Masterlink ML-9600

[discodan]

Hello-
I am going to purchase one of these units tomorrow. How should I hook it up to my 192, Analog, AES/EBU or SPIDIF. I'm looking for the best quality in sound. Any tips would be apreciated.

Best wishes

[discodan]

bump thanks

[lancejorton]

i would go AES. with analog, you'll be doing multiple D/A, A/D conversion. AES is balanced. SPDIF is not.

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lance

[discodan]

Thanks-
So do I just hook up the AES into the 192 or are you saying hook up both analog and AES thru 192.
Or better yet how do you have your Masterlink hooked up with you 192?
Do I go AES out of my 192 into Masterlink to analog outs?? Or what??


Thanks

[Bobby Peru]

Just AES out into the Masterlink. It ain't rocket science. Don't do analog, it would be pointless. You'd be going out of 192 converters into [bleep] Masterlink ones.

Bobby Peru
Milwaukee, WI

[Jaylaca]

The converters on the Masterlink aren't that bad. You could easily do worse (ie MOTU). Enough said on that topic.

Why get a Masterlink if you're going to go digital into it? That would mean you're mixing in the box and you don't need an expensive, standalone unit to realtime transfer into.

We use ours as a mix deck, and it's served well as such. But we're going through 24 channels of API into it.

As far as AES vs Spdif, it shouldn't make any difference. AES is balanced, so what? It's digital, it's not going to pick up hum. It's about the clock & jitter, and coax spdif is fine if the AES is not available. Do use quality cables.

If you're sending only a stereo signal, then yes, run a digital cable to it, then there's no extra D/A to A/D conversion.

Although, there is an application where that might be useful, and that's if you need to Resample and don't want to SRC your mix. You can take 96K audio and capture it at 16-bit 44.1KHz (via analog of course) into the Masterlink. Or you may just want to let the Mastering House SRC the audio for you.

Just a note, the Masterlink only burns at 4x. It cannot, and does not change. I talked to Alesis about this and they said that even upgrading the burner (which I tried) will not make a difference. That's the set speed for master quality burns.

If you've recorded into it at anything but 16-bit 44.1KHz or use any DSP, it will render offline at 4x your CD image, then burn it at 4x. For an hours worth of music, this can be tedious to wait for if the client it ready to go.

Cheers,

Jason

[woodywho]

For an hours worth of music, this can be tedious to wait for if the client it ready to go.

This the "only" downside of the masterlink!!
I anticipate the complaints before burning a cd when there is a long session that has to go into it!
Eg; "Why is it taking so long, I have a cab waiting!",
"In my buddy's (bathroom, basement, kitchen, bedroom) studio cds burn rightaway!" LOL...WHOA!
"Can't you afford a faster burner?", "What's so different about this burner from any other??" DUUUUH
Did I mention that I do not charge for this time, I consider it downtime and they still whine!!
Especially here in NY, clients come 1-2 hours late then towards the end of the session they throw in, "I have somewhere too be" All I do is smirk........

Was I ranting?? Back to the topic!!!

[lancejorton]

no. just go out AES of the 192 to the Masterlink. then, go out AES of the Masterlink to the AES in of the 192. that's how i have mine hooked up.

not to add confusion, but i do run analog out from the Masterlink to my Bryston Preamplifier so i can listen to CDs through my monitors independent of my Mac.

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lance

[mersisblue]

I use a masterlink

yes it does take a lil while but the cds it burns are good

you can still bounce to disc that shouldnt be as long and mail them the mL CD

[mersisblue]

I read in the bob katz book that spidf has less jitter than aes ,unless you use a dac . but aes is balanced

Is this correc tor am I misinterpreting here ...............