My Summing Experiment: Sony DMX R100 vs PT HD

[sharp11]

Because I've been considering selling off my DMX and going itb, I decided, while compiling stems, to do a comparison.

I grouped six stereo stems and sent them out one stereo channel on the Sony. It sounded just fine.

I then copied the group and sent each stem out to six separate stereo channels (twelve mono) so I could instantly switch back and forth. No board eq or compression, just straight monitoring.

This isn't the first time I've done this and the result is the same every time: the discrete mix is subtly better than the "itb" mix. It's easy to hear; the discrete mix has an openand spacious quality not apparent in the itb mix.

The itb mix sounds more upfront and in-your-face;less wide.

This has kept me on the now discontinued Sony for the time being, non-support issues pending and all; it's quite a revelation doing this with one's own source material and instant A/B switching.

Ed

[Kevin Perry]

Could you possibly post some files?

[Revelation]

I have heard so many good things about the Sony. Not only does the board sound great, but the EQ and dynamics kick butt. The last update on the software put in labels on each track in the monitor screen and also added a lot of nice features.
Hey if it works, and you end product sounds great, I would not change. In fact I wish I could buy a Sony myself. I think it is better than getting a Yamaha 02R96.

[beebster]

I just sold my DMX. It did sound good, but there were a few things that I just couldn't live with.

First of all, Sony discontinued the DMX-R100 becuase of new environmental laws. Supposedly, everything has to be built from 80% recycled materials. Sony did not want to do a re-design as Yamaha did.

1) So there will be no further software updates. Parts guaranteed until 2008. After that?

2) The USB port was never enabled, so you still have to save your mixes to floppy disc.

3) It's an 8-bus console, but the busses don't route to mix. So I guess you have to send them out and back in to an open pair of channels, etc... which incurs delay. So you must calculate all these delays if you want to use the busses/outboard, etc...

4) I was told that Sony was committed to the console before I bought it. They released one software update and then dissolved their entire pro audio division!



I got a pretty decent return on the console, so I decided it was a good time to get out.

[sharp11]

Originally posted by beebster:
<STRONG>I just sold my DMX. It did sound good, but there were a few things that I just couldn't live with.

I got a pretty decent return on the console, so I decided it was a good time to get out.</STRONG>

Jason,

Yes, I've since sold mine too. For many of the same reasons as you.

Since my initial post at the top of this thread, I'd managed to create quite a few really good itb mixes (partly because of new plugins), so, like you, I decided the time was right to sell (there's a bit of a demand for DMX's right now).

I bartered my mixer (through a dealer) for a Rosetta 800, a mini dac, a pair of dynaudio BM15a's an API 3124 and a PT 96i I/O for my synths and samplers- so far, so good although I'm still getting used to mixerless.

In PT, I can insert my lex PCM 80 and 90's right into the 192 interface, a very cool feature, and many other things happen faster, i.e, making stems is a breeze, just assign submixes to separate inputs on the rosetta and monitor through the 192's enclosure port, total time? About a second and a half - and it sounds fabulous. Also, I love the way my synths come right up in PT (courtesy the 96i I/O)

However, at some point I might try out a Yamaha DM 1000 if for no other reason, to create an interface that's a bit friendlier with the outside world and to have 32 digital ins and outs.

But for now, I'm pretty happy.

Ed

[chulio]

I could never go back to in the box. The ease of setting up 5 headphone mixes, the Sony EQ & Dynamics and it just sounds better.
.


"The USB port was never enabled, so you still have to save your mixes to floppy disc"

The usb has not been set up but with a nulled serial cable I have been loading files from a pc for a long time now. Floppy disks have been out of the studio for quite some time.

[thesimulacre]

The usb has not been set up but with a nulled serial cable I have been loading files from a pc for a long time now.

If you are still around, could you please expound on this for me? I just bought another 10-pack of 3.5" blanks, and forsee clutter in the near future.