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Re: mac recording question
Title: Re: mac recording question
At 6:13 PM -0500 2/25/05, Nemoguitt@aol.com wrote:
is there
a difference if i come out of my mixer and go into the usb port then
to the computer or straight from the mixer and into the mac audio
in...i just went form my mackie right into my mac and it worked!.....i
bypassed the usb altogether.....am i missing anything
nonusbing?
You don't give any details about what USB interface and what Mac
model you have, so one can speak only in generalities.
Whether you are recording directly through the Mac input or
through an external interface the signal path is essentially the
same: (1) mic preamp or line input electronics -> (2) analog
to digital converter -> (3) disk drive, managed by some sort of
recording software. In the case of the USB interface there is an
additional layer of data handling and transmission as the audio
samples are passed from the interface to the computer itself. In
principle a USB interface should have higher quality preamps and
converters than those built into the Mac, so if everything is working
normally you should get higher quality recordings by using the
interface.
Any dodginess with the interface is a separate issue that could
be due to various factors, some of which Travis points out. You can
probably answer your own question by making recordings of the same
source signal using both the USB interface and the direct Mic
connection. Make sure your signal levels are as close to identical as
possible, then do an A/B listening test. If you can't tell the
difference, then go ahead and use what is easiest.
______________________________________________________________
Richard Zvonar, PhD
(818) 788-2202
http://www.zvonar.com
http://salamandersongs.com
http://ill-wind.com
