside Connectors 1 STEREO SUB IN These phono jacks are used to connect another mixer to MD4 to increase the number of available input channels. The stereo output signals from the other mixer can be mixed into the MD4 ste-reo mix or recorded to MD4 tracks. Connect ...

Front Connectors 11 MD4—Owner’s Manual Front Connectors 1 PHONES A pair of stereo headphones can be connected here for monitoring. The headphone signal is the same as the MONITOR OUT signal. 2 PUNCH I/O An optional footswitch, such as the Yamaha FC5, can be connected here for foot-controlled play-ba...

12 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual 3 The First Session This chapter explains how to record and mix your first MD4 session. If this is your first time with a multitrack recorder, we recommend that you start with this chapter and follow all the procedures closely. When you’ve completed this chapt...

Connecting the Power Cord 13 MD4—Owner’s Manual Connecting the Power Cord 1. Connect the supplied power cord to the AC IN socket on the rear of MD4. 2. Plug the other end of the power cord into a suitable AC wall outlet. Turning On MD4 1. Press the POWER switch at the rear of MD4. The display lights...

14 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual The following table show the relationship between the PAN control and Group/Tracks. 6. Press the MONITOR SELECT [1–3] switch. This sets the monitor source to Track 1. 7. Set the MONITOR LEVEL control midway. 8. Raise Channel 1 fader to the 7–8 mark. You should...

Overdubbing 15 MD4—Owner’s Manual 2. Press the MONITOR SELECT [1–3] switch. 3. Press the [CUE] MONITOR SELECT switch. 4. Set CUE LEVEL 1 midway. 5. Press the [PLAY] button to start playback. You should now be able to hear what was recorded. Adjust CUE LEVEL 1 as required. If you don’t hear anything,...

16 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual and what you are recording now. 15. Press the [STOP] button to stop recording (or Rehearsal). 16. Press the LAST REC SEARCH [IN] button. This returns to the point at which recording (or Rehearsal) started. 17. Press the [PLAY] button to play back what you‘ve r...

An Overview of Multitrack Recording 17 MD4—Owner’s Manual An Overview of Multitrack Recording This section describes the fundamental principles of multitrack recording. Basic Multitracking Monitoring —This is the process of listening to a sound as it’s being recorded or listening to recorded sounds ...

18 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual About Monitoring MD4 features a flexible monitoring system, allowing you to monitor signals at various points. You can monitor sounds through a pair of stereo headphones connected to the PHONES jack, or through a monitor amplifier and speakers connected to the...

Recording & Mixing Techniques 19 MD4—Owner’s Manual 4 Recording & Mixing Techniques This chapter explains MD4 recording and mixing techniques. Recording a New Song The NEW REC function is used to record new songs on a disc. Songs are recorded sequentially, as shown below. With a blank disc, ...

20 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual 1. To set the Recording mode, press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the Rec Mode function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows 4TR X 2TR X MONO 3. Use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to se...

Manual Punch In/Out 21 MD4—Owner’s Manual Manual Punch In/Out Punch in/out techniques allows you to rerecord specific sections of a track. This can be used to correct mistakes or record something new into silent sections of a track. If you’re operating MD4 and playing or singing the part to be recor...

22 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—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 track indicators are off (i.e., no tracks selected). 3. Press the [REC] button. The REC indicators flash, indicating Reco...

Manual Punch In/Out 23 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using a Footswitch 1. Connect an optional footswitch to the PUNCH I/O jack. 2. Locate to a position before the point at which you want to punch in. 3. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the correspondi...

24 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Auto Punch In/Out The Auto Punch In/Out function automates the punch in/out procedure, allowing you to con-centrate on your playing or singing. Auto Punch In/Out uses the LAST REC IN and OUT points as the punch in and punch out points. So you m...

Auto Punch In/Out 25 MD4—Owner’s Manual Rehearsing Auto Punch 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the corresponding track indicator. 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH I/O] button. The Pre-Roll point is located automatically and the PRE indicator flas...

26 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Performing Auto Punch for Real 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the corresponding track indicator. 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH I/O] button. The Pre-Roll point is located automatically a...

Auto Punch In/Out 27 MD4—Owner’s Manual Auto Punch with a Footswitch An optional footswitch can be used to start the Auto Punch In/Out sequence. 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the corresponding track indicator. 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH ...

28 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Setting the Pre-Roll & Post-Roll Times Pre-Roll and Post-Roll are used in conjunction with the Auto Punch In/Out function. Pre-Roll refers to the time before the IN point at which playback starts. Post-Roll refers to the time after the OUT ...

30 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Preparing for Ping-Pong 1. Press the [ ] SONG SEARCH button to locate the beginning of the song. 2. Set the input select switches on the source track channels to PB. This sets the disc playback signal as the source for the channels. 3. Set the ...

Ping-Pong with Overdub 31 MD4—Owner’s Manual Checking the Ping-Pong Operation 15. Press the [ ] SONG SEARCH button to locate the beginning of the song. 16. Press the MONITOR SELECT [GROUP] switch that you pressed previously to monitor the destination track. 17. Press the MONITOR SELECT CUE switch. 1...

32 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Pitch The Pitch function allows you to adjust the pitch for playback and recording. The pitch can be adjusted approximately ± 6%. Normally, the Pitch function should be set to Fix, which means the pitch is fixed for normal operation. See Pitch ...

Using a Footswitch 33 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using a Footswitch An optional footswitch can be used to control MD4. Apart from a few small differences, foot-switch operation is essentially the same as pressing the MD4 [PLAY] button. Connect the foot-switch to the PUNCH I/O jack at the front of MD4. The f...

34 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Applying Effects The AUX SEND and AUX RETURN allow you to connect an external effects processor and apply effects to MD4 signals. Effects can be applied when recording tracks, using ping-pong, or during mixdown. Typically, reverb and delay type...

Applying Effects 35 MD4—Owner’s Manual 2. Set the effects processor as required. 3. To mix the processed signal back into the stereo mix, turn up the AUX RETURN LEVEL control. Use the AUX RETURN LEVEL control to balance the processed signal with the dry, unprocessed signal that is coming directly fr...

36 Quick Search Functions MD4—Owner’s Manual 5 Quick Search Functions This chapter explains the quick search functions. Searching for Songs The [ ] and [ ] SONG SEARCH buttons can be used at any time except recording to locate songs. The [ ] SONG SEARCH button locates the previous song and the [ ] S...

Inserting Markers 37 MD4—Owner’s Manual Inserting Markers You can insert up to eight markers in a song during recording or playback. Markers are a con-venient way to locate specific points within a song. They can be adjusted and erased. The Start and End markers, which are inserted automatically whe...

38 Quick Search Functions MD4—Owner’s Manual Adjusting Markers Once inserted, markers can be finely adjusted in one frame steps. The LAST REC IN and OUT points can also be adjusted. The Start and End markers cannot be adjusted. 1. Press the [ADJUST] button. The display shows ADJST: MARK 1 2. Use the...

Erasing Markers 39 MD4—Owner’s Manual Erasing Markers 1. Press the [ADJUST] button. The display shows ADJST: MARK 1 2. Use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the marker that you want to erase. 3. Press the [CLEAR] button. The display shows CLR MARK 1? 4. Press the [ENTER] button to erase t...

40 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play MD4—Owner’s Manual 6 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play This chapter explains the Repeat, Cue List, and Program Play functions. One Song Repeat One Song Repeat playback allows you to play one song repeatedly. 1. Use the [SONG SEARCH] buttons to select the song...

A–B Repeat 41 MD4—Owner’s Manual A–B Repeat A–B Repeat playback allows you to play a specific section of a song repeatedly. Playback repeats between the specified A and B points. 1. Press the [PLAY] button to start playback. 2. Press the [MEMO A/B] button when you hear the beginning of the section t...

42 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play MD4—Owner’s Manual Cue List Playback & Copy The Cue List function allows you to compile a cue list (i.e., a sequence of cues for playback) using markers. Cues are loaded into memory for continuous, uninterrupted playback. The Cue List can also be copied to ...

Program Playback 43 MD4—Owner’s Manual Program Playback The Program Play function allows you to compile a program of songs for custom playback. The Program may contain up to 36 steps. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the PRG Play function. 2. Press t...

44 Editing Songs & Tracks MD4—Owner’s Manual 7 Editing Songs & Tracks This chapter explains the edit functions that can be used with songs and tracks. Copying a Song The Song Copy function allows you to duplicate a song, including title, markers, and Tempo Map. This is useful for making a ba...

Dividing a Song 45 MD4—Owner’s Manual Dividing a Song The Song Divide function allows you to divide songs into several independent songs. Songs can also be arranged as a program for playback. See Program Playback on page 43 for more infor-mation. 1. Locate the position where you want to divide the s...

46 Editing Songs & Tracks MD4—Owner’s Manual Combining Songs The Song Combine function allows you to combine adjacent songs that were divided using the Song Divide function. Songs that were recorded separately cannot be combined. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT b...

48 Editing Songs & Tracks MD4—Owner’s Manual Erasing Tracks The Track Erase function allows you to erase individual tracks. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the Track Erase function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows Erase X ****Tr 3...

MD4 & MIDI 49 MD4—Owner’s Manual 8 MD4 & MIDI MIDI sequencers and MIDI controlled musical instruments have become essential tools for modern recording. It’s common these days not to record MIDI instruments to tape until the final mixdown. This has the benefit of freeing up tracks for acousti...

50 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Setting Up a Synchronized MIDI System The following illustration shows how MD4 can be integrated into a MIDI-based recording sys-tem. In this example, acoustic sounds are recorded to the MD4 and MIDI devices are controlled by the MIDI sequencer, which receives MT...

Using MTC 51 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using MTC Setting MD4 for MTC Operation 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the MIDI Sync function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows OFF X MTC X CLK 3. Press the [ ® ] SELECT button to select MTC. MTC appear...

52 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Using MIDI Clock Setting the MIDI Sequencer The MIDI sequencer must be set to receive and synchronize to an external MIDI Clock source. Refer to your MIDI sequencer’s user manual for more information. Exact MIDI Clock operation depends on what external synchroniz...

Using MIDI Clock 53 MD4—Owner’s Manual nined in step 8. To go to the tempo section of the Tempo Map, press the [CLEAR] button, press the [ ® ] SELECT button, and then press the [ENTER] button. 11. Press the [UTILITY] button. The Tempo Map is not stored when MD4 is turned off, so you should save it t...

54 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Inserting Steps in a Tempo Map The Tempo Map is sorted automatically when you press the [ENTER] button. So you can insert new meter or tempo steps in any order. The following example shows how sorting works when a new meter step is inserted. The following example...

Using MIDI Clock 55 MD4—Owner’s Manual Saving a Tempo Map 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the MIDI Sync function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows OFF X MTC X CLK 3. Use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select CLK. 4. Press the [E...

56 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Tempo Map Chart Meter Tempo Step Measure Time Signature Step Measure -Beat Tempo 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

MD4 Applications 57 MD4—Owner’s Manual 9 MD4 Applications This chapter shows how MD4 can be used for various applications. One-Take Recording The One-Take recording technique is ideal for live recording or recording bands that like to record with all members playing together. In the following system...

58 MD4 Applications MD4—Owner’s Manual MIDI Home Studio In the following MIDI home studio system example, all instruments are recorded to MD4. Recording the MIDI instruments could be left until the final mixdown, since the MIDI sequencer provides repeatable playback and is synchronized to MD4 using ...

Using MD4 with a Sub-Mixer 59 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using MD4 with a Sub-Mixer The MD4’s four-channel mixer is flexible enough to handle most applications. If you need to expand the number of simultaneously available inputs, however, an external sub-mixer can be used. The stereo outputs of the sub-mixe...

60 MD4 Applications MD4—Owner’s Manual Recording a Stereo Source For stereo recording, MD4 can be set to the Stereo recording mode. This provides a total record-ing time of 74 minutes. See Setting the Recording Mode on page 19 for more information. The following system example shows two microphones ...

Beyond the Basics 61 MD4—Owner’s Manual 10 Beyond the Basics This chapter provides some advanced tips and techniques for MD4 recording. AUX RETURN You don’t have to use the AUX RETURN with an external effects processor. It can be used as an extra stereo input. It accepts line-level signals that can ...

Mixdown 63 MD4—Owner’s Manual Mixdown This section provides tips and techniques for achieving the perfect MD4 mix. • Balance levels —you should already have some idea of how you want your mix to sound. This will, obviously, depend on the application and the instruments being mixed. Start with all fa...

Q&A Section 65 MD4—Owner’s Manual Is MD4 sensitive to knocks and vibration? Within reason, no. MD4 features a three-second sound buffer for uninterrupted operation. Do I have to clean the MD4 heads? No. In a cassette tape recorder, the head touches the tape. The MD4 heads, however, do not con-ta...

66 Troubleshooting MD4—Owner’s Manual Troubleshooting If you’re having difficulty operating MD4 or it doesn’t seem to work as expected, look up the symptoms in the following table and follow the advice provided. Symptom Advice MD4 cannot be turned on! Make sure the power cord is connected to a suita...

Appendix 67 MD4—Owner’s Manual Appendix MD4 Transport Modes ● On z Flashing REMAIN (available recording time) does not increase when a song is erased! REMAIN does not indicate the total amount of blank area on the disc (see “Searching for the Blank Top), and erasing a song does not necessarily incre...

68 Appendix MD4—Owner’s Manual Display Messages Message Meaning A A A AD D D DJ J J JS S S ST T T T A A A Ab b b bo o o or r r rt t t t The [STOP] button was pressed, so the Adjust function was cancelled. A A A A. . . .P P P PN N N NC C C CH H H H A A A Ab b b bo o o or r r rt t t t The [STOP] butto...

Signal Flow Chart 69 MD4—Owner’s Manual Signal Flow Chart TRACK DIRECT OUT 1 2 3 4 GROUP STEREO CUE MONITOR LEVEL MIN MAX 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 LEVEL 01 0 LEVEL 01 0 GROUP ASSIGN 1 3 2 4 GROUP ASSIGN 1 2 3 4 01 0 01 0 01 0 01 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 MASTER AUX RETURN STEREO SUB IN STEREO MONITOR SELECT C...

70 Appendix MD4—Owner’s Manual Specifications Recorder Mixer 0 dB is referenced to 0.775 V r.m.s. General Digital/Audio Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz Compression: ATRAC Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHzTHD+N: 0.01% typ. (1 kHz)S/N: 85 dB typ. Rec/Play 4-track independent simultaneous record/play (Reco...

Block Diagram 71 MD4—Owner’s Manual Block Diagram Dimensions • Specifications subject to change without notice. L MIC/LINE 2 3 4 Track-4 Track-3 Track-2 HA GAIN MIC/LINE PB EQ MID LOW HIGH AUX PAN CUE LEVEL HA GAIN MIC/LINE PB EQ MID LOW HIGH AUX PAN CUE LEVEL HA GAIN MIC/LINE PB EQ MID LOW HIGH AUX...

72 Glossary MD4—Owner’s Manual Glossary ATRAC —An acronym for Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding. This is the compression tech- nique used to fit the same amount of data as that of a 120 mm CD on a 64 mm MiniDisc. Using the ATRAC system, the MD4 provides a four-track recording time of 37 minutes. AT...

Index 75 MD4—Owner’s Manual Index A A.PNCH Abort, message 68 A–B repeat 41 AC IN connector 11 ADJST Abort, message 68 ADJUST button 8 Adjusting markers 38 Advanced multitracking 17 All song repeat 40 Applications MIDI home studio 58 one-take recording 57 stereo recording 60 Assign, see Group assignA...

YAMAHA [Multitrack Recorder] Date: 10 July 1996 Model: MD4 MIDI Implementation Chart Version: 2.0 Function... Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Channel DefaultChanged XX XX Mode DefaultMessagesAltered XX ************** XXX Note Number True Voice X ************** XX Velocity Note OnNote Off XX XX ...

VU39780 R2 1 IP YAMAHA CORPORATION P.O.Box 1, Hamamatsu, Japan 96 09 5000 CP Printed in Japan GAIN Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: 1234 LINE MIC 1 2 3 4 AUX 01 0 HIGH – 12 +12 MID – 12 +12 LOW – 12 +12 PAN L ODD R EVEN PB MIC/ LINE 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 GAIN LINE MIC 1 2 3 4 AUX 01 ...

v MD4—Owner’s Manual Contents 1. Welcome to MD4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 MD4 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

vii MD4—Owner’s Manual Deleting Steps in a Tempo Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Saving a Tempo Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Loading a Tempo Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

Welcome to MD4 1 MD4—Owner’s Manual 1 Welcome to MD4 Thank you for choosing the Yamaha MD4 Multitrack MD Recorder. MD4 is the world’s first multitrack recorder to use the MiniDisc format, with its superior sound quality and quick search capabilities. To take best advantage of your MD4, read this Own...

2 Welcome to MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Buying Discs for MD4 It’s important that you buy the correct type of disc for use with your MD4. For 4-track recording and playback, you must use MD DATA discs. Normal MiniDiscs can only be used for 2-track recording and playback. MD DATA discs are used as a stora...

Touring MD4 3 MD4—Owner’s Manual 2 Touring MD4 This chapter takes you on a tour of MD4, identifying the various parts to help you become famil-iar with your new recorder. Topside View The individual sections of MD4 are explained on the following pages. MULTITRACK MD RECORDER MIC/LINE INPUT AUX RETUR...

4 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Input Channels 1 GAIN control This rotary control adjusts the sensitivity of the MIC/LINE input so that both micro-phone and line-level signals can be handled with ease. 2 EQ controls These rotary controls are used to boost and cut the high, middle, and low frequency...

Master Section 5 MD4—Owner’s Manual Master Section 1 AUX RETURN GROUP ASSIGN switches These switches are used to assign (i.e., send) the Aux Return signals to the recorder’s tracks. The left-channel signal is sent to odd buses 1 and 3. While the right-channel signal is sent to even buses 2 and 4. Th...

6 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Display Note: For explanation purposes, the illustration above shows most of the available indicators. During normal operation, however, you will not see so many indicators on the display at the same. 1 Status indicators These indicators show the current operating mo...

8 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Disc Transport Section 1 AUTO PUNCH I/O button This button is used to turn on the Auto Punch In/Out function. 2 UTILITY button This button is used to access the following functions: Rec Mode, Text, PrePost Roll, OffLinePunch, Track Erase, Song Erase, Song Copy, Song ...

10 Touring MD4 MD4—Owner’s Manual Topside Connectors 1 STEREO SUB IN These phono jacks are used to connect another mixer to MD4 to increase the number of available input channels. The stereo output signals from the other mixer can be mixed into the MD4 ste-reo mix or recorded to MD4 tracks. Connect ...

Front Connectors 11 MD4—Owner’s Manual Front Connectors 1 PHONES A pair of stereo headphones can be connected here for monitoring. The headphone signal is the same as the MONITOR OUT signal. 2 PUNCH I/O An optional footswitch, such as the Yamaha FC5, can be connected here for foot-controlled play-ba...

12 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual 3 The First Session This chapter explains how to record and mix your first MD4 session. If this is your first time with a multitrack recorder, we recommend that you start with this chapter and follow all the procedures closely. When you’ve completed this chapt...

Connecting the Power Cord 13 MD4—Owner’s Manual Connecting the Power Cord 1. Connect the supplied power cord to the AC IN socket on the rear of MD4. 2. Plug the other end of the power cord into a suitable AC wall outlet. Turning On MD4 1. Press the POWER switch at the rear of MD4. The display lights...

14 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual The following table show the relationship between the PAN control and Group/Tracks. 6. Press the MONITOR SELECT [1–3] switch. This sets the monitor source to Track 1. 7. Set the MONITOR LEVEL control midway. 8. Raise Channel 1 fader to the 7–8 mark. You should...

Overdubbing 15 MD4—Owner’s Manual 2. Press the MONITOR SELECT [1–3] switch. 3. Press the [CUE] MONITOR SELECT switch. 4. Set CUE LEVEL 1 midway. 5. Press the [PLAY] button to start playback. You should now be able to hear what was recorded. Adjust CUE LEVEL 1 as required. If you don’t hear anything,...

16 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual and what you are recording now. 15. Press the [STOP] button to stop recording (or Rehearsal). 16. Press the LAST REC SEARCH [IN] button. This returns to the point at which recording (or Rehearsal) started. 17. Press the [PLAY] button to play back what you‘ve r...

An Overview of Multitrack Recording 17 MD4—Owner’s Manual An Overview of Multitrack Recording This section describes the fundamental principles of multitrack recording. Basic Multitracking Monitoring —This is the process of listening to a sound as it’s being recorded or listening to recorded sounds ...

18 The First Session MD4—Owner’s Manual About Monitoring MD4 features a flexible monitoring system, allowing you to monitor signals at various points. You can monitor sounds through a pair of stereo headphones connected to the PHONES jack, or through a monitor amplifier and speakers connected to the...

Recording & Mixing Techniques 19 MD4—Owner’s Manual 4 Recording & Mixing Techniques This chapter explains MD4 recording and mixing techniques. Recording a New Song The NEW REC function is used to record new songs on a disc. Songs are recorded sequentially, as shown below. With a blank disc, ...

20 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual 1. To set the Recording mode, press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the Rec Mode function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows 4TR X 2TR X MONO 3. Use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to se...

Manual Punch In/Out 21 MD4—Owner’s Manual Manual Punch In/Out Punch in/out techniques allows you to rerecord specific sections of a track. This can be used to correct mistakes or record something new into silent sections of a track. If you’re operating MD4 and playing or singing the part to be recor...

22 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—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 track indicators are off (i.e., no tracks selected). 3. Press the [REC] button. The REC indicators flash, indicating Reco...

Manual Punch In/Out 23 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using a Footswitch 1. Connect an optional footswitch to the PUNCH I/O jack. 2. Locate to a position before the point at which you want to punch in. 3. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the correspondi...

24 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Auto Punch In/Out The Auto Punch In/Out function automates the punch in/out procedure, allowing you to con-centrate on your playing or singing. Auto Punch In/Out uses the LAST REC IN and OUT points as the punch in and punch out points. So you m...

Auto Punch In/Out 25 MD4—Owner’s Manual Rehearsing Auto Punch 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the corresponding track indicator. 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH I/O] button. The Pre-Roll point is located automatically and the PRE indicator flas...

26 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Performing Auto Punch for Real 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the corresponding track indicator. 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH I/O] button. The Pre-Roll point is located automatically a...

Auto Punch In/Out 27 MD4—Owner’s Manual Auto Punch with a Footswitch An optional footswitch can be used to start the Auto Punch In/Out sequence. 1. Press the [REC SELECT] button of the track that you want to record. A circle flashes around the corresponding track indicator. 2. Press the [AUTO PUNCH ...

28 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Setting the Pre-Roll & Post-Roll Times Pre-Roll and Post-Roll are used in conjunction with the Auto Punch In/Out function. Pre-Roll refers to the time before the IN point at which playback starts. Post-Roll refers to the time after the OUT ...

30 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Preparing for Ping-Pong 1. Press the [ ] SONG SEARCH button to locate the beginning of the song. 2. Set the input select switches on the source track channels to PB. This sets the disc playback signal as the source for the channels. 3. Set the ...

Ping-Pong with Overdub 31 MD4—Owner’s Manual Checking the Ping-Pong Operation 15. Press the [ ] SONG SEARCH button to locate the beginning of the song. 16. Press the MONITOR SELECT [GROUP] switch that you pressed previously to monitor the destination track. 17. Press the MONITOR SELECT CUE switch. 1...

32 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Pitch The Pitch function allows you to adjust the pitch for playback and recording. The pitch can be adjusted approximately ± 6%. Normally, the Pitch function should be set to Fix, which means the pitch is fixed for normal operation. See Pitch ...

Using a Footswitch 33 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using a Footswitch An optional footswitch can be used to control MD4. Apart from a few small differences, foot-switch operation is essentially the same as pressing the MD4 [PLAY] button. Connect the foot-switch to the PUNCH I/O jack at the front of MD4. The f...

34 Recording & Mixing Techniques MD4—Owner’s Manual Applying Effects The AUX SEND and AUX RETURN allow you to connect an external effects processor and apply effects to MD4 signals. Effects can be applied when recording tracks, using ping-pong, or during mixdown. Typically, reverb and delay type...

Applying Effects 35 MD4—Owner’s Manual 2. Set the effects processor as required. 3. To mix the processed signal back into the stereo mix, turn up the AUX RETURN LEVEL control. Use the AUX RETURN LEVEL control to balance the processed signal with the dry, unprocessed signal that is coming directly fr...

36 Quick Search Functions MD4—Owner’s Manual 5 Quick Search Functions This chapter explains the quick search functions. Searching for Songs The [ ] and [ ] SONG SEARCH buttons can be used at any time except recording to locate songs. The [ ] SONG SEARCH button locates the previous song and the [ ] S...

Inserting Markers 37 MD4—Owner’s Manual Inserting Markers You can insert up to eight markers in a song during recording or playback. Markers are a con-venient way to locate specific points within a song. They can be adjusted and erased. The Start and End markers, which are inserted automatically whe...

38 Quick Search Functions MD4—Owner’s Manual Adjusting Markers Once inserted, markers can be finely adjusted in one frame steps. The LAST REC IN and OUT points can also be adjusted. The Start and End markers cannot be adjusted. 1. Press the [ADJUST] button. The display shows ADJST: MARK 1 2. Use the...

Erasing Markers 39 MD4—Owner’s Manual Erasing Markers 1. Press the [ADJUST] button. The display shows ADJST: MARK 1 2. Use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the marker that you want to erase. 3. Press the [CLEAR] button. The display shows CLR MARK 1? 4. Press the [ENTER] button to erase t...

40 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play MD4—Owner’s Manual 6 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play This chapter explains the Repeat, Cue List, and Program Play functions. One Song Repeat One Song Repeat playback allows you to play one song repeatedly. 1. Use the [SONG SEARCH] buttons to select the song...

A–B Repeat 41 MD4—Owner’s Manual A–B Repeat A–B Repeat playback allows you to play a specific section of a song repeatedly. Playback repeats between the specified A and B points. 1. Press the [PLAY] button to start playback. 2. Press the [MEMO A/B] button when you hear the beginning of the section t...

42 Repeat, Cue List & Program Play MD4—Owner’s Manual Cue List Playback & Copy The Cue List function allows you to compile a cue list (i.e., a sequence of cues for playback) using markers. Cues are loaded into memory for continuous, uninterrupted playback. The Cue List can also be copied to ...

Program Playback 43 MD4—Owner’s Manual Program Playback The Program Play function allows you to compile a program of songs for custom playback. The Program may contain up to 36 steps. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the PRG Play function. 2. Press t...

44 Editing Songs & Tracks MD4—Owner’s Manual 7 Editing Songs & Tracks This chapter explains the edit functions that can be used with songs and tracks. Copying a Song The Song Copy function allows you to duplicate a song, including title, markers, and Tempo Map. This is useful for making a ba...

Dividing a Song 45 MD4—Owner’s Manual Dividing a Song The Song Divide function allows you to divide songs into several independent songs. Songs can also be arranged as a program for playback. See Program Playback on page 43 for more infor-mation. 1. Locate the position where you want to divide the s...

46 Editing Songs & Tracks MD4—Owner’s Manual Combining Songs The Song Combine function allows you to combine adjacent songs that were divided using the Song Divide function. Songs that were recorded separately cannot be combined. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT b...

48 Editing Songs & Tracks MD4—Owner’s Manual Erasing Tracks The Track Erase function allows you to erase individual tracks. 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the Track Erase function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows Erase X ****Tr 3...

MD4 & MIDI 49 MD4—Owner’s Manual 8 MD4 & MIDI MIDI sequencers and MIDI controlled musical instruments have become essential tools for modern recording. It’s common these days not to record MIDI instruments to tape until the final mixdown. This has the benefit of freeing up tracks for acousti...

50 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Setting Up a Synchronized MIDI System The following illustration shows how MD4 can be integrated into a MIDI-based recording sys-tem. In this example, acoustic sounds are recorded to the MD4 and MIDI devices are controlled by the MIDI sequencer, which receives MT...

Using MTC 51 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using MTC Setting MD4 for MTC Operation 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the MIDI Sync function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows OFF X MTC X CLK 3. Press the [ ® ] SELECT button to select MTC. MTC appear...

52 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Using MIDI Clock Setting the MIDI Sequencer The MIDI sequencer must be set to receive and synchronize to an external MIDI Clock source. Refer to your MIDI sequencer’s user manual for more information. Exact MIDI Clock operation depends on what external synchroniz...

Using MIDI Clock 53 MD4—Owner’s Manual nined in step 8. To go to the tempo section of the Tempo Map, press the [CLEAR] button, press the [ ® ] SELECT button, and then press the [ENTER] button. 11. Press the [UTILITY] button. The Tempo Map is not stored when MD4 is turned off, so you should save it t...

54 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Inserting Steps in a Tempo Map The Tempo Map is sorted automatically when you press the [ENTER] button. So you can insert new meter or tempo steps in any order. The following example shows how sorting works when a new meter step is inserted. The following example...

Using MIDI Clock 55 MD4—Owner’s Manual Saving a Tempo Map 1. Press the [UTILITY] button and use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select the MIDI Sync function. 2. Press the [ENTER] button. The display shows OFF X MTC X CLK 3. Use the [ √ ] and [ ® ] SELECT buttons to select CLK. 4. Press the [E...

56 MD4 & MIDI MD4—Owner’s Manual Tempo Map Chart Meter Tempo Step Measure Time Signature Step Measure -Beat Tempo 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

MD4 Applications 57 MD4—Owner’s Manual 9 MD4 Applications This chapter shows how MD4 can be used for various applications. One-Take Recording The One-Take recording technique is ideal for live recording or recording bands that like to record with all members playing together. In the following system...

58 MD4 Applications MD4—Owner’s Manual MIDI Home Studio In the following MIDI home studio system example, all instruments are recorded to MD4. Recording the MIDI instruments could be left until the final mixdown, since the MIDI sequencer provides repeatable playback and is synchronized to MD4 using ...

Using MD4 with a Sub-Mixer 59 MD4—Owner’s Manual Using MD4 with a Sub-Mixer The MD4’s four-channel mixer is flexible enough to handle most applications. If you need to expand the number of simultaneously available inputs, however, an external sub-mixer can be used. The stereo outputs of the sub-mixe...

60 MD4 Applications MD4—Owner’s Manual Recording a Stereo Source For stereo recording, MD4 can be set to the Stereo recording mode. This provides a total record-ing time of 74 minutes. See Setting the Recording Mode on page 19 for more information. The following system example shows two microphones ...

Beyond the Basics 61 MD4—Owner’s Manual 10 Beyond the Basics This chapter provides some advanced tips and techniques for MD4 recording. AUX RETURN You don’t have to use the AUX RETURN with an external effects processor. It can be used as an extra stereo input. It accepts line-level signals that can ...

Mixdown 63 MD4—Owner’s Manual Mixdown This section provides tips and techniques for achieving the perfect MD4 mix. • Balance levels —you should already have some idea of how you want your mix to sound. This will, obviously, depend on the application and the instruments being mixed. Start with all fa...

Q&A Section 65 MD4—Owner’s Manual Is MD4 sensitive to knocks and vibration? Within reason, no. MD4 features a three-second sound buffer for uninterrupted operation. Do I have to clean the MD4 heads? No. In a cassette tape recorder, the head touches the tape. The MD4 heads, however, do not con-ta...

66 Troubleshooting MD4—Owner’s Manual Troubleshooting If you’re having difficulty operating MD4 or it doesn’t seem to work as expected, look up the symptoms in the following table and follow the advice provided. Symptom Advice MD4 cannot be turned on! Make sure the power cord is connected to a suita...

Appendix 67 MD4—Owner’s Manual Appendix MD4 Transport Modes ● On z Flashing REMAIN (available recording time) does not increase when a song is erased! REMAIN does not indicate the total amount of blank area on the disc (see “Searching for the Blank Top), and erasing a song does not necessarily incre...

68 Appendix MD4—Owner’s Manual Display Messages Message Meaning A A A AD D D DJ J J JS S S ST T T T A A A Ab b b bo o o or r r rt t t t The [STOP] button was pressed, so the Adjust function was cancelled. A A A A. . . .P P P PN N N NC C C CH H H H A A A Ab b b bo o o or r r rt t t t The [STOP] butto...

Signal Flow Chart 69 MD4—Owner’s Manual Signal Flow Chart TRACK DIRECT OUT 1 2 3 4 GROUP STEREO CUE MONITOR LEVEL MIN MAX 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 LEVEL 01 0 LEVEL 01 0 GROUP ASSIGN 1 3 2 4 GROUP ASSIGN 1 2 3 4 01 0 01 0 01 0 01 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 MASTER AUX RETURN STEREO SUB IN STEREO MONITOR SELECT C...

70 Appendix MD4—Owner’s Manual Specifications Recorder Mixer 0 dB is referenced to 0.775 V r.m.s. General Digital/Audio Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz Compression: ATRAC Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHzTHD+N: 0.01% typ. (1 kHz)S/N: 85 dB typ. Rec/Play 4-track independent simultaneous record/play (Reco...

Block Diagram 71 MD4—Owner’s Manual Block Diagram Dimensions • Specifications subject to change without notice. L MIC/LINE 2 3 4 Track-4 Track-3 Track-2 HA GAIN MIC/LINE PB EQ MID LOW HIGH AUX PAN CUE LEVEL HA GAIN MIC/LINE PB EQ MID LOW HIGH AUX PAN CUE LEVEL HA GAIN MIC/LINE PB EQ MID LOW HIGH AUX...

72 Glossary MD4—Owner’s Manual Glossary ATRAC —An acronym for Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding. This is the compression tech- nique used to fit the same amount of data as that of a 120 mm CD on a 64 mm MiniDisc. Using the ATRAC system, the MD4 provides a four-track recording time of 37 minutes. AT...

Index 75 MD4—Owner’s Manual Index A A.PNCH Abort, message 68 A–B repeat 41 AC IN connector 11 ADJST Abort, message 68 ADJUST button 8 Adjusting markers 38 Advanced multitracking 17 All song repeat 40 Applications MIDI home studio 58 one-take recording 57 stereo recording 60 Assign, see Group assignA...

YAMAHA [Multitrack Recorder] Date: 10 July 1996 Model: MD4 MIDI Implementation Chart Version: 2.0 Function... Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Channel DefaultChanged XX XX Mode DefaultMessagesAltered XX ************** XXX Note Number True Voice X ************** XX Velocity Note OnNote Off XX XX ...

VU39780 R2 1 IP YAMAHA CORPORATION P.O.Box 1, Hamamatsu, Japan 96 09 5000 CP Printed in Japan GAIN Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: Source: 1234 LINE MIC 1 2 3 4 AUX 01 0 HIGH – 12 +12 MID – 12 +12 LOW – 12 +12 PAN L ODD R EVEN PB MIC/ LINE 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 GAIN LINE MIC 1 2 3 4 AUX 01 ...