A Few Questions...Just Curious

[G. Klopfenstein]

Why is it that the headphone out on my 002 has to be turned up about 3/4 of the way just to get a reasonable volume and the little Aleis Micro Cue Amp (Where can I get another one of these?) only has to turned up less than a 1/4 of the way to give me enough volume to shut out the noise of my half stack while i'm recording? I use Beyerdynamic DT770s by the way. Shouldn't a $1200 machine be better better than a $30 one? At least at the headphone output?

Now the real question. I prefer to use an external board for pres so I don't need an ADAT interface with pres on it. I was looking into possibly getting the Alesis AI3 since it gives me 8 more inputs optically, but only has TRS. Is there anything like that with simple line ins that will hook up lightpipe? I've looked at Presonus and other companies and they all seem to make them with XLR and preamps. The only one I've seen that fits the bill is the AI3.

Now the reason for the above question. I currently use a Soundcraft 12ch Mixer with 8 direct outs, but since I want to expand to 16ch I need to find a board that offers 16 XLR with 16 direct outs, and phase on each channel if possible. I've seen tons of different boards from Soundcraft, Allen & Heath, etc. that have 16 XLR and 16 direct outs, but can't really make a decision. Any suggestions?

So in conclusion, the 002 headphone out sucks(monitor outs aren't that great either), I need an ADAT interface with 8 TRS, and a board that will do 16XLR and 16 direct outs. Sorry for the long windedness and thanks in advance for any suggestions.

G

[kooz]

I bought Allen and Heath's MixWizard for the 16 individually phantom-powered mic ins with direct outs, each channel's user definable pre/post EQ and Fader sends to those Direct outs, the 4 band EQ and 100mm faders. With 6 Aux outputs, you can do lots of headphone mixes and avoid latency issues. Huge bang for the buck.

I'm in the same boat for external interfaces. (Carrying my Akai DR16 around as external converters has worn thin.) In addition to the AI3, I've found Frontier Design's Tango 24, RME Hammerfall's ADI8 (2 models), and others by CreamWare, Metric Halo and Sonic. I like the RME boxes for the SMUX capability, but I'd like metering like the Metric Halo. And I'm still not sure where I stand on AC versus DC powering - wall warts are a pain in my butt.

Good Luck.

[G. Klopfenstein]

Any opinions between the Tango 24 and the AI3? The Tango 24 runs a little more expensive, which unfortunately in audio tends to mean better, but I'm not real familiar with either of them

[kooz]

My best advice would be to think where your recordings are headed, and how that parallels or diverges from the path the industry is taking before deciding on a piece of equipment. A well chosen piece will more than pay you back in it's usefulness and longevity.
Ask around the local project studios for their opinions. Given where you're located, there must be plenty within easy driving distance (DC/Richmond). See what people similar to you are using, and then decide if u want to be part of their club, or go in a different direction.