basic digital audio ??
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Discussion related to installation, configuration and use of MOTU hardware such as MIDI interfaces, audio interfaces, etc. for Mac OSX
Discussion related to installation, configuration and use of MOTU hardware such as MIDI interfaces, audio interfaces, etc. for Mac OSX
basic digital audio ??
what route does the audio take ? For example: a MIDI controller triggers sounds in MainStage via MIDI connection through an UltraLite; the sound travels from the laptop back through the USB or FireWire connection into the MOTU where it is routed out the analogue jacks OR the SPDIF/TOSlink. From there it is inserted into the sound system/PA speakers. So my question is: why do you need a digital out if the sound is going directly into an amplifier?
Re: basic digital audio ??
In case you want to route the signal to the digital inputs of another device.Drumthumb wrote:So my question is: why do you need a digital out if the sound is going directly into an amplifier?
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- mikehalloran
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Re: basic digital audio ??
Bingo!
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Re: basic digital audio ??
bear with me - another device like a DAW, or SSD? Ultimately, though, the sound will need to be routed through an A/D converter to get it to an amplifier, right?bayswater wrote:In case you want to route the signal to the digital inputs of another device.Drumthumb wrote:So my question is: why do you need a digital out if the sound is going directly into an amplifier?
- mikehalloran
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Re: basic digital audio ??
Yes but the goal for most these days is to keep everything in the digital domain up to that point.Drumthumb wrote:Ultimately, though, the sound will need to be routed through an A/D converter to get it to an amplifier, right?
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sonoma 14.4.1, USB4 8TB external, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3 6/10/12; 2012 MBPs Catalina, Mojave
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2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sonoma 14.4.1, USB4 8TB external, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3 6/10/12; 2012 MBPs Catalina, Mojave
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Re: basic digital audio ??
No. If you wanted to send it to a digital tape, for example, you could do it without conversion. You might send it to another audio interface that has a connection to effects you want to use. E.g., I have a second Mac with a PCI UAD card. To use it, I use digital outs on my main Mac to get to it, setting up an effects loop to and from the UAD.Drumthumb wrote:bear with me - another device like a DAW, or SSD? Ultimately, though, the sound will need to be routed through an A/D converter to get it to an amplifier, right?bayswater wrote:In case you want to route the signal to the digital inputs of another device.Drumthumb wrote:So my question is: why do you need a digital out if the sound is going directly into an amplifier?
Generally, you should keep your signal in digital format once it has been converted from analog until it has to be converted back to analog for monitors, vinyl, etc. So all your equipment needs to have digital inputs and outputs so you can do that.
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Re: basic digital audio ??
Vinyl? What's that?
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Re: basic digital audio ??
The Beatles used it for storage or something.Phil O wrote:Vinyl? What's that?
2018 Mini i7 32G 10.14.6, DP 11.3, Mixbus 9, Logic 10.5, Scarlett 18i8
Re: basic digital audio ??
Kind of a not-so-floppy disk, huh?
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Re: basic digital audio ??
Also, some amps now have built in converters (i.e., digital ins). I don't think I'd use one, but they exist.bayswater wrote:No. If you wanted to send it to a digital tape, for example, you could do it without conversion. You might send it to another audio interface that has a connection to effects you want to use. E.g., I have a second Mac with a PCI UAD card. To use it, I use digital outs on my main Mac to get to it, setting up an effects loop to and from the UAD.Drumthumb wrote:Ultimately, though, the sound will need to be routed through an A/D converter to get it to an amplifier, right?
Phil
DP 11.23, 2020 M1 Mac Mini [9,1] (16 Gig RAM), Mac Pro 3GHz 8 core [6,1] (16 Gig RAM), OS 14.3.1/11.6.2, Lynx Aurora (n) 8tb, MOTU 8pre-es, MOTU M6, MOTU 828, Apogee Rosetta 800, UAD-2 Satellite, a truckload of outboard gear and plug-ins, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Re: basic digital audio ??
Phil O wrote:Also, some amps now have built in converters (i.e., digital ins). I don't think I'd use one, but they exist.bayswater wrote:No. If you wanted to send it to a digital tape, for example, you could do it without conversion. You might send it to another audio interface that has a connection to effects you want to use. E.g., I have a second Mac with a PCI UAD card. To use it, I use digital outs on my main Mac to get to it, setting up an effects loop to and from the UAD.Drumthumb wrote:Ultimately, though, the sound will need to be routed through an A/D converter to get it to an amplifier, right?
Phil
Can you recommend a good keyboard amp with digital inputs?
- HCMarkus
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Re: basic digital audio ??
I wouldn't go there. Use the digital outputs to drive external digital devices (i.e. external digital reverb or delay or whatever box) or to transfer audio to another device that will be manipulating the audio in the digital domain. This way, you avoid multiple conversion cycles.Drumthumb wrote:Can you recommend a good keyboard amp with digital inputs?
Connect amps to the analog outs of your interface.
Re: basic digital audio ??
ahhhh....thank you for helping to make my point; there are no keyboard amplifiers with digital inputs.HCMarkus wrote:Connect amps to the analog outs of your interface.Drumthumb wrote:Can you recommend a good keyboard amp with digital inputs?
- Kurt Cowling
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Re: basic digital audio ??
So the bottom line of this thread is... if you don’t need the digital output - don’t use it.
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Re: basic digital audio ??
There may not be any sold as keyboard amplifiers, but there are amps with digital inputs. The point being made, and the answer to your original question, is that there are a lot of audio units that have digital I/O so that once the analog/digital conversion is done, the signal path can remain digital as long as some sort of processing is to be applied.Drumthumb wrote:ahhhh....thank you for helping to make my point; there are no keyboard amplifiers with digital inputs.
2018 Mini i7 32G 10.14.6, DP 11.3, Mixbus 9, Logic 10.5, Scarlett 18i8