Trying to understand recording interfaces

[alilcluless]

Hi, I am hoping someone can tell me what do professional studios use for audio / midi recording interfaces, if at all?
excuse my ignorance ..
What is the difference between using a presonus audio box vsl 44 as opposed to an audio to digital / digital to audio ADI-8 DS? Or using a mic pre amp such as the Cranesong Spider 8 Chanel Pre amp?

Are these used for specific kinds of instruments only?

My guessing is that the presonus some how cuts a lot of the other parts that are used, you just plug your mic in and and this is then converted in to a midi file that is understood by say pro tools?

And the pre mic can be used and then converted into digital from the ad/da to work with DAW?

 

[Winspear]

Essay incoming..

 

[Winspear]

Here.Scroll down and read post 8 by me
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/237400-deciding-audio-interface-help.html

All studios recording to a computer must use an interface. An interface is what gets the data into the computer. Before that the information is converted to digital at the A/D (analogue>digital) stage. Before that it is amplified (or not) as relevant, for example a mic into a mic preamp.

I don't know the specific examples you listed and haven't looked them up, but the answer to that might be (unless they offer more features):
The 8 channel preamp is just 8 preamps. It does nothing except take signals from mic level to line level (which is what you want to send to the digital converter).
The ADI digital converter does nothing except make line level signals into a digital signal in whatever format that might be
Then the interface does nothing apart from receive that digital signal and give it to the computer (and also take digital signal out of the computer to your speakers of course)

Though, that particular Presonus interface is an all in one solution, which is what people are typically after when talking about interfaces. It has preamps to plug into, converts to digital, and then sends it to the computer via USB/Firewire.

A more professional approach found in studios might be:
Many various flavours of preamps with analogue line level outputs
An expensive analogue to digital converter
A very good digital interface like an RME RME: Hammerfall DSP Digiface - see, nowhere to plug mics or jack cables. Digital cables taken from the converter.

Some preamps come with a digital output option so you can skip that middle stage.

Your last points are correct, The presonus is an all in one solution (doesn't cut parts though - just all in one box at a lower quality than found on specific expensive units) - And it's not MIDI. It's digital audio. MIDI is a programming language used by synthesizers, drum machines etc. It contains no audio information, simply tells a synth (hardware or software) what to play.

 

[alilcluless]

Very helpful, thanks dude! As for those products I mentioned, they are what Andy Sneap uses, I figured he knows what are good products ...

Ok I was confused about line level, essentially the mic volume isn't loud enough alone and to make it loud enough (i.e. line level) the preamp is used (in some way, audiobox or signal chain). Basically its one part of a channel strip, along with compressors, equalization, noise gates, summing amp and enhancers and then the AD/DA to interact as you said with the DAW.

Also for anyone who wants to know: I looked up some good pro equipment:

pre amps : Avalon 737 and AD2022, Chandler Germanium, Great River MP2NV, Avedis MA5, LA-610, Neve 1064, 1073 and 5032, Focusrite Red 1, API 512c and 3124+, Siemens V72, Crane Song Flamingo and Spider, DAV BG1, Aurora GTQ2 MKIII, Groove Tubes ViPRE, NPNG QMP-4NW, Pendulum audio SPS-1 Stereo Preamp

Compressors : TELETRONIX/UREI/UNIVERSAL AUDIO LA-2A, Alan Smart C2 Dual/Stereo Compressor (and Andy Sneap's settings: Ratio - 1.5-2 , Attack - slowest, Release - fastest or auto but mostly fastest. Stereo mostly on but sometimes in Mono.), Tube Tech LCA 2B Compressor, UREI/UNIVERSAL audio 1176, FAIRCHILD 670, EMPIRICAL LABS DISTRESSOR, NEVE 2254, Tube Tech LCA 2B Compressor and SMC 2B, Canesong STC-8, Pendulum audio OCL 2, DBX 165 Compressor.

Equalizers : Cranesong ibis, GML Model 8200 eq, SONTEC MEP-250EX, Neve Portico 5033 Eq and 8803 Dual Eq, weiss EQ1 7-Band Equalizer, neve 8801 Channel Strip, tube tech EQ1AM, roger schult w2377

Noise gates : Aphex 612, Drawmer DS201, DBX 904.

Summing amp : Tube Tech Summing Amp SSA2B

Enhancers: TC Electronics DB max, Aphex exciter.

Here.Scroll down and read post 8 by me
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/237400-deciding-audio-interface-help.html

Though, that particular Presonus interface is an all in one solution, which is what people are typically after when talking about interfaces. It has preamps to plug into, converts to digital, and then sends it to the computer via USB/Firewire.

A more professional approach found in studios might be:
Many various flavours of preamps with analogue line level outputs
An expensive analogue to digital converter
A very good digital interface like an RME RME: Hammerfall DSP Digiface - see, nowhere to plug mics or jack cables. Digital cables taken from the converter.

Your last points are correct, The presonus is an all in one solution (doesn't cut parts though - just all in one box at a lower quality than found on specific expensive units) - And it's not MIDI. It's digital audio. MIDI is a programming language used by synthesizers, drum machines etc. It contains no audio information, simply tells a synth (hardware or software) what to play.