Burl B2 Bomber ADC input gain adjustment question.

As I understand it, the Input Level is AFTER the transformers, so you aren't "driving" it by increasing the input level. That knob is only to set how hard you're actually hitting the converters. It's not going to change the sound at all, it just makes it louder or softer. If you want more color, push harder out of the console. Less color come in soft and turn the input level up.

The attenuator knob (like you say, post transformer) allows you to hit the transformer harder or softer with whatever is feeding it. So the attenuation by itself doesn’t change the sonics but it lets you saturate the input more if you want.

Edit: on reread, this is pretty much exactly what you said.

Got an answer back from Will at Burl Audio. And, as stated here previously, the input trim is purely for adjusting balance and correct level. I'll have to experiment further with gain between the console and the B2, I guess.

Can anybody speak to if this unit has soft limiters? I’m used to working with the Black Lion Sparrow and like driving the mix into the soft limiter. DAW reads clipping but... sounds great!

You can’t push the Burl to “clipping” (not really) like this right? Hitting the transformers harder gives you color but the unit can still digitally clip?

Sorry if I wasn’t clear enough. I’m asking more specifically if it’s the type of converter that one would slam a bus compressor into early in the mixing process (for more than a few dB). It’s a technique I often see experienced engineers do with pop/hip-hop so that you can build the transients into a mix at commercial level.

I know the Bomber has input transformers that compress, but that doesn't necessarily mean I can drive into it until the DAW prints a square waveform as a final mix (please save your judgments about techniques like this. It’s something a mentor of mine picked up from Joe Chiccarelli and isn’t “audio suicide” with the right tools).

....looked it up for you:

www.akm.com/akm/en/file/datasheet/AK5394AVS.pdf

No. Doesn't appear that the chip does any clipping capability.

Not yet, wanted to make sure it would be exactly what I needed. Thanks!

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for thanks again! I never looked into them because I was under the impression it was all about “clean, clean, clean” but I definitely underestimated the feature set. Looks like a monster that works for everything!