Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - The plights of AD / DA "re-conversion"

sage691 · 19th June 2006

I agree with Thrill Factor.

First of all, record in a great sounding room (wood ceilings and wood floors) to capture that natural reverb and tone. ISO booths are good for rap, but SUCK for singing and just about everything else IMO! Great acoustic guitars and pianos do not have their bodys made out of sheetrock or carpet!! What do you think a guitar would sound like with a sheetrock body ? Think of your recording room in the same way.

If you can get this first step right, then record into your DAW using great A/D converters. Even an old stock Apogee AD800 will do if your room and your analog mic pre is up to par. NOTICE I said ROOM first, and MIC PRE second! A greta mic pre capturing a shitty sheet rock sounding room is going to yield a nicely polished turd of a sound, and it won't be the mic pre's fault.

Then, if you can mix the outs of your DAW into a great analog console and record that to 1/2" tape if possible, or at the very least Lavry A/D to a Masterlink.

I know several pros (one BIG TIME) who do it exactly this way when they cannot track to 2 inch tape. Again and again they have told me that the ROOM matters more than ANY of the gear! One said he would choose 16 bit adats and mackie mic pres if he had to choose between a sterile room w/ top gear or a great room with 2nd rate gear.

I think many of us worry way too much about the digital tech stuff, and forget about the most basic things of all... i.e.-- great room and smooth, soulful performance!

19th June 2006	#9
sage691 Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Posts: 1,252	I agree with Thrill Factor. First of all, record in a great sounding room (wood ceilings and wood floors) to capture that natural reverb and tone. ISO booths are good for rap, but SUCK for singing and just about everything else IMO! Great acoustic guitars and pianos do not have their bodys made out of sheetrock or carpet!! What do you think a guitar would sound like with a sheetrock body ? Think of your recording room in the same way. If you can get this first step right, then record into your DAW using great A/D converters. Even an old stock Apogee AD800 will do if your room and your analog mic pre is up to par. NOTICE I said ROOM first, and MIC PRE second! A greta mic pre capturing a shitty sheet rock sounding room is going to yield a nicely polished turd of a sound, and it won't be the mic pre's fault. Then, if you can mix the outs of your DAW into a great analog console and record that to 1/2" tape if possible, or at the very least Lavry A/D to a Masterlink. I know several pros (one BIG TIME) who do it exactly this way when they cannot track to 2 inch tape. Again and again they have told me that the ROOM matters more than ANY of the gear! One said he would choose 16 bit adats and mackie mic pres if he had to choose between a sterile room w/ top gear or a great room with 2nd rate gear. I think many of us worry way too much about the digital tech stuff, and forget about the most basic things of all... i.e.-- great room and smooth, soulful performance!