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Re: mac recording question



Title: Re: mac recording question
At 6:13 PM -0500 2/25/05, Nemoguitt@aol.com wrote:
is there a difference if i come out of my mixer and go into the usb port then to the computer or straight from the mixer and into the mac audio in...i just went form my mackie right into my mac and it worked!.....i bypassed the usb altogether.....am i missing anything nonusbing?

You don't give any details about what USB interface and what Mac model you have, so one can speak only in generalities.

Whether you are recording directly through the Mac input or through an external interface the signal path is essentially the same:  (1) mic preamp or line input electronics -> (2) analog to digital converter -> (3) disk drive, managed by some sort of recording software. In the case of the USB interface there is an additional layer of data handling and transmission as the audio samples are passed from the interface to the computer itself. In principle a USB interface should have higher quality preamps and converters than those built into the Mac, so if everything is working normally you should get higher quality recordings by using the interface.

Any dodginess with the interface is a separate issue that could be due to various factors, some of which Travis points out. You can probably answer your own question by making recordings of the same source signal using both the USB interface and the direct Mic connection. Make sure your signal levels are as close to identical as possible, then do an A/B listening test.  If you can't tell the difference, then go ahead and use what is easiest.

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