Sample Rate Confusion

J

jay Burd

Member
I record on a Tascam Dp 32 SD. I have 6 songs that i have created at 48 kHz and 24 Bit. If i take the mixed down files from the machine and put them into reaper to limit/compress and then export them at 44.1 kHz what would happen to my songs?

I have noticed that my mixes sound different (using same headphones) from when I am listening through the Tascam verses when i have them in my computer/ reaper. The stereo image seems to be different. Things that are panned to the right sound loud when they are in the tascam but then they disappear when i listen to them in reaper. Could the fact that the song was created @ 48kHz and then reaper changed them to 44.1kHz cause something like this?
 
jay Burd said:
I record on a Tascam Dp 32 SD. I have 6 songs that i have created at 48 kHz and 24 Bit. If i take the mixed down files from the machine and put them into reaper to limit/compress and then export them at 44.1 kHz what would happen to my songs?

I have noticed that my mixes sound different (using same headphones) from when I am listening through the Tascam verses when i have them in my computer/ reaper. The stereo image seems to be different. Things that are panned to the right sound loud when they are in the tascam but then they disappear when i listen to them in reaper. Could the fact that the song was created @ 48kHz and then reaper changed them to 44.1kHz cause something like this?
Click to expand...

To answer your first point, exporting 48kHz file as 44.1kHz version should make no difference to them at all. The (mostly silly) arguments about the merits of higher sampling rates will grumble on forever I guess but there is no reliable information that I am aware of that any of it makes a difference. CONVERTING sample rates MIGHT introduce tiny artifacts that a few golden eared buggers might claim to detect but again there is little hard, i.e. comparative sample, evidence (and since 99.999% of the population listens at 16bits and 44.1kHz or worse! I see any such debates as pointless?).

You should not FOR SURE get any gross differences such as lost sounds! How, BTW are you listening to Reaper? How do you transfer files from the Tascam to PC? Swapping over the SD card? USB?

Dave.
 
As Dave says: importing 48/24 files into Reaper, then rendering as 44/24 (or 44/16) will not affect the sound quality. If things sound different, you will need to look at another cause. For example, how do you monitor playback on the Tascam, and how do you monitor playback of Reaper? I think I'm just restating what Dave said. Oh well.
 
Thanks for the good info! So I am recording and making a mixdown file on the tascam then I swap over the SD card into my computer. Right click the audio file -> Open in Reaper -> click the FX -> add some limiter/ eq -> render file to a folder on my computer/ hard drive.

I am not sure what you are asking when you said "how do you monitor playback on the Tascam, and how do you monitor playback of Reaper?"
I am listening through the same pair of headphones from when i am in reaper and when i am in Tascam. Is there some other options as to how you can monitor playback ?
 
I think what he is asking is, do you have an interface, or are you just using the built in headphone jack on the computer?

Unless you are doing something really strange unintentionally, the panning should not sound any different with what you say you are doing.

My guess is the headphones jack you are plugging into is goofed up, or you aren't plugged in all the way.

What happens when you listen to other things on the computer? Do they sound normal?

What happens when you wiggle the headphones plug while you are listening of the mix?
 
jay Burd said:
Thanks for the good info! So I am recording and making a mixdown file on the tascam then I swap over the SD card into my computer. Right click the audio file -> Open in Reaper -> click the FX -> add some limiter/ eq -> render file to a folder on my computer/ hard drive.

I am not sure what you are asking when you said "how do you monitor playback on the Tascam, and how do you monitor playback of Reaper?"
I am listening through the same pair of headphones from when i am in reaper and when i am in Tascam. Is there some other options as to how you can monitor playback ?
Click to expand...

Ok, let's try again.

When you've recorded something on the Tascam, and play it back, how do you listen to the playback?

When you load something into Reaper, and play it back, how do you listen to it?

Transferring a file from one to the other is unlikely to result in the file being changed, specially if you are using an SD card for the transfer. So the difference has to come from somewhere else.
 
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