ADAT to DAT problems!

[Josh Ryan]

HI Everybody!!

OK, When going from ADAT->Mackie 1604vlz->DAT
we seem to be losing a lot of the "punch" that was present when we where mixing down. I'm guessing this is in the 80 to 250 0r even uo to the 100hz range. The only way to recover seems to be massive E.Q. adjusting, which I'd prefer not to do as more than a miniscule E.Q. seems like a Pandora's box. Any advice/tips greatly appreciated.

[LakLnd5]

Couple of questions:
Are you transfering it digitally?

If so, what format (AES, COAX, LIGHT PIPE)?

What sample rate and bit depth did you record at?

If your transfering via analog, r u recording to the same resolution?

Contrary to what the books say, when you dub a digital recording, you will lose quality. This is due to the lack of quality in the machines themselves, the quality and length of cables, etc... 1's and 0's get lost in the transfer. The result could be digital errors or loss in high or low end.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the D/A converters on each machine are of different quality. All the 1's and 0's might be there, but your losing low end in the playback stage.

R U monitoring with the same monitors, in the same environment? That could be a big issue also. Try using a good pair of headphones to A/B all 3 machines. Then the room won't be a factor and you'll be using the same monitors for each.

I hope that helps.

Jeff in Chicago

[Josh Ryan]

Originally posted by LakLnd5
Couple of questions:
Are you transfering it digitally?

----Analog.

If so, what format (AES, COAX, LIGHT PIPE)?

What sample rate and bit depth did you record at?

----16/48 I think, we have the ADAT that came out before the XT20.

If your transfering via analog, r u recording to the same resolution?

----Yes, we did make sure to to do that, thinking we could adjust it later in Wavelab.

Contrary to what the books say, when you dub a digital recording, you will lose quality. This is due to the lack of quality in the machines themselves, the quality and length of cables, etc... 1's and 0's get lost in the transfer. The result could be digital errors or loss in high or low end.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the D/A converters on each machine are of different quality. All the 1's and 0's might be there, but your losing low end in the playback stage.

R U monitoring with the same monitors, in the same environment? That could be a big issue also. Try using a good pair of headphones to A/B all 3 machines. Then the room won't be a factor and you'll be using the same monitors for each.

----We use AKG K240's to monitor.

I hope that helps.

Jeff in Chicago

Thanks, I bet it's a combination of those things. I'll be testing each aspect you mentioned before we try again in the never ending wheel of recording we do. -Josh