Arts >> Music >> Recording Music

How to Use the Terratec EWX 24/96 WaveRec Mixer

The Terratec EWX 24 96 is a PC soundcard. It has four inputs, enabling you to connect four audio devices to your computer simultaneously. With the Terratec EWX 24 96 comes a mixer interface, which lets you balance and tweak the tone and levels of the connected audio devices. The mixer interface emulates that of a typical studio mixer, with virtual slider dials and mute buttons for intuitive mixing. The Terratec EWX 24 96 mixer has three mixer options, two for playback and a third, called "WaveRec" for recording. This option is optimized for accurate monitoring when recording with a digital audio workstation.

Things You'll Need

  • PC with minimum 2GB RAM
  • Digital audio workstation
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Double-click the desktop icon to launch your preferred digital audio workstation, such as Logic, Pro Tools or Cubase.

    • 2

      Double-click the Terratec EWX 24 96 desktop icon to launch the mixer interface. While your digital audio workstation will have a mixer interface, that only controls the levels once they've passed through the sound card. The Terratec EWX 24 96 "WaveRec"mixer governs the global sound settings of the sound card itself.

    • 3

      Adjust the "Gain" levels for each channel. Talk into the microphone and move the "Gain" slider dial upward. If the red light above the slider dial flashes, reduce the gain using the "Analog In" channel on the far left of the mixer interface. While gain levels are a matter of preference, for the loudest, clearest signal from each audio device, aim for the highest possible gain level before distortion. Repeat this process for each of the four input channels to balance the volumes of each, relative to the other. For example, if you want the microphone to always be louder than an instrument, set the levels higher on the Terratec EWX 24 96 mixer interface.

    • 4

      Check "Mute" on any input channels you are not using. For example, if you only have three input sources, one channel will always be spare. Muting this channel reduces residual noise.

    • 5

      Click the "Set the output level" tab at the bottom of the interface. This opens a new window with more options.

    • 6

      Click the "Monitor Mixer" channel and adjust the "Gain" level there. This determines the overall output from the sound card going to the speakers. The difference in volume between the individual sound card channels remains the same regardless of the "Monitor Mixer" level.

Recording Music

Related Categories