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[minister]

i was curious about the application of Anlogue to Digital Conversion and if there is any research that is leading one to conclude that there are sonic benefits of putting it in another place in the chain?

typically, we put up a mic, and run a mic level signal into a pre-amp and then line level out to an A/D.  presumably, because we not only have traditionally worked this way and so it was easiest to integrate to our developed studio methods, but we like the SOUND that the pre adds.  but mic level signals are pretty low.  sure, fantastic recordings have been made with this setup.  but is there a better way?

with a mic like the Nuemann Solution D, does it benefit from where the A/D is in the chain?  are there other mics in development like this?  the Solution D hasn't exactly caught the recording industry by storm in terms of sale to mid and low level studios.  are there other A/D technologies being researched that will change how we perform this function?

[Schallfeldnebel]

I have been testing for Schoeps the CMD2. Sounds very promising. If you go for neutrality, you do not care about the special colour of your preamp, this is the way to go. No mike preamps on stage anymore, just normal microphone cable, no losses whatsoever. You need samplerate converters, but during the test period that was no problem. Schoeps sounds way better with the CMD2, compared to normal phantompower.

I think it is a matter of time. I can imagine for radio work this is a great solution. But for puristic state of the art recording of classical music there are many benefits.

Milab has also a digital microphone, and Beyerdynamic had one already in 2000, but the MCD100 is discontinued. I own 4 beyers myself, and I think they are marvelous microphones.

Also Microtech Gefell has a digital microphone, but this is a measuring microphone, the same capsule as Josephson uses in one of his microphones.

Erik Sikkema

[Yannick Willox]

Stagetec Truematch are 28 bit AD converters, with 48V - so you do not need a mic preamp. You just plug the mic into the AD converter.

I was impressed by them, but wouldn't call them very neutral.

[Schallfeldnebel]

Yannick wrote:"Stagetec Truematch are 28 bit AD converters, with 48V - so you do not need a mic preamp. You just plug the mic into the AD converter."

The Treumatch AD converter has a mike preamp on board, only you do not control the gain in the analog domain. Each input consists out of 4 preamps and 4 AD converters. The first has approximately 60 dB gain, the second has approx. 40 dB gain, the third approx. 20 dB gain and the fourth has no gain. The system automatically chooses that gain level which brings the followed AD converter in it's best converting area. To scale the converters outputlevel to a workable level into your desk or recorder, you use digital gain when necessary.

When Stagetec invented and patented their system, Prism Audio already had gainranging AD converters. In those days there were only 18 bit converters, so indeed it was a clever idea to use gainranging. Stagetec used gainranging, only they called it Truematch.

Although the Truematch system claims to compensate for all kinds of digital anomalies, even when using the same opamps for amplification of each stage, every stage will sound differently. If you take an AD797, it sounds completely different when 10 dB or 30 dB is applied. Normally when you set your preamp for 40 dB of gain, you realize one sort of colour, but imagine if you connect your microphone to 4 preamp channels and 4 AD converter channels and you apply 0, 20, 40 and 60 dB gain, and everytime when the signal drops under -20 dBFS of the converter which is in action, you crossfade in your workstation to the second layer, with 20 dB more gain, and if it gets too loud, you do it the other way around, you go to the next lower gain. The effect will be different colouring for all different level segments you operate in.  

BTW: The Schoeps CMD2 uses one 24 bit AD converter, no gain ranging whatsoever.

Erik Sikkema

[minister]

Schallfeldwebel wrote on Fri, 28 October 2005 05:01

BTW: The Schoeps CMD2 uses one 24 bit AD converter, no gain ranging whatsoever. Erik Sikkema

interesting... and it is true 24 bit?  no over heating the converter chips?

thank for all the info so far!

it justy seemed like a curious thing where i have seen little development from my limited perch.

(perhaps we'd have a bloated thread if i said, DIGITAL SOUNDS LIKE DOOKIE!?
)