upgrading - ad/da question

[TheIllicitOne]

Well I've finally decided to leave my firepod setup and switch to something a bit more "professional." I've been slowly building up my preamp collection over the past few years with API and neve clones, Joe meek stuff, etc... I'm wanting to leave the all in one interfaces behind. I understand why converters are needed and what they do, etc. I'm looking into the Ssl alphalink madi converter (24 Ch.).

I was curious if I would need a separate converter for monitoring or if I can just run back out of the comp into the converter again for that purpose assuming i have enough channels. For clarification instead of this:

Mic ->pre-> converter (a) -> comp -> converter (b) -> monitors

Could i do this assuming i have enough channels left over?

Mic ->pre-> converter (a) -> comp -> converter (a) -> monitors

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Derykus]

AD is analog to digital. This is how you record.

DA is digital to analog. This is how you monitor.

Your converters won't act in reverse, it's one or the other. Some devices are AD. Some are DA. Some are AD/DA meaning both AD and DA are part of the device. I don't know about the Alpha Link, but I'm sure you won't be using all 24ch at once... ever...

 

[TheIllicitOne]

Yea, I understand what each does. I guess I wasn't clear on my phrasing of the question. Say im using 10 channels for drums (pre recorded scratch guitars) and I want the drummer to be able to hear the guitars, himself and click he's tracking. Since the alpha does both, would I be able to use two of the extra channels as da conversion for monitoring while the other ten are used for a/d for tracking (simultaneously if you will)

 

[arv_foh]

The alphalink has 24 inputs (this is your AD) and 24 outputs (this is your DA). You will use 2 of the outputs for your studio monitors. You will use another for band monitoring (or maybe 2 if you have say a drummer and a guitarist playing scratch). You'll have to run the outputs for band monitoring into a headphone amp. 10 inputs for drums. That leaves you 14 inputs and 21 outputs left over to use.. the amount of one does not affect the other.

You need DB25 to XLR or 1/4" to hook up inputs and outputs to the back of the alphalink.

 

[TheIllicitOne]

Thank you for your clear and concise answer. So by my understanding I can use it as both simultaneously without any problems. Do you own this unit yourself? If so how has your experience with it been?

 

[amarshism]

yes you can, you just have to understand that of your outputs (da) you will at minimum be using 2 for monitoring. With this you can go to your monitor controller for monitor selection, volume etc

What brian is talking about is creating a seperate cue mix for the artist if they would require a different set of balances than what you are monitoring with. Say the drummer wants the click crazy loud (a common occurrence) but that makes it unbearably loud in your control room. You would make a seperate auxillary sending to two more outputs on your da that would feed their headphones.

For example, my primary outputs 1-2 feed my central station. I could have outputs 3-4 be my cue mix and feed that into the cue inputs on my central station and then feed that to the artist. That would leave me with 4 (2 stereo mixes) unused outputs which i could use for other mixes if there are multiple artists tracking at once that require different headphone mixes.

The 8 inputs are so far unused so i can feed them with whatever chains i want.
Come mix down i have 6 outputs and 8 inputs available for running through outboard. For example, i always have two pres that i do not use in the mix patched into inputs 1 and 2 so if an overdub needs to be flown in we can just go through one of them without recabling/patching. My mix buss compressor receives from outputs 3-4 and returns to 3-4, distressors 5-6 and so on. If you had buttloads of outputs being unused in tracking you could even feed heaps of channels to a mixer for the artist to make their own monitor mix. hope this helped, im bored so...

 

[TheIllicitOne]

That's awesome and very helpful. Thank you so much.

 

[crillemannen]

SSL alphalink owner here. Works super for me, i noticed quite a difference in Ad/Da quality going from a Digi003 to this. It's so awesome that it has both ADAT and Dsubs for connection I/O's. I feel it's great to have the exta i/o because if i where to have only 16 i/o i would probably have to get a patchbay to change from recording to mixing because of the hardware i have. It was some hazzle to get the Adat to work properly, not that good of a manual there but the SSL support helped me right up, answered really quickly and after that everything has worked super.

I got a Kush Audio Gaintrain for monitoring, from what i've read that is the best monitor controller for that price (1k) if you want to go sideways with a bit extra features you can get a Crane Song avocet but that one is 2.5k :/