skipping bounce to disc and mxing down to dat

[badperson]

Does anyone do this? Instead of bouncing to disc, having an out on the master fader, going thru a tube comp\limiter and onto a dat?

I read about this someplace, and was wondering if skipping the d/a conversion could be a plus. Well, that probably isn't a good way to put it, you have to do d/a conversion somewhere along the line, but would staying at 24 bit help?

Also, if you did what I outlined above, putting an audio out on the master fader, then going into a comp/limiter, and onto a dat, where exactly would the d/a take place, and how would it be different from bouncing to disc?


Also, how would it differ from going out of PT, into the comp/limiter, and back into PT? Would there be a noticeable difference?

thanks.

bp

bp

[Lowfreq]

BP - about 30 percent of the time I mix down to my DAT machine. I have a typical tiny home studio and record demos & such and some clients or ME's ask for DAT masters. But usually with no limiting/effects on the master fader (minus dither/resampling). A few times I have used outboard limiters (post dither) in between. When mixing down to DAT you can't be too hot in level as clipping a DAT machine sounds like the sky is falling.

[Viktor]

I used to mixdown exatly the way you pointed above.Then I switched to "bouncing to disk" but still not sure this is right.Anyone has a "second opinion"?

[Jace Everett]

I have bounced to disk.

I have sent my Master fader spdif out to a Masterlink CD burner (Alesis).

I cannott tell much difference in audio quality. One thing I have noticed is that if your only "mastering" tools are to throw a C4 and a Limiter on the Master fader, though you'll get a loud and fairly dynamic mix, you tend to get a mix that feels "hollow". I'm not educated enough to explain it, but you seem to miss out on the more analog sounds (to me lo and hi mids)of an old school mix.

I have a buddy who bounces to disk then actually records the CD to analog tape and runs it back in to ProTools. He swears by it.

Of course he smokes a lot too...