A question for all you Masterlink users out there.

When you mix down to the Masterlink from your DAW's or desks...do you pick up any gain in the process (without using onboard DSP)?

I recently performed a test whereby I dubbed multitrack mixes out of my DAW & into my guitarist's DAW; & picked up a little RMS along the way.

I thought if I could accomplish the same thing bouncing to the Masterlink, that would be ideal.

Thanks,

mark4man


BTW - No more questions outta' me on this topic...I think I owe it to everybody to just go out & buy the damn thing to find out how well it's going to work in my setup. I know a lot of mastering studios have them...they must be top notch.

Depends on how I'm going into the ML.

Master buss from the Ghost into the analog ins on the ML, I actually lose a little gain. Depending on what the client wants, I may run a compressor across the mix buss using like a 1:1 ratio, no reduction, medium attack and release and use the make up gain to get the signal a little hotter to the ML. If I'm going straight out the Radar to the ML via AES or S/PDIF, I typically don't lose much if any, but I haven't noticed an increase in gain going that route either.

I don't use the ML for mastering (I leave that to folks like John) so I typically don't use any of the onboard DSP it has - I find the user interface for the DSP kinda clunky anyway. For me, it's just a vehicle to provide clients with a quick two-track mix of their sessions. If memory serves, it's the CD24 format the ML's can do that the mastering houses find useful. John can probably confirm or deny that.

I don't know many places that don't have one, but I don't know ANY that use the on-board DSP.

I've seen some reviews (some from some very respectable ears) that say how wonderful it is... I tend to... well... I don't use it.

It's a fantastic playback deck (I wish the CD24 would turn into a consumer format) and perfect as a mixing deck. Reasonably good conversion also.

Skeetch & John,

Thanks,

mark4man

One other thing about the conversion John mentioned. The stock conversion isn't bad, but it can be made better. I had mine mod'd by Jim Williams at Audio Upgrades and it sounds quite good now. The converters themselves don't get changed out, but a fair amount of the leading and following circuitry is changed/upgraded. It really makes a world of difference.

Skeetch,

How much was that?

mark4man

quote:

Originally posted by Skeetch:
If memory serves, it's the CD24 format the ML's can do that the mastering houses find useful.

FWIW - I recently did a project that was dumped to ML from PT. The AE burned a data CD-R of the CD24 files and I copied them to my HD and opened them up in Samplitude and mastered away. CD24 files are simply 24-bit .aif files...

quote:

BTW - No more questions outta' me on this topic...I think I owe it to everybody to just go out & buy the damn thing to find out how well it's going to work in my setup. I know a lot of mastering studios have them...they must be top notch.

Yeah, BUY one for crissakes! And, while you're at it, couldya buy me one, too?



mud