Topic: UA-5>H120: worth upgrading to >D50?

[ilduclo]

A lot of people say that you can go to -12 (and maybe even a little higher) without any issues of distortion when recording.

I think you've got this backwards.  The advantage of 24-bit recording is that, with a lower noise floor, you can record with the levels LOWER, leaving yourself more headroom for those sudden volume spikes.  With less noise, you can then raise the levels MORE in post to bring them up where you want them (without having to worry about raising the volume of the noise).  As a result, the dynamic range that you can handle is significantly greater at 24-bit.

I agree here. I have the d50 and have found it just great, especially when you need the headroom, think of music that goes from very quiet to very loud here. The 24 bit  lesser noise is essential for this type of recording. Most software can do a pretty good job of amplifying above the -12 db range and dithering down the 24 bit to 16 bit for audio cd's. I use Soundforge 5, ancient, but does a great job.

as to archiving issues, anyone who leaves all there music on their hard drive is taking too many risks. I archive the unedited converted to flac at 24 and then the edited  final set at 16bit to dvd and any rare and unusual shows also to cdr.

at any rate, for $200, this is a GREAT buy.

I've also been happy with the d50 internal mics. I recorded with it for 1 couple dozen shows and thought it just as good as some of the cheaper mic sets out there, and it's so fricking easy.