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I think the comment about using a filter such as in the Finalizer is correct. You do have to watch with TC Elec stuff though, as using the analog ins/outs, they are DC coupled, and so is the MTU i/o module for analog. You can get garbage in there real easy if not careful using an analog connection between say a TC Finalizer and the MTU i/o module. Some other gear also does this. You'll see it on the MTU meters, too.
I first ran into it when I was using the Finalizer to help condition some material I wanted to load into Medit at 22K for m/media.
The TC box's multi-band compression was very desirable for that purpose, used heavier than I might normally do for other work.
TC can provide a diagram of how to add some blocking caps to their unit.
A quick and dirty way to fix this (which I used though against my
philosophy of "less is more"!) is to take the TC digital output to a DAT deck (in my case it was a Tascam DA30 I think), put the deck in input monitor mode, come out of the thing analog (balanced) to the MTU analog inputs. That eliminated the DC the TC was introducing from its analog outs.
Sort of a quick way of setting up a buffer amp.... Yeah, more components, more electronics stages-- but solved the problem quicker than I could grab a pile of caps and a soldering iron to get the job done. And since the target was 22K anyway, I figured the penalty wasn't so terrible given the circumstances.
On the DC offset, if you are working with a WAV file, you can take it into Cool Edit Pro and remove DC offset. Unfortunately, Cool Edit won't directly recognize the SF format. I have asked them several times about making SF a recognized file type, they say they are considering it but nothing yet. (prob would not hurt if some others ask 'em too!) Cool Edit will also accept "raw" data. I have had limited success in bringing in SFs to it that way, but it is usually too much trouble, so my workaround if I run across DC offset with a SF is to open Medit, bring in the full SF,
save the whole thing as a WAV file, then take to Cool Edit Pro for
DC removal, saving it, then opening the result in Medit for working on it. Need mucho disk space of course, but that's not as much of an issue as it once was.
The downside of that is if you use seg or file flags and had them in the original file, you won't have them anymore once WAV'd etc. I use the file flags (still) all the time when recording stuff as markers (up to 99 of course). That way, they stay with the file
(except as noted above).
Often I just set up a temp project to work with when originating stuff at outside studios, then yank the drive and bring it back to my post studios for editing, often setting up a new project file
when I start editing-- so the markers are real impt to me a lot of the time.
I had quite a bit of trouble at one outside studio I use with a Ramsa digital console. I was coming out of it analog and then going to an Apogee a/d converter as a front end to an MTU system. I was getting files with DC offset in them. I also tried using the dig. outs of the Ramsa board directly to MTU i/o module dig. in (DAIO board) and got same thing. Ditto on using the Krystal digital input (either flavor). It was the Ramsa that was the prob. Might have just been that unit, might be all the Ramsa dig. consoles-- have no way of knowing.
I use that same system at a variety of outside studios, and other than with the Ramsa board, it has been pretty bulletproof. It has an MTU 2 chan i/o module with DAIO board, the unbal Krystal analog i/o, and the Apogee a/d all available. Have used with Sony, Neve, Soundcraft, Mackie, Trident, SSL and other consoles
with no problem-- excepting that Ramsa. I usually wind up using the Apogee though can easily swap to the MTU i/o module.
Reason for Apogee is that for cheap insurance, I tend to like having its soft limit function on during recording. For return to the studio's console though I nearly always use the balanced outputs from the i/o module. It seemed to me that setup was best way to go given using a variety of outside systems to originate voice track and other material, also to lay multitrack mixes or stems down into Medit. Gives a lot of options and flexibility, not to mention some redundancy, which is always nice to have when expensive talent's time clocks are ticking away on a session (not to mention the studio time clock, too)!
For a m/track mix often I will forego the Apogee and just use the MTU i/o module. (again my less-is-more philosophy I guess...)
The i/o mod. converters are very clean, the Apogee is as well.
And for my needs, I usually need balanced i/o, especially at most of the NYC outside rooms I use, though this approach still gives you the unbalanced Krystal i/o too if you need or can use that.
But balanced (with some pin 3 to 2 swap cables sometimes)
lets you just plug the MTU system in wherever the studio has a DAT deck or other 2 channel harness hanging around. I keep some XLR to bantam and XLR to 1/4" mil-type TRS plugs with it too for plugging into any of the patch bays I might run across.
Hope this helps-- Rich
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