What Focusrite sound interface did you get ? I have the Clarett 8 pre thunderbolt. Compared to my Apollo twin solo it sounds much better. Even when I record stems from my SSL x desk to it the difference is noticeable. I asked Focusrite support weekend if I need another AD/DA and they told me I won’t if I’m satisfied with the sound of my Clarett 8 pre. There is this whole prosumer AD/DA discussion versus pro going on the internet. For me I’d rather buy processing units and bring them into my recording chain. Sure i just got a 3k dollar plus master buss compressor but I’m sure my 600 dollar 8pre can capture that hi fi goodness. There is an AD/DA convertor already in the Clarett and Apollo line of products. They both sound good.
Hi Nirun if I keep my levels low when recording and use the cubase 10 pro metering tool that should get me an overall good printed track / mix into my DAW right ?
Thanks for the reply.
I have a liquid saffire 56.
My music sounds fine on my monitors etc. at home, but I really don’t think I have the set up to be able to reliably tell the difference in quality between AD/DAs.
Much of the music I love has been made in peoples bedrooms, often on a pretty limited gear set, but sounds amazing in a club etc.
So for me it seems sensible to mainly concentrate on getting the sound I want on my set up, and leaving the mastering engineer to ensure that things are consistent and transparent across a range of systems/ready for vinyl etc.
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yes definitely. keeping headroom in DAW is key. clipping your AD stage is not ideal but it can happen. check this out @v00d00ppl
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/gain-staging-your-daw-software
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For most part when I record into my DAW I record at -18dbLuFS. That should keep me from clipping right ?
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The mastering engineer’s ADDA matters in 2 ways :
- No matter how bad your converters were, if your track is run through bad converters again it will further degrade your audio.
- The mastering engineer may well do all his/her work in the digital domain, so your track doesn’t go through an additional conversion, but the DA is part of the monitoring chain and allows him/her to make better decisions.
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I’ve got an Mpressor. It bangs.
Unfortunately these days I don’t have a ton of time to print stuff through hw, but when I do it’s perfect for any sort of electronic stuff I throw at it.
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Holy crap I forgot I got a pc hiding in my guest room and E-MU 1616m hooked up to it (m for mastering grade converties). I should print my stuff to that PC. Hmmmm
Thanks.
Point 2 is the main one here for me I guess.
By the time anything I might send hits a mastering engineer, the stems/mixdown will have likely had multiple rounds of DA/AD conversion at home as they have been routed through various effects etc. Therefore point 1 is relevant, but less so.
But if I need an engineer to make subtle changes in a carefully calibrated listening environment, they need to hear the digital file in clean a way as is possible.
Also, if using outboard, those subtle changes need to be captured accurately too.
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hello! I acknowledge this post is quite old, so this is a long shot! If I may ask, how are you sending audio from your DAW (i.e. a drum bus) out into the Elsyia and then back into your DAW?
I want to get an Elysia but I don’t want to get a patch bay
hey mate! this is a long shot. May I ask how you send audio to your master buss compressor from your DAW? I’m just trying to figure out the best way to do this and researching options
I have an Apollo Twin as well but I am thinking of going down the Clarett 8pre route because it has outputs that would allow me to send audio to a buss compressor. in theory of course!
I’m trying to figure out how to not get feedback in Ableton with my routings on the twin. Every time i monitor and compress I get feedback. So what I have to do right now is not monitor and compress and record my master bus into live again. This weekend i will have time to figure out my routings.
If all else fails I will route my Ableton master (Apollo twin out) bus into my neve MBP and record and monitor with the clarett 8 pre as my in to not get feedback while monitoring.
Getting a patch bay is a good investment overall. Sometimes you need to patch keyboards and synths in a compressor as part of your recording chain for gentle compression before tracking. Other times you want to only process the kick or snare of your drum tracks to calm down the levels a bit.
I’ve had an overstayer stereo FET compressor in a rack with the DI driver from him, but this year I finally found their stereo VCA compressor (full 19" version) for an affordable price. Man, I love the grit of the FET, and considering the only other VCA compressor I’ve had were a bunch of symetrixes (and Estecs though, but I found the control ranges overly fiddly) I’m on a love trip with gluuueeee … Overstayer rules with elektron gear.
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Yep the Overstayer VCA is a great piece. Mine currently has a crackly blend knob but its been a trooper for around 7 years now on the master buss. My Overstayer FET does great with digital sources and drums, but the VCA kinda does it all.
Considered trying a Stam or Elysia for a changeup, but really happy with the old Overstayers… pity they updated and up-priced them. Used to be a great deal, though probably still a good one.
For reference, also own a Compounder, FMR RNC, 3630 and TC Finalizer. All have their own particular thing, though as far as “glue”, OS VCA rules.
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So is the overstayer VCA à response to the SSL G Compressor and FET a response to an 1176D?
If you already have a UAD, why not using the UAD ssl bus comp or the api 2500. not sure if there is really a big difference in sound with these great emulations.
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I think they both have DNA from the SSL & 1176 you reference, but with more options and flexibility, and I would say the OS FET won’t have the exact character of the 1176, as the transformers etc were part of that sound. Not so much colour was the general consensus from memory, though thats hearsay from me. Never had the chance to do a 1 to 1 comparison.
I find the OS FET on the Machinedrum (or Monomachine) a blast, though I have to ignore the metering and go by ear. Don’t have same issue with the VCA.
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Just ordered a used Burl B2 ADC…
My Neve MBP can clip the heck out of my Apollo and Clarett. Time to step it up and get a converter that handles abuse.
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1616M is a great interface! I dearly miss mine (borrowed it to a mate who broke it).
My “secret weapon” with the 1616M was to sum audio internally with the 1616M DSP mixer. Sounded much better than summing in the DAW.
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