Please explain what is the practical purpose or what is the advantage of “32 bit” in Steinberg UR-C?
I bought the UR22C interface, and my friend - the same “bedroom producer” as me - bought the ZOOM UAC-232 interface with 32 bit float for virtually the same money (195 euro). Now he can record vocals without worrying about clipping. There’re two ADCs per channel and no gain knobs at all!))
Of course, I can use a splitter, record a mic through two inputs with different gain levels - lower for a loud voice and higher for a quiet one, and then make a perfect track in Cubase, but in any case I have to drag the microphone stand to the computer to set up the gain doing trial vocalizations, then I have to mess with editing two tracks for one take… At the same time, my friend just sings or records other vocalists carefree, while his interface does everything by itself and gives out a ready-made vocal track without clipping and without too quiet level which might be too noisy after increasing the volume…
Well, it may be not highly professional for a classic recording studio, but for home producers working alone, it’s an extremely convenient and advanced technology imho. This is reminiscent of what used to be in home tape recorders called “automatic recording level adjustment”, but with more correct functioning. And even now, this technology in the Zoom UAC-232, as well as in the several times more expensive Sound Devices MixPre-6 II, is already used at full blast when recording actors for videos and movies. Why not use it in music production, too?..
So is UR22C really not capable of the same simple thing despite its “32 bit” lable?
Thank you!))
32bit is Not the same as 32bit float.
Short answer:
The UR-C “32-bit” claims are shamefully misleading.
It’s a plain 32-bit integer with a single DAC, meaning they are just padding the usual 24-bit recording data with an extra 8 bits of pure useless noise.
It brings no value whatsoever over using a 24-bit recording.
The Zoom (or SD MixPre) 32-bit float with dual-DACs is something else as you point out.
It’s more useful for field recordings (I’d say even required now) where you encounter wide unpredictable dynamics.
It’s not as critical in a more controlled environment like studio recording, but I agree it’s still quite convenient.
I use a Zoom F6 myself for recording small live ensembles and it’s 32-bit float feature is a bullet-proof time saver. You always have an optimal gain setting on all mics without worrying a second about clipping!
Long answer here:
Well, that’s sad. I was hoping that the “32 bit” in UR-C still makes some sense to the user))
Dear Y-D, do you think the preamps and converters in Zoom UAC-232 are no worse than in UR22C, which I actually bought because of the “fantastic” Yamaha preamps?))
And… Hey, dear Steinberg, then create at least a plugin (for Cubendo only!) capable of doing the same thing - sculpting a perfect signal from two different level signals to avoid a clipping! For the idea, I get a lifetime license for this plugin for free! Ok?))
Either interface is worth keeping, each with pros/cons.
The UAC-232 has exactly the same preamps as the F6 (which I currently own), and I had also the UR-44C for 3+ years.
The preamps are totally comparable.
The 32-bit float of the Zoom is a must for many field recording situations, and can sometimes be convenient in the studio too, but not a must have that should disqualify your UR22C option.
So you should not pick between those two units based on these criteria.
Check which one is a better match for you based on its I/Os, user interface, and other workflow criteria. Sound quality subtleties will not be discernable, but overall ergonomics and personal usage preferences will!
If you tell us more about what you plan to do with this interface, we might be able to comment a bit further.
Dear Y-D,
Have you ever had a situation where you used your Zoom F6 together with a condenser microphone that has its own power supply?
I’m still thinking about purchasing a UAC-232, but I’m confused by this question.
I also asked the manufacturer, took the ticket)) but they clearly pretended that they did not understand the essence of the question.
And the essence is that one of the first reviews of this card in/on one of the reputable websites/publications mentions different internal gain settings (in other words, recording level). for dynamic and condenser microphones. And that the internal sensitivity levels are self-adjusted depending on the microphone, or rather when the phantom power is turned on. That is, if it is not turned on, then a dynamic microphone is connected, and then the level is conditionally higher, because the mic is quiet. And if the phantom power is on, then a condenser microphone is connected, and then the level is relatively lower, because the mic gives a louder signal. That’s all good.
But what about a condenser microphone that has its own Power Supply? It can be both Rode and others. For example, I have M-Audio Sputnik.
After all, in this case, you cannot turn on the phantom power on the card. And it turns out that as long as the phantom power is not activated, the card will “think” that a dynamic microphone is connected and will adjust a higher sensitivity level. But a condenser microphone is connected, with power, it gives a louder signal than a dynamic one (about 2 times!), and it turns out that there will just be a powerful overload??? And the problem is not solved in any way?
Here is the answer that was given in ZOOM support and from which I did not understand anything at all.:
“The phantom power supply is switched into the Mic Pre Amp. This does not affect the gain of the mic preamp.
Whether the microphone has a high or low output level is irrelevant.
It is only important that you check whether your ‘M-Audio’ microphone, in conjunction with the preamp, outputs a microphone or line level from the preamp.”
What is connected to what? Where and how to check? Who was standing on whom?))
Or they really didn’t understand the problem. Or, alternatively, the automatic internal adjustment of levels depending on the activation of the phantom power was simply invented in an authoritative SOS and confused people))
It would be very interesting to know your opinion.
Thanks!
I understand well both your question and the answers you got.
However, I think the reviewer you’re mentioning above was not understanding how this 32bit-float works at all. It has nothing to do with the mic type or if phantom is enabled etc.
There seems to be confusion with line-level versus mic-level (with or without phantom power). But anyway, the UAC-232 supports both.
Bottom line is: I can’t imagine a reason your mic would not work on the UAC-232/F6, although I do not have such a mic to test it hands-on myself.
In 2 words: no worries.
Power supply of condenser mics has no influence on the gain.
The only thing that is important, don’t use line signals, since these are too high for the analog part of the recorder if switched to Mic.
Level adjustments are not related to phantom power.
Oh, you misunderstood my question. The problem is not with line or microphone contact. Of course, my microphone has the same XLR as all regular studio microphones. But the problem is that I read (in Sound on Sound or in some other review) that the automatic sensitivity adjustment of the inputs in the UAC-232 interface depends on the state of the phantom power supply - either it’s turned on when a condenser microphone is connected, or it’s not turned on when a dynamic microphone is connected. My concerns are that my microphone is not dynamic but at the same time has its own power supply, which means that the phantom power will not be turned on, which would be equivalent to connecting a dynamic microphone from the point of view of UAC-232.
I do not know how to explain it in another way so that my words are not misunderstood.
And yes, I also have a dynamic microphone. And I know that its signal is 2,5 times weaker than that of a condenser microphone. In fact, I used to set the gain on my current regular interface M-Audio FireWire Solo to the “20 minutes” position for my dynamic mic Audio Technica PRO 31, while I used to set the gain to just “50 minutes” for the condenser tube mic M-Audio Sputnik.
Well, anyway, as a result, I decided that I should buy and try it. And if my fear is confirmed, then I will simply return the product with a refund, no problem))
Again, the level is not related to phantom power.
The interface has no gain setting at all. It is a 32bit float device.
It could even be 64 bits floating point. This only matters when recording the resulting digital signal, the bit depth of which appears after conversion from an analog signal.
But it doesn’t matter exactly when converting. What matters here is the volume of the analog signal coming to the preamplifier, and then to two ADCs with different levels. In turn, the automatic adjustment of both gaines inside the card (on the same input channel) depends on the incoming volume. Automatic gain control does not mean that there are no gain levels at all. It doesn’t happen that way))
Here, I found a confusing mention about this from a review in SOUND ON SOUND:
“the UAC‑232 applies a default level adjustment depending on what type of input you present it with. For example, with an XLR connected, it’ll initially assume you’re using a dynamic microphone and will compensate for an anticipated low‑level input. Enable phantom power and it’ll set a level appropriate to a capacitor mic with a hotter output”
So again, what about a condenser mic with no phantom enabled?))
Well, okay, it’s also mentioned there:
“these defaults get it right much of the time, but if you are distracted by clipping in the monitor path, or struggling to hear the input signal, a visit to UAC‑232 Mix Control provides the answers… To the left of this display you’ll see a vertical slider: this allows you to modify the default input level. Any offset you apply here is preserved when you change input types.”
Thus, for me, the device ZOOM UAC-232 is not a “plug and record carelessly” type. I’ll still have to adjust the input level in its Mix Control panel every time, using at the moment a condenser tube microphone M-Audio Sputnik with its own power supply and a dynamic Shure SM58.
This is not mentioned in the manual.
Wouldn’t that be the best place to explain something like that?
It’s not, ur right)) But there is noted about phantom power:
|On (lit)|Use this to supply phantom power to condenser mics.|
|Off (unlit)|Use this when connecting dynamic mics.|
There’s not mentioned: "Off (unlit)| …dynamic mics or condenser mics with its own PSUs.’