1/4 Vs. S/PDIF Vs. Digitally rendering

[GamezBond]

Hi , I just bought a Fantom-X and was wondering how I should "track"/what is the "proffesional" way to...My fantom has analog outputs,digital outputs, and the option to digitally render a file (skip back sampling) then send to the PC through USB.Time during tracking is not an issue at all.I will be tracking/mixing at a studio with a ProTools HD system , and I can do all 3 options, but am wondering what will give best quality

 

[DonF]

Hmmm... No one has replied yet, so I'll give it a shot.

Using the analog outputs means going through an unnecessary D/A and A/D conversion, introducing (possibly negligible) extra noise and distortion.

Using S/PDIF entails the risk of jitter errors, resulting in (again possibly negligible) jitter distortion.

The USB route, if you can make it work, avoids these risks, since it's a simple file transfer, which should be completely error-free.

In practice, you would probably not notice the difference between the three methods in your final product -- so don't lose sleep if you can't use the "best" method.

Don

 

[LRosario]

It would probably help to run through a DI box of some sort, just incase you have impedance problems. Plus it balances any signal you put through it.



Usually quarter jack or/XLR outs are prefered since they are usually balanced. But if not, the DI box should take care of that for you.

 

[GamezBond]

whats a DI box?

 

[tourettes5139]

A DI box is a box that converts unbalanced signals (like a guitar or electric bass, for example) into a balanced signal that is then sent into your mixer/recorder/whatever. The advantages to this are less noise, hotter signal level, and the ability to do longer cable runs without losing as much signal as an unbalanced one. Hope I helped. (If I goofed something up, feel free to correct me)