32bit float and outboard Mic Pre's

[LDS]

Originally Posted by K Roche

Interesting Avid says Carbon is using 4 ADC chips per channel (but I don't the configuration series or parallel ?)

They say "multiple ADCs per channel", which is multiple analogue to digital converters... rather than chips. The only thing Avid are doing differently from MOTU or RME is that they are copying a portion of ESS's marketing blurb.

Here is ESS's description of their chips:

The ES9842 PRO has 4 integrated ADCs which use the ESS proprietary Hyperstream II Architecture, which delivers unprecedented audio sound quality and specifications, including a DNR of 128dB in mono mode and a DNR +122dB THD+N of -116dB in 4 channel mode

Chip manufacturers have been offering this functionality for over a decade now. It lowers the noise floor and distortion, and shouldn't be confused with 32-bit floating point architectures that allow gain staging above 0dBFS. They are essentially opposite ends of the spectrum. The former pushes things further into the quiet end, the latter allows levels to be pushed into the loud end.

[K Roche]

Ah,,, since I had read this (below) I guess I just assumed it meant chips
Not being a tech is why I said I "did not know the configuration"

So are you saying 1 chip can have 4 ADC's on it ?



I read this on one web site
"Pristine 32-Bit /192 kHz AD/DA Conversion
Pro Tools | Carbon boasts four ADCs per channel, yielding an impressive 126 dB of dynamic range. The entire gain structure—from input, to the HDX DSPs, to the Pro Tools software—works at uniform 32-bit precision to offer more headroom with no signal degradation. This means you can capture clean, pristine, natural audio at up to 192 kHz every time you record."

And this on another

"The audio converters on Carbon featuring 126dB of Dynamic Range via 4 ADC's per channel, which allows the entire gain structure to work at uniform 32-bit precision, providing astounding amounts of headroom without any distortion."

[LDS]

Originally Posted by K Roche

Ah,,, since I had read this (below) I guess I just assumed it meant chips
Not being a tech is why I said I "did not know the configuration"

So are you saying 1 chip can have 4 ADC's on it ?



I read this on one web site
"Pristine 32-Bit /192 kHz AD/DA Conversion
Pro Tools | Carbon boasts four ADCs per channel, yielding an impressive 126 dB of dynamic range. The entire gain structure—from input, to the HDX DSPs, to the Pro Tools software—works at uniform 32-bit precision to offer more headroom with no signal degradation. This means you can capture clean, pristine, natural audio at up to 192 kHz every time you record."

And this on another

"The audio converters on Carbon featuring 126dB of Dynamic Range via 4 ADC's per channel, which allows the entire gain structure to work at uniform 32-bit precision, providing astounding amounts of headroom without any distortion."

Audio converter chip designs are intentionally flexible, purely because the products they get implemented in vary to a huge degree. There are low powered designs for USB, higher powered designs for more audiophile products, choices of filters each with relevant effects on overall latency, etc. You can get ADC chips with as many as 16 channels today. Even the DIGI-001 back in 1999 used multi-channel chips.

Avid seems to be intentionally trying to confuse people. The move from 16-bit to 24-bit offers increased headroom, but it wasn't in the form of audio levels existing over 0dbFS. It lowers the noise floor, which allows more conservative recording levels and more buffer room before hitting 0dBFS. 32-bit integer is a marginal extension on that. 126dB of dynamic range is pretty standard for most off-the-shelf 32-bit chip designs. It is also pretty standard for decent 24-bit designs too!


What Sound Devices is doing to achieve something akin to floating point headroom is totally different. It offers 168dB of dynamic range, using a pretty sophisticated patented design - https://patentimages.storage.googlea.../US9654134.pdf