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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: vanark on November 08, 2007, 01:57:16 AM

Title: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: vanark on November 08, 2007, 01:57:16 AM
Probably a pretty simple question, but being a newbie, I need to ask.

Just before the Rose Hill Drive set tonight, a guy came up and started asking me questions about my rig - what mics, did I use a preamp, what recording device I was using, and what kind of input and output I had on the R-09.  I finally figured out that he wanted to know if he could patch.  He had a JB3.  I didn't have a mini Y cable to split my feed out of my pre-amp and I wasn't even sure what kind of input he needed.  I thought of offering him the headphone/optical out on the R-09, but I didn't know if that would work for him.  On top of it, all this is happening as RHD is getting up on stage.  I assured him my recording would be going up on LMA in a few days and he could grab it there.  At that point, I got back to being prepared to actually record the show.  He was satisfied, but I guess I should know what is possible for the future.
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: Roving Sign on November 08, 2007, 07:29:41 AM
optical would be the ticket...although I guess it would truncate a few bits if you are running 24 bit...(unless for some reason the R9 only outputs 16)
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: vanark on November 08, 2007, 12:20:52 PM
I don't have an optical to check this out.  Has anyone run a patch, either optical or 3.5mm mini out of that jack? 
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: Eigenklang on November 08, 2007, 12:34:45 PM
I do not recommend using the headphone out as analog out. It is just not good enough for satisfying results. But give it a try: Plug your R09 to your home stereo system, and replay a recording that you have made.
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: tms on November 08, 2007, 05:02:12 PM
I just got my R-09 today and tested it just to answer this question and the answer is 'YES', while you're recording the headphone jack is active, both for monitoring with a pair of headphones and for sending the optical digital signal 'out' to a patcher.  Very cool. 

So for someone to patch the digital optical signal from you to the digi-in on a JB3 they'd need a fiber-optic cable with a mini-plug on each end.

Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: china_rider on November 08, 2007, 05:25:00 PM
I don't know but thought I would just put this out there.  If someone wants to patch from you they should be responsible for bringing all types of cables that they may need.  You should not have to worry about keeping cables in your gear bag for patchers.  The other thing is that I would only let the patcher take the patch from the out of your deck (or pre if available.)  If you start inserting splitters etc before the signal gets to your deck you risk messing up your recording.
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: vanark on November 08, 2007, 05:36:28 PM
I don't know but thought I would just put this out there.  If someone wants to patch from you they should be responsible for bringing all types of cables that they may need.  You should not have to worry about keeping cables in your gear bag for patchers.  The other thing is that I would only let the patcher take the patch from the out of your deck (or pre if available.)  If you start inserting splitters etc before the signal gets to your deck you risk messing up your recording.

I felt the same way, but it was my first request and I was a bit surprised so didn't have a well thought out position. 
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: Roving Sign on November 08, 2007, 05:51:05 PM
I don't know but thought I would just put this out there.  If someone wants to patch from you they should be responsible for bringing all types of cables that they may need. 

Perhaps - but If I had the proper cable - I might volunteer it...just so I was using "trusted" equipment. And not something that was going to screw up my deck...
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: vanark on November 08, 2007, 05:57:08 PM
isn't the headphone jack also a digi-optical out?
I've never tried it, and don't want to dig out the manual to confirm, but something deep within keeps saying yes?

yes.
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: digifish_music on November 08, 2007, 06:47:44 PM
isn't the headphone jack also a digi-optical out?
I've never tried it, and don't want to dig out the manual to confirm, but something deep within keeps saying yes?

yes.

The analog headphone amp is noisy...badly so. Is the optical just a straight digital patch from the main A/D, if so it would be fine?

Note there is a setting in the options to turn monitoring on/off so check that's on.

digifish
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: tenesejedd on November 08, 2007, 10:11:50 PM
I have let people with minidiscs patch out of my R-1 (it has the same headphone/optical jack as the R-09) before and it worked just fine. The analogue out is pretty noisy so i wouldn't recommend that, but the optical works fine for sending an optical signal to another device. Now I don't think anyone ever determined what bit rate the optical jack sends though.
Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: tms on November 08, 2007, 10:28:30 PM
Check out the 5th post from the top.   Someone could patch out the headphone jack using the digital optical signal.

When set at 48khz wave recording, it puts out at 48 khz.  When set at 44.1 it puts out at 44.1.  Not sure about the bit depth but my guess is it puts out whatever you're set to record at, 16 or 24 bit. 

I totally agree too that the patch cable is not the R-09's responsibility, it's the patcher's job to bring that.

Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: SmokinJoe on November 30, 2007, 07:00:31 PM
There is one output on an R-09.... it's optical/analog out/headphones all in one. 

I've patched from R-09 > optical > JB3 or H120 several times.  Works fine.

I've also patched R-09 > analog out > to whatever the other guy has several times.  Works fine.

Is it absolutely positively the best thing available?  As good as V3 > AD2k?  Of course not.  Is it good enough?  Yes.

On an analog patch I generally put the output in the middle of the 0-100 scale, and ask they patcher "You getting enough signal?" and they generally say yes.   I agree it's probably noisy maxed out, but midrange isn't too bad to my ears.  Important rule... patchers can't be choosers... and most aren't.

Title: Re: Patching out of R-09?
Post by: vanark on November 30, 2007, 07:37:42 PM
Thanks, Joe!  +T