recording via spdif: different sound?!

i've noticed this since i started working with the spdif digital recording last spring and over the summer. when i track out two at a time (one left and one right heh nice little trick) i find that the sound i record inthis fashion sounds VERY different from the stuff i record via normal audio cable....

i love the sound that results! it's a crispy, wonderful sound reminiscent of an sp1200 (just not lofi) and is great on basslines...

anyone know what this is, why it sounds so good, and how to accentuate it?

The reason for this clarity is due to the digital connection. Its alot cleaner than a regular analog connection.

You can probably accentuate this with higher quality spidf cable.

Enigma Beatz wrote:The reason for this clarity is due to the digital connection. Its alot cleaner than a regular analog connection.

You can probably accentuate this with higher quality spidf cable.

a real genius here.

or a high quality audio cable. though I have started using digi the past few months my self, dont notice much difference, except I cant work at 48Khz in digi mode, so I have to run audio when I mix out.

Lord Toranaga wrote:

Enigma Beatz wrote:You can probably accentuate this with higher quality spidf cable.

a real genius here.

Hahaha.

Try "accentuate" with eq.

Digital is clean sure, but it shouldn't sound that different from your analog setup unless your analog stuff is real siht. The digital should also not sound a bit different from when you tracked it...it's supposed to give you a flat response, not color your sound. Maybe you ought to give the analog stuff an overhaul so everything else you got running thru it doesn't sound like $%^%

Well, it's skipping a generation of DA/AD, so it will sound different.

Try sampling through the digital ins, it tends to sound different too. It just skips the crappy a/d and d/a that most people have, but even if you have good ones, most people like to avoid extra conversions if possible.

true talk el .

I like the sound I get from my triton via optical outs.

Just felt like saying that.

I wish my MPC2kxl had optical outs.

Lampdog wrote:I like the sound I get from my triton via optical outs.

Just felt like saying that.

I wish my MPC2kxl had optical outs.

Lamp - Do you really find it that much different than the analog outs? I switched from analog to digital wherever I could over the past few years but aside from reducing a little noise (quite a bit actually), I didn't notice much difference. I think it may have something to do with how clean your analog rig is...I know I now have about a mile of cables I'll probably never use again...

When I use my analog, I'll arm record in sound forge and get like maybe
-89db of noise.

When I use my optical, I'll arm record in sound forge and get NO NOISE.
Even when I put the vu meter range down to -130db, there is NO NOISE at all, vu meter didn't even budge. I had to check my speakers when I first did it a few years back cause I wasn't sure if my speakers were on. I was used to hearing a small hum ya know. All of a sudden the beat comes on and my speakers were almost all the way up, scared the crap outta me, just like that Jessica Alba thread a few weeks ago, haha. But seriously NO NOISE at all. The sound is a more crisp also. I took Penfolds advice and bumped up my bit rate and sample rate with that and it's a huge difference from using my analog 44/16 older method.

Lord Toranaga wrote:

Enigma Beatz wrote:The reason for this clarity is due to the digital connection. Its alot cleaner than a regular analog connection.

You can probably accentuate this with higher quality spidf cable.

a real genius here.

this had me crying!!!!!

el said it u r bypassing sh!tty d/a and a/d

yeah man i wish virtually everythign i had was in spdif...eventually i think everything will. the sound just doesn't lie. if i want the sound a converter will give me, i'll use it as an effect but meanwhile...give me that spdif crispiness on low frequencies...i swear 16 bit has its own charm just like 12 or so on.

it's good because often i go for that sound anyway...to the point where i use the hyperprism sonic decimator on 90% of my tracks when mastering.

thanks for the replies