1 Topic by alexone (edited by alexone 2022-05-06 09:03:00)

  • Registered: 2022-05-06
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Topic: Direct monitoring

Sorry for the silly question, but I tried to understand the diagrams of the manual and I read the forum, but I did not find a clear answer.

So: is there any possibility to do direct monitoring with the ADI-2 PRO FS? If I understand correctly, it is necessary to have a hardware mixer before the ADI-2?

Actually, I'm not even looking for direct monitoring strictly. I'm looking for a way to mix what comes from the USB and what comes from the analog (preamp mode) to feed the speakers. It seems the preamp mode is completely disconnected from everything else (USB or AD/DA modes).

What is strange is that it is possible to mix an analog input and a digital input and direct them to the analog output. But not a USB input (!?)

2 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2022-05-06 11:17:08)

  • KaiS
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Re: Direct monitoring

alexone wrote:

What is strange is that it is possible to mix an analog input and a digital input and direct them to the analog output.

No, no mixing of any kind inside ADI-2 Pro.

alexone wrote:

I'm looking for a way to mix what comes from the USB and what comes from the analog (preamp mode) to feed the speakers.

For this case mixing can and must be done by the monitoring function inside your DAW, to play or sing along some music track e.g.

Class Compliant Multi-channel or AD-DA Mode is better suited for this usecase, but other Modes might work too.
Preamp mode is not, as it doesn’t allow listening to USB on speaker outputs 1/2.

Please tell your exact intended scenario.

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3 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2022-05-06 11:29:26)

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Re: Direct monitoring

KaiS wrote:
alexone wrote:

What is strange is that it is possible to mix an analog input and a digital input and direct them to the analog output.

No, no mixing of any kind inside ADI-2 Pro.

alexone wrote:

I'm looking for a way to mix what comes from the USB and what comes from the analog (preamp mode) to feed the speakers.

For this case mixing can and must be done by the monitoring function inside your DAW, to play or sing along some music track [...]

yup and then he has always the RTL through USB depending on ASIO buffersize.

It's much better to be able to route directly from a connected source to monitors/phones without RTL over USB or to do this in combination with audio coming from a backing track.

Example: Vocals + Backing track, Monitoring for vocalist through phones

Backing track from PC. As soon as you hear the backing track you sing and the monitoring of your own voice can happen in near-realtime by routing audio directly from HW input to HW output on the recording interface, without the latency through USB (if you would have to route Everything on the PC / in the DAW).

And if you are not using the DAW as application you are missing a software mixer with routing capabilities like TM FX.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13

4 Reply by alexone (edited by alexone 2022-05-06 13:02:40)

  • Registered: 2022-05-06
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Re: Direct monitoring

OK, in summary as you wrote : there is no mixing at all inside the ADI-2.

I use my ADI-2 as a general hub to which my speakers are connected. I have an interface and also a hardware mixer, but just sum the sources would have allowed many other very interesting configurations. I used to use the Dangerous Music Source DAC for this function. There is no totalmix or anything like that inside the Source, but it allows to sum all inputs.

I replaced the Source with the ADI-2 to use it for "re-analog" operation (running some tracks through analog). It is a pleasure to work with such good converters. I would love to learn about mastering too. It's a job in itself, but I think I have the right tool to start.

I lost on one side, but I won (ADC) on the other.

  • Registered: 2022-05-06
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Re: Direct monitoring

By the way and slighly off topic, someone can confirm that using a good converter like the ADI-2, during the process, before or after using less good converters is any useful? (or the rule is that the worst converter set the final quality and this is of no use to go though better one at a moment or another of the process)

6 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2022-05-06 13:20:56)

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Re: Direct monitoring

Using a good converter preserves the existing quality.
Using a bad converter further degrades the signal at each run through.
Distortions, noise, frequency response ripple, clock jitter related effects etc. all add up.

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