A/D or WORDCLOCK.....which to buy first?

[Rob Aubrey]

OK so I have searched the site for the past few days in search of answers and have come to no conclusion!

Here is the question

I currently have a pair of YAMAHA 02r's which are clocked internally and linked by AES card to a MIX+ system 888/24 and an ADAT bridge I also have an 888/16 which I have just purchased cheap and started using it for inserting outboard like distressor and urei comps........ALL works well.
I master to a SADIE system through a UREI 1178 and a TC FINALIZER so the o/p of the desk is analog

I run all audio in 16 bit because most work started life on TASCAM DA88's but I am now considering 24 bit, so I have purchased an API 3124+ mic pre and along with the AVALON 737 I already own I started to search the DUC for advice on A/D and WORDCLOCK devices.

First off I want to know if something like a ROSETTA or MINI-ME would make an incredible difference to the quality of 24 bit and could it act as a better master clock than the internal O2R or TASCAM DA88.

OR would I be better off getting something like a Nanosyncs or BIG BEN first to improve the clocking?

I cannot afford both just yet so its a case of one or the other.

Also would I be better off saving up and getting something like a PSX A/D D/A or a MINI-ME... MINI DAC combination so that I can convert the output of the desk into analogue via the AES out then into my UREI 1178 and finalizer fianlly into my SADIE editor (just a thought...what are the finalizer converters like?)

Thanks for any help

ROB

[AE]

If you're going to continue using 02Rs, 888/24s, and perhaps DA88s and other digital gear together, I'd recommend getting a good master word clock generator/distribution system. It will make it much easier to provide reliable, high-quality interface between digital audio devices and it will give you a noticeable improvement with some convertors (the 888s, certainly). I had a similar system for a while and used an Aardsync for house sync; everything (including outboard digital reverb) synced perfectly and sounded decent. You still won't get the quality of high-end convertors, but you'll get the most out of your existing system.

[Nika]

A good converter will have a good clock in it - almost inherently.

Nika.

[AE]

Originally posted by Nika:
A good converter will have a good clock in it - almost inherently.

Nika.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">True, but it won't provide a good way to distribute clock. So if you purchase a convertor, you should also get a word clock distribution system -- is better than daisy-chaining.

[pookadilly]

While it is true that daisy chaining word clock is not the best idea, it will "work" at least at first, until you get some more money. I would suggest going with the Rosetta 800 and then when you get some more cash together, purchase Big Ben. Those two items together will give you the absolute best sounding combination I've ever heard. Apogee does have a back order list put together so if you are interested in moving quickly on this let me know and I'll be glad to assist.

[Nika]

Originally posted by AE:
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by Nika:
A good converter will have a good clock in it - almost inherently.

Nika.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">True, but it won't provide a good way to distribute clock. So if you purchase a convertor, you should also get a word clock distribution system -- is better than daisy-chaining. <hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Not necessarily. There are many situations where this logic doesn't hold up, including a very ornate and complicated Protools system that only uses 8 channels of converters but has loads of outboard digital processing and analog processing equipment, cd burners, digital mixers and the like. In this situation a word clock distro box doesn't help the audio in any capacity.

Nika.

[AE]

Originally posted by Nika:
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by AE:
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by Nika:
A good converter will have a good clock in it - almost inherently.

Nika.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">True, but it won't provide a good way to distribute clock. So if you purchase a convertor, you should also get a word clock distribution system -- is better than daisy-chaining. <hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Not necessarily. There are many situations where this logic doesn't hold up, including a very ornate and complicated Protools system that only uses 8 channels of converters but has loads of outboard digital processing and analog processing equipment, cd burners, digital mixers and the like. In this situation a word clock distro box doesn't help the audio in any capacity.

Nika. <hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I'm just thinking about the setup described in this post. Do you think this system would be immune from timing issues using an additional convertor as the clock master?

[Rob Aubrey]

Oh well thanks for the replies so far

There I was reading the first few posts just about to order the NANOSYNCS then I read the next one talking about the ROSETTA 800.......

Unfortunately I am in the UK so will have to wait until it arrives here. HHB (the UK apogee distributor) do not list it yet!

I'll wait and see what others think..

BTW my system is quite simple NO outboard digital just the desks and FINALIZER to worry about. The DA88's are being phased out here (good as they were)

Oh and one last question..is the MOTU MTPAV any good as a DIGI word clock.I have one but only use it for SMPTE?


ROB

[Nika]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rob Aubrey:
Oh well thanks for the replies so far

There I was reading the first few posts just about to order the NANOSYNCS then I read the next one talking about the ROSETTA 800.......

Unfortunately I am in the UK so will have to wait until it arrives here. HHB (the UK apogee distributor) do not list it yet!

They have only just now started shipping.



BTW my system is quite simple NO outboard digital just the desks and FINALIZER to worry about. The DA88's are being phased out here (good as they were)

How many boxes in your studio function as A/D or D/A converters? What if you got an 8 channel A/D/D/A converter, then how many boxes would?

Oh and one last question..is the MOTU MTPAV any good as a DIGI word clock.I have one but only use it for SMPTE?

Not good, but I'm not sure it matters.

Nika.

[AE]

Originally posted by Nika:
I'm not sure which post you mean by "this" post? Do you mean the one that *I* wrote, as quoted above, or the one that *he* wrote at the top of the page?

The one that I wrote would be immune to timing errors if the equipment was designed properly and the gear was connected properly.

The system that he mentions is a toss-up. I don't know how many channels of conversion he is doing at one time, etc. There are a lot of unknows with his system.

Nika.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Sorry, I thought it was obvious that we were discussing a specific scenario posed in the first post of this thread. I should have written a clearer response. In any case, in my experience the type of system Rob's described is best run off of a centrally-distributed master clock.