building my first recording rig - advice please...

[steviecandtheplacetobe]

basically I'm wanting to use M-Audio gear as i've been lead to believe i can run it with PT M-Powered. I'm running a MBP 2.8GHz C2D 4GB DDR3 - 500GB 7200rpm with Snow Leopard. im wanting an all rounder that i can use at college, at home for college recording projects and at gigs for live mutltitrack recordings.

my first option is to go for the profire lightbridge which gives me up to 32 channels of XLR via octopre le's or similar - but i would need to buy the lightbridge AND a bank of preamps with optical out just to get started recording - but it is more expandable.

my second option is to go for the profire 2626. this has the advantage of having 8 X I/O out of the box - but it is not as expandable as the lightbridge. im assuming that it's possible to use the adat optical I/O to add more preamps - by connecting their optical outs to the first preamp's optical input?

does anyone use either of these products, can you recommend either of them? also do you know if it is possible to expand the inputs as i suggested (looping the optical out of one profire 2626 to the optical in of another profire 2626)?

thanks.

[tomric]

I'm using the Profire 2626 together with an old EWS Mic8 as Expansion via Adat I/O. If I remember the original price at the time the Profire came out and see the actual price to me it's a No-Brainer.
There is a limit of 18 I/Os for native Pro Tools systems (M-Powered and LE), so thinking about expandabilty the Lightbridge won't get you any advantage.

I would recommend connecting the Adat In from the first interface to the Out of the second and vice versa if you want to sync via Adat.

[tribedescribe]

God, unless you are recording an orchestra or big band you are never going to need more than 16 ins! I could see using more than 16 outs if you are summing and stuff, but there is a work around by submixing. My advice is to get two 2626 profire's and run one in standalone adat mode. That would give you 16 in/outs. I use an apogee ensemble in stand alone mode and run it via adat to the profire 2626. Works perfect. The advantage of this system is I clock and monitor to the Ensemble, which sounds much better than my 2626. If you are building a studio, also do not forget about acoustic treatment!


Scott

[Batze]

Hi,
for my mobile recording rig I use the 2626 and a Presonus Digimax D8 attached to the 2626 via adat. Both are synced via an external clock.
The 2626 and the Presonus have pretty different preamps and both has its charme :)
I am pretty happy with it. I never had any problems that 16 ins are not enough. Most of the time you dont use more than 12 at all. (normal band recording with drums and guide tracks for the rest.)

[steviecandtheplacetobe]

I don't yet have M-powered Tools, my primary DAWs currently being Cubase, Logic & Ardour (I'm told the 2626 works with all of these).

so am i correct in assuming that, because the 2626 has 2 * ADAT ins & 2 * ADAT outs, that i can connect another 2 * 2626 units into the master one - giving another 16 ch + 8ch?

[Dism]

I don't yet have M-powered Tools, my primary DAWs currently being Cubase, Logic & Ardour (I'm told the 2626 works with all of these).

so am i correct in assuming that, because the 2626 has 2 * ADAT ins & 2 * ADAT outs, that i can connect another 2 * 2626 units into the master one - giving another 16 ch + 8ch?

It won't give you another 8 pres though. Not sure they would work side by side like that either... but I could be wrong.

You'd be better off getting an 8 channel ADAT pre like ADA800 or DigiMax D8 among others.

[tribedescribe]

LEd and m-powered Pro tools can only accept and record 18 inputs max no matter how many tracks are available via the 3 2626. So the third would be ignored by pro tools. It is true you can connect 3 profire 2626's (2 in adat mode and one in normal firewire mode) and use it with other recording programs, that support this(most do). You might want to check the forums at m-audio for some of the issues with this though, because that is alot of traffic for firewire.

[steviecandtheplacetobe]

yeah, i just meant that i would have the master 2626 connected via firewire, and the other 2 linked via ADAT to the master...:confused:

[Batze]

Right, thats the way it is connected.
But still this does not work with PT m-powered due to the 18-track-limitation :)