-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Fri, 6 Jan 2012 16:44:21 +0000 Fons Adriaensen <fons@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > On Fri, Jan 06, 2012 at 10:50:12AM -0500, Chris Metzler wrote: >> >> 2. Some interfaces seem to have a combination jack that allows XLR >> and 1/4" inputs. Are these good? Or is there a tradeoff between >> convenience and sound quality? > > Sound quality is not determined by the connector. But the use of > such connectors can indicate 'budget quality'. Very often they are > used as a combined mic/line input (mic = XLR, line = TRS). Then > it depends: if the line input is just an attenuator feeding the > mic input that's not really very good. A real line input does not > pass via the mic preamp. How do you find out? This doesn't seem like something they'd go out of their way to tell you in the product documentation! >> d) Since guitars aren't at line level, do they need >> preamplification like microphones do? > > Yes. Normally the DI box is connected to a microphone input. Sorry, does that mean that the levels of the guitar signal upon output from the DI box are comparable to that of a mic, and thus a mic preamp associated with a microphone input will do the job? I had it in my head that you used either (an active DI) or (a passive DI + specialized guitar preamp) to bring the guitar up to line level, and then plugged into a line input. If I'm understanding you correctly, another option is to use a passive DI and plug into a microphone input (assuming the interface has one). Is that correct? > Some other things to consider: > > Usually you get what you pay for. Quality is not only sound > quality, but also construction and reliability, and it has > a price. Are there particular ways you recommend to find out about that, other than trolling the list archives for positive/negative comments? I've had mixed results with trusting customer reviews on vendor sites, because even if honest, those reviews tend to be posted very soon after purchase, when what I want is to see how people feel after more extended use. > If you are a musician, consider the combination of a simple > but good quality soundcard having only balanced line inputs > and outputs (even fixed level) with one the many small > musician's mixers. These usually have mic and guitar inputs, > a headphone output etc. Such a combination is much more > flexible than any soundcard. Can you elaborate on this a bit more? The mixers I'm familiar with have a limited number of outputs (since the point of the mixer is to mix down the signals it's receiving); so if I intended to record multiple channels simultaneously, I'd lose some post-recording flexibility (like the ability to manipulate tracks independently in a DAW) by mixing down before passing the signal to the audio interface. Or maybe you're not suggesting using the mixer *as a mixer*, but rather as a mic preamp or guitar preamp for just one of my analog signals before passing that one signal to the interface? Or do I still not follow you? > Ciao, Thanks very much! - -c - -- Chris Metzler cmetzler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (remove "snip-me." to email) "As a child I understood how to give; I have forgotten this grace since I have become civilized." - Chief Luther Standing Bear -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAk8I7S0ACgkQEqzZtgaaqqHIdQCeJ3ojX6O7LgjpiwvMQW43jjUR V00AnixOkTM42j5IbPh7KaSOMxQl4Vlf =Ts16 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ Linux-audio-user mailing list Linux-audio-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user
