Mytek alternative

invalidusername · 14th September 2011

hi !

i love my MYTEK ADC STEREO96, but sometimes i feel i don't need a mastering grade converter to simply track vocals and guitar.
also, it's really not forgiving when it comes to clipping, and takes a whiiiile to boot.

are there any alternatives ? i think the UA 2192 is what i need but it's discontinued, and still quite expensive (i got my Mytek for "cheap"). and i already have a Lavry DA10 for DA conversion.

thx

Fletcher · 14th September 2011

While I don't have a specific suggestion... using a "mastering grade" converter is indeed a good thing. If it takes a while to boot... give it some time. Make a habit of turning it on before picking up your instruments, microphones, etc... as for the clipping thing... a dear friend of mine once said "yellow... its the new red" [meaning that with 24 bit resolution you should try to keep your levels in the green and only slide into yellow on the rare occasion]... adopting the "yellow is the new red" philosophy will help you avoid clipping problems without a struggle.

If I'm not mistaken, the discontinued "UA" box is now flying the "Burl" logo... which is an excellent converter set and well worth checking out on your part.

As long as it doesn't break... the Mytek is probably not a bad thing and something it might make sense to hang onto for a while.

As always... YMMV.

Peace

kooz · 14th September 2011

Yellow is indeed the new red...and on the Mytek, with the yellow indicating -3dBFS, you're definitely cutting the margin close.
I tend to attempt to keep the bottom 2 green meter lights on at all times on mine when the input is active, the topmost being -20 dBFS, and only hit yellow on occasion. If you're up there frequently and often, pull the input attenuator back a bit or trim down your pres.
Once I figured all this out, I could focus on mic selection and placement...and my recordings and mixes have gotten better.

Piedpiper · 14th September 2011

ditto... the Mytek is great. tracking through it is the whole point...

invalidusername · 15th September 2011

ok guys !

i've heard about the Burl but i think it was too expensive for me.

i'll keep the Mytek.

14th September 2011	#1
invalidusername Gear nut Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 127 Thread Starter	Mytek alternative hi ! i love my MYTEK ADC STEREO96, but sometimes i feel i don't need a mastering grade converter to simply track vocals and guitar. also, it's really not forgiving when it comes to clipping, and takes a whiiiile to boot. are there any alternatives ? i think the UA 2192 is what i need but it's discontinued, and still quite expensive (i got my Mytek for "cheap"). and i already have a Lavry DA10 for DA conversion. thx

14th September 2011	#2
Fletcher member no 666 Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 10,108	While I don't have a specific suggestion... using a "mastering grade" converter is indeed a good thing. If it takes a while to boot... give it some time. Make a habit of turning it on before picking up your instruments, microphones, etc... as for the clipping thing... a dear friend of mine once said "yellow... its the new red" [meaning that with 24 bit resolution you should try to keep your levels in the green and only slide into yellow on the rare occasion]... adopting the "yellow is the new red" philosophy will help you avoid clipping problems without a struggle. If I'm not mistaken, the discontinued "UA" box is now flying the "Burl" logo... which is an excellent converter set and well worth checking out on your part. As long as it doesn't break... the Mytek is probably not a bad thing and something it might make sense to hang onto for a while. As always... YMMV. Peace __________________ CN Fletcher Professional Affiliations: R/E/P Professional Recording Engineer and Producer forums - serious hobbyists welcome SoundPure.com mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33 We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid Roscoe Ambel once said: Pro-Tools is to audio what fluorescent is to light

14th September 2011	#3
kooz Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,045	What he ^ said! Yellow is indeed the new red...and on the Mytek, with the yellow indicating -3dBFS, you're definitely cutting the margin close. I tend to attempt to keep the bottom 2 green meter lights on at all times on mine when the input is active, the topmost being -20 dBFS, and only hit yellow on occasion. If you're up there frequently and often, pull the input attenuator back a bit or trim down your pres. Once I figured all this out, I could focus on mic selection and placement...and my recordings and mixes have gotten better. __________________ ____________________________________________________________________ "If you make everybody big and fat they won't fit all into the elevator." - joeq "I'm gonna give you a hint about "engineering"... the real skill is to know what every knob does in the joint... and then touch as few of them as humanly possible." - Fletcher "You can ignore this advice, but 20 years from now, it's the advice you will be giving out....." -drBill

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14th September 2011	#4
Piedpiper Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Between the Notes, Iowa Posts: 2,036	ditto... the Mytek is great. tracking through it is the whole point...

15th September 2011	#5
invalidusername Gear nut Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 127 Thread Starter	ok guys ! i've heard about the Burl but i think it was too expensive for me. i'll keep the Mytek.