Play Rock Manager
Recording


Studio info


In the studio you record the song you licensed from the publisher. If you have several licenses, choose which to record in the Song menu.
About Song Licenses


Studio info

Information about the chosen studio.
  No. of channels
How many recording channels the studio has. You need one channel for each musician if you want everybody to take part. If the studio has more channels than there are musicians in your band, you can use the remaining channels to add session musicians.

Price
How much you have to pay to record in this studio. The price per recording is set - once you've paid you can use the studio for as long as you wish, but when you exit the studio you can't change the recording and must pay again to record more.

Description
Description of the studio's characteristics
Click Record to access the mixer or Cancel to return to the city. When you have clicked Record, you can not cancel or get your money back.


Mixer

A song in Rock Manager is really a chorus consisting of eight or sixteen bars that are repeated. In the recording session you control the song's levels and sound, however you can not change its structure.
  Your musicians' skill (musicality) is crucial to how the song will sound here. Bad musicians miss their beats!
   The mixer has two sections. In the left of the view is section with studio sound settings and to the right a number of recording channels.


Studio sound settings
  Playback
Controls the playback in the studio, whether the song is heard or not. This only effects the sound in the studio, it doesn't matter if the playback is off when you exit the mixer. Click the key with the triangle to play and the key with the square to stop.

Master Volume
Controls sound volume in the studio. Click the knob and move the mouse left (without releasing the mouse button) to decrease volume and right to increase. As above, this only effects the sound in the studio and not the volume of the finished recording.

Recording Channels
Every instrument is recorded to a separate channel and an artist can only play on one channel per recording (with the exception of session musicians who can play on an indefinite number of channels). Functions from the top down:
 

Artist portrait
VShows which artist plays on this channel. Session musicians are shown as black silhouettes. Empty channels have a gray pattern. Click the artist portrait to open Settings.

Settings
Specific sound settings for this channel. Click to set effects and loops (see below).

Instrument icon
Indicates which instrument is being played on this channel. Microphone indicates vocals. Click to open Settings.

Panning
Controls whether the sound is heard in the left or right channel (headphone/loudspeaker). Click the knob and move the mouse left (without releasing the mouse button) to play the sound in the left channel and opposite.

Mute
Shuts off the recording channel. Click to activate. The button is lit when the channel is shut off. Click again to turn the cannel back on. You can shut off the recording channel of a musician who has a low musicality rating to decrease his or her influence on the song's quality and style. Be advised that an artist might be upset if his or her channel is shut off.

Volume
Indicates how loud the sound from this channel is. Click the lever and move the mouse up (without releasing the mouse button) to increase the volume and down to decrease. The volume decides how much the artist influences the song's quality and style. You can decrease the volume of a musician who has a low musicality rating to lessen his or her influence on the song and opposite. Be advised that an artist might be upset if his or her volume is too low.


Session Musicians
Hire a session musician for this recording. Session musicians can only take part in the recording of a song, never in other activities (such as concerts). There are three session musicians and they have individual styles and characteristics. Session musicians are paid per recording and the price is stated in the list.
  Name
The session musician's name. Will not affect result.

Age
The session musician's age. Will not affect result.

Style
Session musicians have no musical preferences, but their style varies. Will not affect result.

Skill
The session musician's musicality

Star quality
The session musician's star quality. Will not affect result.

Price
Session musicians are paid per recording and the price is stated in the list.

Instrument
Choose which instrument the session musician will play.



Settings

In this view you can set specific sounds for this instrument (this recordings channel). The choice of effects vary from studio to studio. From the top down:


Artist Information
Information on this musician.


Delay
Adds an echo effect to the sound.
  Power
Click to activate/inactivate. If the light is on, the effect is active.

Mix
How loud the effect is heard. Click the knob and move the mouse right (without releasing the mouse button) to increase the mix and left to decrease.

Delay
Sets the length of the echo. A short echo (left) shows a high figure in the window and the a long echo (right) shows a low figure. Click the knob and move the mouse left (without releasing the mouse button) to set a short delay and right to set a long delay.

Decay
Sets how quickly the echo wears off. The echo wears off quickly when the knob is turned left and slowly when the knob is turned to the right. Click the knob and move the mouse left (without releasing the mouse button) to increase the speed of the fading and right to decrease.

Timeshift

Combined effect panel for phaser (phase shift effect) and flanger (like phaser but with a different sound). Try the effects to hear how they influence the sound.
  Power
Click to activate/inactivate. If the light is on, the effect is active.

Mix
How loud the effect is heard. Click the knob and move the mouse right (without releasing the mouse button) to increase the mix and left to decrease.

Switch
Switches between phaser (up) and flanger (down). Click to throw the switch.

Depth
Sets how much the phases are shifted. Small phaseshift to the left and big to the right. Click the knob and move the mouse left (without releasing the mouse button) to set a small phaseshift and right to set a big phaseshift.

Speed
Sets the speed of the phaseshift. Slow phaseshift to the left and quick to the right. Click the knob and move the mouse left (without releasing the mouse button) to set a slow phaseshift and right to set a quick phaseshift.
N.B. Just like in a real life studio, a sound can be distorted if too much effects are added. This is heard by crackles and snaps in the loop, and if it happens you should decrease the effects (unless of course you like noise).


Loop

A musician can play a song in different ways. Every song has three loops per instrument (except vocals which is limited to one variety per song and vocalist). Click the arrows up and down to choose loop.


Preview
Click to hear how the loop sounds with the current settings. Click again to stop.


OK-button
Click to return to the mixer.