agent86 wrote:
Arny Krueger wrote:

agent86 wrote:

What I don't understand about this type of box (both this one & the
active ones made by other companies) is how they can actually
accomplish what the claim to. I've read claims that they "avoid the
resolution loss that occurs when lowering gain digitally"
(paraphrase).

The basic claim that there is a resolution loss when gain is lowered
digitally ignores all of the DAW software that either does summing
in 64 bit
fixed point, or 32 bit floating point. 64 bits gives something like
300 dB dynamic range, and 32 bit floating point gives about 1,000 dB
dynamic range. Wither is obviously grotesque overkill, but they are
the next logical step up from the 140 or so dB of dynamic range you
get with 24 bit fixed point, minus the losses inherent in mixing.

Paul Stamler's post estimated a best case SNR of about 92 dB, which
pales compared to the 130 dB dynamic range in much of the DAW
software that is supposedly being improved upon.

But if they don't include pots or faders, you still
have to control the gain digitally. Is there some "Magic" in
running what for all practical purposes is a digital mix through an
analog summing bus?

The only magic I see is along the lines of "Look over there, cakes!"

Or is it pretty much the same as mixing down digital tracks to
analog tape?

If the discussion is about dynamic range, don't go anywhere near
analog tape!


I'm inclined to agree with you're point of view, Arny. But even if
you buy the argument about digital resolution vs decreasing gain,
these boxes don't even address that. All the gain adjustments STILL
happen in the DAW. An analog summing bus without faders or pot is
NOT an analog mixer AFAIK.

Agreed.

If the argument were that the mathematical calculations within the
digital summing bus were themselves inherently flawed, I could buy
that. (Or I could at least consider it a point worthy of discussion.)
But that would also raise the question of why one would expect the
mathematical calculations within the DA & AD converters to be any
less flawed.

Different products, different vendors, different development cycles,
hardware versus software.

But, none of these factors would apply to every implmentation, just some of
them.

Then you have to decide whether any potential benefit
gained by summing in analog exceded the potential loss associated
with two extra generations of conversion.

A digital mixer is a picture of simplicity compared to a converter. For
example a digital mixer need not have any brick wall filters or
frequency-dependent processing.

It's a damn wonder anybody finds time to actually record anything.

It's easy, just stick to business.

If obsession strikes, just do a PCABX DBT.