Questions recording in 32-bit float

[RexRed]

Price drop Cakewalk peeps!

Just noticed this.

I paid $200 for mine.

Now selling for around 150 bucks

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UAC232--zoom-uac-232-usb-3.0-audio-interface

In my opinion, this beats every interface on the market for basic DAW work.

[David Baay]

1 hour ago, RexRed said:

n my opinion, this beats every interface on the market for basic DAW work.

Overall quality of the A/D/A converters and analog sections is more important than raw sample rate and bit depth, but I'm curious... can you tell me the actual measured Round-Trip Latency at 32-64-sample ASIO buffer, and can it run smoothly at those buffer sizes (assuming low DPC latency and sufficiently fast CPU for the plugin load)?

I'm still happy with the MOTU PCIe interfaces on my desktop DAW but would be looking for a faster interface for the laptop laptop to replace the aging (and slow) Roland Duo-Capture EX. MIDI Round Trip would be good know as well. Makes me crazy that manufacturers never provide these specs, and few users take the time to measure and report them.

Edited October 12, 2023 by David Baay

[sjoens]

Windows Explorer used to report audio file bit rate AND sample size ("bit depth") AND sample rate, but then removed the last 2 from the list a few versions ago. 

CbB reports sample size ("bit depth") in Project > Audio Files...  Windows reports "bit depth" only for graphic files.

Edited October 13, 2023 by sjoens

[John Vere]

Rex I just read through this whole thread and I apologize for parts of my earlier comments. It’s funny how we read what we have said at a point in time and see how ignorant we were about certain things. 

I just bought the Zoom L8. Firstly because the mixer is perfect for my Solo act. Finally built in effects that I can actually use! 

But this 32 bit thing had me turn off my Motu M4 and connected the L8 and try it as an audio interface. This is with out a doubt the best interface I’ve owned. So far it is a big improvement over the Motu. 
No more loud thump on boot up. No more random garbled audio or just stopping for no reason? 

Excellent monitoring system with no fuss to get the balance in the headphones perfect and keep it that way. 
The list is long and I made a video about it so I’ll stop here. 
 

And yes I’m slowly learning about achieving a higher quality sound using a DAW that I was not even aware might be possible seeing as things have sounded pretty good to me more or less. 

But the other day I was listening to some of my new tracks with headphones and I started hearing crap I hadn’t noticed before. WTF  

Then I played a song I recorded on my Yamaha MD8 20 years ago and was blown away with the overall quality and dynamics of the sound! No computer was involved in that song. Real drums, bass, guitar and me singing into a very basic signal chain. A SM 58, Into the recorder which featured Yamahas top of the line pre amps due to a favour from a Yamaha service tech. A Yamaha compressor and a touch of Alesis micro verb.
 

It was the energy and the performance that made this a great recording. I was also very good at engineering with this gear back then. 

After that Yamaha pre amp experience I’ve never been happy with the pre amps of any of my interfaces. I’ll see how the Zoom does but so far it seems about what you can expect at this very low price point. 
Then in the DAW I’ve learned that every time I add some stupid effect to my vocal track it immediately sounds weird and I end up removing the effect. 
I haven’t had to use Melodyne much for pitch correction because like you I have a million miles on my voice and I’m close enough for what I’m trying to accomplish. 
But I’ve been using it a lot for timing and loudness correction.
 

After reading what you are saying I think you are totally onto something that needs a second look. Melodyne is probably yet another stupid effect I need to stop using and stop being lazy when I lay down vocals. 

I’m breaking my own rule number one - Don’t record crap and think you can just fix it. 
 

Im not sure still if going 32 bit will compensate for the so so pre amps but that’s what I’ve set up now 48/32 no dithering. 
 

Someone asked about the Round trip latency. The L8 is a little behind the Motu but the that said I can’t run the Motu at even 128. I tested the L8 at a 64 ms  buffer recording with TH3 and a few midi instruments no problem. Having super low latency is useless if you can run at a lower buffer anyway. 

Edited October 13, 2023 by John Vere