Two identical new cars—matching in weight, wheelbase, and horsepower—will exhibit significantly different performance characteristics depending on whether a gasoline engine or an electric motor powers them.
That's because process matters.
The same applies to capturing and recording audio. Live->DSD->PCM sounds real. Live->PCM sounds digital.
Process matters.
When it comes to capturing the sound of live music, that process is mechanized with an analog to digital converter or an A/D Converter—the counterpart to the D/A Converter.
Depending on the desired output, inside an A/D converter, there are two basic means of conversion: for PCM it's the sample, hold, and convert method. For DSD, it's a continuous stream running through a Sigma Delta Modulator. One is stop and start while the other runs smooth and fast.
While grossly oversimplified, this start/stop vs. smooth running helps explain why making the initial conversion from live sound to bits inside a computer is critical. It also helps paint a picture of why it is possible to go one way, and not the other.
Live to DSD to PCM sounds real. Live directly to PCM sounds digital.
It's why at Octave Studios, process matters.
