High Quality Stereo A/D/A converter as a set of "Gold Channels"?

[Analogeezer]

I'm going to be upgrading my DAW soon, but still keeping the same
basic hardware, which is the ubiquitous Delta 1010.

I think the thing sounds pretty decent but I've not been able to A/B
it with other comparable units or higher end stuff.

At the moment I've got a cheap two channel S/PDIF converter hung off
the end of it (a Flying Cow) to get me another two channels, so I have
10 channels total of Analog I/O. I like to mix through an analog
console, not in the box, so having multiple outs is important to me.

Would it be worth it to look at a higher end two channel converter to
use with the Delta 1010?

I guess my thinking is when recording, you run the important tracks
through there, and since like many people, after basics I usually only
overdub one or two mics at once. I'vc got some good mics and good
pres, so I would think getting a pair of good converters would be a
good step.

BUT, given that I would still have the Delta 1010 in there, is doing
this a waste of time?

I guess I'm thinking that potential clocking issues with the Delta and
the box with the good converters might make it so I don't get the full
potential of the better converters.

You usually see people with high end converters, or budget stuff, but
not a mix of both....so I'm thinking there is a message there.

Am I on to a good idea here, or just a waste of money that would be
better spent upgrading my all of audio interface and converters?

Analogeezer

[Arny Krueger]

"Analogeezer" <analogeezer@aerosolkings.com> wrote in message
news:bfb37ea9.0309011639.28c81741@posting.google.c om

> I'm going to be upgrading my DAW soon, but still keeping the same
> basic hardware, which is the ubiquitous Delta 1010.
>
> I think the thing sounds pretty decent but I've not been able to A/B
> it with other comparable units or higher end stuff.

Why don't you A/B it against itself? Just re-record your best tracks through
it say a dozen times, and then do a level-matched, time-synched, blind
comparison with free software you can download from
http://www.pcabx.com/program/index.htm ?

Preparing the data is just a little field exercise in DAW use, right?

Listening is a fundamental talent that you bring to audio, right?

Let your ears be your guide!

You can download worked-out examples of this for a sound card that costs
about 3 times more to about 6 times less per channel and measures from 6 dB
better to 12 dB worse at http://www.pcabx.com/product/soundcard/index.htm .
I assure you that you can hear differences due to some but not all of the
converters posted there.

[Justin Ulysses Morse]

Analogeezer <analogeezer@aerosolkings.com> wrote:

> I'm going to be upgrading my DAW soon, but still keeping the same
> basic hardware, which is the ubiquitous Delta 1010.
>
> I think the thing sounds pretty decent but I've not been able to A/B
> it with other comparable units or higher end stuff.
>
> At the moment I've got a cheap two channel S/PDIF converter hung off
> the end of it (a Flying Cow) to get me another two channels, so I have
> 10 channels total of Analog I/O. I like to mix through an analog
> console, not in the box, so having multiple outs is important to me.
>
> Would it be worth it to look at a higher end two channel converter to
> use with the Delta 1010?
>
> I guess my thinking is when recording, you run the important tracks
> through there, and since like many people, after basics I usually only
> overdub one or two mics at once. I'vc got some good mics and good
> pres, so I would think getting a pair of good converters would be a
> good step.
>
> BUT, given that I would still have the Delta 1010 in there, is doing
> this a waste of time?
>
> I guess I'm thinking that potential clocking issues with the Delta and
> the box with the good converters might make it so I don't get the full
> potential of the better converters.
>
> You usually see people with high end converters, or budget stuff, but
> not a mix of both....so I'm thinking there is a message there.
>
> Am I on to a good idea here, or just a waste of money that would be
> better spent upgrading my all of audio interface and converters?

First of all, have you closely compared the sound of the Flying Cow to
the Delta 1010? I might be tempted to assume the Flying Cow sucks
rocks, but I'm not in a position to know for sure. You should follow
Arny's reciped for comapring them by running a signal through them a
bunch of times.

Secondly, you don't have to worry about the 1010 affecting the sound
quality of the outboard converters. It will have no effect, so long as
you do it right. Just make sure the outboard AD converter is using its
own clock, and the 1010 is synching off of that. Of course at playback
you might want to change this, but so long as the "good" converters
aren't relying on the "cheap" converters for clock, and so long as
you're getting your data from the "good" converters to the computer
without error or modification, then you're fine.

Personally, I don't think there's much point in spending your
microphones-n-beer budget on converters if you already have converters
that you don't have a problem with.

ulysses