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View Full Version : Atma, FrEk, and all fellow digital audioheads!!!



Cozmo D
05-14-2003, 05:49 PM
I just made the FOOL mistake of buying a new ATI PCI video card for my studio Mac...forgetting that the video card that came with it is built on the board. My ensuing dilema is that I have no available pci slots to put it in.

Now, my only choices therefore are to either return it...and be happy with the slow and crappy video that I have now...or remove my Pro Tools d24 card and use that slot for the ATI.

So here's where you guys can help me. If I remove the Pro Tools card I will have to use my MOTU 828 thru firewire...which I do happen to be very happy with. Of course, I will compare them side by side for a couple of days to get a real feel of the difference in the sound and conversion...but y'all might have some insight that I am not privvy to.

My Pro Tools audio interface is the 882/20 IO, which has only 20bit conversion, while the 828 is 24bit...but it's Pro Tools. However, the fact that it's Pro Tools means I can sell the 2 of them and the farm card for a pretty price...so I'm mad tempted.

Let me know what y'all think...I've been a Pro Tools user since 1992, so humor me y'all, the parting ain't ez! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

frEk
05-14-2003, 11:51 PM
i don't know, i'm not really into pro tools but i think the most important thing in any set up is which software you're most comfortable with, so if ya love pro tools software stick with it.......as far as power with stuff like the uad card and the powercore pci or firewire box(see that yet? powercore firewire comin out, pretty cool) a native system can stand up to a protools system, you got all kindsa hardware synths though so maybe you don't even need all that much computer power. as far as the convertors i'm not sure i'd even be able to tell the difference between them, you probably got better trained ears for that though, ya know the 828 mk2 is coming out too, i like the rme stuff though (they do the nuendo hardware), no firewire though pci or pcmcia. but the stuff is awesome for monitoring through the computer, really low latency......you got it all direct monitoring through your mixers i think though, right? so maybe that don't matter for you, but the convertors on these things are dope too. that's what i'd look into though, but if ya'd wanna use it on your desktop and laptop ya'd have to get like the multiface (http://www.digi-club.de/english/hdsp/multifa.htm) break out box, pci and pcmcia cards (http://www.digi-club.de/english/hdsp/cardpci.htm) and the shits kinda expensive.....worth lookin into though, i actually just ordered a new laptop and i'm gonna go with the digiface, i already got ad/da convertors so i just need digital i/o

http://www.rme-audio.de/english/index.htm

Cozmo D
05-15-2003, 10:22 AM
Thanks FrEk, that was absolutely no help at all!!! :slap:

I don't use the Pro Tools software...never have. I am NOT looking to buy anything new. All I wanted to know is if I would be losing very much by switching from the Pro Tools HARDWARE to the MOTU 828!

You're starting to sound too damm much like a salesman dammit!!! :cuss: :cuss: :cuss:

atma
05-16-2003, 12:26 AM
well do you record everything at 24 bit? if so i guess i'd think about keeping the pro tools card. i personally record all incoming audio at 24 bit and have found it makes a difference, even when dithering down to 16 bit, a lot of the higher resolution of the recording stays in tact, i've tested this a few times recording the same source at 16 and then at 24 and dithering down to 16, and just physically the waveform recorded at the higher bit depth will retain a lot of the resolution, whereas the 16 bit recording will tend to look 'bitty' if you zoom in and have a look at the lower volume material.

so anyway, for me the higher quality converters would be a pretty big issue if i were deciding between cards.

Cozmo D
05-16-2003, 11:13 AM
Yeah, I record everything at 24, but the 882/20 only has 20 bit conversion. Do you think that the 828's 24 bit converters may be up to snuff with the Pro Tools 20?

C'mon Atma, you're the spec master! :thumup: :rock: :bowdown:

frEk
05-16-2003, 09:51 PM
wanna buy a pc? i'm selling my desktop coz

atma
05-18-2003, 04:36 PM
seriously i have no idea about the convertors on either of those cards as i've never used them personally. i'd guess they're both excellent and probably comparable to each other, i mean with convertors in that sort of range it becomes such a subjective thing for everyone, just like preamps. one person's "warm" is another persons "too coloured". in the end its not really specs but just what you're really comfortable and happy with personally. i say if you do some intensive listening to both cards, give them both a run through side by side and the difference is negligible to your ears as far as the noise floor and frequency response, etc., then the 20 bit card should be fine.

Cozmo D
05-18-2003, 04:52 PM
Thanx Atma! :thumup:

I have a pc FrEk...in fact, I think I'm gonna switch the pro tools to it and use the 828 on the Mac. :cool: