N00b question about A/D, preamps, connections, etc.

[AdamWathan]

This may be a ridiculous question, but how do you guys hook everything up when tracking like 16 channels at once?

I'm reading the equipment list at Castle Ultimate studios for example in California, and his main interface is a Fireface 800. How do you track like 12-16 channels of drums when you only have 8 inputs of A/D? I guess you could use a ADAT equipped mic pres for extra channels, but then you're not using the A/D of the main interface, you're using whatever A/D is in your mic preamps... So how is this normally done? Do a lot of guys use multiple standalone A/D converters to reach the desired number of channels and if so, how do you hook them all up to a computer since (at least to my knowledge) you can only work from one soundcard/interface at a time...?


EDIT: Wrong forum, don't even know how I managed to do this... please move!

 

[ffaudio]

I use preamps in a mixer, out the direct outs to the input of my SSL alpha link, ADAT out of that into an RMC card with ADAT inputs.

Not to hard if you just map out what equipment you have.

 

[AdamWathan]

Cool I think I've got it figured out then.. So only one interface is hooked up to the computer, but you connect all your A/D converters together through ADAT... Makes sense!

So if I had 2 Firefaces, I'd run my 16 mic pres into the 8 inputs on each unit, then connect the ADAT out of unit 1 up to the ADAT in of unit 2, and connect unit 2 to the computer via firewire.

I'm assuming that you can send the analog inputs of any interface to ADAT Out if it's got one? If an interface only has 8 channels of conversion, why would it have 2 ADAT outs? That's the only thing I'm still confused about... Since each ADAT connection can carry 8 channels of audio, why would you have 16 channels of ADAT out if you only have 8 channels of analog signal you can even send to them? Is there any point at all in routing an ADAT In to the same unit's ADAT Out? Wouldn't it make more sense to plug whatever it is that you are plugging into the ADAT In directly to it's final destination instead of going into another interface and coming right back out without anything happening to the signal?

 

[HeadCrusher]

To buy 2 Firefaces just to use one of them as an A/D converter is probably a bit of an expensive solution... Get a separate A/D converter for the 8 additional channels (Apogge if you have the bugs).

As for multiple ADAT outs just imagine you'd want to send multiple tracks from a DAW to individual channels of an analog console.

 

[AdamWathan]

To buy 2 Firefaces just one of them as a A/D converter purely is probably a bit expensive solution... Get a separate A/D converter for the 8 additional channels (Apogge if you have the bugs).

As of multiple ADAT outs just imagine you'd want to send multiple tracks from a DAW to individual channels of an analog console.

Gotcha! The Fireface example was purely for the purpose of a simple example, just to understand how everything works Excuse my incompetence!