Apogee MiniMe or other 192khz DA device question

[kennycarvajal]

Just curious if you guys would know if this would work.

I was interested in getting better quality during Mixdown. I'm currently recording on 2408MKII (x2). I was considering getting a 192khz AD card to record with hopes to get better mixdown quality. I'm just not sure how this would affect my current AD/DA (2408MKII), which is only 24bit/48k.

Would there be a significant improvement and benefit or is this just a completely wacky idea?

Thanks in advance!

Kenny

 

[Massive Master]

The MiniMe only goes up to 96kHz. Not that it isn't a great unit. Bang-for-the-buck factor of 9.6 easily. Just recorded a chamber orchestra with one last night - At 44.1kHz.

That being said - I almost never find a reason to use anything but 44.1kHz. And I'm pretty freakin' picky. If I thought using a higher samplerate would actually audibly improve things, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But almost every "textbook" pro in the industry (Nika Aldrich, Dan Lavry, etc.) will tell you that 44.1kHz is the way to go 99% of the time.

Put it this way - Everything you can hear, and most of your gear and speakers are never going to reproduce anything above around 20kHz. A 44.1kHz sample rate will reproduce up to 22.050Hz. If you can't make THAT sound good, then nothing relating to the sample rate is going to help.

And seeing as really great converter MFG's boast about how you "can't tell the difference" at ANY of their sample rates (basically admitting that 44.1kHz sounds just as good as their 384kHz converters)... That tells you something...

THAT all being said, if your converters are getting "a little old" (48kHz MOTU's have got to be several years past their prime) then it definitely might not hurt upgrading to something a little more "state-of-the-art" - But not for higher sample rates - Just for higher quality components.

 

[Ford Van]

I think you should investigate improving your word clock first.

Try a Lucid GenX6. No need for the more expensive 96KHz unit, just get the older 48KHz capable one.

I am SURE you will hear a improvement in your converters using a better word clock like the Lucid.

And don't sweat the 192Khz thing. More hype that anything you can hear.

I don't agree about just staying at 44.1 being just fine. But, at the same time, unless you are prepared for the horsepower you will need to track/mix at 96KHz, then 44.1 will do just fine. Dan Lavry and ESPECIALLY Nika Aldrich aren't the only voices in the industry talking about sample rates, and how they effect production potential. Many engineers with WAY more hit record credentials agree that high SR's do improve the audio in the end. But again, you have to be prepared to take the hit in increased storage capacity and cpu usage to mix.

Again, try a new word clock first. Really, the 2408 converters are not that bad at all! An improved word clock should extend your use of them for quite a bit cheaper than getting into expensive a/d/a's.

 

[pipelineaudio]

But almost every "textbook" pro in the industry (Nika Aldrich, Dan Lavry, etc.) will tell you that 44.1kHz is the way to go 99% of the time.

This should be clarified a bit. The math tells us that 44.1khz is theoretically perfect for anything we will want to deal with.

Getting everything we want to FIT before hitting that 22.05khz wall, without compromising the things under 20khz is a whole nother can of worms. I think Lavry himeself says 60khz would be ideal, while Nika unashamedly promotes heartily things that are broken according to his own theories in his day job.

Seems like the better the converter, the closer the 44khz will sound to the 48khz, but so many converters arent there yet

 

[kennycarvajal]

Wow! Good stuff. Thanks so much for the info.

Another thought I had was possibly going the high-end Stereo Pre route. Again with the goal to somehow improve the mixed material. I'm currently just recording back through my 32:8 console, to 2408. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy with my final results. However, it's just been a bit discouraging seeing all of these new products and I'd really hate to miss out on any possible improvements sound-wise.

Any thoughts?

I'll definitely look into the Lucid stuff.

Thanks again so much for the help.

Kenny