Hey I have an important question for myself, maybe someone who is serious about it will know. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything specific about it here either.
I’m currently running a full dawless setup and it feels great, by the way. everything is controlled via the OT, even the arrangement. all devices go into a MIDAS mixer. Now the big question arises as to how things will end up being transferred to the DAW. because the only thing that should go through the DAW is the entire recording, i.e. the track and here we have come to the conversion from analog to digital (AD). i don’t want to lose any sound quality, i also like the dirt from the devices and the mixer, there should be a bit of noise. but i don’t want a digital harsh sound in the end.
therefore I ask myself whether an RME audio interface would really be worthwhile here, compared to a Focusrite, for example? I can’t afford anything else that goes through an RME anyway. I would have thought of a babyface from RME. But this is really all about change. so i don’t need individual outputs from the mixer to all inputs of the audio interface. only two entrances for the entire recording. everything is mixed beforehand. only that should be transferred so that the whole thing can go to the master engineer.
I record stereo out from my Xone:96 into RME Babyface Pro.
Sound is crystal clear and without any coloration.
You have also infinitive routing possibilities with Total Mix Control.
So I use 2 snapshots to switch between DAW and Zero Latency to monitors.
People get RME not because of the sound, but because of the drivers for Windows and the long term support. It’s a workhorse interface.
Don’t think there is a difference in sound say between Focusrite Clarett and the RME BF if you’re recording line inputs. The babyface costs more but it also does much more, it’s very expandable through digital io, and has a mixing software. While Clarett is much more basic.
Well, resolution/detail/clarity of capture & playback is also a factor, and there I do feel better AD/DA converters make a big difference.
Not to say that cheaper interfaces are not serviceable or even very good, but better converters bring their own merit to premium interfaces (on top of / in combination with better preamps etc).
I agree though, for the desired use case & with the emphasis on transparency, there’s no need for something expensive, especially if the budget is constrained, “cheap” interfaces are very capable today.
I have send 2 in use that would be needed for master out.
Also the babyface has various other tasks like sending usamo clock to hardware, spdif to Genelec’s, monitor controller, etc.
When I moved from a $250 interface to a $2500 it wasn’t a game-changer.
Mostly more defined stereo image and bass, that because of a much better clock.
In modern interfaces chips are very similar, that ESS 32 appears in a very cheap models as well in expensive one. But this doesn’t mean those interfaces are same quality wise. Circuitry isolation and clocks are better in more expensive interfaces, which give you less thd and much more defined sound. In my opinion skip the entry level models if you don’t want mushy bass and undefined stereo image.
But Stimming said the Octotrack uses ‘€1 converters’ and that’s why it sounds bad. I will not let you question the word of our lord and saviour of audiophile sound quality.
…which midas console do u have in use…?
since there were a midas analog console series that had the option for inbuilt digital converters for their busses…
and those were damned good…
while there is quite some difference when it comes to metric halo, uad, appogee, antilope, rme at the top end and all the focusrite south end, the difference gets only huuuge and audible once ALL elements of ur signal chain and ur handling did great end of the day…
most essential factor remains the signal to noise ratio…keep an eye on THAT first…
u can spent 500 bux on two converters…and u can spent 500 bux for eight…
while psychic pizza is totally right…pretty much all companies that are into converting bought their various chipsets for doing so, at that same adress in japan…
average converter quality is not that important as the overall engineering approach around them…
whatever u decide…never record/convert under 48k, 24 bit in first place…
