Point A to Point B: tape to cd

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shedshrine

shedshrine

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Just trying to find a place to jump in here...

What's the most direct way to get a great digital copy of an analog mix. Not trying to reinvent the wheel here obviously. :)

Just a simple interface , standalone burner ,soundcard or interface with great conversion + sound quality. I'm not necessarily talking cheap or bang for the buck here, just a basic, great sounding way to transfer the music.

(All I really want is a digital archived master that I can keep burning to my latest iPod .) :D

Thanks!!
 
The key is the quality of your analog to digital converters and word clock. You also need your tape machine to be operating at it's best performance. That's really what it is all about.

Even though that's basically all there is to it, if you want really high quality it's going to get expensive. As in thousands, not hundreds of dollars. It depends on how fanatical you want to get about your definition of "a great digital copy of an analog mix".

I use a UA 2192 converter. I'm very happy with it, and I think it would be an excellent choice for archiving analog mixes to digital.
 
Thanks,

Alrighty, how about modestly fanatical :) .

A representative from the good, the very good and the great options you would recommend? Wait, you've given me a direction..Lemme dive into the archives.

Okay good, RME

very good, Apogee

great...your UA 2192. I just looked it up...$2799 (on sale!) is uber-fanatical for my needs. :D I now have perspective...

the mini-me is looking good.

How about mixing down through Mini Me into Mac with BIas Peak LE or Audacity?
 
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I think you have answered your own question. There are different grades of converters, and probably more so than other gear, price means quality. None of the converters you list suck.

I must ask, what is the mixdown medium? If we are talking cassette tape, then even the RME far exceeds the performance of the tape itself. If it's 1/2" tape, then maybe you ought to consider higher quality conversion.

The software doesn't matter too much, that's whatever you like to use. Sound quality should be the same, especially if you aren't processing anything.
 
The mini-me is a good choice, and would be useful for making new recordings because of its mic preamps. However, those preamps also make it go a little further down my list for the straight archiving work you are talking about.

The reason for that is when recording from tape your signal will have extra electronics to go through in the form of those preamps. To do your archiving you really only need line level inputs, not mic preamps. That's my main hesitation regarding the mini-me, as otherwise it's a great choice and could be an excellent all around unit for you.

Other products to consider:

http://www.mytekdigital.com/products/stereo96adc.htm

http://www.lucidaudio.com/index.php?Show=216&Show1=&Show2=224
 
I think in the "sane" price range, you cannot do any better than either a Lynx One or a Digital Audio Labs Card Deluxe.

Both cards are in the $400 range. Both have excellent converters. These are both very high quality interfaces that don't break the bank.
 
THanks all for the input. :)

I will be receiving a 1989 Tascam 388 on Friday (1/4" reel to reel, 8 tracks).

Mixdown options currently available:
cassette,
minidisc,
HiFi vcr with L+R level controls,
....and um, Digi 002 :D .

I've been getting frustrated with the whole digi thing, hence my post. I could sell it to buy the new interface we are discussing, But have also been reading about that Black Lion 002 upgrade, might be the most cost effective.
My mixes have been losing something out of the box, and I'm sure it's quite likely user error, dither etc...


Anyway,Have I opened up enough worm cans?
 
Skip the cassette, minidisc, and VCR completely. Not even an option in my opinion.

The Digi 002 is by far the best of what you have available. If you want to upgrade it for purposes of two track mixdown, just get yourself one of the converters we were talking about earlier and feed the SPDIF input of the Digi 002 from the converter.

I personally think the Mytek ADC96, an Apoggee Rosetta 200, or a UA 2192 would make a noticable difference to you. Those are three different price ranges as well.

All you need at this point is upgraded conversion, based on what else you seem to have in your studio. Converters, like preamps, are an area where you generally get what you pay for.

I'm not familiar with the Black Lion mod, so that may be an option as well.
 
I should clarify...

I use the minidisc to loop quick and dirty mixdowns to check the mix and arrangement from cassette four tracks, and a 238 8 track cassette. Saves head wear.

I use the HiFi vcr for the smoothing effect it has on mixes. It also gives your mix an FM vibe which can be very cool.


But yeah, for final mixdown, ie digital archiving, a cd to rip mp3s etc. I'm still in search of the perfect beast.


here's the link to that black lion mod for the digi 002

http://www.blacklionaudio.com/digi002_mod.html
 
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I think a new mytek AD96 and a used rosetta 200 will be about the same price. I went for the mytek because apogee is what you find on the majority of commercial recordings and I wanted to be different. Both of them have onboard dithering which might make a difference in your decision. I took a "purity" approach of not making any digital adjustments whatsoever, so I transfer at 16/44 at full volume with dither on. From there I burn the redbook master with a plextor drive. when you consider the converter, software, and drive, you might be better off with something like a masterlink. I've never used anything like that but I could see the advantages. But honestly try out your digi before you discount it.
 
Falken-

I like what you call the "purity" approach, although I like it more for its point a to point b simplicity. As I don't really care about plug ins and I have enough (and enjoy using) outboard, and I don't need to simulate the analog smear effect as the 388 will already make the trees into a forrest :D , the Masterlink and that new Tascam dvd RA1000 burner look mighty sexy to me at this point :cool:

Thanks for all the input folks!
 
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