Nuts and bolts of virtual 'loopback' recording

  • Thread starter Thread starter MrLip
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MrLip

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I use soundfonts on my SBLive. Before mixdown, I convert the MIDI soundfont tracks to wave in this manner:

#1. Select MIDI as my recording source
#2. Assign and arm a stereo audio track in my sequencer to record the MIDI
#3. Playback and record the MIDI in realtime by pressing record on my sequencer. The midi tracks get played back and get recorded to the audio track mentioned in #2.

I assume this is how most ppl do it. Right? Unless you have something like Gigasampler that can generate a wave file for you.

My question is, how is the MIDI converted to wave? Since it is routed in software, is it safe to assume that no A/D D/A conversion occurs? Is the MIDI output converted to wave internally (ie. writing data to file instead of sending to output) or is the MIDI output actually sampled?

The reason I ask is because I would like to know the quality/fidelity of tracks that I convert using this method. They sound OK to me, but then I'm not always confident in my judgement because my monitoring system is very substandard.

Anyone know?
 
If you keep everything inside the PC, no D/A/D conversion is taking place. You are correct.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Mr. Lip,

Probably... almost any other approach (e.g., piping the sound out to another digital recording device) will convert the sound to analog first, then redigitize it, which is certainly going to give you some slight degradation. I guess it's possible to get equivalent results sending it out via S/PDIF to another device, but why bother? It can't make it better. Unless you want to do something like run a synth sound out, through a tube preamp or something to smooth off the burrs, then record it -- that's desireable degradation and of course can sound "better" depending on what you're after. We all know that electric guitarrs sound like shit if you just cleanly amplify and accurately reproduce the signal off the pickups, after all...
 
Well to answer the question.

MIDI is not getting 'converted' per say to wav. You are telling the system to play the MIDI information and you are telling the system, at the same time, to record wav inforamtion. Because it all happens on the soundcard is niether here nor there. It stays in the digital realm and has as good of a fidelity as the sound card/soundfont can give you.

Yes, it all happens on the card, yes it is routed to the output too! That's why you can hear it as it records. But it is recorded from a point internally prior to the output stage. Thus no A/D D/A conversion for the recorded portion.
 
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