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How to Use TonePort to Record a Choir

For acoustic and space reasons, it is typically best to record a choir on location. There are recording studios large enough to accommodate a choir, but advances in recording technology mean that you have money-saving alternatives to potentially expensive studio hire. One example of such advances is the Line 6 TonePort. It is a USB-powered recording interface. You connect the TonePort to your computer to enable you to record audio directly to the hard drive without using a mixer. Because it is USB-powered, the TonePort can run off the power from your laptop, meaning you can record in places where there is no power supply.

Things You'll Need

  • USB cable
  • Two XLR cables
  • Two dynamic microphones
  • Two microphone stands
  • Laptop
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Instructions

    • 1

      Connect a USB cable to the USB output socket on the rear panel of the TonePort. Connect the other end of the USB cable to the USB socket on the side of your laptop.

    • 2

      Turn on your laptop. This powers the TonePort. Open the TonePort interface, or your preferred recording software, on your laptop. Double-click the icon on your desktop. It may take a 20 seconds or so for the program to fully load.

    • 3

      Connect the male end of an XLR cable to each microphone. Connect the female end of each XLR cable to an XLR input jack on the front of the TonePort. The XLR jack is the circular socket with three holes. There are two jacks on the left side of the front panel.

    • 4

      Place two microphone stands approximately 5 ft in front of the choir, one to the left of center and one to the right. When recording a choir, your aim is to capture the ambient sound of the ensemble, rather than the individual voices. Place one microphone on each stand by slotting the neck of the microphone into the collar of the microphone stand.

    • 5
      Microphone placement influences the quality of the recorded sound.

      Click "File" in the interface menu and select "new track." When prompted, select "audio track" and enter "2" in the dialog box. The default setting is to open one track at a time, but you can open two by using this command.

    • 6

      Double-click on the channel strip, where it says "Audio 1" and enter "mic left." Enter "mic right" where it says "Audio 2." This will help you remember which microphone is assigned to which channel.

    • 7

      Sound-check the choir. Have them sing at full volume while you observe the interface. If the gain meter on either channel strip goes red, this is an indication that the signal is too high and it is "clipping." Clipping causes distortion. Turn the gain dial on the front of the TonePort down until the meter goes green.

    • 8

      Hit "Record" and motion to the choir to start singing. Record multiple takes and experiment with various microphone placements. Ideally you'll capture a blend of voice and room ambiance.

Recording Music

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