A Few Simple Questions

[inman at interpath.com]

Would someone please define these terms / answer these questions?

Rail to Rail
Does that mean possible output voltage goes from ground to V+?

What does it mean to say an AD/DA converter is 2 or 4 or 8 channels?
Are these inputs summed in the output or sent in parallel?

Is there a simple 8-bit DAC with parallel in?  Is there an 8-bit DAC
for dummies?  Colin said he had had great success making a DAC with a
chip.  Colin -- which one?

Any comments on frequency to voltage converters?  Not for tracking a
musical note, but used more as a DAC?  They clearly have some error
and tracking times are a concern?  Were these the DAC of the past?


These questions are more electronic basics than SYNTH-DIY, but I
assure you my intentions are entirely musical.  :-)

Elliot