digimax or octopre big difference from mackie pres?

[timmygrimm]

i'm considering getting a digimax or octopre. currently i use mackie vlz pres or the pres on my allen and heath gl2 for recording through the digi 001s converters. i'm fairly happy with the sounds i'm getting, but i do notice a lack of clarity in the mixes - a lack or presence or closeness on drums particularly. i add high end but it seems to add harshness, not the clarity i'm looking for. i'm wondering if you guys think either of these boxes would improve my sound significantly.

heres an mp3 of something a song i recently demoed (no vocals) for reference

http://www.planeside.com/old/forum/temp/timsong1.mp3

[Ssaidvox1]

Hey, I haven't tried out the octopre yet, but I do have a digimax LT, I prefer it over the mackie pres. I'm a fan of those, but only in live sound situations. I havent heard the allen and heath board youre talking about either, but if you used it on that demo, I think you would benefit from trying the digimax. I love the LT, and I can only assume the pres on the digimax are a litte more pristine. Plus, they have limiters on every channel. Hope that helps some. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[ReniuR]

We have a Digimax, and I love the sound of those pres. Very crisp and present. I can't say that they sound different from the LT, but the limiters do really come in handy for drums and vocals to prevent audible clipping. They have stopped production on the standard Digimax in favor of continuing with the LT model, so if you like it and can find a standard model, grab it.

[Bloux]

Originally posted by timmygrimm:
i'm considering getting a digimax or octopre. currently i use mackie vlz pres or the pres on my allen and heath gl2 for recording through the digi 001s converters. i'm fairly happy with the sounds i'm getting, but i do notice a lack of clarity in the mixes - a lack or presence or closeness on drums particularly. i add high end but it seems to add harshness, not the clarity i'm looking for. i'm wondering if you guys think either of these boxes would improve my sound significantly.

heres an mp3 of something a song i recently demoed (no vocals) for reference

http://www.planeside.com/old/forum/temp/timsong1.mp3

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Being in the same position basically you are (about to track drums here at home), I just about bought a digimax over the octopre..However I stopped in my traks imediately, here's why..

after doing a lot of research i found out that the digimax/octopre indeed woulb be a step up from the 001 and in your case a little step up from the Mackie. but that "true clarity" you are searching for will be found in a new set of converters.

for the price of those two units you could get the Apogee Rosetta around $1295.00 list, or the Lucid AD9624 for $899.00 list (street $700.00). with your Mackie and these kick ***** converters your drum sounds as well as all your overdubs will sound brilliant!

do yourself a favor research around and find out for yourself before purchasing the extra pre's. converters definetly are the way to go!

you have enough pre's with the Mackie, why buy more pre's for a slight step up. go for the converters for a major step. digimax/octopre are great units, but you're already there with your boards. go for the converters, you wont outgrow them.

by the way, what style of singing will be on that tune? (what vain) it kicks!

good luck

[Kedron Porter]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the Digimax and the Octopre also have converters of their own. Pre amp and Converter all in one. The best of both worlds.

[Bloux]

Originally posted by Kedron Porter:
Correct me if I am wrong, but the Digimax and the Octopre also have converters of their own. Pre amp and Converter all in one. The best of both worlds.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">you are correct, but they pale in comparison to the Apogee or the lucid converters. as i said octopre/digimax are a step up, "dedicated converters" are a night and day difference...dont listen to me, just do the research! $1350.00 is a lot of coin to spend on anything these days!

[where02190]

IMHO the Digimax is fairly equal to the use of Mackie preamps through the 001 converters, and not worth spending the extra money on. While there is a slight differenc ein sonic quality, it is negligible. The Octapre is a decent step up however, and was immediately apparant to me.

With the addition of an Octapre or Digimax you increase your i/o capabilities by 8, giving you the ability to record 16 tracks simultainiously.

Hope this is helpful.

[j old school]

If you want to hear a digimax for yourself, listen to the pro tools demo, "Be There". Digi recorded this with a digimax into a 001.

[GORILLA]

Get the Octopre!!!! It ROCKS!!! We've put Kurzweil's /Basses/ Drum machines/ Guitars straight in and of course mics thru it and they all sound smokin'!!!

[Bloux]

timmygrimm,

my bad for not explaining, it was late or was it early?

two schools of thought: using a 2 channel converter for the overhead mics only and letting the 001 convert the other drums is protocall..the crispness of the cymals/hats is whats most important in giving your drums that depth your missing. using a two channel for overheads will give you this plus all overdubs will improve imensely. still superior to the digimax/octopre.

2nd thought: which will lend the best results, would be to purchase an 8 channel converter. Lucid makes one called the 8824 its street value is about $1800.00 this piece along with your Mackie would just kill all over the digimax/octopre option.

you could also look into the RME AD-8 Pro, its also an 8 channel converter right there with the Lucid, it goes for about $1290.00..look on the MAC forum a few weeks ago this was discussed very insightful..

I'm just saying if your gonna spend the cash do a little research call up sweetwater or a high end audio co. that knows there stuff and pick there brains..its really worth it. it just seems your right there gear wise, make it worth it.

good luck

(I sent you an email at your address, from Bobby)