Best low cost preamp/converter upgrade to 001?

[el biciclista]

My son has an 001 system on a Mac. He runs his mic into a Yamaha 01V mixer for preamp and A/D conversion, then on to the 001 via optical ADAT. The conversion is pretty poor quality and the resulting tracks are fairly "harsh" sounding.

He would like to upgrade the system but not spend a ton of money. I have an HD system, so for final recording he uses my studio. But still, it would be a big plus to have better sounding tracks in the 001 system.

What should he buy if he goes individual components? Maybe Lucid A/D, Lucid D/A, a small Mackie mixer, and a 2-channel preamp? (I'm not sure how to avoid a big expense on the preamp).

Alternatively, is there a good single box that he can buy to replace the 01v that will do everything well at a reasonable cost?

I just haven't worked with LE systems for so long that I don't know what's available now.

Thanks!

[Seeee]

check out some of the focusrite stuff with built in a/d converters. the lucid stuff is good but no preamps there. I'd suggest a RNP/lucid combo or just a good ole apogee mini me that has a good pre and converter.

[hotstuff]

Hi there!
There are quite a few options out there, I personally bought an M-audio Octane couse I needed more inputs it got a couple of good reviews (Mix,S.O.S.,EQ etc...) and so i tried it out liked it and bought it. The most popular options on this forum are the focusrite octopre and presonus digimax LT
All have 8 inputs a/d converter and adat out (on the focurite model these are optional at an extra cost) The cheapest would be the behringer ada8000 around 200$. It works... I´ve "gulp" had one.
The M-audio Octopre has a few features the others dont, M-S matrix on channels 7-8, you can acsses the a/d section without going through the mic pre´s (nice convertion) or put a compressor between the mic pre and the converter etc etc.


Hope this help´s!

[el biciclista]

Do any of these boxes allow you to monitor the signal being recorded with speakers? My son has a pair of 1030A Genelec powered speakers, so he will not be monitoring with headphones. I prefer monitoring the signal going in to the 001, but I guess he can alternatively monitor the signal coming out of the 001. Maybe I can use a Mackie mixer in front, in conjunction with one of these boxes, to monitoring the guitar signal going in (??).

I'll go do some homework at the vendor webpages, so I can converse intelligently about the options.

Mike

[rgriff]

I have the Digimax LT and monitor using the inserts. You have to pull the 1/4 in plugs half out to send the signal to a mixer. I send the 001 to another channel on the mixer to get all 16 channels. Works great.
Ray
001
PT LE 6.4
QS Dual 1 ghz 1.5 gig Ram
OS 10.3.5
Waves Ver 5
Digimax LT
2 xTL Audio C 1
Etc...

[hotstuff]

Go to the m-audio website check octane mic pre and see for yourself all the options and yes you can monitor the signal before the 001 by taking the signal from the mic pre output (this does not cut the signal from the mic pre to the a/d converter )plug it in your mixer and monitor from there. I´ve got it patched so that I can send the signal anywhere and back.

[el biciclista]

As I look at these specs, I see there are some very nice units for less than $1,000. HOWEVER, I now realize (duh) that my son also needs to be able to handle the output of the DAW, also. The Yamaha 01V not only provides preamps, A/D's and monitoring of the inputs, it provides D/A's and mixing capabilities. It does everything he needs in one box. It just has this one problem...........it sounds lousy!!

For example, the M-Audio Octane (with maybe a Lucid clock) would be a great front-end. But,that still leaves the back-end to deal with. I really only need two DAC's for the mix out; I could then go to an inexpensive Mackie mixer and be in business. So, that would make the package:
-M-Audio (or DigiMAX LT)
-Lucid clock
-Maybe a Lucid DA9624
-Mackie 1202-VLZ Pro.

It would still be preferable to do all this in one box. Is there a good quality digital mixer that will do-it-all out there now, or am I going to get into BIG bucks real quick?
Mike

[Austin]

If you've already looked at Lucid and are prepared to shell out those kind of clams, consider this...

For around the same price the Mytek ADC has equally good converters and a superior clock. What's more, you don't have to upgrade the whole system in one hit, you might find that just running off a superior clock improves all areas (although I suspect you will want to make the leap to a fatter preamp too).

I tried a Lucid and Mytek side-by-side about a year ago. The S/PDIF inputs were very similar in quality on both, but my 001 ins sounded comparatively better when clocked to the Mytek.

[el biciclista]

Yes, an option.
But, I've still got the problem that I need to buy a pair of DAC's, also.

Heresy to say it, but might the Yamaha 01X be enough better than the 01V to be a candidate as the "all-in-one" box? It would have to be a BIG improvement over the 01V, though.
Mike

[el biciclista]

Since I've really changed my question from "What is a good preamp/converter?" to"What is the next step in upgrading the digital mixer?", I'm going to start another thread.
Thanks!