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Topic: Recording to PC |
Tom Mortensen
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 17 Sep 2004 1:40 pm |
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I have been recording steel to a Roland 1680 for a couple of years.
Recently I started recording to my PC using Power Tracks 9 and BIAB tracks.
This weekend I compared the Roland recordings to the PC recordings. Steel on the Roland sounds great and steel on the PC sounds small.
I decided to try higher quality inputs and installed Tascam US-122. Couldn't get it to work with PT so installed Audiophile 2496 PCI Card. It didn't work either.
All the techs are blaming my win98se, 384MB, PIII 450 for the failure of US-122 and Audiophile. So it seems a sound card upgrade on this computer is out of the question.
I installed Audigy LS and everything is working again but sounds just like the original El Cheapo that I had in the beginning.
Will a new PC with an expensive sound card sound as good as the Roland 1680?[This message was edited by Tom Mortensen on 18 September 2004 at 04:51 AM.] |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 17 Sep 2004 7:13 pm
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| . [This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 07:44 PM.] |
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Tom Mortensen
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 17 Sep 2004 7:28 pm
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It's not that I thought the CPU was responsible for the tone.
I suspected my sound card input. And it's the CPU that made a sound card upgrade impossible.
It just won't handle 24 bit info.
I don't know enough about recording programs to say whether the program itself effects tone.
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tombleu.com 
[This message was edited by Tom Mortensen on 17 September 2004 at 08:29 PM.] |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 17 Sep 2004 7:47 pm
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It's been a few years since I used an Audigy card, but if I remember correct it does have built in effects and equalizer. You should be able to pull up a 'mixer control panel' somewhere in the program folder, or it may even be visible on the task bar.
Check that everything that has to do with effects and equalizing is set to 'off' (or 'flat', 'neutral', or whatever they call it).
Same procedure in your recording software, see if you can spot any suspiscious looking green lights or on/off switches that seem to be activated. If everything is turned off in the soundcard mixer and the rec software mixer (except the inputs and outputs of course), then they should have no influence on your sound. That is determined by your soundcard and its analog-to-digtal (and vice versa) converters.
Another thing that just hit me,- again, if memory serves me right, the Audigy card will only record at 48Khz sample rate, unlike the 44.1 rate which is the standard for most consumer soundcards. Could you have a conflict between your Audigy and some internal setting in your PC? I'm not sure this would affect the sound the way you describe, but it may be worth a check just to be shure... If a 48Khz Audigy card is forced to work at 44.1 then it's not a happy card.
Steinar |
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Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
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Posted 18 Sep 2004 8:23 am
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Here's one from left field, guys....
Make sure that your windows 'sounds' are turned off. These are the little blips and squeels that your computer makes while you're using it.
The reason is this: All of these sounds are 8 bit-crap-ola. Anytime Windows plays one of these sounds, it sets the sound card to this resolution and anything you play through the soundcard after will be reproduced in this format.
And one more thing about 16 bit-it can sound really good-look at the tascam DA-88 recorders....16 bit with great sound.
The more important thing is how you get your signal into the computer. For a test, plug the line out of the Roland into the line input of the soundcard and do a test recording by playing back a good sounding track on the Roland and playing with the controls on the soundcard for the best sound.
Rememvber to set all unused inputs on the soundcard to 'mute'...especially the mic and aux line ins (except if you are using the aux in, then mute the line in....all these sound cards are different...)
Good luck!
Jay
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Tom Mortensen
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 18 Sep 2004 8:46 am
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Jay, you are right about 16 Bit sounding fine.
It may be all of the years sitting next to guitar players (Tele thru a Twin) but I can't hear the difference between 16 bit and 24 bit.
I can however,hear the difference between a Tascam DA-88 and a Roland 1680. Both sound good but I prefer one over the other.
That's kind of what I'm up against here is that I just prefer the sound of the Roland to what I'm getting on PC.
And, just to clear up that I'm not talking about midi sounds. Simply, steel to recording device.
I will take your suggestion and line-in the Roland to PC with some old tracks.
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tombleu.com
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Gary Shepherd
From:
Fox, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 18 Sep 2004 8:14 pm
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There are a few audible differences between 16-bit and 24-bit. The main difference is the overhead. 24-bit will allow for a stronger signal to be recorded and will thusly have a better chance at distortion free recording (because of clipping the input.)
Additionally, both will eventually be dithered to 16-bit if you want them on a CD but the 24-bit audio will be cleaner when working with effects. Just more bits to work with. Any time you work with digital effects, the wave form is changed from the original recording. So when the effects truncate bits during proccessing, the extra bits in a 24-bit signal leave more of the original signal than 16-bit recordings do.
That's a pretty simple explanation of what happens but suffice it to say that 24-bit is better when tracking, even if you can't here the difference at the time.
gs
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Gary Shepherd
Sierra Session 12
www.16tracks.com
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Tom Mortensen
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 19 Sep 2004 9:16 am
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I have been comparing the sound of midi in BIAB and Power Tracks Pro.
The difference is surprising.
BIAB has more punch/liveliness than PT.
I'm thinking that the sound of PT is more likely the culprit than my sound card.
Any takers on this theory?[This message was edited by Tom Mortensen on 19 September 2004 at 10:17 AM.] |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 19 Sep 2004 11:26 am
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| . [This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 07:44 PM.] |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 20 Sep 2004 1:53 pm
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And one thing Gary above didn't mention is that you can get more "punch" with 24 bit as compared to 16 bit. You can push the levels a tad as opposed to 16 bit..So the end result will be a bit more dynamic..and that ..you can hear..
But if you are just recording for home fun or home demo's it's not an issue. If you are recording where you would want a RED BOOK burn for duplication , 24 bit would be the preferred format if you have it available.
To my liking a stand alone 24 bit workstation
that burns RED BOOK is still the preferred choice for me. Many of these workstations include 48 bit effects..
t[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 20 September 2004 at 02:54 PM.] [This message was edited by Tony Prior on 20 September 2004 at 02:55 PM.] |
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Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
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Posted 20 Sep 2004 8:35 pm
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Another thing to think about Tom,
If you're like me and have no dedicated midi module (I use VSC) the sound from BIAB and the power tracks output are coming from the same place.....the audio out of your sound card.
Look for places to change the cards configuration from within Power Tracks....like Settings, Options, Audio Setup...etc.
I've never seen the software, but it's gotta be something like that.
Depending on the card (I have no expierence with the type of card you have)you should be able to get it pretty close. (I know I can always hear the difference, but it does get close.)
Jay[This message was edited by Jay Fagerlie on 20 September 2004 at 09:36 PM.] |
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