NEW ADL600 presonus (very nice preamp!) HELP!!

[scar97]

I have been using 2 presonus eurekas for a while for the main pre's on my system (digi002) and I loved them.....UNTIL I got this bad boy. The new ADL600 from presonus sounds better than ANY high end preamp that I have listened to (just to be fair that is avalon, Neve, Trident). This thing rocks.

My question is making me really feel stupid but here goes. Since this thing has such a huge amount of headroom and high power I find myself clipping all of the time on the vocals. The eureka had a soft compressor that caught the fine spikes. This unit is just a bully and really pumps.

I have never used compresseion on the track itself but have the waves native and rennesaince bundles that I can apply after I record the vocal. I have not had this much trouble trying to get a good gain stage on the track without clipping. I have tried moving the vocalist (and keep in mind this guy is a professional studio vocalist) 6, 10, 15 and 20 inches away, moving when he hits the louder notes etc. I can't tame it yet. Do you guys use any plugs when you go down with vocals and what is the minimum DB to record vocals that you can still get that clean sound after you use plugin compressors or limitors. Hell I have even put the gain very low turned on the -20db pad and used an L1 waves limiter and bareley kept it from clipping. I finally got a track but what happens the next time I have big and small dynamics in the same song?

Please any help would be great here. Maybe I need a refresher course on tracking vocals with a real preamp.

Now for the good news! If you can get your hands on one of these to try http://www.presonus.com/adl600.html

You will not believe the sound! It is warm, no color and extremely transparent and a DUAL CHANNEL! The knobs and switches are just big and fun. This thing is like a huge brick and rock solid. I purchased one from Sweet_____water 2 weeks ago.

Thanks,

Scar

[Chris Cavell]

No plugin based compressor will get rid of clips that occur prior to or at the converter. You have three options: lower the gain of the pre or pickup something like the A-Designs Atty or get an analog compressor to put between the pre and the converter. That's it chum.

[Stagefright13]

You need a compressor on the way in. A distressor or a Universal audio la2a or even a RNP will blow all you plugins away. Some DBX compressors such as a stereo one also get good reviews. Or on the cheap get an Art VLA and put some good nos tubes in it. You will be startled at how much better it will sound.
Alot of people even patch out of the mix to a good hardware compressor. Because they just sound that good. I also do the same with hardware reverbs. They just kill plugins...

[Stagefright13]

Oh and BTW congrats that is a choice piece of gear you got there. I haven't heard one myself but everyone who has one worships it. Now ya need a rocking stereo leveling amp!

[scar97]

Thanks to all. I thought I would need a high dollar comp with this unit. I got used to the soft compression on the eurekas