[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by tritonkorg

Option 1:
ok so when using the ADAT input I won't have access to the onboard analog inputs. That shouldn't be a problem if I'm not recording more than 8 channels at a time, right?

You only get 8 inputs, I have no clue if that is a problem for you or not. Only you know that.

Option 2: USB interfaces
I have a USB Apogee duet sitting somewhere. That's kind of an audio interface/preamp that also gives me an option to connect a headphone amp...etc.

It's exactly an audio interface, with a preamp. It has a headphone amp built in. But (unless you buy the Avid resold version) is Macintosh or iOS only. Apogee make some great stuff, including the new Ensemble Thunderbolt (Mac only) interface with 30x34 IO and 8 internal preamps and great low-latency. For less than the price of am Omni, and it just runs rings around the Omni in so many ways... unless you are running a rack full of HD IO as well.

So something like 8 channel Focustrite :
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ISA828

So would this Focusrite preamp would be a more glorified version of the duet with nothing sitting in between? Just protools software and 8 channel focusrite preamp?

No not that Focusrite, that is just 8 preamps in a box with analog or ADAT output, you can't use that as an interface, but you can conenct it's ADAT output to an interface with ADAT input (like your Omni).

Some example Focusrite interface with 8 mic preamps, examples are... USB 18i20: http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-in...scarlett-18i20
RedNet: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RedNet4

Uh? "nothing sitting in between" you mean the Avid HD card? or the interface box? You always need an interface, the actual box that gets between digial audio standards and a bus into and out of your computer. But interfaces with USB or Firewire or Thunderbolt interfaces can just connect to those bus ports on the comptuer, they don't need a custom card (like a HD card) in the computer. The HD card in your computer is not doing much, just converting to legacy Digilink/TDM cable connections, and with some local hardware/low latency monitoring support.

You also have Focusrite RedNet that connects through Dante Etherenet... a kind of proprietary variant/precursor of AVB networking. And in many ways I expect AVB to be the future of mid and high-end audio interface interconnects. And other interfaces like MOTU, and Avid's own S3L live gear that use AVB already.

I'm not worried about the budget all that much but portability. If need be, i'm willing to spend more.

If you want the most portability, then those interfaces with 8 mic premps are goign to be appealing, it all depends on what quality/type preamps you want. Pity you are not on a Mac, as that Apogee Ensemble looks pretty appealing to me.