Maybe a stupid Q ?

[tuzzan]

I´m thinking about buying a A16 Ultra and use it to rec multiple tracks into Cubase 5.01.
Got my 3 Pulsar cards and the system is running fine . Sence I never used AD DA converters my Q is
hopefully obvious ?
Can a conect my mic´s directly to the converter or do I need to conect the inputs from my mixers direct out ? .

I´m running my studio with an old 24 ch mixer and thinking about selling it , and use Scope´s internal
mixer instead .
/ Thanx
Tuzzan

[valis]

Choices, choices...

1. Keep Mixer, use direct channel outs -> A16U

2. Sell Mixer, Behringer ADA8000 > Scope ADAT i/o-> A16U

3. Buy Mic Pre's (single or multiple in single unit, or the new 'lunchbox format etc) and use the mixer to heat your bedroom in the winter

There are some unanswered variables here though.

- How many mic Pre's do you need at once? (How many mics?)

- Does this generate income, or do you have disposable income to spend? Sale of mixer leverages you into what?

There are actually a lot of options, including 4/8 mic pre's per rack-mount unit

[netguyjoel]

Option 2. (2) ADA 8000..that's the route I took!

[tuzzan]

Hi !

Well , I pretty much like your first choice . But then again I would like to put the big mixer aside , O yes ´
the mics´. Well from time to time between 14 -16 mics for the drums , The Drum setup is the same as
Simon Philips (Toto) .--lots of toms ......

2 Choice : 2. Sell Mixer, Behringer ADA8000 > Scope ADAT i/o-> A16U
does this mean that I can conect the mics directly to ADA8000 > Scope ADAT ... In that case it sems
that I dont need A16U ?



Have to think about this ,,,,

ps.
Sorry ,my girfriend like the bedroom cold

/Tuzzan

[netguyjoel]

I'm a drummer too & the ADA 8000s have phantom power for those condenser instrument mics...

If you need more inputs, than XITE is the one for you 16 IO w/ ZLINK A16U, and 16 IO w/ (2) ADAT ADA 8000...32 Channel IO...no mixer, and I like the bedroom cold & the wife needs 10 blankets...

[valis]

2 Choice : 2. Sell Mixer, Behringer ADA8000 > Scope ADAT i/o-> A16U
does this mean that I can conect the mics directly to ADA8000 > Scope ADAT ... In that case it sems
that I dont need A16U ?

Correct, with the ADA8000 you don't need the A16U. Though from what you've said it appears you may need 2 ADA8000's. Also there are more options than just the ADA8000, but imo it defines the 'lower level' of such a solution and is the place to start when looking at options. Meaning anything for less money is not going to perform well enough (again imo). And for the price the ADA8000 seems to actually not really have 'lower level' performance, just price, making it a great solution to get into 8 (or 16) pre's with built in ad/da. To use 2 units (for 16 channels) you just need 2 pairs of ADAT ports free on your cards, which I suspect you do.

[tuzzan]

Ok Guys !

Thanx for charing our thoughts and ideas ,
I´ll still not sure what to use yet , but the ADA8000 ideas
making me quit qurious.
I think I go for that solution ,: Compared to my old MX 8000 Mixer (Berhinger) as well , I guess
that the mic pre´s must give me a better sound also , even though we made some nice sounding tracks
over the years .

Thanx again ! and I may just be back for some more Q
Take Care !


/Tuzzan

[garyb]

the pres on the ADA8000 are pretty usable, but they're not world class. i'd say they're on par with a mackie vlz. the AD/DA is on par with motu and the like, not as nice as the A16 Utra, but again, very usable. if the budget really won't support more, i would use the ADA8000 without much hesitation.

[tuzzan]

Hi garyb !

As I understand it the A16 Utra need it´s input from ex. direct out from a mixer .
I´ve got my old MX8000 and the preamps are not the best ones . This means that I have to buy myself
a better mixer to use the A16 Utra ?
Yes , I understand that this would probably be the best solution ,,, I´ll just hope that I can sell my other
stuff first, (a Mackie HDR 24 + some more stuff) .

To bad that I can´t use A16 Utra like .... Mic > A16 Utra > Scope 5 > Cubase 5 .

Or is there another solution , ,,,maybe ADA8000 is enough ? I´ve worked with much worse stuff and still got a pretty result ..

/Tuzzan

[garyb]

it all depends on the quality of work you wish to do.
you CAN use the ada8000 instead of the A16 and it will work quite well. the A16 is much better quality however, and you pay for that.

if you already have the A16, i'd keep it and use the microphone preamps in the mixer you have, until you can afford a micpre upgrade. i'd invest in at least one high quality mic pre for vocals and anything else you wanted a better pre on. you can also find an old recording mixer with high quality pres such as an AMEK or Soundcraft 800, 1600 or 2400 or a Ramsa WR series or other high quality desk and probably save some money, although a rack of stand alone mic pres takes up a lot less space(ask Shroomz about how he got a great deal on an old mixer for just this purpose, or maybe you can find the thread about it here on z. old mixers are undervalued right now).

microphones output a very low level with must be pre-amplified before it's useful. my favorite cheap mic pre to recommend is the FMR RNP. it's two channel and costs about $500. personally, i have a couple of stereo pres that were $2-3000 when new, so the sky's the limit in recording gear. if you choose carefully, however, you will have something that will be useful the rest of your life, since old pres never die or become obsolete. they all have different qualities, so you can never have too many, if you can afford them.

[netguyjoel]

I agree w/ Gary on this one. For drums, synths, and stuff like that...ADA8000s are fine. Bur for vocals, stringed instruments, etc...a quality mic pre is a must. even if it's just a good single channel pre...

[tuzzan]

OK Guys !

Thanks again for your advice ,
I think I go for the A16 setup , seems like a good choice to build it on .
I use a Art MkII stereio Mic preamp right now and I like It a lot .
And I use diffrent Rode mic´s , TSM ,Line Audio CM3 ,ADK ......


Thanks again for your help !
It´s much appreciated

/ Tuzzan

[garyb]

[pollux]

Hi,

I use a couple of SMPro Audio PR8e (8 pres in 1u with individual phase reverse and phantom) in front of the A16u.

Works really nice, and it's very affordable. It's not world class, but it's at least as good as the behringer. Work's great for drums and instruments.

I use an ART MPA gold for the vocals (it's not a Neve, but you take a zero out from the bill ), and I also used a focusrite voicemaster pre which sounds great too

The focusrite octo pre is a nice option if you have a "less-tight" budget .

Cheers!

[Shroomz~>]

If you go for the A16u option, you could also consider buying an ada8000 as well to give you 24 channels (8 with preamps). You could then either start building a collection of outboard preamps or buy a nice analogue desk like one of the ones Gary suggested or something like a 16 channel Soundcraft Delta that would give you stellar quality 'clean' channel strips for a very very low cost.

As Gary mentioned, I recently got an old vintage Soundcraft 200 series 8-4-2 mixer for next to nothing, but admittedly I'm going to have to do some restoration work on it when I've got time, as it needs a clean up & service.

If I was in your shoes, recording lots of live instrument channels, I'd be tempted to just go for an A16u & a 16 or 24 ch Delta, adding to that with more channels of conversion & pres as you can afford to.

It's all very subjective though. As Valis said; choices, choices!