Preamp Suggestions Please

[Mike Bizanovich]

Well, my studio Presonus Digimax pres have given up the ghost. Intermittent noise issues, phantom power buttons that won't stay depressed, on and on.

Time for an upgrade! Here's my setup:
SawStudio
WinXP Box (New - within last 6 months)
RME RayDat

I mainly record backing tracks for commercials and videos.

Looking for suggestions on 8 channel pres with ADAT I/O to connect to my RayDat

I know the Behringer products and use them for my SAC rigs.

I was looking at the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 and it looks interesting but it seems to have a Firewire interface.

Let me know what you all think.

I am also interested in a some ideas for a couple channels of high-quality pres for vox, acoustic instruments, etc. Money always matters, but I am willing to invest.

Thanks in advance!

[CurtZHP]

If all you need is preamps with ADAT out, the Focusrite Octepre might be a viable option as well. It should interface with your RayDat card. But, like Stashu said, the 18i20 is also a good option. It's essentially a USB version of their Saffire Pro40. I tried one of those out a few years ago and was very impressed with it.

[Sean McCoy]

And a step up from there would be the Focusrite ISA 828, or an ISA 428 with an ADAT card if you don't really need eight channels. I'm a bit of a preamp fanatic so I can make a number of suggestions for very high end units, but they can get outrageously expensive. In addition to budget, the choices will depend on what you're typically recording, and your audio aesthetic. Do you prefer transparency, or color?

[jmh]

Sean, what are your favorites? I have a Fearn pre. It is so clean I can hardly believe it does anything at all - maybe it just works on the mind... Whatever - it is magnificent. Actually, it can do some cool things when you are miking a guitar cabinet and pushing the meter into the red. John

[Sean McCoy]

Sean, what are your favorites? I have a Fearn pre. It is so clean I can hardly believe it does anything at all - maybe it just works on the mind... Whatever - it is magnificent. Actually, it can do some cool things when you are miking a guitar cabinet and pushing the meter into the red. John

I haven't used a Fearn, but its reputation is universally stellar. There's a time and place for ultra-clean, and you've got that covered. I tend to opt for clean pre's like my Buzz MA-2.2 or AEA RPQ with mics that have a lot of specific character of their own, such as ribbons, or when the mic/source combination already seems perfect and I don't want to mess it up.

If you're recording drums or other aggressive sounds and want punchiness, API's and their relatives such as those from BAE are tough to beat. For featured vocals and instruments I usually prefer pre's with a more thick or fat color to them, in the Neve vein. While I can't afford a real Neve, I have pre's from Aurora Audio and Avedis in that family, and both sound killer on lead stuff in a big mix. And if you want even more obvious coloration, the Universal Audio stuff will give you that.

I also have an A-Designs Pacifica, which falls somewhere between the API and Neve vibes. Those Focusrites I mentioned are generally very clean, but their transformer inputs add just a touch of color. Of course mic choice is always more critical than preamp choice, but a wide palette of preamp flavors gives you that much more flexibility in tailoring the sound on the way in.

Then there are compressors...

[mojogil]

I have a couple of Midas XL48 units. I use them live but they would be great in studio. Smooth pres with lots of room. They sound great when you push them. Can be had for $800-900 for a rack of 8 pres.

[soundchicken]

If you really like your Presonus then call them up. I had all new pots put on for 85.00 and shipping.

[UpTilDawn]

If you really like your Presonus then call them up. I had all new pots put on for 85.00 and shipping.

Absolutely +100 on that suggestion..... at least the last time I sent one in they paid very careful attention to making it right again for around the same money as quoted. In a couple of cases over the past ten years, they even upgraded the power supply connectors and cables to bring them up to the current standard at no extra charge. Very good people to work with.

[jmh]

>> Very good people to work with. I too have good experiences with these guys. I had bought an interface that had Yamaha's chip and driver set - the driver was proprietary and useless. Basically Yamaha had screwed them. Anyway, Presonus worked out a good deal for me and made it right.

[Mike Bizanovich]

Thanks for the recommendations all. I got in a Focusrite Liquid 56 to try. We'll see how that goes.

If you really like your Presonus then call them up. I had all new pots put on for 85.00 and shipping.

I lost the first channel a couple years ago and here's the response I got from Presonus Tech Support:

Hi Mike,

Unfortunately, the Digimax 96k has not only been discontinued for some time, but it's also been EOL'd (end of life'd), meaning we can no longer get parts for it and can no longer support or service it. See here:

http://www.presonus.com/support/repairs

You can try seeking a repair with a third party, but they will face the same parts problems, and we cannot provide schematics or assistance with repair. Your only option may be to replace the unit with a different device. The closest thing we currently make would be the Digimax D8: