Dave - I don't have Sores Infect, I've only been on the receiving end, through a bridge I'm sure, and the latency was about 2 seconds!!!
I also use ISDN periodically for ADR where I send SMPTE time code down the left channel so Warner Brothers', or whomever's, video can lock to my machine and the right channel is sending the audio I'm recording. With their system chasing mine, they can now watch as I record. Then I upload the wave file. it really helps that I have Rail's BWF helper, as I can now time stamp each of these files and they'll jump right to the spot when the client receives them.
This all works great. The only drawback is that I have to transcode what the client sends, usually a Quicktime MOV file, to AVI. It's often an hour show! I really wish SAW could play QT files on the video track. I keep playing with codecs but can't find the magic bullet.
When Ashton Smith's daughter was attending SDSU, he would sometimes spend a large part of the day in my studio doing multiple sessions with different LA shops. They'd dial me up, he'd spend about 10-15 minutes, if that, and I'd fax back a purchase order for about $750 for each read! The guy is damn good & bangs these out all day long. ISDN is fine for all his clients as he usually never leaves his home studio for these sessions.
" It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life … that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bill Corkery Productions
Studio for Creative Audio
Ian, you and Stashu bring up some real good points regarding ISDN use:
1. Long sessions times - instantly available
2. Multiple VO's from various locations
.... and quality is "Good Enough".
The playoff of long session/multiple location VO's - vs data compressed audio ... I guess makes "Good Enough".... good enough.
I've recorded and used ISDN audio as well as sending it. I haven't had a wav for direct comparison, but I've never heard a swishy s, or any other compression artifact. It sounds like the talent is in my booth. When I'm the talent, even the talk back sounds as though the engineer is in the next room. There are very occasional glitches, sort of a loud squeaky spike, but we just do a pickup and continue. They happen maybe once a month if that.
Having no direct comparison... I guess it would be difficult to hear the difference... since I can hear a definite difference only when doing an A/B comparison between 256 and wav. It's not the swish... it's the clarity, definition, and 'air'. (after all we are losing considerable data at 256 vs wav). However, depending on monitors, room, earphones, etc... I guess the difference could appear as negligible.
Bottom line is... ISDN appears to be a bottom line mode of operation - boils down to Time/Money.
I really appreciate the input. Thanks.
I see that you guys have moved on with the conversation but I wanted to add that my VO business has been moving toward the consideration having to put in ISDN. The carrier (remaining nameless and shameless) informs me that there are no longer residential accounts for this service and I will have to go to a commercial account. I can understand a substantial install fee, but over 200.00 per month for the privilege is something I am not keen on paying from a cost-effective standpoint. What's the lowdown with SourceConnect in this regard?
Ken
Intel P4 3.0 4gb Ram
Motu 2408 X 2
Ada 8000 X1
8 channels of Seventh Circle Preamps
I believe that the tests done by (I think) Hydrogen Audio using a bunch of pro engineers and critical listeners, a selection of high end amps and speakers and using proper double blind testing, prove that no-one can reliably tell the difference between 44.1/16 and 256 Kb/s AAC VBR. I think someone posted the like on this forum a good while back, but I'll see if I can find it.
Now, of course, 256mp3 isn't 256 AAC VBR.
Dominic
I have been using a CDQ Prima ISDN box for more than 13 years now and it still sounds great. I used it to connect with several larger studios for VO work, both inbound and out. It's as easy as a dial-up to be in another city, or country. I have to agree that the price of the ISDN line can be a bother. Like everything else, the price has climbed dramatically over the last several years as fewer and fewer businesses use ISDN for data. For most larger studios it is still the only way to connect remotely. And so we do. I imagine as bandwidth gets larger and internet pipelines get faster, a change will delivery mode will happen.
Jon Smoot
J.R.S. Productions
Creative Audio
jrscreativeaudio.com
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