Gomez
Member
I agree with LSD. Crap converters will sound shit when you push them hard... but if you insist, here is a "tutorial" of what you need to do:
1: get your mix bounced to a (or dual mono) stereo file.
2: import back into your sequencer.
3: Creat a new stereo track and select the output of the track into one of your audio interface's stereo outputs.
4: plug that output into some hardware that has a VCA amp (volume knob/gain - such as a compressor, preamp, eq, whatever,).
5: Connect the device output into a stereo input on your sound card (so goes back into your sequencer)
6: create a new stereo track in your sequencer and assign the inputs to the output of your external device.
7: arm the track and press play - you have a loop (OP -->DEVICE-->IP).
8: crank up the device output (or your mixes track level). You meters will go to red when pushed (clip). If you crank it too much your converters will start to distort and it will sound like arse.
9: Push gain to taste and record in...
That's it.
Now (disclaimer):
1: cheap converters have less headroom, so they will distort easily not letting you getting your mix as loud as your limiter will.
2: some converters actually distort nicely (but generally those which cost a lot of money)
3: cheap converters sound bad when pushed.
4: You will need to use a brick-wall limiter in the end anyway, because if the level goes over 0, it will distort and sound horrible through consumer products (which have crappy D/A's built in).
5: if you do not have excellent monitoring, I recommend NOT to do this.
6: Experiment, A/B to your current limiter.
7: Bear in mind that every process on a waveform is DEGRADING.
8: Good luck frying up your weeks of work
I have mastered a lot of records and sometimes, clipping my Lavry's does the trick (although I do this through a combination of gain stages through my analogue rig), sometimes thing like the L1, L2, do the trick, sometimes tape does the trick... it's all down to everything in the recording process, starting from the song arrangement (believe it o not) and the performance.
1: get your mix bounced to a (or dual mono) stereo file.
2: import back into your sequencer.
3: Creat a new stereo track and select the output of the track into one of your audio interface's stereo outputs.
4: plug that output into some hardware that has a VCA amp (volume knob/gain - such as a compressor, preamp, eq, whatever,).
5: Connect the device output into a stereo input on your sound card (so goes back into your sequencer)
6: create a new stereo track in your sequencer and assign the inputs to the output of your external device.
7: arm the track and press play - you have a loop (OP -->DEVICE-->IP).
8: crank up the device output (or your mixes track level). You meters will go to red when pushed (clip). If you crank it too much your converters will start to distort and it will sound like arse.
9: Push gain to taste and record in...
That's it.
Now (disclaimer):
1: cheap converters have less headroom, so they will distort easily not letting you getting your mix as loud as your limiter will.
2: some converters actually distort nicely (but generally those which cost a lot of money)
3: cheap converters sound bad when pushed.
4: You will need to use a brick-wall limiter in the end anyway, because if the level goes over 0, it will distort and sound horrible through consumer products (which have crappy D/A's built in).
5: if you do not have excellent monitoring, I recommend NOT to do this.
6: Experiment, A/B to your current limiter.
7: Bear in mind that every process on a waveform is DEGRADING.
8: Good luck frying up your weeks of work
I have mastered a lot of records and sometimes, clipping my Lavry's does the trick (although I do this through a combination of gain stages through my analogue rig), sometimes thing like the L1, L2, do the trick, sometimes tape does the trick... it's all down to everything in the recording process, starting from the song arrangement (believe it o not) and the performance.
