a/d converters

[offpiste]

Hi all

A/d converters are in soundcards, mixers and pre-amps. Which a/d converter will be used during recording if all three were used. Example: Mic to (good) pre-amp to mixer to soundcard.
Is there a way to turn off the mixer and soundcard a/d converters in the chain and use the better mic pre-amp a/d converter for example? Seems redundant and unwise to have 3 a/d converters in a chain. Especially if one is high end.

thanks
off

[offpiste]

Sorry, re-read by post. Must have had a brainfart. I am talking about pre-amps in the chain. And to answer my own question, I guess for best quality for recording is: mic to (high end) pre-amp to non pre-amp soundcard. If I wanted to record using a mixer it will add noise.
A/D conversion done at the soundcard.
Does analogue and digital mixers handle this the same way?
I'm I getting close to understanding this correctly?

off

[TexRoadkill]

Your pretty close. Preamps put out a Line Level signal so they can go straight into a recorder's inputs or the linel level inputs on a mixer. If the preamp or mixer has a DAC built in then you can use a digital cable to connect to the soundcard or recorder. Usually that is S/PDIF or AES/EBU for 2 channels and TDIF or ADAT Lightpipe for 8 channels.

[offpiste]

Thanks Tex
I got that part down. next question(s):
Digital mixers:
DAC's on each input channel or 1 DAC output to soundcard? Then you don't need a soundcard with a DAC. Right?
Digital mixers with S/PDIF or AES/EBU outs for 2 channels.
Digital mixers with TDIF or ADAT Lightpipe for 8 channels.
Do these digital mixers use propriertary soundcards?

Digital preamps:
Same as mixers in terms of DAC's (although better DAC's) except no mixer functions. But alot more $.

I don't see any advantage with a digital mixer vs an analogue mixer if the soundcard has a good DAC or over mixing with software.
Unless were just talking about "quality" DAC's or just a different way to get there.

Please enlighten me.
Any closer? still have a long way to go.

Thanks
Off

[Richard Monroe]

Yo offpiste! Welcome to the board! It doesn't matter where in the signal chain the signal is converted to digital. What matters is that there can be no unit after that point that won't accept a digital signal. What also matters is how good the A-D converter is, wherever it is. If you're using a digital mixer or preamp, the soundcard has to accept S/PDIF or AES/EBU, depending on how you're putting out the signal. A really good soundcard with S/PDIF in is better than a cheap digital mixer, but a good digital mixer is better than a cheap soundcard.
Whever that conversion point is, the more it costs, the better it is likely to be. Most preamps with digital out also have analog outs, so you can send an analog signal to the analog in on the soundcard, or a digital signal to a S/PDIF enabled soundcard. Having digital out doesn't mean a high end preamp, and in fact some of the finest pramps money can buy are analog only. Also, some rackmount A-D converters cost thousands of dollars, and that's all they do!
I use a couple of digital preamps to bypass the A-D converters in my Roland VS1824CD because they aren't that good. The weirdest version is piggybacking an Avalon AD2022, which meets anybody's definition of a high-end analog preamp, into a DBX386, which is by no means high-end, then to the Roland. In this case I'm using the Avalon for it's great supply of good clean gain, and the DBX for its A-D converter, so the Roland's A-D (or preamps) can't mess up the perfectly good sound my Avalon made. Hope this helps in some way. Just remember, how much noise you have is much more a function of the quality of every component in the signal chain (including cables), and how they're used, than it is a function of whether it's digital or analog.
BTW, you can also toss out the concept that analog gear somehow produces a "warmer" or "fuller" sound. High quality gear used properly creates good sound, usually what the experienced engineer using it wants.-Richie