Does anyone know of and A/D converter w/o phantom power that is less expensive than a UA-5 digimod?
AD-20. They've been going, used, for about $175 - $200.
Quote from: charles on November 02, 2004, 01:45:58 PM
Does anyone know of and A/D converter w/o phantom power that is less expensive than a UA-5 digimod?
While a pure ADC may work well, you may also need gain (preamp or transformers) to get strong enough levels to your ADC. Graham Patten ADC-20's run pretty cheap, but don't often see them for sale. There's a list of some common gear and the gear's capabilities in the Archival Information's Newbie thread. Unfortunately, no associated pricing, though.
If you are gettin CM100s and a NJB3, can't you get started by running line in to the NJB3 via transformers?
I thought someone posted that the nomad internal ADC was as good as the D7/D8 ADC. It seems like that would be the cheapest way to get yourself going until you score and external ADC.
I taped using the JB3 w/o an ADC. The sound quality is subpar when compared to a ADC in the middle. Go with a Denecke AD-20 for portabilitity ($200) or a Edirol UA-5 digi-mod ($200) along side your JB3, and you will not be disappointed. Granted, what type of mics you use will also dictate your recording results.
For the small difference in price, you are better off with the ua-5. As long as you don't want to stealth your adc/pre.
JAson
FYI, digi-mod UA-5 is $295, not $200. They are running some kind of deal with a battery pack for about $30 more.
Quote from: spyder9 on November 02, 2004, 02:35:33 PM
I taped using the JB3 w/o an ADC. The sound quality is subpar when compared to a ADC in the middle.
I never said the D7 ADC was good ;-)
But still it's a working solution. What he has now he could pull some shows.
Bornagain,
I was talking used, not new. No biggy. ;)
Gotcha! Apologies.
AD500/1000?
Quote from: spyder9 on November 02, 2004, 02:35:33 PM
I taped using the JB3 w/o an ADC. The sound quality is subpar when compared to a ADC in the middle.
What gear was your basis for comparison? Do any direct comps? Mic-in or line-in? Very few people could tell the difference in the blind line-in D100 v. JB3 comp I posted a while back, and a good number of people preferred the JB3. Unfortunately, only a handful of people responded.
I think a lot of people bash the JB3 analog-in but haven't actually listened to it. Not trying to knock you, sounds like you've listened with your own ears, I'm just curious under what circumstances you've run the JB3 analog-in and what gear you've used as a reference point (whether as a comp or just previuos usage).
I ran mini card Mics > battery box > line-in > JB3. W/O a Preamp, you can hear the hard drive spin in your recording. W/ Preamp, attenuation is bumped up, over-riding the HD noise. Therefore, if you don't use a AD20, UA-5, or higher, your recording will be bastardized by the beep that comes around every 20 seconds or so. Many people have experienced this problem until they threw in a a preamp. As for line-in vs digital, I went direct w/ digital. If you got it, use it. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Quote from: spyder9 on November 02, 2004, 05:31:43 PM
I ran mini card Mics > battery box > line-in > JB3. W/O a Preamp, you can hear the hard drive spin in your recording. W/ Preamp, attenuation is bumped up, over-riding the HD noise. Therefore, if you don't use a AD20, UA-5, or higher, your recording will be bastardized by the beep that comes around every 20 seconds or so. Many people have experienced this problem until they threw in a a preamp. As for line-in vs digital, I went direct w/ digital. If you got it, use it. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Ahhhhh, yes...low gain. Your experiences relative to mine make sense due to the gain issue - sounds like you didn't have enough, while I ran a pre in front and had plenty of gain. No question, if you can run digi-in to the JB3, gotta do it! Thanks for the additional info, Spyder.
Charles - if you want to keep things cheap, you could run Nak mics (powered internally) > Hosa MIT-176 line transformers (adds gain) > JB3 (line-in, using internal ADC). The line transformers run around $40/pr. Then when you have the cash, you could replace the line transformers with the UA-5 as pre/ADC and run digital-in to the JB3.
With the Hosa I'd be running an analog signal to the JB3, correct?
Quote from: charles on November 02, 2004, 05:47:44 PM
With the Hosa I'd be running an analog signal to the JB3, correct?
Yes, that's correct. Detail chain would look like this:
Nak mics (XLR out) >
(XLR in) XLR cables (XLR out) >
(XLR in) 2 x Hosa MIT-176 (1/4" mono out) >
(2 x 1/4"mono in) to stereo mini adapter >
JB3
Make sense?
Yes, that makes sense. Well, I really apreciate everyone's help on this. I'm learning a lot thanks to you guys. If I can get a ua-5 stock on ebay for pretty cheap, then I'll probably just go that route and do the DIY mod. If not, I now know my other options. Thanks again. I'll keep ya'll updated.