will good DA really affect the way i track??

[rispsira]

Ill try to explain my question as much as possible, and then the reason why im asking!

How much will the DA affect the way i TRACK (not mix)? i mean with better DA i expect to have perhaps a better reproduction of what i already did, and perhaps more warmth depending on the unit. But will it really affect my mic placement? wont the representation of the frequencies still be the same?

I wont be doing the mixing myself and I was considering the HEDD 192 for the tape emulation and it has DA as well. But if the DA wont be that improtant for tracking maybe i can buy the BURL B2 AD for less and have good quality conversion with some analog tape warmth (of course from what i have read..) then the engineer mixing it can use his DA conversion.

That way i save some money and get really good AD with the BURL.

M i thinking right?

 

[abt]

IMO a good AD is more valuable than a good DA.

 

[rispsira]

thanks for the reply abt!

im leaning twd going that route (burl B2 AD only for tracking). thanks for your opinion

Anyone wanna disagree?

 

[DanLights]

DA, isn´t that like the dude who puts guys in prison?

 

[Sacha]

It it affects what you hear, then it should be safe to assume it affects how you track as well as how you mix etc. Hard to say how much effect...

 

[BLUElightCory]

Keep in mind also that your D/A is only going to be as good as your room and your monitors. Getting some crazy-good D/A is wasted money if the aforementioned elements aren't great to begin with.

 

[Josh Burgess]

will affect reamping...

 

[rispsira]

Thanks guys. I realize that about treatment etc and we have that covered. Good point about the reamping by the way. But though i will have DA tracks for safety, i will probably rerecord rather than reamp.

Any more opinions?

Thanks

 

[TheWinterSnow]

a DA is nothing more than a summing amp, a couple of resistors tied to the same input of an op amp, unless the DA was made from cheap Chinese components the difference from a cheaper DA to a more expensive DA will be extremely tiny and just generally unnoticeable. Spend your money on better monitors, room acoustics etc.

 

[waltz mastering]

How much will the DA affect the way i TRACK (not mix)? i mean with better DA i expect to have perhaps a better reproduction of what i already did, and perhaps more warmth depending on the unit. But will it really affect my mic placement? wont the representation of the frequencies still be the same?

I wont be doing the mixing myself and I was considering the HEDD 192 for the tape emulation and it has DA as well. But if the DA wont be that improtant for tracking maybe i can buy the BURL B2 AD for less and have good quality conversion with some analog tape warmth (of course from what i have read..) then the engineer mixing it can use his DA conversion.

That way i save some money and get really good AD with the BURL.

M i thinking right?

How would you use the HEDD 192 DA in the context of recording?

Are you going to run audio through it or use it for your monitoring?

A DA will get sound out of a DAW
A AD will get sound into a DAW

Converter quality can make a noticeable difference, but then so does a bunch of other stuff. What's the weakest link in your chain?

 

[rispsira]

How would you use the HEDD 192 DA in the context of recording?

Are you going to run audio through it or use it for your monitoring?

A DA will get sound out of a DAW
A AD will get sound into a DAW

Converter quality can make a noticeable difference, but then so does a bunch of other stuff. What's the weakest link in your chain?

Thanks for the reply!

The DA should be used for monitoring what i recorded in th eDAW already to give me a taste of what i really recorded. Its just that i havent really been convinced that the QUALiTY of the DA will affect my mic position for example or the way i track in general. but then again i am no sound engineer.. so i might be wrong.

I beleive that i have the rest of the chain covered for recording (can give you the details if you need it) just not sure if i shoyuld spend extra for DA (hedd. also has ad) or just get a good AD (burl AD)

or if you guys have any other advice..

Thanks again!

 

[Melb_shredder]

Personally, when I upgraded to even my medium range AD/DA RME unit, the difference was subtle, but I could notice it for sure. That being said, it hasn't neccessarily affected my micing too much etc just makes me a little more aware of the spectrum I have to work with overall!

I hope that makes sense

 

[waltz mastering]

not sure if i shoyuld spend extra for DA (hedd. also has ad) or just get a good AD (burl AD)

Both the Burl and the Hedd are good.

Also maybe check out the Mytek 8x192
There's a good deal on one here:
http://www.vintageking.com/Mytek-Digital-8X192-ADDA-Demo-Deal

 

[aortizjr]

Everything in your chain from the mic all the way to the speaker is going to affect everything you do. That being said, the AD/DA I would definitely put in the last 10% category and most recordings have much bigger problems (acoustics, source sound, etc.).

But, when I upgraded my DA by modding out one from MCM Electronics, I noticed a pretty big difference. Things like all of a sudden I could hear MP3 compression @256Kbps and up that I couldn't hear before! Vocals that sounded nasally, all sorts of lower midrange issues. This is in a pretty well treated room as well with pretty decent monitors (Dyn. BM5A's, and Yamaha HS80M).

I am not sure it helped me much tracking. Maybe with some mic aiming, but only slightly. But definitely mixing, it really helped with the fine tuning.

It really is a tragedy on my wallet that I can hear a difference. Now I want a better DA and a better AD. Ugh...

 

[rispsira]

Sorry about the late reply. been thinking about what you guys habe been saying; not sure what to do yet.

But pretty sure im over-thinking the whole thing. In the end i guess with any of those products i can get a good recording with some help from a good enginner.

Thank you all for your posts!

 

[John_C]

a DA is nothing more than a summing amp, a couple of resistors tied to the same input of an op amp, unless the DA was made from cheap Chinese components the difference from a cheaper DA to a more expensive DA will be extremely tiny and just generally unnoticeable. Spend your money on better monitors, room acoustics etc.

So are you suggesting that if i open up a top end DA i'll only find that? Yes ok you CAN make one from those, in the same way that you can make a low pass with a variable capacitor to earth. Doesn't mean that it will produce the best results

 

[crillemannen]

If you dont have the cheapest DA/AD out there then there is a ton of things you can invest in before you reach for better DA's. Room treatment , Microphones, amps etc.