002R DA converters? Pluggins?

[BinkBonk]

Would I get better quality sounds by rerouting my tracks out to outboard gear (quality stuff like API eq's, Distressor, ect...) Or mixing "in the box" with Waves pluggins (or better).
Do the AD DA converters in the 002r compromise the sound more than the pluggins? Should I be spending money on pluggins, outboard gear, or better converters?
Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

PBG4 867 640 RAM OSX 10.3.2
002r 6.2.2

[where02190]

the 002 converters are a big step up from the 001's, an dthe hardware always IMHO sounds better than the software emulating plugins.You will encounter some latency, which you can easily overcome by nudging the track(s) back a few ms.

[tha k man]

You've got to be kidding right?
You've got API's and distressors, and you want to use plug ins? If you've got great outboard gear -use it ! It's unbeatable. My suggestion would be to keep buying outboard of the calibre of what you've got.

[BinkBonk]

You've got to be kidding right?
You've got API's and distressors, and you want to use plug ins? If you've got great outboard gear -use it ! It's unbeatable. My suggestion would be to keep buying outboard of the calibre of what you've got.

Thanks for the feedback tha k man, but my question isn't, does quality outboard gear sound better than quality pluggins (that is a no brainer on most forums). I was wondering how much of the quality outboard gear sound will I actually be benefiting from. After going through the 002r AD converters on the way in for tracking, going back out the DA converters to my "quality gear" for processing and then last but not least, back through the AD converters again to end up in the mix. Now that's alot of AD DA conversion.

How good are the 002r converters? Would I maybe be better off using quality pluggins with my 002r seeing as I do not have a high quality outboard AD DA converter? Am I going to be getting accurate representation of my quality gear?

And for the record, I do not own any API stuff right now but, am thinking of getting some. That's why I'm asking.

[JFreak]

why not digital i/o? there's a spdif pair in 002 so route your signal out-of-box through that and you'll have no loss in quality compared to mixing in-the-box completely. if you want that analog feel, better (imho) use some tube emulation in the final stages... but that depends on the point of view.

[Shawn Simpson]

why not digital i/o? there's a spdif pair in 002 so route your signal out-of-box through that and you'll have no loss in quality compared to mixing in-the-box completely. if you want that analog feel, better (imho) use some tube emulation in the final stages... but that depends on the point of view.

I don't remember any API gear with digital i/o. Perhaps I'm crazy

My suggestion would be to do some "worst case scenario" testing on the converters of your 002. I've personally not listened critically to them, but it would be an interesting test. Try taking a track that you've got a critical ear for, insert 3 or 4 hardware inserts consecutively on it. Then just patch a TRS cable between those i/o's and listen to the track. See if you can tell a huge difference from no hardware inserts to one, to two, and so on. That should give you a very clear picture of what you might be compromising in the converter stage itself. I know in the TDM side, lots of guys use outboard gear in their mixes without much worry. Afterall, analog inserts on any digital mixing system will require conversion in and out. Give it a try and tell everybody what you think.

By the way, A nice set of Lucid or Apogee converters on the lite-pipe side would most definitely improve the overall result of a hardware insert, but I'd wait and see if the 002's converters are satisfactory.

[tha k man]

The converters on the 002 are fine. My point was that you will get the most out of them by getting the best signal path to them that you can, ie good pre's, and good compressors etc. These things will make much more of a difference than your converters. I've heard an album that was recorded through an AM111 card - but was tracked with great Mics, and good outboard ( focusrite green , dbx ) and it sounded fantastic.
Too many people worry about the quality of their "converters". I've seen time and time again -they spend every last dollar getting what they think are the best A/D's possible, and then pump crap signals into them ( because they don't have the money to buy a good channel strip).
With the gear you've got, you're in the box seat.

[Chris Coleman]

Would I get better quality sounds by rerouting my tracks out to outboard gear (quality stuff like API eq's, Distressor, ect...) Or mixing "in the box" with Waves pluggins (or better).

You should absolutely mix in the box, please see below...

Should I be spending money on pluggins, outboard gear, or better converters?

Like I said - with your setup, you really want to be mixing in the box...

SO...

I'll give you $500 cash right now and I'll take all that annoying rusty old analog gear off your hands. It's a win-win situation for you! You can then put that cash toward plugins - now it's a win-win-win situation!

[BinkBonk]

"I'll give you $500 cash right now and I'll take all that annoying rusty old analog gear off your hands. It's a win-win situation for you! You can then put that cash toward plugins - now it's a win-win-win situation! "

That sounds great Chris! Wire me the "cash" Western Union and I'll be sure to get right on that... Thanx for the great advice.

[Chris Coleman]

"I'll give you $500 cash right now and I'll take all that annoying rusty old analog gear off your hands. It's a win-win situation for you! You can then put that cash toward plugins - now it's a win-win-win situation! "

That sounds great Chris! Wire me the "cash" Western Union and I'll be sure to get right on that... Thanx for the great advice.

Do you accept counterfeit cashier's checks?