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Hello everyone,
Now that Pro Tools 7.4.2 is out, I'll be purchasing a 003 Factory Rackmount within the next few weeks. Everything about the 003 looks great, the only thing I need is more XLR inputs. What is the best way to add more? Ideally I'd like to expand to 12-16 total, including the 4 that are already on the 003. I've heard one way to do this is to buy a preamp and connect it to the 003 with ADAT lightpipe. Is this the usual route? What do you suggest?
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Yep, that's the usual route. Check out Presonus Digimax, Focusrite Octopre, M-Audio Octane, Behringer AD8000 (if you're on a budget).
By the by, "XLR inputs" can be mic level or line level. To accept a micprophone signal, a microphone "preamp" (which is essentially a microphone amplifier) has a mic level input. The preamp then performs the amplification necessary to make a microphone's signal strong enough to record, and outputs the signal as line level.
XLR cables are typically balanced, meaning that the cable is actually 3 cables in one: a positive, negative, and ground. The positive and negative cables are wrapped around each other, and the ground cable surrounds (shields) the two. This is why there are 3 pins on an XLR connector.
The positive and negative cables actually carry identical signals, except that they are 180 degrees out of phase. In this way, any noise in the positive cable is cancelled by the out-of-phase noise in the negative cable.
Usually, 1/4 inch (TRS) inputs are line level, but TRS cables can be balance or unbalanced (the cable only carries positive and ground). Unbalanced cables are fine for short distances, but over long runs the signal can degrade and is susceptible to noise and interference. 15 feet is usually the maximum.