Building two pristine channels for my home studio

rambolian · Post by **rambolian** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:27 am

Hey guys,

I finally have some time to build my home studio again. I mostly record acoustic guitars, vocals, metals and some percussion, so although I don't need many channels I *really* want to have a super high end signal path. Since most of my songs are pretty minimal (acoustic gtr + vocals), it's really critical that my recordings get captured in a lot of detail and depth.

I use mostly Pro Tools / Mac. A few years ago I knew for a fact I wanted an interface and a A/D converter, but so many new products have been released that I am now confused. Here are my two main choices so far:

Universal Audio Apollo ?$2000
Apogee Symphony ~$1700

Do you think these offer *really* great converters? Which one would you guys pick? If budget was not a problem, is there something else that you would choose instead?

Again, although having a "two-in-one" solution sounds great I am willing to decouple the interface and the A/D if you guys think it's worthwhile...

For reference, I will probably have a couple of Neve 1073s and something like a U87 connected to those.

Thanks a lot!

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:06 am

"If budget was not a problem"

http://www.prismsound.com/music_recordi ... s_home.php

http://www.prismsound.com/music_recordi ... r_home.php

mrc · Post by **mrc** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:13 am

I'm a UAD fanboy, but the Apollo is so much more. You still get 8 line ins, like the Apogee, but you also can use the pres it has with 4 line ins left. The 8 channel adat smux gives you the 16 channels. It also offers the chance to use some eq, compression and/or tape emulation on the way in. Ah yes, back to the old school work flow. If you don't have a card now, the Neve package, Studer and Ampex emu's, plus the Lexicon 224 and EMT bundle is a huge jump from built in daw effects. The company is hinting of pre emulations for the onboard pres in the future on the forum. I'm buying as soon as the PC drivers are out, and they are known to work. The quad pkg is the way to go with the Apollo. I only own a Uad2 and plugs, and am not an employee or salesman/spokesman.

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:06 am

If budget is a problem:

M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI card = $70.

Ross Martin PCM4222 ADC = $329. You won't find better anywhere near those prices and you won't get Burrbrown's best converters.

www.rossmartinaudio.com

spaceantelope · Post by **spaceantelope** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:14 pm

you can't do jack with just the apogee symphony i/o. you will need to buy cards for it which cost a lot more.

for an analog symphony system with 16x16 i/o you're looking at about $5190. I'm assuming when you posted apogee symphony with the price $1700 you didn't realize that was just an empty chassis.

the apogee ensemble might be all you need. check it out...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Ensemble/

rambolian · Post by **rambolian** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 2:01 am

Thanks for all the great info, guys.

After reading a bit more, I am leaning towards an Apogee Symphony IO + 8 Analog I/O + 8 AES I/O. That's about $3700 for 8 channels with no pre-amps, which is definitely a bit steep... But according to some stuff I've read (including this - http://tomdavenport.co.uk/post/15329301 ... r-shootout) I would be getting world-class AD conversion, and I do plan on plugging one or two 1073's in anyways.

The Apollo does seem smarter / cooler, but at less than half the price with more out-of-the-box features one must be skeptical about its conversion capabilities being on par with the higher end stuff. It does seem like a bargain though, but I am really trying to get a "definitive" setup for me here.

Also looking into Pro Tools HD, but would hate to be locked in to just that platform and dunno if the conversion is as good as Apogee's.

HeavyHand · Post by **HeavyHand** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:25 am

i would check into this guy if you are really in need of only 2 channels. it seems really rad.
http://www.burlaudio.com/products/b2-bomber-adc

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:36 am

Yeah, the Burl or the Prism would be way more "definitive" than the Apogee. I personally know a lot of users, including myself, who've been kinda disappointed in Apogee conversion.

And, as Jim Williams pointed out to you here, judging a piece of gear by the price tag is a foolish move. When I was using SSL Alphalink and Apogee Rosetta 200 converters at the same time, I waaaay preferred the SSL. And, at the time, I'm pretty sure they had similar price points. But, for that price, the SSL offered 24 i/o that sounded better to me than the 2 channels offered by the Apogee.

fossiltooth · Post by **fossiltooth** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 6:57 pm

chris harris wrote: And, as Jim Williams pointed out to you here, judging a piece of gear by the price tag is a foolish move.

Totally. And all too common.

b3groover · Post by **b3groover** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:04 pm

SSL stuff is really good. Just installed some in a very high-end studio and they sound very neutral.

Another option would be the Steinberg (aka Yamaha) MR816 series. It stands well against the Prism Orpheus, imo.

By all early accounts the Apollo is also very good.

jhharvest · Post by **jhharvest** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:58 pm

Personally I would not buy the Apollo until a year or two down the line when data of the issues it may or may not have in real world applications. Though it looks awesome, sure.

Or let's put it this way: if I wanted the Apollo conversion, I'd buy a UA 4-710d and plug it into some other sound card. That'd also net me some okay preamps and compressors.

... Am I too paranoid?

Jeff White · Post by **Jeff White** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 1:23 pm

Jim Williams wrote:If budget is a problem:

M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI card = $70.

Ross Martin PCM4222 ADC = $329. You won't find better anywhere near those prices and you won't get Burrbrown's best converters.

www.rossmartinaudio.com

Jim, I am really intrigued by these units. Honestly, having a really nice ADC as a master clock and 2 extra channels for any interface at that price seems like a TOTAL NO-BRAINER. Have you compared them to anything, like the Apogee stuff, Black Lion Sparrow(s), etc? I am really curious about these as an extra 2 inputs/master clock (it would bring me up to 12 inputs, which is PLENTY for me right now). I would also LOVE to check to see if they have a simple DAC, something that could rival the Lavry AD11 and DA11. I'm ready to invest in some nice mastering-grade converters, and integrate my Black-Lion modified 828mk2 into the front end of the ADC. Seems like a sweet upgrade to me.

Jeff

JES · Post by **JES** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 1:24 am

This Ross Martin options, paired the a couple good pres, look great. If they're as good as they say.

On the expensive end (if you're considering UAD) there's also Metric Halo.

On the cheaper end, there's a Black Lion modded MOTU unit (the MOTU unit goes for cheap used).

Jeff White · Post by **Jeff White** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:16 pm

JES wrote: On the cheaper end, there's a Black Lion modded MOTU unit (the MOTU unit goes for cheap used).

And it sounds fantastic. I've been running a BLA modified MOTU 828mk2 since 2006 and have been quite happy.

Jeff

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Building two pristine channels for my home studio

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