converters(outboard) --> computer

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I-Quality

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Well i've always had a direct interface(sound card..) that connects directly mic pres to the comp () and as I want to start making recordings of better quality I want to have a sound card where I can plug the outs of the converters I'm gonna buy so i will have this chain :

outboard pres --> outboard processing --> converters --> computer

but I haven't really found what would be hte ideal sound card...
I thought of getting the apogee AD-16X with the firewire card but then I still need a sound card?
I'm a bit confused
if somebody could explain me this a bit better and give some options?

I don't want to get a sound card with mic pres like the fireface 800 or the likes..i'm getting outboard mic pres that are better than those...

the only sound card I know of is the rme hammerfall hdsp9652

thanks for the help
 
If you go with the Apogee AD16x you will still need some sort of converter to hear back what you have recorded. The AD16x is an excellent converter. If you also get an Apogee 2 channel D/A, or better yet a DA16x, then you will have awesome converters going both ways. The HDSP9652 is not a converter, but merely an interface, and its rock solid. The fireface can be used as just line inputs and outputs as well as a converter for both directions. The Apogee certainly is a nice step up, but is also considerably more costly of a solution. If you can afford the Apogee's you won't regret it. I personally have no experience with the Firewire addons with the Apogees so I do not know how well they do or don't work. I believe that it would actually be cheaper to buy the Apogees without the Firewire interface and just add the RME HDSP 96/52 as your interface between the Apogee's and your DAW. The 9652 would give you 26 channels of digital I/O, and midi as well as BNC clock I/O. The RME should not affect the sound quality of the Apogee converters. Just make sure the Apogees have lightpipe connections and aren't all AES/EBU if you opt to go with the RME as an interface. Also make sure to clock your system off of the AD16x unless you are getting a Big Ben as well.
 
thanks for the reply
yeah I ought to have a d/a to hear it back and do outboard processing but this was not the point of my thread :)

what I can't seem to get is that there is very few sound card that actually only gets the signal to the comp
isn't there an alternative?

how do the big bosses do it if they have tons of channels and go through a daw?
 
If you're looking for an outboard converter box, then it'll either be ADAT or Firewire. With ADAT you'll need a soundcard that can accept the optical input. With Firewire, you just need software compatible with your outboard box.
 
Most systems that require more than 24 simulataneous ins and outs are Pro Tools HD systems. The RME cards and the Lynx cards are really the only ones that I am aware of that only pass signal and don't actually process.
 
oh okay that was a clear one heh...never really looked into pro tools ;)
 
maybe the motu 2408 does a good job?

and I have also a question that may seem stupid...if you go with adat into the 2408 or any other board alike this one(but this looks nice as it's expandable) it wil not use the converters of it as it is already digital? it will only go directly to the harddrive of the comp?
 
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