Looking for 4-8 Channels Of Preamp < 1k

[Suntower]

Hi,

As the title says. Background (sorry) to give some context...

My Presonus Digimax ORIGINAL (circa 2003?) is finally heading to that last round-up. That's been my main preamp/di for my 'studio'. I've stuck with it because it feeds an RME 9652 with which I am still quite happy and gives me enough channels that I don't have to patch.

But as I said, it's starting to die, so I'm ready to move to the next level... I'd like a 4-8 channel mic pre. ADAT out would be nice, but I also have a Frontier Tango A/D which can do that part of things.

Basically, I -use- 7 pres, but simultaneously will usually only use 4. The drums are in one room (4), the vocal mic in a booth and I have separate DIs for guitar and bass. So usually it's 1-2 and sometimes (4) so I -could- get by with 4.

It's just that I have found it -quite- handy over the years to not have to move cables around---the main reason I got into DAWs in the first place---CONVENIENCE! I just got -sick- of -patching-. I can't stand it.

So I've put up with the Digimax because:
1. Frankly, it didn't sound -that- much crappier than some more expensive ones I tried and...

2. I never have to patch.

An API 500 was suggested. As well as an FMR RNP. But they would have to sound an order of magnitude better in order for me to be willing to have to start patching all the time again.

Frankly I always wonder about my -hearing-... I've had it tested and it's fine, but over and over I find myself -not- being awe inspired by 2k preamps. And again, the tube mic pres I've tried? BLECH. Just adds mud. (ART cheap-o, Presonus cheap-o, UA Twinfinity, Chinese 1073 clone). So I've decided that maybe I'm a 'clean' kind of guy vs. 'coloured'. Capturing -transients- matters. (I -hate- when I get the guitar level just right and the attack of telecaster arpeggios loses it's sparkle!)

For example, the UA 'Twinfinity' I had was quite unimpressive--just didn't seem -that- much better than the Digimax (heresy I know!) and $800 for ONE channel that didn't sound all that great? Forget it. Also? The 'tube' side just sucked. (again heresy, I guess.) I could only stand the clean side.

My main mics are things like Studio Projects C3... SM57s... a couple of AT pencil condensers and a ShinyBox Ribbon. Maybe if I have a $5k mic I'd hear the diff.)

So... 2-4-8 channels of basic clean preamp... with or without ADAT?

Sorry for being long-winded, but I wanted to be clear about where I'm coming from. I know many think it's simply impossible to get a 'decent' sound for such low $... I -do- care about the sound quality... I just haven't had a chance to A/B anything that made me go WOW!

For example, I'm -very- particular about guitar amps... one will pop out as a LOT better than another... but the pres I've tried? None immediately popped out. Maybe I should get out more. Or maybe I just don't have a chance to A/B. Or maybe it take a 5k mic to tell the diff. I dunno.

Anyhoo... TIA!

---JC

[Mane1234]

I have the Digimax and it comes in pretty handy sometimes. I use it mostly to get my from 8 to 16 channels on my Digi 002. Personally I like older sounding pres but to each his own. I got a Sytek a couple years ago and it my go to for anything that I need a nice clean sound for. Search it up...Lots of Sytek love here. 4 channels for right around 1K. No ADAT though.

[deltonfoster]

Hi Suntower,


Another vote for the Sytek. The MPX-4Aii is a really nice sounding high quality preamp. I have had mine for a couple of years now, I use it to record just about everything. You can order direct from Sytek and have it shipped to your door for under 1K.





http://www.sytek-audio-systems.com/prod ... amps/mpx4/

[losthighway]

And again, the tube mic pres I've tried? BLECH. Just adds mud. (ART cheap-o, Presonus cheap-o, UA Twinfinity, Chinese 1073 clone). So I've decided that maybe I'm a 'clean' kind of guy vs. 'coloured'. Capturing -transients- matters.

I don't know that this would be a list of the best examples of tubeamps.

Hi,

An API 500 was suggested. As well as an FMR RNP. But they would have to sound an order of magnitude better in order for me to be willing to have to start patching all the time again.

API's are great and sound like they might have a quality you're looking for. A lunchbox wouldn't be any more patching than everything else you're looking for. Every preamp has an input and an output. Cable up a way that makes sense for how you work and you can probably just leave it set up that way all the time.

Also I'll second the Sytek recommendation. Much cheaper than an API. Still pretty awesome pres. If you go the API route you'll probably spend about $1,100 to get a lunch box and your first pre used. Then you can buy channels for about $400-$600 a pop. They sound really good.

[blungo2]

I've heard good things about the Line Audio 8MP, works out to be about $800 u.s.
No actual experience with them myself, but i have a few of his microphones that i quite like.

http://www.lineaudio.se/linepre.htm

[dfuruta]

If you know how to solder, you could build yourself some seventh circle audio T15s. They're cheap, sound really good, and are easy to put together.

[jhharvest]

Audient ASP008 is under 900? in Europe. Nice clean pres imo.

[Chris_Avakian]

focusrite octopre with the adat card installed?

[Bryantx512]

I have both a focusrite Octopre and Yamaha MLA8. I find that the Yamaha MLA8 is the cleaner of the two. Doesn't seem too colored. These are supposed to be the same pres as in Yamaha's DM2000 digital board. I tend to use the MLA8 when I want to capture something really clean. But I prefer the Octopre for distorted guitars and vox.

Someone posted up a couple for sale here back in Feb - http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?p=628177

[ott0bot]

For example, the UA 'Twinfinity' I had was quite unimpressive--just didn't seem -that- much better than the Digimax (heresy I know!) and $800 for ONE channel that didn't sound all that great? Forget it. Also? The 'tube' side just sucked. (again heresy, I guess.) I could only stand the clean side.

No figgen way. I own digimax D8(same x-max pres as the old digimax interfaces) and a 710 twinfinity....and the difference is huge! The tube side does not suck, it really maintains the high frequency content without getting harsh or brittle...something the presonus can't shake a stick at. The presonus have very little head room comparably, and the xmax pres have only +50db of gain, while the twinfinity offers +70db of gain. I find the xmax pres sweet spot is very small and around the 2-3 o'clock area...and it's very small. It's either too quiet or hitting red. Plus the DI's sound like garbage to me. They are fairly neutral and sound decent on toms, snares, and guitar amps to my ears. Decent utility preamps...but nothing special.

The 710 is much more versitile. It's a true tube design, not starved plate like the Art or other budget pre's. Muddy....no way. UA's 610 is much more darker and muddier. The twin finity is very hi-fi, and pretty accurate to my ears. I used it side by side with a great river 2nv and it held it's own, for sure. Pushing the twinfinity till it breaks up a bit and using the output trim to get the signal in the DAW at an optimal level will yeild a classic sounding tube mic pre sound that rivals anything I've heard. I interned in a studio with Avalons, other UA gear and some older Altec tube pres...and the 710 fit right in. You can use it as subtle overdrive wih the line input, plus the DI is one of the best I've used.

I also have a pair of Summit 2ba-221's, and a pair of pm1000 channels strips, plus the pre's on the 003r and the digimax d8. I run the outboard pre's through a lynx aurora 8. Out of all of them, i think the Twinfinity is the most clean sounding, least muddied, closely followed by the 2ba-221's without using the tube saturation.

In my opinion it's a great pre, but again, that's just my opinion. But maybe it didn't work for you...i get that. I got a good deal on mine when they first came out, and got a rebate from UA on top of that, and I don't regret the purchase at all. I'd even take a second one.

Anyhoozit....
I triple the Sytek recomendation, they sound really nice and clean and have decent headroom and a pretty sizeable sweet spot. The only thing it's lacking are pads, but you can use inline pads or the pad on the mic if it has one. Wish they would've done that instead of a mute, which can just be done in the DAW anyway. I don't know if they'd blow the digimax pre's out of the water...but they would be a step up for sure.

Either that or save some money for a Millennia HV series preamp or John Hardy 2-4 unit preamp. Super clean, high gain, large sweet spot, great on everything type preamps. Many other great stuff via 500 series modules as recomended on here too. You may look at racking some old channel strips too, you can get some killer preamps for a good deal that way.