I have only scanned a few seconds of this still. There is an issue of some sort.
Josephson C42MP (balcony) > Presonus Firebox > DAT > digi-in on Mac G5 > Peak 5.2 (normalized) > FLAC
So the firebox has firewire and 1/4" analog outputs. What type of DAT deck did you use? What connections? I really hope that Marty's sounds okay. You can tell that it is a nice recording beside the error.
I've heard artifacts like this before. There is a grainy quality as an artifact. I think I have heard it when an AD converter is sending 48k and the recording device locks to 44.1k (or vice versa). Some recording devices that record 16bit cannot deal with a 24bit signal. So sometimes if an AD converter is sending 24bit signal and one of these units is looking for 16bit you'll get artifacts like this. But in this case I have to assume you were coming out of the 1/4" analog outputs.
He gave me a S//PDIF coax digital out which I do not see on the firebox. Perhaps it was from his laptop? I plugged it in to my Tascam DAP-1 and recorded digitally locked onto 44.1kHZ. I would think if it were a 44.1 vs. 48k issue there would be a pitch shift, no?
In any case we will find out when marty gets back.
He gave me a S//PDIF coax digital out which I do not see on the firebox. Perhaps it was from his laptop? I plugged it in to my Tascam DAP-1 and recorded digitally locked onto 44.1kHZ. I would think if it were a 44.1 vs. 48k issue there would be a pitch shift, no?
In any case we will find out when marty gets back.
My DA-P1 never had a problem truncating to 16bit from 24bit. I did that a lot when I first started recording to hard disk (for a backup).
Your correct about the pitch comment. BUT I swear I have also had this grainy artifact occur from a 48k clock being recorded to 44.1 machine. At least that is what my memory is telling me (my memory organ). When I first heard this I figured it was one of these two things. I wonder where the SP/DIF came from. Maybe there are options or mods for the firebox to have SP/DIF. Either way I have much hope that his 24bit is fine. Keep us updated because I will forget otherwise.
Marty thinks it is just the conditions that we taped under. (Bad acoustics, fan, sound etc.) We will compare when he gets back but until then this is all we have to listen to...