GINA vs. DARLA
- Thread starter Squashboy
- Start date
AlChuck
Well-known member
Gina has digital I/O... Darla does not. The price thing might be that Darla24 came out on the market earlier than Gina24 did, so the $299 is probably an older 20-bit/48 kHz Gina, essentially a closeout. If you don't care that much about 24-bit/96 kHz, the older Gina is a steal. The list-price difference is about $100 between the Gina24 and Darla24. -AlChuck
drstawl
Banned
I/O = Input/Output.
The advantage of digital I/O is that when you do a transfer, the file is an exact duplicate of the original with zero generational loss.
Just a byte for byte transcription of the numbers that make up a .wav file.
Now there already has been some debate here over whether this is as true as claimed by the standards. Errors can happen in the transfer process. But I'll say this:
It's true enough for me.
Any unwanted change in your signal will affect your recording whether at 44.1 or 96.
And any time you convert from analog to digital you'll get another change.*-9/
The advantage of digital I/O is that when you do a transfer, the file is an exact duplicate of the original with zero generational loss.
Just a byte for byte transcription of the numbers that make up a .wav file.
Now there already has been some debate here over whether this is as true as claimed by the standards. Errors can happen in the transfer process. But I'll say this:
It's true enough for me.
Any unwanted change in your signal will affect your recording whether at 44.1 or 96.
And any time you convert from analog to digital you'll get another change.*-9/
I'm planning on recording acoustic and electric guitars, vocals, and some light percussion. I was going to get the Darla 24 or the Gina and using an ART Tube amp ($100) and/or a decent mixer ($300) to power the mics. Two factors here:
1) I would like to be able to record drums in the future.
2) I'm getting a new computer (ABIT BE6 Motherboard, PIII 733 CPU) which should have no problem with 24bit 96KHz.
BUT!!!! (There's always the big fat but!)
Then I'm shopping on-line and I see that the Mona has 24 bit, 96Khz, and 4 Universal inputs, with built in Preamps for the mics ($799). So here's what I want to know:
1) If I do plug mics and stuff right into the Mona, will it really help "bypass external equipment that can add noise and distortion to your recordings."? That's the sales pitch.
2) Are the preamps in Mona comparable to the preamp in, say, the ART Tube amp?
3) If I get the Mona and no preamps or mixer, can I mix on the screen, and end up just as happy? I mean, if I get Mona, then why do I even need a mixer?
Somebody point me in the right direction here, if you can. Thanks,
Squashboy.
1) I would like to be able to record drums in the future.
2) I'm getting a new computer (ABIT BE6 Motherboard, PIII 733 CPU) which should have no problem with 24bit 96KHz.
BUT!!!! (There's always the big fat but!)
Then I'm shopping on-line and I see that the Mona has 24 bit, 96Khz, and 4 Universal inputs, with built in Preamps for the mics ($799). So here's what I want to know:
1) If I do plug mics and stuff right into the Mona, will it really help "bypass external equipment that can add noise and distortion to your recordings."? That's the sales pitch.
2) Are the preamps in Mona comparable to the preamp in, say, the ART Tube amp?
3) If I get the Mona and no preamps or mixer, can I mix on the screen, and end up just as happy? I mean, if I get Mona, then why do I even need a mixer?
Somebody point me in the right direction here, if you can. Thanks,
Squashboy.
dobro
Well-known member
Squashboy:
* Drstawl's response was the response about digital I/O I've been waiting for. Now I understand it.
* In answer to your question about the Mona:
1 It'll help you bypass external equipment noise, sure, but it'll have its own noise, for sure. You can't get away from noise - the question is how much noise? You get what you pay for.
2 Nope. The Mona preamps are solid state, right? The ART's a *tube* preamp, which means it sounds all warm and golden at the edges and in between.
3 Well, you might want a mixer if you bought an outboard effects unit (reverb, EQ etc).
* As for pointing you in the right direction: if I had $5 for every time I've seen the 'darla or gina or mona' question, we could have a *great* big party here on the bbs. Combine that with the fact that I haven't seen too many 'oh I wish I hadn't bought that Echo card' comments, and you can rest easy about your options. You're on the right track. Stop worrying about mistakes. Get on the case.
* Drstawl's response was the response about digital I/O I've been waiting for. Now I understand it.
* In answer to your question about the Mona:
1 It'll help you bypass external equipment noise, sure, but it'll have its own noise, for sure. You can't get away from noise - the question is how much noise? You get what you pay for.
2 Nope. The Mona preamps are solid state, right? The ART's a *tube* preamp, which means it sounds all warm and golden at the edges and in between.
3 Well, you might want a mixer if you bought an outboard effects unit (reverb, EQ etc).
* As for pointing you in the right direction: if I had $5 for every time I've seen the 'darla or gina or mona' question, we could have a *great* big party here on the bbs. Combine that with the fact that I haven't seen too many 'oh I wish I hadn't bought that Echo card' comments, and you can rest easy about your options. You're on the right track. Stop worrying about mistakes. Get on the case.