A/D and D/A Converters

A

applejax

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What exactly are the purposes of these? i knwo that they convert analog to digital or vice versa...but what are they for? I was reading a couple of ads in EM mag...and i saw them. Ive been recording for 2 years now (im only 15) i know some stuff...and yet there is other things i dont understand. Also what are some good A/D or D/A converters for the buck? Thanks alot :D
 
applejax said:
i knwo that they convert analog to digital or vice versa...but what are they for? Thanks alot :D
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There isn't much more to it than that. If you have been recording on a digital medium (hard disc, digital tape, CD-R) you have been using them the whole time. If you have ever played a CD, you have been listening to it through a set of D/A converters. The stand alone converters are normally more high end than built in ones. It's kind of like when you are looking at stereos. You can get the CD player that is built into the stereo with the tape deck and radio with the built in speakers, or you can buy all the individual units.
 
This is my own personal view on converters:

1. There are those that suck. These are so plentiful that all of them need not be mentioned. Most of the prosumer stuff sucks. There are some names that are bandied about as being great gear but they also suck. When I think of a unit that has sold a lot and sucks I think of the M-Audio Delta 1010. This is the level of conversion that most of us who record at home use.

2. Then there is the big middle. This includes items such as the Kurzweil Rumour and Mangler, the Lucid gear, RADAR and the top of the line Alesis. Most of the premium brand gear goes here as well. Some people think of the Lynx stuff in this group. I respectively disagree and say it's sort of between 1 and 2 going closer to 2 but not quite there. There are items in this group that by price you'd think would be the next step up but they are really big middle items that put out roughly the same quality as the Kurzweil Rumour.

3. Then there is the stuff that translates everything so incredibly well but it costs a lot. Here, I'm thinking about the Cranesong HEDD for example.
 
"Good for the buck" is open to argument...

Cheap - M-Audio Flying Cow. WAY cheap, and pretty decent.

Inexpensive - ST Audio stuff. It's okay.

Reasonable - Here's where you get into the "real" stuff... Lucid, Mytek, Apogee, RME, Benchmark... More expensive, but this fits the "Good for the buck" category best. All are good performers and easily fit into a professional rig.

After that, you get the really cool stuff... UAD, the higer end Apogee, Lavry (my personal favorite), Prism, etc. This is where the point of diminishing returns occurs - Every penny of better sound costs an additional ten bucks. Worth it for some, almost a waste for others.
 
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