smartest way to sum 24 tracks to analog without spending my life savings.....

  • Thread starter Thread starter thedude400
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Ford Van said:
Well, first off, using a software mixer to adjust your volume IS a big deal, and will most likely account for the difference you hear!

I would NEVER use a software volume control to control the volume of my monitors. EVER!!! That is bad thing to do rule no.1!!!! You are applying DSP to accomplish the volume change! OF COURSE a newer software mixer will sound better than an older one!

You have your culprit.
Click to expand...

Sort of a conundrum. Obviously the DSP will shed bits, in fact that's almost what the discrete steps on my mixer app seem designed to do.

On the other hand, since you are listening quieter, in theory you don't need those bits anyway.

I have my monitors calibrated at proper mixing level with the soundcard fader at unity. So if I want to turn it up (which I really don't), I have to move my lazy butt over to the rack. I would only turn it down for casual listening, not mixing, since my experience has taught me that low-level mixing is just a bad idea.

If one had their monitors set such that proper mixing level was somewhere in the middle of their soundcard fader, yeah I could see a big problem there, depending on their soundcard DSP implementation.
 
I can never think of a time when having the soundcard's mixer anywhere but at full volume would be a good thing. That is a step of adding DSP that you surely don't need! And the fact is that it does have a negative impact on the sound. It isn't JUST "stepped attenuation", applying DSP can effect the sound stage as a whole.
 
Ford Van said:
I can never think of a time when having the soundcard's mixer anywhere but at full volume would be a good thing. That is a step of adding DSP that you surely don't need! And the fact is that it does have a negative impact on the sound. It isn't JUST "stepped attenuation", applying DSP can effect the sound stage as a whole.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but every digital mixer does the exact same thing. And every gain change during mixing is the same thing. But I agree, an extra unnecessary step is just that, unnecessary.
 
All my software mixer settings are at max or 0 dB. I only use hardware volume controls to adjust mixer output. I just ordered the Sonar 5 upgrade too.

Bob
 
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