hakanai

Has there been any talk of de-crippling the previous M models? I have never understood why a musician wouldn't want to be able to route signals or possible not use an overdub file structure. Timecode was always enough of a distinguisher on those product lines. Hoping a firmware update would allow "advanced menus"

I don't think this is actually a 32 bit converter. I think this is taking the two 24 bit streams and assembling a unified 32 bit float file. So the classic debates of analog performance bottleneck aren't really applicable to the converter side of this discussion. It seems they must be running one mic pre>converter at unity gain and the other at max gain, then stiching them together at some "mid-point". I don't know that for a fact, but given that they are claiming your gain setting is irrelevant, then the only logical way to achieve the noise performance of a 70db mic pre would be to use a 70db mic pre. And the opposite end is true too, the only way to achieve the headroom of a unity gain mic pre is to use unity gain. Also when they talk about the "deficiencies" of 24 bit, they don't say it's inadequate, they just say that this is better. Dan Lavry's comments on bit depth are in relation to fixed point conversion. Sure there is no point in 32bit fixed converters. But, that doesn't mean better resolution is not possible. What they are attempting to address in their marketing here, is the problem of fixed point bits being applied in a linear fashion to a logarithmic signal. That's why the "float" file is essential. If they can do that it will be a huge leap forward in conversion technology. But doing so with a dual conversion system seems to imply what they are actually doing is similar to what a "log taper" potentiometer does. Meaning it's two linear scales cut together to approximate log. I'm interested to hear what it sounds like. I found this thread looking to see if anyone was talking about the Zaxcom issue, but after reading and writing my reply here I am willing to bet that there won't be a patent issue as long as they don't focus too hard on the "impossible to clip" aspect. Zaxcom's tech is all about overload protection and dynamic range. If zoom talks about their tech as being about applying logarithmic bits to audio conversion, and making gain staging redundant, then they might be able to argue a parallel tech. Anyway, blah blah blah, let's wait to hear it.