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Old 11-08-2010, 04:35 PM   #40
ngarjuna
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jnif View Post
I re-read the post #16. The history lesson of analog recording was nice but the discussion about levels in digital domain was mostly speculation. For example:

Yes, a lot of potential to get bad recording but do these problems occur in real world when using modern audio interfaces below clipping level? Can you show some measurement data where distortion caused by signal below clipping level is shown? And of course in this case the recorded signal has to be a real signal from some mic, instrument or mixing/effect device. Not some unrealistically low or high level signal that has to be amplified or attenuated unrealistically in the pre-amp.

Another example:

All of this is still speculation.
Most users probably don't know answers to these questions and answers depend very much on what plugins are used. Some plugins may be designed so that input signal levels are assumed to be close to clipping. Thus, it would be not wise to give a general recommendation to use lower signal levels.


jnif
So you're a hobbyist/home recordist and you're arguing with not only Yep but also some of the most noteworthy engineers of all times? When the explanation was clearly given (the parts you quoted seem to have left out the detailed information about voltage tolerance), you just seem to not want to believe.

Here's what Paul Frindle had to say about analog style gain staging (versus recording hot):

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Frindle
I helped to design much of the celebrated analogue consoles mentioned, much of the digital stuff - and more recently several of the most highly regarded plug-ins. And believe me, this is the single biggest issue affecting the quality of your digital work.

The biggest 'own goal' of the whole of the digital industry from the outset has been the total disregard for the notion of operating levels and headroom.

Do not accept it - if your production environment dictates that you must provide limited, maximised and level-blasted material, just do it at the end :-)
If you don't want to believe, don't, but nobody is going to conduct experiments to prove to you what pretty much every pro engineer knows from their experience in the field.
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