Yes, but it is close to impossible to cut a CD after each plugin rendering and monitor the result through a CD player.
Computers are not nearly as good, but they can be set to be better sounding, for monitoring tasks. For pleasure you use a Marantz or a Denon.
That is the reason for all misunderstanding in debate with Mr. spencer 26.

 

I have just mixed a track for a band on my new modified $20 DA convertor experiment and I was able to hear and do things I have not been able to do in 50 years in recording studios.
I sent the track to the client and he was very happy as the mix translated on all mediums because for the first time ever on digital I could hear what I was doing.

When I was mixing on SSL consoles and monitoring analog I was always disappointed with the playback of the 1/2 inch master tape.
Spencer

 

Is this in humour?

 

No

 

CD and other digital players also have DACs. So that is not the problem raised in this thread.

As complex and multitasking, OS and CPU are underestimated as a significant cause of artefacts and distortion in music reproduction from computers.

DACs are in fact off-topic, and I am sorry most people here focus on them, not recognizing the OS and CPU problem, and the importance of approaches aimed at overcoming it.

 

I thought otherwise, which is why I mentioned external CD players/recorders, and external interfaces.
But then you say this?

Which implies I'm "not recognizing" something.
Cheers then.

 

Monitoring what you do is one thing, and listening to ready-made/published music is another. CD players/recorders are used in the second case (so it is off-topic).
Yes, one is forced to monitor on a computer, but computer audio processing is far from being the best choice in terms of audio reproduction quality.
So yes, DAC is important, but other things of quite different nature that I emphasized are important as well.
Those other things might be "that something" not recognized by you.
Or you do recognize them?

 

Maybe a simple clarification could help here: I started this thread in order to start discussion on digital sound processing (DSP) happening in CPU before the result is sent to DAC, not processing from digital to analogue (D/A conversion) happening in DAC.

 

You are misleading people.
A DAW like Studio One uses DSP in CPU. There are no audio problems with this or any other DAW.
This audio is monitored with either computer DAC or external DAC like maybe your Presonus interface.
Computer DAC will never really be usable as a monitoring source as the DAC is not up to scratch.
It is using the switch mode power supply in the computer and this is full of noise just for a start.
What is the point of screwing with the CPU to try and correct something that does not need correcting.
If you are a person just playing with audio it does not matter.
But if you are using a DAW to make music do not bother with the computer internal DAC.
Spencer

 

@dabugen What's with all the neg Dislike ratings on everyones posts?

 

Reproduction (i.e., playback) typically entails the following steps prior to D/A conversion:

• Waveform shaping of the degraded recorded coded signal to reconstruct the recorded code,
• Extraction of time based code to synchronize individual frames (data is held in a buffer and phase locked loops are used to reconstruct the exact timing),
• Demodulation of the group code typically to NRZ code (i.e., conversion of group code to a simple readable code)
• Demultiplexing to restore parallel structure of multiple channels etc.
• Extraction and processing of error code, and error correction algorithms applied
• Deinterleaving

 

@dabugen @Rere
As per the site rules, please explain your record-breaking amount of negative ratings on these replies:
#3 pratyahara
#6 pratyahara
#16 pratyahara
#20 pratyahara
#22 pratyahara
#26 pratyahara
#29 emanresu
#30 pratyahara
#32 emanresu "Tried Asio player yet?" = Dislike!
#39 pratyahara
#41 pratyahara
#42 Smoove Grooves
#43 emanresu "I can measure if it works. Give me until tonight" = Dislike!
#44 pratyahara
#45 pratyahara
#50 pratyahara
#56 pratyahara

@Olymoon

 

All wrong rating taken off.
Dislike is completely different than disagree.

 

A great help for those who prefer soundcard as the source of sound infidelity. Renders class-A performance.
Works with every 8-pin dual op. amp. (analogue output of soundcard).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Jung

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 19, 2020