whats the difference between a analog tape deck converters Vs DAC and ADC converters

[Surfman]

whats the difference between a analog tape deck converters Vs DAC and ADC converters?

They both are pitch to voltage converters so whats the difference?

Why are the ADAT converters different than regular DAC or ADC converters like moto or apogee?

The ADAT storage analog signals but encoded digital onto the tape storage so the converters are different but how and why?

If i run my audio to a ADAT 8 track and just use the ADAT converters and come out "lightpipe" its analog with digital encoding its different than what a moto or apogee D/A or A/D converters do u know what i mean kiwi?

Analog tape decks before the signal reaches the tape head its be processed from pitch audio analog to voltage level signals so there is converters inside tape decks

A digital D/A or A/D converter is the same thing its pitch audio analog to voltage levels whats the differenece?

ADAT's are a different tech. design its audio signals but stored with digital encoding like back in the days with keyboard tape recorders in a way

[Angelo M]

...

[Gideon]

Walters?

[Surfman]

Whats a block diagram for a tape deck then

input-preamp-eq- ?? pitch to voltage levels--then to tape head

The tape stores the analog voltage levels onto the tape

Help clear this up for me im confuzzued about this

Before the tape head the input of the tape head is getting different voltage level values from frequencys and pitches right??

[ghellquist]

Hmm. How can I explain?

First, there is absolutely no pitch-to-voltage converters involved anywhere in these.

Analog signal - the kind you have as output from your mic or as input to your speakers. Analog signals are simply varying voltages.

Let us start with a normal analog tape. The really old type you know, with reels. On a very basic level the only circuits involved are as follows:
1) the analog signal is amplified
2) the tone head writes this signal to the tape
later, on playback
3) the tone head reads the signal from the tape (it is now very weak)
4) the signal is amplified.
No conversions are involved.

Next an ADC. The word stands for Analog-Digital-Converter. And that is exactly what it does. An analog signal is converted inside it to a stream of digital numbers. The digital numbers has two important characters:
- sample rate : how often the numbersa are taken. Typical CD sample rate is 44100 Herz, often written as 44.1 kHz
- bit depth : CD has 16 bits, we often use 24 bits

The digitao signal can be moved or stored in a lot of ways. It can l can be moved over a lighpipe if you want to. It can be stored on a tape, this is what is done in an ADAT. It can be stored on a hard disk.

YOu could let your computer work on the digital signal. This is what you do in, say, Cubase when you mix and eq and compress and whatever.

Finally you want to hear the signal through speakers or headphones. Here is where the DAC comes in. The word stands for Digital-Analog-Conversion and that is simply what it does.

G

[Surfman]

Thanks for the help

Analog signals are simply varying voltages

But so are digital signals varying voltages ?

Its just encoding the analog signals into digital ones and zeros steps
like 192 converters have 192 steps to be recorded or sampled

Are the ADAT converters record or sample better varing voltages with the litepipe?

The converters are like a tape head the tape head converts analog to mechanic flux its varying voltages

[Surfman]

The varing voltages BEFORE the tape head is different varying voltages STORED on the tape is compresses and moves the varying voltages in a different pattern so the analog varing voltages are displaced and compressed AFTER the tape head its not a true converter the tape head is a transducer but the tape head has colouration/contour envelopes,distortion THD to it that is added to the varing voltages on the input singals

[Surfman]

Tape head simulations are converters

[Surfman]

digital records with zeros and ones. 0001100010100100


What does the tape head or magnetic tape do its not zeros and ones. 0001100010100100 or analog voltage level value what is it then ???

Adat is an analog tape deck?

yup it stores digital and analog signals onto the tape its a different techology than DAW's and protools just digital onto the harddrive the ADAT's use tape storage as a harddrive u get a different sound when storing digital information onto TAPE even tho its DIGITAL and no analog