Control 24 inputs or Digi 192 inputs??

[Al Rayder]

I am hearing the mic pres on the Control 24 (mk 1) are nothing to really get excited over and now that I will be using the Control 24 other than as a giant mouse for ProTools 10HD, I am curious if anyone can shed some light if I am able to just use the Inputs directly from the 192 for recording Instruments and Mics? I know I will need a db25 pin to XLR -or- 1/4 breakout cable. But what are the pros/cons from using the 16 Inputs I have from the 192 I/O vs. the 16 Inputs from Control 24 inputs... Would I be better off bypassing the Control 24 inputs? At some point I will invest in either an Avalon, Universal Audio or Manley pres, but for now, I would like to get some feedback on what I own now. Thanks.

[Al Rayder]

I am connecting an HD3 system for the first time and wanted to know if using the 16 analog inputs directly from the 192 I/O (via 2x db25 pin to XLR -or-1/4" breakout cables) vs. the mic/line analog inputs from the Control 24 (mk 1) quality wise, would the 192 inputs be better to use? the same? I hear the pres on the Control 24 are nothing to rave about. Looking for feedback from any 192 I/O users. At some point, I will invest in higer grade mic/line pres, but I want to get this rig up and running for recording instruments and mics for now. Thanks.

[tvent]

Allan,

The Control 24 definitely has less than stellar mic pre's. I thought they were pretty bad back before I even had any really great preamps.
Also, the Control 24 is not an interface to the computer, or an AD/DA converter. So, you will HAVE to have an actual interface (like the 192.)
It is a decent control surface that happens to have 16 arguably run-of-the-mill mic pre's, a crummy 8 channel stereo submixer, and a not-so-great monitoring switcher/section. The best thing I did with mine was to bypass all parts of it's analog sections and use it solely as a control surface.

It is important to know though, that the 192 does not have mic pre's on it at all. It's analog sections are all line level, so if you need a microphone level input you have to use an exterrnal preamp of some sort between the mic and the 192's input - regardless of the cable.

My suggestion is to get better mic pre's and monitoring section at the first opportunity that you get, but absolutely DO NOT pass up the opportunity to record good music just because the Control 24's mic pre's aren't great. Great music recorded through crummy mic prr's is always better than crummy music recorded through amazing preamps. Performance is the most important part of the equation.

[albee1952]

Indeed^^^ So the OP understands, the Control 24(and C24) mic preamps are NOT available in Pro Tools. They simply exit the back panel via DB25 ports. They must pass thru the 192(or some interface) anyway.



Then on the 192, what IO is available? If its a 192 DIGITAL, you can't connect the Control24 preamps to it(the preamps are analog out only). The "standard" 192 offers 8 analog IO and 8 digital IO, so you can connect 8 of the preamps and the analog output of the 192 can return thru the Control24 monitor section. Lastly, the 192 can also be fitted with another 8 channels of analog inputs(or outputs, but not both). So a 192 with the extra input card can handle all 16 of the preamps.


Let us know more about the 192 so we can steer you right If by chance you DO have the 192 Digital(so only Digital IO), the best "budget" solution is probably a pair of Behringer ADA8200(the red box) as that would give you 16 preamps that can do digital into a 192 Digital(and do it for under $400). There are plenty of good/better/best options at many price points

[Al Rayder]

Thank you for the advice tvent. I recently just picked up the Mackie Big Knob (the original) for my monitors. Have you ever used the Big Knob before? Know anything about the Presonus Central Monitoring station?

[Al Rayder]

albee1952, thank you for also offering advice on this topic. I currently own (1) 192 Analog IO (fitted with 2x Analog Input, 1x Analog Output and 1x Digital Cards - fully maxed) I am in the process of purchasing (1) more 192 Analog IO (fully maxed) so I can have up to 32 simultaneous inputs for recording. I actually own an 192 Digital IO as well, but since I have no use for it.. I will sell it and put the money towards the 2nd 192 Analog IO (maxed out) I am planning to purchase.

[albee1952]

Your 192 Digital certainly COULD have use for you. There are several 8 channel preamps out there on the market(and several also have D>A for extra outputs too). If you are fine with 44.1 and 48K recording you could use the Behringer ADA8200 to add 8 more analog IO thru the 192D(actually, you could use 2 of these for 16 more IO). The Behringer is likely to sound as good or better than the Control 24 preamps. If you want to move upscale a bit, the Midas XL-48 is phenomenal on drums(I have several more expensive preamps but the Midas beat them all)




BTW, if you want higher sample rates, the Midas has AES out that the 192D would work fine with