D/A converters: How important are they if.....

I have an API A2D for my A/D converters but I just do tracking at my home studio. I don't plan on mixing my songs myself. I'm hiring a true professional to mix and a different professional to master my songs. If I'm not mixing the stuff, is it still important to have a good D/A as well?

Also, I was reading a post from Dean....

"That's not completely true. Any time you use a one-way, non-packetized, type of connection, then you have to have two separately running clocks. So the clock in the interface inside the PC has to derive a clock from the incoming samples, which would inevitably introduce jitter.

Though it would introduce a little more latency, using a packetized, asynchronous connection like firewire would avoid that. Then the PC is just receiving data packets and it's clock doesn't have to sync to the converter in any way. It just has to clock out the samples for monitoring during the tracking process.

I'm not sure if other such non-packetized connection types, like AES or MADI, get around these issues.

How do I solve the problem given my setup? Lee Knight apparently owns an API A2D like I do and believes the unit gives top notch, world class amplification and conversion all in one. Am I still benefiting from the API clock? I guess I thought everything was bypassed through my MBOX. So what do you suggest I do Dean? Given what you taught us:cop:

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bump

don't all jump at once now ya hear?

First off... learn patience. I was less than 4 hours from your original post to your second bump. While we're here to help, we don't work for you... so relax a little.

Aside from the quote of Dean's ramblings... the A2D is indeed an excellent A/D converter with well designed amplifiers on the front end. The A2D's clock will serve as the "clock of record" when you're recording as the MBox's clock will slave to it.

However, unless you have set the P-T system up so that it uses the A2D's clock as it's master clock source once you stop using the A2D for recording you will revert back to the MBox's clock... which is not a good thing.

A D/A converter is important as you will not be hearing what you've actually recorded properly. Yeah... you can obviously get away without one... but at least in my experience I've found that it's really an excellent idea to know what the hell it was you just recorded... could just be me.

With that said... chances are the "pro" to whom you're going to be sending your stuff to mix [etc.] is going to have different D/A's than you have... but chances are they'll be somewhat close in their capabilities [a poke in the eye with a blunt stick is more pleasurable to me than the audio output from an MBox... but as usual... YMMV].

Now I don't know your budget, your music, your goals, your desires, your sense of aesthetic [or your name for that matter]... but something tells me that you're not rolling around in great big piles of showbiz cash. Nothing wrong with that... but it could lead to an examination of your priorities.

A decent D/A will run you around a grand... and while it will definitely help... you might be better off putting that grand into a "real" microphone to go with your A2D ["real" microphones are generally a good bit more than a grand... so you might have to save up some extra dosh to accomplish that goal].

I don't know if this helps or not... but I at least hope it gives you something to think about.

Peace.

I apologize for my lack of patience. I'm an antsy Italian but you are right. So sorry everyone.

So Fletcher, are you saying that Dean is wrong with his "ramblings"? I'm definitely not getting rid of my A2D. Thanks for the clarification. So when you say a "real" microphone- does that mean that my AT4060, Rode NTK, and SM7b are not adequate? I demo'd a Wunder CM7GT that was $3400 and I tested it along with my 4060 and I sounded better with the much cheaper microphone. I recently purchased a Vintech X73, I think it's great, but it set me back $2000. So as far as a D/A, once I get the money- I was thinking of getting a Mini-DAC from Apogee. Any experience with one? Obviously you don't recommend using my MBOX as my D/A right? Any other brands/models other than a Mini-DAC that you recommend? You are correct- I'm not sitting on a ton of cash. My project studio is currently just for my own recordings. So given the info I gave you, what would you do? Technically I could send the Vintech back and have $2000 to spend however. But I do like the sound of it. Quite a bit actually. I bought it for the pre and thought the EQ would help me out, but I realized I'm not knowledgeable enough to print with eq. And since I don't mix my own stuff, technically I don't need the EQ. FWI, the only outboard compressor I have is an RNLA. But again, I don't have another set of ears to help get sounds, etc. K enough ramble. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks Fletcher

Wow, these stream of consciousness questions...are you one of these guys with the intensity knob cranked to 11?

My opinion...there's nothing wrong with the mics you mention. They're fine. They're definitely good enough that there are no more excuses. I'm not familiar with Vintech, but I'm sure it's fine. Phil likes it and I trust his opinion. The RNLA is a good piece of gear.

All this stuff is good enough that you can't blame the equipment if you don't get a really good recording.

The thing is that if you dig it, then don't worry about it. If you want to compare it to something else, if nothing else, for reference, go for it. It's often an illuminating experience that teaches you a lot.

Fletcher has obviously very good taste in equipment and has access to much of the really good stuff. Also, what he says about D/A converter is absolutely true. If you want to hear what you're recording - and why wouldn't you - you need decent D/A. For this, I have an Apogee Rosetta 800. It doesn't suck. The converters should be approximately equivalent to the Apogee you mention (is that sold anymore?).

Wow, these stream of consciousness questions...are you one of these guys with the intensity knob cranked to 11? My opinion...there's nothing wrong with the mics you mention. They're fine. They're definitely good enough that there are no more excuses. I'm not familiar with Vintech, but I'm sure it's fine. Phil likes it and I trust his opinion. The RNLA is a good piece of gear. All this stuff is good enough that you can't blame the equipment if you don't get a really good recording. The thing is that if you dig it, then don't worry about it. If you want to compare it to something else, if nothing else, for reference, go for it. It's often an illuminating experience that teaches you a lot. Fletcher has obviously very good taste in equipment and has access to much of the really good stuff. Also, what he says about D/A converter is absolutely true. If you want to hear what you're recording - and why wouldn't you - you need decent D/A. For this, I have an Apogee Rosetta 800. It doesn't suck. The converters should be approximately equivalent to the Apogee you mention (is that sold anymore?).

Thanks Ustad. I'm just going to go with what I have and save up for the Apogee Mini-DAC.. And yes Apogee still makes the DAC, but the Mini-Me however is discontinued