Will A Stand Alone A/D Converter Prevent Me From Needing An Audio Interface?

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BDW42

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Hi,

I'm trying to upgrade my current set up, which is nothing more than a typical MOTU 828 mkii interface connected to my Rode NT-1A microphone. However, I would like to upgrade my set up to something more professional, and so I was thinking of purchasing a stand alone mic preamp, a stand alone A/D converter, along with a stand alone D/A, and then a digital word clock. Not at all once (unless I win the lottery!), but that is the current long-term plan. However, this is where my newbieness kicks in... theoretically, how would I connect all of these together, and then to my computer (iMac)? This is where I'm lost. I'm not sure how the signal chain would work. I would imagine that, in order to sync the word clocks of all the devices, the preamp and A/D, D/A would be connected to the word clock, but how would it all get to my computer? Do I still need an interface?

I'm in some very new territory, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
World Clock? What are you trying to record exactly?
 
I'd upgrade the mic and pre before swapping out the Motu. The Rode is kindofa starter mic with hyped high-end and probably not the most flattering mic to start with.

In the upgraded setup you describe you wouldn't need word clock for the pre unless it had digital outs, just for the converters. And depending which converters you went with you may not need a seperate word clock at all. I suppose on an iMac your connection would be Firewire for your AD/DA or maybe AES/EBU.

What is it about the Motu that you think is holding you back?

What are you looking for in a standalone preamp? The mid to high-end mic pres range from straight-wire-with-gain models to transformer-colored solid state to Class A tube and then on to channel strip designs with EQ and compression. Prices range from $500/channel to several thousand $/channel.

It all depends on what you are recording and what "flavors" you are looking for. But keep in mind folks are doing some pretty nice sounding recordings with "consumer" grade gear.
 
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I think the general idea is part of what makes a good converter is that it has its own good internal clocking and stand alone primarily is for when you need to sync many devices.
And yes you would still need a sound card to receive and send the digital I/O to the DAW.
 
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