Digital / Analog Question (soundcards and monitors)

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Member Since: Dec 23, 2005

I'm looking to buy a new soundcard and monitors, and was reading some of the tutorials on the site.
One suggested an M-Audio Delta 44 soundcard.
I looked it up and noticed it says it doesn't have digital i/o, yet it has x4 1/4" i/o.
How isn't that considered digtal i/o? Couldn't one just buy monitors that had 1/4" i/o, and plug 'em into 1 or 2 of the 4 jacks on the souncard?
Or does "digital" only refer to 1/8" and RCA plugs? What's an example of an analog i/o then?

If you can't connect monitors with 1/4" i/o to that soundcard, would I need to get monitors that had RCA or 1/8" i/o, and then just hook it up to my SB Audigy 2?

Oh, and what would you do with 'outputs' on a soundcard?

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Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Feb 08, 2006 02:58 pm

Hmmmmm, well, let me give this a shot.

An analog input accepts analog input, such as the inputs of the 44, which are all analog 1/4" jacks. The device itself has analog to digital (a/d) convertors that make that signal analog...the same for the trip out, it has digital to analog (d/a) convertors to turn the digital signal into analog before leaving the device.

Digital I/O takes a signal that is already digital and bring it into the PC, the digital outs send a digital signal out.

Does that help?

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 08, 2006 04:57 pm

to add to what dB said;

analog is sound via sound waves, sine waves to be exact.

digital is bits and bytes.

if you took signal from the output jacks on the 44, you'd only hear line level signal, around 1 volt. Very quiet.

If you hooked something up to the digital output of a device, you'd hear that squeal you hear from a modem, or fax machine.

Most 1/4 and 1/8" jacks are analog, while some digital connections look like RCA or COAX connectors (i can't remember which). But RCA jacks are analog as well, so you'd have to be careful looking at what's what before connecting things up.

Like dB said, there has to be a stage to convert the analog sine wave to digital bits and bytes, then later a stage to convert digital back to analog so you can hear it and understand it's sound.

Member
Since: Dec 23, 2005


Feb 08, 2006 05:02 pm

Hmm... I think I get it. So regular computer soundcards... like the soundblasters... are they all considered analog inputs?



Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 08, 2006 05:10 pm

pretty much everything is, but some have digital inputs added as well.

Member
Since: Dec 23, 2005


Feb 08, 2006 05:28 pm

Alright thanks. That helps a lot.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Feb 08, 2006 05:29 pm

I think that digital inputs are usually either S/PDIF or Optical (lightpipe), right? Or maybe USB and Firewire as well.

In the music recording world, I usually only see 1/8", 1/4" and XLR as analog inputs. I'm not sure if that's a valid generalization or not, but it's just what I've seen. Somewhere there may exist a device or class of devices that use normal TRS or TS plugs to send digital info, but I haven't seen any.

Member
Since: Dec 23, 2005


Feb 08, 2006 05:33 pm

So if I got one of the delta 44's, what would you use the outputs for?
For the inputs I could connect the mixer and the monitors, but what do you use the outputs for?

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Feb 08, 2006 05:35 pm

You'd use the outputs to send to your monitoring setup. For me, I send outs 1 and 2, which is a stereo pair, to a mixer for monitoring via headphones while tracking.

Or I hook them into my computer speaker system for monitoring "out loud".

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Feb 08, 2006 06:28 pm

Quote:
For me, I send outs 1 and 2, which is a stereo pair, to a mixer for monitoring via headphones while tracking.


That's what I do as well. I have 3 M-Audio cards and I only use the first 2 outs of 1 card. I don't use the rest of the outs at this time.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 08, 2006 07:12 pm

you can use extra outputs for if you have a headphone amp that has multiple inputs. you could have the stereo mix in the normal headphone amp input, then say, send guitar out a second pair, and into the headphone amp. Then you can add 'more me' in the guitarist headphones, but not bother others.

that's one idea, anyway, and probably what I'm going to do when I get up and running.

Member
Since: Dec 23, 2005


Feb 08, 2006 07:18 pm

Argh... okay now I'm mixed up.. pun intended..

so you go from the mixer's two main outs to the soundcard's ins.
the soundcard's outs to the monitors/speakers ins. (or when you said monitoring setup, did you mean a mixer)
and the soundcard's outs back into the mixer, or a different mixer? I don't need to do this if I'm mixing using software though, right?

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 08, 2006 10:14 pm

monitoring solution is either the powered monitor speakers, or an amp and passive speakers. Also it can mean headphones. Both ways monitor what's being recorded, and what's already recorded. Signal for your reference monitoring can come from several ways, as we're seeing lately =).

Quote:
and the soundcard's outs back into the mixer, or a different mixer?


Yes, into same mixer, for hardware monitoring

Quote:
I don't need to do this if I'm mixing using software though, right?


Correct, just send soundcard outs to your monitoring solution.

My last post was in regards to how you're monitoring. In my case, I had multiple people who would be tracking at one time, with headphones on. My old headphone amp only had one input, and 4 outputs. So all headphones heard the same stereo signal. I could turn it up a single person, but the whole signal was increased.

Conversely, what I'm going to be doing, is use a headphone amp that can accept a secondary signal on each headphone channel. this way I can send the main signal to all the headphones, but also add just the guitar channel to just one person's headphones. Then that person can have the 'more me' thing, just in his headphones.

This will happen after the mixer.

Member
Since: Dec 23, 2005


Feb 08, 2006 10:23 pm

Okay gotcha.

So what is the preffered method for monitoring then:

Mixer - > Soundcard -> Mixer
&&
Mixer - > Monitors

or

Mixer - > Soundcard - >Monitors
(I heard you can't monitor your mixer if you do it this way, without getting feedback)


Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 08, 2006 10:39 pm

depends on your equipment, and your requirements.

Also, there's several ways you can configure your equipment to do what you want. Sometimes.

I like to hear from the mixer, with the recorded signal added back in. Some like to send signal to the soundcard, then out to the monitors. I guess it depends on the engineer, as well.

basically, i guess 'whatever works'

i do think, though, that monitoring through software probably won't be as low of latency, though it may not be an issue. I haven't done much of it, opting for the mixer route right off.

Member
Since: Dec 23, 2005


Feb 08, 2006 11:07 pm

I suppose I'll simply have to see what I prefer when the time comes. Thanks for the help guys :)

Damn I love these forums.

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