[ardour-users] Using external processors

[Joe Hartley]

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 00:14:19 -0500
"Joseph Dell'Orfano" <fullgo at dellorfano.net> wrote:
> No problem going d/a and then a/d back again? Is there a sound quality
> issue with this? I always thought that plugins were the way to go once
> you got the audio into the computer.

I have no problems routing the signal out to an analog chain and back
in again.  A recent thread on one of the Linux audio groups I'm on
was about reverb plugins for Linux, and 2 problems were pointed out.

One was a denormalization issue that caused the plugin to suck up
all available CPU at times, the other was the user interface, and the
lack of presets therein.  The denormal issue is largely history, I
believe, but there are still interface issues.

The a/d - d/a processes can remove some signal, but if you're careful
and have halfway decent gear, it's not an issue.  I have a balanced
patchbay and use balanced patch cables, which helps a good deal.

If I'd been forward thinking enough, I'd have looked for gear that
supported SPDIF, but as it stands, I have some gear that does SPDIF,
some that does AES, some that's just analog.  It would have been nice
to have a fully SPDIF enabled effects chain!

-- 
======================================================================
       Joe Hartley - UNIX/network Consultant - jh at brainiac.com
Without deviation from the norm, "progress" is not possible. - FZappa