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Hi, I'm new here and I have a question.

first of all I have a MOTU 828mkII with 4 analog stereo out and one digital out.
Well I have a analog Mackie 32:8 too.
Until yesterday I use the 4 stereo out into mixer with this group of out:

out 1: groove
out 2: bass and bd
out 3: melody line and pad
out 4: vocals

well My friend say me that It would be better using only digital out because
my mixer don't have much dynamic. So for you which is the right way?
Which is better analog or total digital way...

I record at 24bit 44.100hz

ps. I use Ableton 7

thanks

Comments

RemyRAD Thu, 12/13/2007 - 12:23

Your friends suggestion is like telling you to wear boxers if you already wear jockeys. Personal taste, all of it.

Your Mackie board has as much headroom as any other crappy analog to digital converter. This is all based upon physics and the noise within the molecules at certain temperatures. Equipment gets much quieter down at - 435° but it's impractical since your ears get cold. I tell him he could make quieter recordings on the surface of Pluto if the noise was a real problem.

It's a misnomer that recording at 24 bits yields over 140 DB of dynamic range. That's true. What isn't true is that there is no analog equipment that has a 140 DB noise to headroom specification. Most of our equipment is good for about 100+ DB in total dynamic range and overhead. The Mackie Board is fine in the way in which you are using it as an analog summing network. A LOT OF PROFESSIONALS ARE WORKING THIS WAY. Amateurs are not, since they don't have a clue. Like your friend.

Go on. Keep it up just to piss him off when your recordings come out sounding better than his. You will leave him there scratching his head.

Forward thinking
Ms. Remy Ann David

anonymous Fri, 12/14/2007 - 12:51

Yeah!, Really thanks 4 the answer :D , you mean that my sound could be really punch than a digital mixdown!. Great!

I'm really happy to know that this is pro-way!

I think that you're a studio guru!
So please tell me one more think to work better.
Now my mkII out go into channel mixer, if I put those outs (mkII) into subgroups instead you think that sound can be better?
You have some tricks for my setup?

Thanks again :D

anonymous Sat, 12/15/2007 - 21:29

RemyRAD wrote: Your friends suggestion is like telling you to wear boxers if you already wear jockeys. Personal taste, all of it.

Your Mackie board has as much headroom as any other crappy analog to digital converter. This is all based upon physics and the noise within the molecules at certain temperatures. Equipment gets much quieter down at - 435° but it's impractical since your ears get cold. I tell him he could make quieter recordings on the surface of Pluto if the noise was a real problem.

It's a misnomer that recording at 24 bits yields over 140 DB of dynamic range. That's true. What isn't true is that there is no analog equipment that has a 140 DB noise to headroom specification. Most of our equipment is good for about 100+ DB in total dynamic range and overhead. The Mackie Board is fine in the way in which you are using it as an analog summing network. A LOT OF PROFESSIONALS ARE WORKING THIS WAY. Amateurs are not, since they don't have a clue. Like your friend.

Go on. Keep it up just to piss him off when your recordings come out sounding better than his. You will leave him there scratching his head.

Forward thinking
Ms. Remy Ann David

Well said.

RemyRAD Mon, 12/17/2007 - 10:30

Yes, go ahead and create 8 channels of already mixed and DSPeed mix stems. Route those out the 8 analog outputs from the MOTU 2408. Patch those eight inputs back into your mixer and combine them into your stereo final. Take the output of your Mackie mixer and record those into another stereo digital recorder. Voila', you are operating a hybrid studio. Compare this to pure analog mixing and pure mixing ITB. You might hear a difference? You might like it? You may find no difference? You may find this a waste of time?

There are those of us that have some peculiar beliefs based upon our own perceptual judgments. It's all subjective. Of course going through these other different gyrations may do more to impress your clients than anything else? I've done both. Like many other folks, I have trouble choosing the color I like best. Both methods have their place.

I'm in my place
Ms. Remy Ann David