How We Use The Behringer XR18 To Record Our Live Shows 

Hey!! Thanks!!! I really appreciate that! Anything else you need a hand with, let me know! Dm me on insta at @davidpaigemusic

Thanks! I’m still planning out a few more of these to tackle!

Thanks for the comment Craig! If you have any questions, I’d be happy to help answer them for you - if I know the answer lol

Thanks!! Let me know when you’ve got some recordings up!

Thank you so much!!

Thank you! Which instrument to you play? Cheers!

@@DavidPaigeMusic Hi Im a singer songwriter I also play drums and acoustic guitar please check out my new tunes

That’s a great question! With different cameras, the answer is different: With the Canon camera, it can record for 29 minutes and 59 seconds before it has to stop. Then I have to hit record again. It’s a pain in the ass and I hate having to do that in the middle of a show. If there’s a song I know that I definitely want to capture, then I’ll make sure to stop recording and start a new one between songs ahead of time so I don’t hit the limit in the middle of a song. With the GoPros, they can record until the battery dies or the memory card fills up. I will swap batteries out at the set break to make sure I don’t miss anything. These upload to my computer as large files. I’ll store them on an external hard drive and then I’ll make a copy of the files that I can trim down to just the song I’m actively working on editing and then work with the smaller files on my MacBook hard drive. The file management is actually quicker and less annoying than that sounded.

@@DavidPaigeMusic ok! thanks for aswering

Thanks Keith!! Glad you found this video helpful! The XR18 is great at what it does. It “can” kinda simulate an amplified sound using some of the onboard effects, however, it is not an amp simulator. You can use the compression, EQ, and other effects onboard, but their application is kind of limited. In my experience, bassists using the DI from their bass head or a DI from a SansAmp or a Kemper have been able to get exactly the tone they wanted coming through the mix. I’ve used the mixer as a recording interface while writing in my studio too, and I usually will just plug my bass directly into the mixer for a scratch bass, but I end up using amps or my Kemper for the actual studio recording. Additionally, I’ve found that different songs sometimes call for adjustments for tone. When performing live, it’s a hell of a lot easier to turn a knob or stomp a pedal than it is to open the app and get to the settings you’re wanting to adjust. Our bass player loads in in only one trip. His bass on his back, his Kemper in a case with a handle, and usually a coffee in his free hand You may find that you can lighten your load of two bass heads without sacrificing tone if you invest in a SansAmp or another amp modeling DI. Good luck out there!!

@@DavidPaigeMusic Thanks, David! That provides a lot of clarity. Ah, the bass heads I am talking about are pretty small. They are 2 little micro bass amps which provides 300W of power each. We cover Muse songs and I find that if I do not split the signal between dirty and clean, the dirty signal sounds really weird as the bass distortion cuts off a lot of the low end... Is there a Patreon page that your fans can subscribe and from time to time, consult you for some advice? Would love to support ya. Cheers.

@@Keefeology Muse rocks! Shoot me a link sometime! At this time, I do not have an account like that set up. I really appreciate the gesture though!!

@@Keefeology if you wanted to ask advice, feel free to shoot me a message on IG - @davidpaigemusic

Hey Tony! Totally understand that! There's a lot that goes in to getting the perfect mix and you don't want to create duplicate work for yourself. Here are a few options: 1. You can take a split from your Main or even a through XLR from your PA speakers and send that into an audio interface that you can connect to your laptop and record that mix directly. I'd caution against this option for a few reasons. First, this leaves you with absolutely no control of your mix in post. Second, your mix may sound amazing in the room, but I also would be willing to bet you're using at least a few instruments that are creating some volume in the room. You likely won't want to put too much lead guitar in your PA mix because that Marshall halfstack is already pushing quite a few dB out in to the room, not to mention drums. OR 2. Create a custom template in your DAW. This is what I do. Each input is already set up to record into the tracks that I've chosen and I can set the EQ, compression, effects, panning and volume ONCE and then recall the same settings for every show that we record. The best way to do this would be to make your adjustments to the first recording, and THEN, you can set up your template based on your finalized mix. This way, if there's something I want to adjust, I can always do so in post production and it will likely just be a minor tweak based on stage volumes fluctuating based on the given venue atmosphere. This option will take you a few minutes of set up time, but then you have the same template to recall anytime you want to record. Here's a video on how I set mine up: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ptkx81Ht10s.html

That’s awesome! I’ve never used DaVinci before. I always recommend using the programs that you’re most familiar with when editing so you’re able to move through the process quickly and efficiently. I’m SUPER comfortable in Logic, because I’ve been using it since 2006. That’s the reason I use it. I wouldn’t be able to make a professional sounding recording in Pro Tools or DaVinci or Ableton or any other program without quite a bit of practice and frustration, which I don’t have time for lol.

Dear @hfranke07. I use Reaper as my DAW for recording. Do you use DaVinci Resolve as your DAW, and thereby entirely skip the use of Reaper or other DAW? Or do your import all recorded music and recorded video into DaVinci Resolve and do the entire EDITING there? Other use scenario?

@@bjarkenielsen8515 Yup, I record and edit inside DaVinci Resolve. It works great. Only thing is the max bit depth in DaVinci.... 16bit. But I dont need better resolution.

Give me an hour and I’ll let you know! I’m headed to set up for a gig later today, and I’ll try this out. There is definitely a midi-in and a midi-out port, but I haven’t tried it out. I typically just send midi through USB straight to my computer, since I have only used midi in the studio.

@@DavidPaigeMusic Hey thanks so much. The other question I had was whether you could transmit midi notes from the DAW over usb to the XR then forward those midi notes from the DIN OUT port of the XR to play an external synth. Cheers

Hey, so time constraints didn’t allow me to take the time to sit down with this today, but this video should help you out. It looks helpful! I haven’t watched the whole thing so I can’t be sure if it’s a good source or not ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Grwsr2vmRrQ.html

Couldn’t agree more! We do have a SM58 that we use as a talkback mic though!

Thank you! I’ve had similar issues with GoPro cameras in the dark too, despite their marketing the Black models as doing really well in low-light situations (lol). We were bringing two par lights for these shows. Pointed one at Stephanie’s chest and one at mine. Any higher and we can’t see. Any lower and our faces aren’t lit up. The lighting may have seemed excessive because we were playing in a neighborhood dive bar, but that little bit of visual separation really does a lot for the experience in the room, and it also made the videos turn out great! We have a few more lights that we use when we play with the full band, but anything more for our duo would have been a bit much!

Thanks for the quick reply! That makes sense - that you were adding some lighting. Most small clubs/dive bars/pubs/cafes, etc. don't have good lighting (if at all - just the ambient room lights) so I thought your stuff looked too good for a GoPro without the extra punch. If I may make a suggestion regarding your par lights (and I don't know how you have them situated - above you? at chest level? near the floor?) but regardless, you might try putting some diffusion material in front of them, leaving some separation between the material and the light source in order to soften the lights. The closer to the cans, the less light you'll lose but the less diffusion you get - the further away, even if only a few inches, the more diffusion you get but you may lose a stop or 2 of light. However, it should drastically help with the "blinding factor" and give you a very nice, soft light that will look good in the house as well as on the video. You can even do a DIY situation with a homemade scrim and attach them just out in front of each can. Just a thought!

@@DavidOxford606 thank you for the suggestion! That’s super helpful and really nice of you. We usually don’t have to worry about lighting too much anymore because the vast majority of our shows are on cruise ships where the sound and lighting is provided for us, but for outbound-based gigs, this is a great idea!

Thanks!! You should see how I handle “Freebird” requests! lol

@@DavidPaigeMusic lol

I think this might require a bit of troubleshooting beyond what a RU-vid comment can relay. Will you email me your phone number and I’ll see how I can help? david@davidpaigemusic.com

Adjust the mic gain in x air, you're welcome:)

Thanks for watching! This will likely require us to have a little more back and forth to troubleshoot. Shoot me a message on Instagram - davidpaigemusic Let’s get this solved for you!

Yeah. It works just like any other mixer. The power amplifiers are necessary if you have passive speakers, but if you use powered speakers, then you can go direct from the mixer to the powered speakers. I hope this answers your question!

I don’t have a lot of experience with MIDI using the XR18. I’ve been sending midi directly through USB to the computer and you should be able to use the two simultaneously

@@DavidPaigeMusic So maybe I can monitor ProTools/Kontakt back into the XR18 while connecting other instruments to the XR18 at the same time? The perfect world would be to have the band rehearsing, mics, guitars etc, plugged into the XR18, but be monitoring Kontakt for just the v drums on a stereo channel.

@@blueskky9996 Yes, I ended up plugging the vdrums USB/MIDI out/ into the Mac USB, then USB from the xr18 into another port on the Mac. Works great so far! I can monitor audio from Kontakt/Slate Drums or whatever, and record MIDI and the rest of the band at the same time. Later, I can edit and print the MIDI to an audio track. This xr18 has really proven to be a great pice of gear for recording and live, and for only $499? Playing back from Pro Tools and doing overdubs has been seamless as well. Thanks for the info!

It depends on the show. The mixer is capable of 16XLR inputs and 2 linked stereo 1/4 inputs. For the Student Body, my cover band, we usually use 14: 5 inputs for drums, 3 for guitars and bass, 1 for keys, 4 for vocals, and a talkback mic. For my original band, we use :14 or 15: 5 for drums, 3 or 4 for guitar and bass, 1 for keys, 2 for click and tracks (we use tracks to cover additional auxiliary keys parts that we can’t produce with just one keyboard player), and 3 for vocals. For the duo, we use 3: 2 vocals and 1 guitar

Hey there! I’m sorry, but I don’t yet know the answer, however, your question intrigued me. I bought an adapter from USB C to Lightning and I’m going to attempt this at tonight’s show. A video on this is coming too!

Ok, so! *technically* I was able to get this to work! I sent signal through a USB from my mixer into an adapter that send signal through lightning into the iPad. Within Garage Band, I was able to figure out how to adjust which inputs were assigned to which tracks. I was able to get everything routed correctly and hit the record button as we were starting our soundcheck. The recording stopped after a few seconds, and because I had to step away from the rig while completing soundcheck, I’m not sure what caused it to stop recording. With a little troubleshooting, YES! You absolutely CAN record from the Behringer XR18 into an iPad using Garage Band!

Here’s a video I made to show you how it’s done! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9Bj2AViAowo.html

Thanks! 🤘🏻

I'll do you one better. I'll post a video of how I made my template, so you can make one that works best for you. I'll be back here with a link for you by Sunday :)

@@DavidPaigeMusic thanks bro

@@CayroproductionsAdan Here ya go! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ptkx81Ht10s.html

Unless those mistakes are entertaining. Sometimes it makes good content. I wouldn’t just post a video highlighting a wrong note or a wrong chord for no reason…unless it made for a funny or cool moment.

Just don’t watch it and keep your thoughts to yourself then. Clearly other people found it helpful. No need to make the choice to be rude.