8 analog inputs on 001??

[jacko32]

I have yet to purchase a 001 so i have some questions before i go head over heels into the recording quagmire. I am under the impression that there are 8 analog inputs on the back of the 001. Do these inputs have pre amps on them? If not, does this basically mean you cant record much and have it sound good until you get pres on the inputs? If this is the case, what do you guys recommend for a budget minded buyer? Also, I need additional inputs into pro tools. Would an ADAT do the trick? I was thinking of an 8 adat so i would have a total of 16 tracks right ir do i also count the two on the front of the 001? Would the inputs on an adat have pre amps already on them?....sorry for all the questions, i hope someone has the patience to answer them. Thanks in advance

[Bob Mould]

the digi001 has 8 analogue inputs, 6 line-ins on back and 2 with micpreamps on the front. if you are planning to use microphones with the digi001 external preamps are a must. An ADAT should work as extra 8channels A/D optically connected, though to the best of my knowledge ADAT's are only 20bits and have no mic preamps on them. The SPDIFs on the digi001 are also available to connect a 2channel converter so thats a total of 18 simultanious inputs.
If you dont already own an ADAT? and youre on a tight budget maybe buying a Alesis AI-3 8 channel converter would be a good place to start (decent converter for reasonable money) then a small mixer like a Mackie (with as many channels u can afford) for micpreamps.

hope this helps...
good luck
/mike [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[where02190]

the front panel inputs are Neutrix combo connectors that will accept XLR, TRS or TS connectors, and eithe rmic or line level signal. the reare inputs (3-8) are +4 balanced TRS connectors for line level only.
The Mic pre's are not exactly the best, but they are useable certainly for demo/hobby recordings.
There are balanced +4db outputs for monitoring and outs 1/2, however outs 3-8 are unbalanced and -10db.

There are several manufacturers(Focusrite Octapre, Digimax, etc. that make 8 channel mic/line preamp to lightpipe interfaces for around $1200 that will give you an additional 8 i/o.

There is also an spdif i/o (on rca connectors) for 2 more channels of i/o.

Hope this is helpful.

[jacko32]

yeah that was helpful...thanks guys. so if i wanted to record using all of the 8 analogs on the back, plus use an 8 channel adat optically feed into the 001's pci card. That would give me 16 channels just right there (plus more with other options) Just dealing with the 16 channels i have right here I would need Pre amps for the 8 analogs on the 001 and i would need an 8 channel adat for the additional 8 channels of recording and then even more preamps on the 8 channels of the adat????...is this correct?...that does sound rather expensive. What pre amps would you guys suggest for me? (nice but not the very best) Am i correct in gathering that you guys are not too thrilled with the pre amps on the 2 analog/xlr inputs on the front of the 001? Thanks again!

[where02190]

Technically you only need 6 analog preamps if you choose to use the 001 pres on inputs 1 and 2. These preamps are not the best, but are ok for secondary tracks, say tom mics or hi hat, something non critical.

I personally like the Focusrite Octapre. It allows both digital and analog outs simultainiously for no latentcy monitoring if you have an outboard mixer, and is 8 channels or Focusrite red class A mic pres.

I've heard some decent results with the Presonus DigimaxLT as well, whihc is under $1000.

In the anlog domain, the HHB Radius 10 is a great 4 channel dual valve design preamp for around $670. I also like the TLAudio PA-1 and PA-2 dual channel valve pre's, which you can find used on E-bay ro digibid for around $300.

So, assuming you went with the DigimaxLT, an HHB and a PA-2, you would need to invest approx $2000 into mic preamps to get 16 channels of simultainious inputs. Of course there is the addition of good mics, cabling, monitoring for the musicians....you see it gets to be very expensive very fast.

However, considering that even 5 yrs ago this would be totally impossible on such a budget, it's pretty amazing what one can do without having to sell the house these days.

Hope this is helpful.

[Stone Knife]

...not too thrilled with the pre amps on the 2 analog/xlr inputs on the front of the 001?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">They sound OKAY. I don't use them, but on one occasion did run a mic through there to see how hot I had to get the gain knob to achieve unity gain, and the sound was alright- it wasn't like, "Jeez, what a POS"! But it wasn't like, "Throw away the mixer, boys, these sound GREAT!" either.

[jacko32]

thanks for all the help...one more question, would you guys say that the pre amps on the digimax are easily better than the two found on the 001 box? thanks

[where02190]

Originally posted by jacko32:
thanks for all the help...one more question, would you guys say that the pre amps on the digimax are easily better than the two found on the 001 box? thanks

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Not draumatically so no, just different.