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Hello my names Aaron and I'm brand new to this forum. I've been trying to add movie samples to my Pro Tools sessions by recording from a DVD player to Pro Tools. The DVD player has a coxial output on it and I had the understanding that would work the same as S/PDIF. I've tried using the RCA cables from the DVD player to the S/PDIF in on my MBOX2 but nothing seems to be working. Does the DVD have to have a S/PDIF out? What is the process you guys would go through to record samples from a DVD player?

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hueseph Sat, 05/30/2009 - 20:51

Okay wait. I just read the topic again. So you want movie audio samples? Still, you are trying to send analog signal to a digital input. No go. You can use an rca to phono plug adapter but the audio quality will probably be crap.

SPDIF out on most modern DVD players is via optical cable. If you have an older model with coaxial spdif, there must be a setting in ProTools that you are missing. You have to "tell" ProTools to record from SPDIF.

anonymous Sat, 05/30/2009 - 22:06

Yes, I meant audio clips, sorry I should have specified. So I tried a different DVD player and I'm getting a signal now but its just a clipping sound. I've tried setting the sampling rate 44.1 and 44.4 and setting the bit depth to 16 and 24. Getting sound clips by just putting the DVD into my computer and getting sound clips from there sounds like a good idea too i just dont have a dvd plyaer on my computer.

hueseph Sat, 05/30/2009 - 23:59

Sounder347 wrote: Yes, I meant audio clips, sorry I should have specified. So I tried a different DVD player and I'm getting a signal now but its just a clipping sound. I've tried setting the sampling rate 44.1 and 44.4 and setting the bit depth to 16 and 24. Getting sound clips by just putting the DVD into my computer and getting sound clips from there sounds like a good idea too i just dont have a dvd plyaer on my computer.

Okay....did you get to the part where you are sending analog signal to a digital(spdif) input? This is NOT going to work. Go spend at the most $4.00 at the local Radio Shaft and buy an rca to Phono adapter. You may need to buy an RCA to 1/8" and a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter. So you'll be using two adapters on each audio output. Which means, I guess, that you will actually need to buy 4 adapters. Don't fret, they sell these at the local dollar store too. Plug those into the line level inputs on the mbox.

LJ25 Sun, 05/31/2009 - 01:38

Most DVD'd have a protection encryption on them from my understanding them meaning you cant copy them like that. I use a program called (quite simply) DVD audio ripper. Works great for it in Cubase. Not sure about protools however it converts all the audio into wav. files so should be easy to import for you.....(but I do not condone copyright either). lol

Good luck

8-)

dvdhawk Sun, 05/31/2009 - 04:35

I think my Radio Shack shopping list might be a little different.

I think I'd go with 2 cables that are RCA on one end and 1/4" TS on the other.
I'd plug the RCAs into the analog Red and White audio outs on the back of the DVD player.
I'd plug the 1/4 in the mbox.

It would go through the D/A and back through the A/D converters, but seriously for this purpose who cares if you lose a tiny fraction of audio purity?

And if you are still trying to find a way rip it through the digital SPDIF, the standard sample rate for audio contained in digital video is 48k. ProTools can be fussy about who is establishing the clock when you're importing. If it has the settings try setting the PT clock to external for the importing. ( this might let the digital signal from the DVD player control the ProTools clock)

dvdhawk Sun, 05/31/2009 - 11:58

hueseph wrote: Do I get points for trying to be frugal?

Spending money wisely always deserves an 'attaboy'.

I'm not sure at R-Shack prices 4 adaptors are any less pricey than 2 cables, and I could never visualize how you were going to work the 1/8" into the DVD player or the Mbox.

If he has the stereo patch cable RCA to RCA, I like the idea of 2 RCA to mono 1/4 adaptors at the Mbox end.

I know there are numerous Mbox units out these days, and I'm so far behind the cutting edge of that stuff that I'm very willing to concede you may have a much better ideal than I do.

I bought one of the orignal Mboxes when they came out for quick and easy remote 2-track recording and remote 24-track mixdown with a laptop and Glyph drive. It's a nice enough unit for smaller jobs, and I know little to nothing about the generation(s) that followed that first one.

hueseph Sun, 05/31/2009 - 12:08

I was assuming he would be using the existing RCA cable he has now and just adding adapters to one end. The only reason I considered it is because I had to do this in a pinch and I happened to have the adapters on hand. Converting an interview from cassette(ugh) to cd. Talk about nightmare. I actually managed to reduce the hiss level to standard cassette type hiss (lol) using Samplitude.

Boswell Mon, 06/01/2009 - 03:41

Sounder347 wrote: Getting sound clips by just putting the DVD into my computer and getting sound clips from there sounds like a good idea too i just dont have a dvd plyaer on my computer.

You could replace your computer CD drive with a DVD drive. They are cheap, especially ones with an IDE (PATA) interface that I guess you would need.