[albee1952]

Originally Posted by vitolanzafame

Chris,

thanks for your reply, its useful.

So with a pre that has a digital out, i'm completely by passing audio output cables[no, you are bypassing the analog INPUT circuitry]...? didn't realise i could do that.

Any thoughts on the conversion quality of the mbox mini? Which Mbox Mini are we talking about? Gen 2(the dark blue version) or gen 3(the charcoal colored version)? Gen 3 has better converters than gen 2, but there is a bit more to consider. The mini uses (IIRC) unbalanced quarter inch ins and outs(not a deal breaker, but something to be aware of). With a direct box, you would plug that into a mic input(xlr) and not a line or instrument input. Maybe more info on what you want to do would help get better advice Truthfully, the mini is an entry-level box and is great for folks that are just starting out, but at some point, most users will realize they want(or need) more(say you want to collaborate with a friend or you decide you want to record a drum kit), so maybe an interface with more IO would be a better way to spend your cash right now. +1 to crizdee's comment regarding the "entire chain", which includes the room acoustics(a lesson I learned the hard way with an expensive mic, an ISA preamp and a poorly treated room). If you really are looking for a single input at a time, but pushing the quality up, maybe instead of the ISA pre and a high-end DI box, the UA LA-610 would be a better option. The 610 pre is quite good(and has more "character" than the ISA(I have owned both), the compressor is nice(be gentle when recording because you can always add MORE compression, but you can never remove TOO MUCH if you record it that way) and its an amazing bass "channel strip" too. Food for thought