Alternatives to Behringer ADA8000 for 8xADAT-Lineout conversion (auto-mute problem)?

[RiF]

I purchased a Behringer ADA8000 to get a total of 16 analog outs from my Digi 002R to go into my analog mixing console. But unfortunately, my unit has been built after 09/2009 and has this documented frakking auto-mute "feature" that renders it completely useless for me.

- Does anybody has a fix for that (other than putting Waves plugins with Analog-Button on on each track to keep the ADA8000's converters from going into sleep-mode)?

- Does anybody know of alternatives to that unit, which do not cost me 4x more?



Thanx!

[barstool719]

The Presonus Digi D8 is an 8 channel lightpipe preamp that costs about $400. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DigiMaxD8/ So it's only like twice as much as the ADA8000.

It has a nice sound and no real quirks that I am aware of.

[cwsand]

Originally Posted by barstool719

The Presonus Digi D8 is an 8 channel lightpipe preamp that costs about $400. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DigiMaxD8/ So it's only like twice as much as the ADA8000.

It has a nice sound and no real quirks that I am aware of.

But he needs a unit with 8 outs.

[barstool719]

Originally Posted by cwsand

But he needs a unit with 8 outs.

8 channels of audio
The DigiMAX D8 features 8 Class A XMAX mic preamplifiers, 8 direct analog outputs, and ADAT optical light pipe connectivity, making it the perfect solution to add 8 professional microphone preamps to any digital recording system or digital mixer with ADAT input.

Expand your system
If your audio interface is equipped with lightpipe, the DigiMAX D8 is the perfect way to expand your I/O. And with eight Class A XMAX preamps, the DigiMAX D8 has some of the best preamps available in this price range.

PreSonus DigiMAX D8 Features:
8 XMAX class A microphone preamps w/trim control
24-bit resolution ADAT digital output
44.1 and 48K sampling rates
External sync via BNC word clock input
Direct outputs on every channel
LED input metering
20dB Pad on every channel

which this has.

[RiF]

Originally Posted by barstool719

which this has.

Thanx for the info, but it hasn't. I am searching for ADAT->Analog outs, these direct outs are just the inputs routed back out.

[FordVan]

RiF, using proper terminology will help people understand your need here.

You need Digital to Audio converters with ADAT inputs. Or, you could say: ADAT D/A converters. Most will understand that to be a converter that has ADAT input and analog output.

[albee1952]

Sorry, but the D8 will NOT work here. The 8 direct outs are derived from the 8 analog inputs only. You need a unit with an ADAT INPUT as well as output. The Presonus Firestudio will do this. It comes with a software "mixer" that takes a bit of fudging to get all the routings correct(its NOT intuitive), but it WILL do 8 channels in both directions. A warning though, some units(the Firestudio in particular) will not be sample accurate. Not sure how much that means within the framework of your routing and mixing, but you need to be aware of it. The problem is due to converter latency. The Digi converters have a certain latency value(couldn't tell you what it is), so its pot luck whether your added converters(for the extra 8 channels) will exhibit the identical latency, or slightly more or less. Its never going to be so much that it throws off the timing of your music, but it can cause phasing if you pass the same signal thru both paths. As long as you route your tracks and stems correctly, it should not be an issue.

Where it was an issue for me, was with headphone mixes. I was sending the main stereo mix to the master inputs of a headphone amp, and then using extra lightpipe outputs for "more me" feeds to the headphone amp. When signals were turned up via "more me", they would cause phasing with the same signal that was present in the main mix.

[pezguy]

The Alesis AI-3 will do the job nicely. Unfortunately it has been out of production for awhile. They do pop up on ebay quite often and can be had for around $200-300. Never had any phasing or latency issues either using the AI-3 with my 002 rack

[cwsand]

Originally Posted by cwsand

But he needs a unit with 8 outs.

Originally Posted by barstool719

which this has.

Yeah, sorry I didn't have time to elaborate, but Albee has explained it well.

[barstool719]

Originally Posted by cwsand

Yeah, sorry I didn't have time to elaborate, but Albee has explained it well.

I see. From his first post I thought he just needed something with the ins and outs.

edit: This guy will do what you need, and it's about $350 or so.

ADAT Input, 8 channel analog out on Dsub