ChurchHill
Well-known member
Yeah, I think the quality of the AD/DA converters continues to get better. Even with the VP4, I can still feel and hear it, but will admit that it could be psychological, too. OTOH, there are a lot of analog boxes, rack and pedals, that also mess with the frequency response if they're not true bypass. In some cases, that's a good thing, like the 2290, PCM41/42, or 1176, where they act like a sweetener even when bypassed.
That reminds me of something. Most of the older rack processors were still designed like they're analog predecessors. The AD/DA, while not as efficient as today's converters, were only in the signal path when they needed to be, like right before the delay chip that replaced the tape/BBD/CCD. The rest of the path, including the dry mix and feedback path, was still analog. Almost all modern units have the AD/DA at the very beginning and very end, so the whole thing takes place in the digital realm. AD/DA always adds latency. In a signal that is supposed to be delayed, that doesn't really change anything, but in the dry mix, it's always there. Since it's all digital, the phase differences can be accounted for.
There's always the argument that a few milliseconds of latency is the same delay caused by moving a few feet away from your speakers. While that's mathematically true, it doesn't take into account how the feel changes when it's turned off and on. Is it an audible difference, not really, but as musicians, we're tuned into extremely minor changes in timing (well, hopefully). I would think that anyone who's played with a great rhythm section knows that the groove isn't something you hear, it's something you feel. Everybody's locked in. Stepping on a pedal that changes the timing, even by a few milliseconds throws that off in a very unnatural way.
I used to piss off my drummer when I'd walk out into the crowd because the increased distance would throw off my timing. Yep, I'm sure it did. Drummers are so adorable when they're mad.
