I plan to get an RME ADI-2 Pro to record my records in DSD. I use Ubuntu Linux. I see that many people here use Linux, and I wonder if anyone can tell me how they record using the ADI-2 Pro. Is there a standard Linux package that works for this? Or something open-source?
Thanks, Jack
I thought the ADI-2 was a DAC. If you are going to covert records to digital you will need an ADC.
The ADI-2 DAC is a DAC. The ADI-2 Pro is an AD/DA. The fuller name is RME ADI-2 Pro FS R 2-Channel High-End AD/DA Converter. Other AD units such as the Korg and Tascam can convert to DSD64 or DSD128. The ADI-2 Pro can convert to higher sample rates, such as DSD256 or PCM 768 kHz. So, yes, it is an ADC.
Impressive. I did a search on RME ADI-2 Pro and the first match was the DAC but the full name search found the right device. I do not know much about the recording side; FooBar2000 might help. It’s listed as a player but it is fairly advanced. The RME manuals seems to assume that you will be using MAC or Windows.
If I was converting my old LPs to digital I would stick to PCM. It gives you more flexibility for the future. It’s easier to process PCM; digital room equalizers, driving active speakers etc. DSD also chews up more bandwidth. A stereo DSD64 signal has a basic data rate of 5.64 Mb/s while the stereo 96/24 PCM data rate is 4.61 Mb/s.
Anyway hope it goes well.
Thanks for your thoughts. I will check out FooBar2000. If I have to go to Windows to support the ADI-2 Pro, I plan to have a stand-alone Win7 machine. There is at least one option that works for this: VinylStudio.
At the sample rates available with the ADI-2 Pro, I expect to have musical quality that I cannot perceive as different from my records, some of which are really good, like Wilson Audio and Original Master Recording. I will not compromise on the quality, so 96/24 is no where near what I want. I can hear better than that.
Bandwidth and storage are not issues for me. I use gigabit ethernet throughout my home. If a computer is not fast enough to keep up, I’ll upgrade. As to storage, I have an inexpensive 5 TB USB HDD waiting desperately to be used. I estimate I’ll need about 2 TB. Thanks.
As for Volumio, I currently have 2 systems. Volumio is on a mini-PC and on an RPi 4B. I tried an RPi 2, but it is only fast enough to handle CD-quality. My main DAC is a Chord Qutest which requires DoP in this configuration. I use headphones from the DACs.
Is it feasible to record from the ADI-2 Pro using Volumio? I would have to choose between record and play, since both would use the same USB connection. I have not seen an appropriate record function in Volumio. Surprise me. Thanks.
I finally got my RME ADI-2 Pro. When I hooked it up to listen to one of my recordings at 384 KHz/16-bit (actually interpolated from 192 KHz), my response was just, wow. It is better than I had hoped for. Since then, I have recorded various records at 384 KHz/DSD128 and 768 KHz/DSD256. I found that due to clock synchronization requirements in the ADI-2 Pro, I had to use one of their provided drivers, so I am using Windows 7 with VinylStudio Pro. I expected and hoped that I could not hear any difference between these sample rates. But, alas, I can. At 768 KHz/32-bit or DSD256, the sound is more complete, detailed and balanced than at 384 KHz/32-bit or DSD 128. I listen mostly with Koss electrostatic headphones. I feel the ADI-2 Pro is worth every penny, and all the time and headache it took to get it. The DSD256 recordings sound as good from the ADI-2 Pro as I remember my Magnepan MG3’s sounded on my high end system in the 1980’s. This is of course played via Volumio 3.