PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Computer Wizard's Driver Question

The Zoom R16 is a nice machine. The R16 can be used three different ways, as a digital recorder, as a surface controller and as an audio interface.

When you're using the R16 as a digital recorder the computer is not involved. Whatever sound you're recording goes straight to the Zoom's SD card. If the sound is being played back by the computer the computer is just another playback device (the same as a cassette player or MP3 player).

When the R16 is used as a surface controller the audio capabilities of the R16 are ignored. When you loaded the R16 drivers onto your computer you loaded multiple drivers. The audio driver matches the audio inputs and outputs to the computer while the surface controller driver converts the data outputs of the R16 faders, knobs and buttons to midi data that can be used by a daw or a plug-in. Not all daws or plug-ins have the capability to use a surface controller. When they do then typically the daw or plug-in may include a way to turn-on the feature and learn to read each control on the surface controller.

The last way to use the R16 is as an audio interface. Depending on how you have things connected you may, or may not be using the audio driver of the R16, the M-Audio card, or both!

If you plug the analog red & white RCA jacks mains output into an input of the M-Audio card you will be using the M-Audio driver and the M-Audio card converts the analog signal from the R16 to digital information the daw can use.

If you use the R16 usb port the R16 sends digital information to the computer and the daw uses the R16 audio driver to convert the digital information into digital audio.

IF, and it's a big if, your daw allows multiple inputs from multiple devices then you could have both the M-Audio card and the R16 usb and both audio drivers would be in use. This might prove useful if you had the analog output of a mixer connected to the M-Audio card input while also using the R16 as a second mixer. Gives me a headache just thinking about it.

The sound levels most likely change because Zoom and M-Audio used different standards to define their outputs and design their audio drivers. Some use 0.775V rms and others use 1.0V peak-to-peak. Some manufacturers use both.

To me the real question is which souns better, the M-Audio card or the R16? Ideally you would want to record the same analog signal, without added effects into the R16 and through the M-Audio card into your daw so you can compare which sound you prefer. If you have both devices set up to record the same audio signal and levels set so both recorded signal are at the same volume level then whatever difference you hear is going to be because of signal coloration added due to the devices. It's likely both devices have comparable analog to digital conversion so whatever coloration you hear is most likely added by the input preamps. Some of the audiophile grade audio circuits now available offer socketed preamps for easy preamp replacement. You swap preamps until you find a sound that is pleasing.