a to d more important than d to a?

[josha]

When recording, is it more important to ensure you ahve a high quality a to d converter than d to a, as this will ensure the highest quality recordings, also if you are getting your shit mastered out of your studio you will be using their d to a 's anyway...

[beebay007]

if you're mixing in the box, then I'd say quality AD is more important than DA. I reckon that's obvious.

[ryst]

Originally Posted by beebay007

if you're mixing in the box, then I'd say quality AD is more important than DA. I reckon that's obvious.

But even if you are mixing completely ITB, DA converters to your monitors will help your monitoring situation.

[PlugHead]

If your material is being mixed and/or mastered outside, then A/D would be most important.

However, determining WHAT is happening in the A/D stage is found through the least coloured, and if not, euphonic D/A, so it's a dbl edged sword...

With the current crop of designs available nowadays, almost any set of converters around 2 grand (8 channel) should suffice well enough to get VERY good results - if of course, your tracking skills and performances are up to snuff.

Best with it,

[beebay007]

Originally Posted by ryst

But even if you are mixing completely ITB, DA converters to your monitors will help your monitoring situation.

yeah but how much is fantastic quality DA instead of just good quality DA going to affect your mixing decisions?

[Snatchman]

I've sorta wondered about this senario often. Sorta like the " Is the glass half full, or is it half empty" phrase......With better DA, even tho you are hearing and monitoring better, are you really capturing what you are hearing? Or...with a good AD, even tho you are not hearing as well without a better DA, are what you capturing, really sounding better than what you hear? Humm..so I guess the best case senario is get both!......I know I will when I decide to upgrade and go this route. (YMMV)

[Blue Bear Sound]

The playback/monitoring chain is CRITICAL....
If you can't hear it properly, you're just guessing as to whether something sounds good or not, regardless of how good your recording chain might be.

[Flying_Dutchman]

If you mix ITB, A/D is more important.
How many non-proaudio people listen on good D/A´s at their home? 5 % ? ..don´t know..
Is a bad D/A good for judging the audience situtation, like auratones?

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

If you mix ITB, A/D is more important.
How many non-proaudio people listen on good D/A´s at their home? 5 % ? ..don´t know..

Again, I point out that if you can't hear it properly, you're just guessing....

[Roc Mixwell]

I'll quote another thread; can't quite put my thumb on who said this but;

"anyone who is interested in understanding the art of digital audio, would be interested and equally concerned with both AD and DA conversions"

Give or take a few phrases......pardon my butchery of the statement.

Its all analog when it hits your ear. Would you care to calibrate only the SYNC head of your tape recorder, and not care to do a REPRO, playback alignment?

[Snatchman]

Originally Posted by Roc Mixwell

I'll quote another thread; can't quite put my thumb on who said this but;

"anyone who is interested in understanding the art of digital audio, would be interested and equally concerned with both AD and DA conversions"

Give or take a few phrases......pardon my butchery of the statement.

Its all analog when it hits your ear. Would you care to calibrate only the SYNC head of your tape recorder, and not care to do a REPRO, playback alignment?

This is the reason I say...I'm gonna git 'em both....

[Weasel9992]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

Again, I point out that if you can't hear it properly, you're just guessing....

Adam and Bruce have summed it up well...I especially like Adam's SYNC/Repro analogy. They're both important, but I also agree that just about any 8-channel set of converters around the $2,000 ought to do it. I have the SSL XLogic converters, which comes in at less than that price, and they're fantastic.

Frank

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

Again, I point out that if you can't hear it properly, you're just guessing....

If you record shxt, and have a great DA you listening to shxt with a great DA.
But this discussion is, well, semi-informative.
I don´t think we´re are talking about Sounblaster 16bit....
Although many records are out with amiga 500 and this...
This converter dicussion is important, off course, but´s it´s not the no.1 piece of gear that brings satisfaction. Maybe it´s the most unimportant one.
I would rate it like this:
Player
Instrument - Skill to set it
Amp ... Skills to set it
Room..skills
Mic..skills
Preamp..etc...
EQ
Comp
AD

Than it hits the digital domain....

More things follow.

Mixing...immense skills
choosing the right Plug-ins/ hatdware..etc....
Knowing SRC and Dithering


So, i dont want to be more than clever, or say that converters are not imortant, but do they play this major part?

And if i had to choose, i would still ger AD over DA...

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

If you record shxt, and have a great DA you listening to shxt with a great DA.

That's exactly my point.... without the proper monitoring chain (including D/A as needed), you can't tell if it's shyt because of the source, the player, the mic, or because your monitor chain is lying to you.

It's exactly like the CDC (Center for Disease Control).... if they don't have a high enough calibre of microscope, they can't properly identify whether the germ they're looking at it is the common cold, or anthrax....

[Weasel9992]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

So, i dont want to be more than clever, or say that converters are not imortant, but do they play this major part?

Yeah, I think they do. I'd say they're way more important than mics, i.e., if I had $5,000 and okay mics and converters would I spent it on upgrading mics or conversion? Conversion every time. So long as I'm not working with the bottom-of-the-barrel in terms of mics and preamps, that is.


Frank

[judah]

How in hell can you hear the damage a crap AD does to your audio without a good sounding DA? I'm still using my crappy Motu 1224 but as soon as I'll have money left I'll surely buy a good DA to hear exactly what is goin' on. If I won't be satisfied with my AD I'll THEN buy something better.

Don't understand why many posters suggest to buy a good AD first.

[judah]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

If you mix ITB, A/D is more important.
How many non-proaudio people listen on good D/A´s at their home? 5 % ? ..don´t know..
Is a bad D/A good for judging the audience situtation, like auratones?

How many non-proaudio people listen on good full range speakers?
How many non-proaudio people listen to 128 MP3s on iPods?
How many non-proaudio people listen only in they car stereo with loudness control set on STUN!?
How many non-proaudio people listen on crappy 2" speaker from mono-FM radio?
How many non-proaudio people doesn't give a shit about sounds?

How can you tell if an AD is crap if you can't trust what you're listening?

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by Weasel9992

Yeah, I think they do. I'd say they're way more important than mics, i.e., if I had $5,000 and okay mics and converters would I spent it on upgrading mics or conversion? Conversion every time. So long as I'm not working with the bottom-of-the-barrel in terms of mics and preamps, that is.


Frank

So, lets say there is a recording studio who is ok with everything and now has the chance to get great ADs or great DAs.
I would pick ADs first, so that i could record with the best quality.
Others would choose DAs first, ok, be fine.
Peace

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by judah

How many non-proaudio people listen on good full range speakers?
How many non-proaudio people listen to 128 MP3s on iPods?
How many non-proaudio people listen only in they car stereo with loudness control set on STUN!?
How many non-proaudio people listen on crappy 2" speaker from mono-FM radio?
How many non-proaudio people doesn't give a shit about sounds?

How can you tell if an AD is crap if you can't trust what you're listening?

I mean that its better for me to record high quality and listen to it average quality than recording avarage quality and listen high quality.

You´ll laugh, but i like to mix on an old JVC ghettoblaster, so that i can get an idea how the mix sounds in the real world.

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

You´ll laugh, but i like to mix on an old JVC ghettoblaster, so that i can get an idea how the mix sounds in the real world.

Yikes....

[Roc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by Flying_Dutchman

So, lets say there is a recording studio who is ok with everything and now has the chance to get great ADs or great DAs.
I would pick ADs first, so that i could record with the best quality.
Others would choose DAs first, ok, be fine.
Peace

Well............there is a natural progression here.......was it the chicken or the egg? Recording with quality has more to do with performance than better AD, because if you hear yourself better, you're going to groove better........Now we're back to DA......

This is just ONE of the many examples I could point out.
You can't have AD without DA.....you'll hear nothing.

[Flying_Dutchman]

Originally Posted by Roc Mixwell

Well............there is a natural progression here.......was it the chicken or the egg? Recording with quality has more to do with performance than better AD, because if you hear yourself better, you're going to groove better........Now we're back to DA......

This is just ONE of the many examples I could point out.
You can't have AD without DA.....you'll hear nothing.

Yeah, maybe this discussion is like the egg thing...

Performance is everything!

You cant have DA without AD too when PC recording....

We need both, but iwould spend more $ into AD first...

[stacyr]

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