Optical Out\In opposed to Analog Out\In *Mixers*

[5150 Musician]

Mixers with analog outs compared to mixers with digital outs. What's the digital connection doing that's so much better than a simple quarter inch\XLR\or RCA connection? All I hear is that digital connection is alot better, but I like elaboration. Anyone?

[InTheFire]

I'm not certain of the black and white difference but, I think there are less variables doing digital. Sometimes with analog stuff, cables can be subject to noise/hum, etc. Digital is just a light pattern(laser).

[bennychico11]

you're confusing what a digital connection (SPDIF, firewire, etc.) is versus what an optical connection (ADAT light pipe, CD lasers) is. a digital connection is not necessarily always a laser like InTheFire said. "normal" digital that's in your computer is an electrical signal that turns on and off which represents a 1 or a 0. Optical light is a low level laser beam that reads light and dark spots and converts that into digital data (the 1s and 0s)
Actually, digital isn't any better than Analog. Digital is just a representation of the true analog sound. Analog is the closest thing you'll get to the real sound because it IS a true representation of what goes into the microphone....but we will refrain from a Digital/analog war here. Digital just gives us more options when we want to mix/edit our music.
The reason some mixers have digital connection is so you can hook it up to computers/audio interfaces, speakers with digital connections, use digital effect processors, be able to patch in a digital signal such as a CD player, etc. Since digital has become such a big thing in today's world, manufactures have just started making it a standard for their equipment to have.

[Blue Bear Sound]

From strictly a connectivity point of view, a digital connection is better than an analog one simply because there is no signal degradation that occurs due to line-loss, interference, or induced noise.

But the choice to actually use digital vs. analog connections in a rig depends on the gear in question, and where the conversion from D/A takes or needs-to-take place.

[Cloneboy Studio]

Digital connections are useful in the right type of studio. If you have a ton of digital outboard gear it is helpful to not have to go thru 5 or 6 series of AD to DA back to AD for each piece of gear inline.

Also, if you have a digital mixer you can almost eliminate the need for patchbays. The digital connectors are cheaper than analog cabling as well.

But I can't stand digital mixers myself. However, they are pretty convenient and useful. I just did 2 sessions this weekend at a studio with a D8B/HDR 24/96 setup and you can really fly with the automation, the integration of the mixer and recorder and the ability to patch stuff by clicking a button of a mouse.

However, I still like the feel of 1/4" TRS patching in to fat analog consoles.

[lpdeluxe]

Fiber optics can run all around your studio without generating hum, crackles or farts in your audio. With inline amplifiers they can run 500' without loss. You can't tear up the shielding wrapping them around your arm like a macho 12-year-old because they don't have shielding. They are dirt simple and you don't have to pay a huge premium for connectors that were soldered on correctly. In ADAT mode they will carry wordclock from one device to another. Not only that, but you can look at the ends to tell which direction the signal's going (if you see a red light, you're looking at one to connect to an "In"; no light, connect to an "Out" with a red light showing).

On the other hand, they are digital, so obviously you give up the analog warmth inherent in old, frayed, buzzy shielded cables with the ends held on with duct tape.

[InTheFire]

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

Fiber optics can run all around your studio without generating hum, crackles or farts in your audio. With inline amplifiers they can run 500' without loss. You can't tear up the shielding wrapping them around your arm like a macho 12-year-old because they don't have shielding. They are dirt simple and you don't have to pay a huge premium for connectors that were soldered on correctly. In ADAT mode they will carry wordclock from one device to another. Not only that, but you can look at the ends to tell which direction the signal's going (if you see a red light, you're looking at one to connect to an "In"; no light, connect to an "Out" with a red light showing).

On the other hand, they are digital, so obviously you give up the analog warmth inherent in old, frayed, buzzy shielded cables with the ends held on with duct tape.

That was awesome. That's what I was talking about.

[InTheFire]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

From strictly a connectivity point of view, a digital connection is better than an analog one simply because there is no signal degradation that occurs due to line-loss, interference, or induced noise.

Again, that's what I was talking about. Thanks guys. That was very educational for me as well.

[Cloneboy Studio]

But if you like a lot of analog outboard gear or mixers like I do, you are stuck with buying a metric ton of expensive balanced cables and having a patchbay from hell.

[raddo]

Since we're talking about this, I can offer my two cents.

I own a Johnson J-Station that has the analog out as well as the 75 ohm digital out. The difference in sound quality is like night and day. The analog out had a bit more noise than the digital out and it had less of the guitar sound I wanted to hear on the recording.

It seems like the digital out is a "cleaner" version of what you want to hear coming out.

Take all my remarks at face value. I'm definitely no expert and don't try to pretend either. This has just been my experience.

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by raddo

Since we're talking about this, I can offer my two cents.

I own a Johnson J-Station that has the analog out as well as the 75 ohm digital out. The difference in sound quality is like night and day. The analog out had a bit more noise than the digital out and it had less of the guitar sound I wanted to hear on the recording.

It seems like the digital out is a "cleaner" version of what you want to hear coming out.

Take all my remarks at face value. I'm definitely no expert and don't try to pretend either. This has just been my experience.

That's probably a direct result of the quality of the D/A converters used.

Don't forget, these devices are digital processors - your guitar signal comes in and needs to become a digital signal (for the unit to process and apply the sounds) so it goes through an A/D converter. The sounds you select are applied digitally and the resulting signal is sent to both outputs -- the digital out is the direct digital resultant signal with no change, but for the analog output, the signal must first be sent through a D/A converter. A cheap D/A converter is going to sound, well... cheap!

[raddo]

BBS,

That's a good point. I wasn't even thinking about the converters. I guess the old saying holds true, "You get what you pay for."

I know I could sure benefit from a nice preamp, but the really good ones are fairly pricey. I'll just make do with what I have and save up for a Focusrite or a M Audio Tampa. Something along those lines anyway.

Thanks for the input.