Pre amps...

[JAYDMF]

im just trying to overhaul the front end of my recording kit (or planning the overhaul at least ) and i need some new pres. i havent got huge amounts to spend and i would ideally like to get 16.

The two im most interested in are the Focusrite octapre LE and the Presonus Digimax D8.

Anyone used either of these and willing to give an opinion?

Both seem on par in terms of features although im tending toward the presonus more due to its layout and monitoring features (although both dont have the greatest indicators)

[TrevCircleStudios]

Are you looking for features or audio quality?

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by TrevCircleStudios

Are you looking for features or audio quality?

As much as a balance as i can get really. the plan is that im gonna add a 2408 on to my 424 system and eventually have 24 pres lightpiped to the 2408 and have the 24 i/o for synth inputs and for running out to outboard etc.

Both pres have lightpipe and direct analogue outs so the bases are covered there. the main thing that bugs me is the octopres level indicator as it only monitors one channel at a time where as the digi does all 8 at once. the other thing is that the digi switches phantom in pairs, where as if i remember right the octopre is the whole lot at once.

If the octopre offers far superior sound quality i would take it over the digi but if its not that much better i would rather have the features from the digi

[TrevCircleStudios]

Neither are what you'd class as top quality pres so go with the features you prefer.

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by TrevCircleStudios

Neither are what you'd class as top quality pres so go with the features you prefer.

What would you suggest getting dude ? bear in mind im looking at £700 for 16 pres with those 2 units and im gonna need at least 8 minimum.

[TrevCircleStudios]

Yu aint' gonna get 16 top end pres with that budget but if I was you I might go with the cheapest of those and try and scratch together the money for at least one channel of top level pre a la RNP/Dav or even a Rane MS1B which you can use for overdubs. (Another approach might be something like a Mackie Onyx mixer with fw card.)

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by TrevCircleStudios

Yu aint' gonna get 16 top end pres with that budget but if I was you I might go with the cheapest of those and try and scratch together the money for at least one channel of top level pre a la RNP/Dav or even a Rane MS1B which you can use for overdubs. (Another approach might be something like a Mackie Onyx mixer with fw card.)

Theres no 8 channel jobbies youd recommend then ?

[TrevCircleStudios]

cheapest quality multi pre I know of is the dav BG8 ... at £1500 for 8 channels that's cheap but still twice your budget. As I said, you might get something like a mackie onyx board.

[JAYDMF]

Right o dude. Cheers for the advice man, much appretiated.

[TrevCircleStudios]

As an aside, what do you plan to record that will need 16 pres simultaneously?

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by TrevCircleStudios

As an aside, what do you plan to record that will need 16 pres simultaneously?

Well i have a couple of mates that just want some basic stuff done in the not too distant future, basically im trying to get things ready for when i can move into the garage space and these guys want to record their practices in fairly good quality so i was thinking 8 mics for drums and then 2 each for guitars + 1 vox leaving one spare. its the way i recorded some friends back in uni and it worked out pretty well tbh. ok it wasnt great but with a bit of creativity when it comes to stopping spill i reckon itd work just fine.

I just dont want to spend out on anything thats gonna be a complete bag of sh1t later on but i dont wanna go ott as ive got a lot more things that are gonna make more of a difference to sound quality than pres

[TrevCircleStudios]

You can get a great sound out of drums with just 1 mic placed carefully, then one for each instrument and vox. If you multitrack you can then overdub individual tracks (meaning better uality yet). I'd go with 6 better quality pres if I was you and work on your micing technique. Save money, go for better quality. You'll never regret a buying decision like that. 3 RNPs would be pretty close to your budget and the quality would leave the setup you are thinking in the dust.

[FrankGIK]

Originally Posted by TrevCircleStudios

You can get a great sound out of drums with just 1 mics placed carefully, then one for each instrument and vox. If you multitrack you can then overdub individual tracks (meaning better uality yet). I'd go with 6 better quality pres if I was you and work on your micing technique. Save money, go for better quality. You'll never regret a buying decision like that. 3 RNPs would be pretty close to your budget and the quality would leave the setup you are thinking in the dust.

That, sir, is the right answer. Better to spend your hard-earned money on 4 higher quality channels than 6 preamp channels that are just okay. I can take any kit in the world and make it *killer* with a D112, a couple of ribbons or LDC's and an SM57 as long as I've got the preamps (and the room acoustics) to support it.

Frank

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by TrevCircleStudios

You can get a great sound out of drums with just 1 mics placed carefully, then one for each instrument and vox. If you multitrack you can then overdub individual tracks (meaning better uality yet). I'd go with 6 better quality pres if I was you and work on your micing technique. Save money, go for better quality. You'll never regret a buying decision like that. 3 RNPs would be pretty close to your budget and the quality would leave the setup you are thinking in the dust.

Yeah that is a plan, the only thing is live jamming wouldnt really work with that setup, relying on one well placed mic in a room full of spill could be quite tricky. If i wasnt so far away from the actual "live room" (if you can call it that) i would go down the route of just feeding everything through headphone mixes and use a combination of guitar rig and amplitude for everyones mixes so i could get away with everyone playing live but only capturing the drums but itd involve a fair bit of messing and jiggery pockery in my rack and more kit. im kinda stuck atm, my desk was good for such things but it was also a pain in the rear.

Cheers for all the help tho, think im gonna have a long sit down and plan out exactly what i can do before jumping the gun

[JAYDMF]

Originally Posted by FrankGIK

That, sir, is the right answer. Better to spend your hard-earned money on 4 higher quality channels than 6 preamp channels that are just okay. I can take any kit in the world and make it *killer* with a D112, a couple of ribbons or LDC's and an SM57 as long as I've got the preamps (and the room acoustics) to support it.

Frank

Cheers frank, but that is my main problem atm, the room aint great. in fact right now its just a plain old garage, but im in the process of getting it fitted out to a usable state before the rebuild of the garage starts.