WarmJetGuitar
New member
Hey guys, its been a while.
Still run a Fostex G16C and DDA Q desk, mixing down to digital 2 track and still working nicely. However it has annoyed me for a while that I have to turn the desk way down low not to clip digital since our EMU 0404 doesn't have a pad.
I had a non-functional MCI working as a buffer for some time but had to sell it. When the MCI was in this function my mixes just sounded better, I suppose it was a mix of better gain staging where the DDA got to work a bit harder with needles on the master out dancing around 0 and probably also the transformers in the MCI.
My question is whether there's an easier and cheaper way to let the DDA work harder without getting digital clipping? Most cheap DI boxes only take jack in so that way I don't get balanced outputs and the good lord knows that if there's one thing a narrow track tape recorder running with NR off it's more noise. Any stand alone units that runs balanced in and out and only has a minus 10 DB pad?
Or even better a dirt cheap unit with some transformers?
Also been thinking about getting a dead A77 or similar but then again I dont get a balanced signal and there's a load of cables crossing each other. Really ruins my mojo putting a mix session to a halt to identify what causes the nasty humm/clicks
Still run a Fostex G16C and DDA Q desk, mixing down to digital 2 track and still working nicely. However it has annoyed me for a while that I have to turn the desk way down low not to clip digital since our EMU 0404 doesn't have a pad.
I had a non-functional MCI working as a buffer for some time but had to sell it. When the MCI was in this function my mixes just sounded better, I suppose it was a mix of better gain staging where the DDA got to work a bit harder with needles on the master out dancing around 0 and probably also the transformers in the MCI.
My question is whether there's an easier and cheaper way to let the DDA work harder without getting digital clipping? Most cheap DI boxes only take jack in so that way I don't get balanced outputs and the good lord knows that if there's one thing a narrow track tape recorder running with NR off it's more noise. Any stand alone units that runs balanced in and out and only has a minus 10 DB pad?
Or even better a dirt cheap unit with some transformers?
Also been thinking about getting a dead A77 or similar but then again I dont get a balanced signal and there's a load of cables crossing each other. Really ruins my mojo putting a mix session to a halt to identify what causes the nasty humm/clicks