Topic: How can I use a D8 for pass-through?

[NewHomebrew]

I'm trying to figure out how to use a D8 as an A>D converter... can I pass through the deck without recording a tape?

I've got my cassette deck > D8 line input > 7pin S/PDIF > computer soundcard > recording app

What do I press on the deck to make this work without recording a tape?

[Tim]

you can press record and it will go engage the heads to the tape, show levels, and pass a signal. however I'm almost positive the deck drops out of "record" after a few minutes. Make sure your d8 is running on power from an external source (ac or dc will work)...

[caymanreview]

dont you need an active 7 pin cable, and switch it to analog to be able to pass the digi signal

[NewHomebrew]

thanks for those fast replies, guys.  my 7 pin is passive.  i tried to just hit record but no levels came up and the monitors gave no sound.  maybe i am screwing something up, i will give it another shot.

[jessedscott]

thanks for those fast replies, guys.  my 7 pin is passive.  i tried to just hit record but no levels came up and the monitors gave no sound.  maybe i am screwing something up, i will give it another shot.

pause, record. and yes it will turn off by itself..

[Tim]

that's weird, I always put my d8 into record pre show by merely pressing "record" when it was time to start I always hit "pause" twice...

[admkrk]

I'm trying to figure out how to use a D8 as an A>D converter... can I pass through the deck without recording a tape?

I've got my cassette deck > D8 line input > 7pin S/PDIF > computer soundcard > recording app

What do I press on the deck to make this work without recording a tape?

i still don't understand why you would go cass>d8?  why not just start w/ the d8 cut your tape and then make the transfer?

or better yet, just go straight to the sound card.

maybe i'm missing something?

[caymanreview]

depending on the soundcard, i bet the d8's a/d is better

[JasonSobel]

dont you need an active 7 pin cable, and switch it to analog to be able to pass the digi signal

yes and no.  The active cables have the "analog" and "digital" switch to specify the input.  the passive cable doesn't have this switch, but it is easy to work around it.  start the "recording" with the 7-pin unplugged, so that it will use the analog inputs, and then once it's going, you can plug in the passive 7-pin, and it will output a digi signal.

[NewHomebrew]

I'm trying to figure out how to use a D8 as an A>D converter... can I pass through the deck without recording a tape?

I've got my cassette deck > D8 line input > 7pin S/PDIF > computer soundcard > recording app

What do I press on the deck to make this work without recording a tape?

i still don't understand why you would go cass>d8?  why not just start w/ the d8 cut your tape and then make the transfer?

or better yet, just go straight to the sound card.

maybe i'm missing something?

Soundcards are problematic for A>D.  Hardware conflicts, dropped samples, and the noisy environment of the computer mechanismcs/fan mean lots more aggravation using the soundcard for A>D.  Even a supersexy one like I have.

[caymanreview]

dont you need an active 7 pin cable, and switch it to analog to be able to pass the digi signal

yes and no.  The active cables have the "analog" and "digital" switch to specify the input.  the passive cable doesn't have this switch, but it is easy to work around it.  start the "recording" with the 7-pin unplugged, so that it will use the analog inputs, and then once it's going, you can plug in the passive 7-pin, and it will output a digi signal.

nice info to know!

[MarkyMark]

Soundcards are problematic for A>D.  Hardware conflicts, dropped samples, and the noisy environment of the computer mechanismcs/fan mean lots more aggravation using the soundcard for A>D.  Even a supersexy one like I have.

Not in my experience. If you're using anything besides RCA inputs on your soundcard you're taking the chance of having the computer mechanisms having a dire effect on the recording. If you're using a soundcard strictly for conversions, then there shouldn't be any issue with the noisy enviornment. Likewise, hardware conflicts can be worked out and dropped samples are due to slow hard drives and having too small of a DMA buffer size.

Furthermore, depending on your soundcard, you can get a higher resolution compared to what your D8 can do. My Audiophile can input both digital and RCA at 24 bits and 96kHz. Sure beats the crap out of the D8's 16 bits and 48kHz.

[NewHomebrew]

S/PDIF input on M-Audio is bad?

In my listening tests I was happier with Ana>DAT>HD than Ana>Soundcard>HD.  I have 2GB RAM and multiple fast large defragged drives.  I have been through every fix and I still find the soundcards behavior unpredictable when used as A>D.

[dnsacks]

a) just hitting record on the d8 (not pause, etc.) should not load the tape and the deck should act as a pass-through indefinitely.

b) a computer has a LOT of rf noise going on inside of it.  A soundcard that performs a>d inside of the computer would likely lack the shielding, etc. necessary to avoid having the analog signal be adversely effected by this rf interference regardless of its resolution.  Thus, I'd agree that analog>d8>digital>soudcard would likely be superior sounding to analog > internal digital soundcard.

[admkrk]

hmmmmmm...