003r+ bla?

[BrendanClace]

Hey all,

Does anyone know if BLA can mod the 003R+?

I need 8 ins and would rather spend $300 more and get 4 more ins, unless BLA can't mod it. I am upgrading from MBox 2 and so wonder if I'm better off going with a regular 003 and modding it and adding pres as well.

Thanks for the help!

[mtnman]

I'm sure they would...but try this...

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[nst7]

the only reason I could think of that they wouldn't is that because of the extra pres that there's not enough room to do what they need. That's the main reason they stopped doing the 003 console.

[BrendanClace]

Thanks for the replies! Greatly appreciated! I just figured someone on here would know, since im at work and cant call...

[mtnman]

If you follow them on Facebook, they just announced that they are working on a new A/D...and will have the ability to do eight channels. I'd give them a call to see what their plans are regarding a release cycle.

[FierceBrew]

Brendan,

I do not think they currently offer mods on the 003+ but that might be changing according to some of the posts. I know it was not an option when I sent my 003 to them 6 months ago.

If you are thinking about getting BLA mods, I would recommend the normal 003r. I only say this b/c while their mods do increase the clarity of the preamps considerably, you're still stuck with 8 internal preamps on the 003+ ...with no real way of routing external preamps into the unit (b/c there is no bypass on any of the preamped channels) unless you buy one of those 8 channel-all-in-one ADAT units or drop another couple grand on a quality external converter + outboard preamps.

I considered the 003+ as well, but am very happy that I decided to get the stock unit. Now I can run a couple channels of API and my MP-2A directly into the 003 (without having to use external converters) and the sound is pretty amazing.

I guess it all comes down to how you plan on building out your rig. Do you want the Digi unit to be your front-end or just the piece that ties everything else together?

[EGS]

Originally Posted by mtnman

If you follow them on Facebook, they just announced that they are working on a new A/D... eight channels

Where did you see that? I just checked FB, and here's what I found (re a new 2-channel A/D):

Today we have started the circuit board design for our new A/D converter. It will feature BNC word clock I/O, AES, BNC spdif, and optical spdif, and be housed in a 1U 1/2 rack chassis. It will utilize the FM192 clock and dual mono A/D conversion circuitry so that it will have twice the headroom of the FM192.

[mtnman]

Comments...

Black Lion Audio No, this one is a two channel converter, but we now have the capability to do an 8 channel A/D. So an expansion system is certainly in the future.

[mtnman]

Originally Posted by FierceBrew

I guess it all comes down to how you plan on building out your rig. Do you want the Digi unit to be your front-end or just the piece that ties everything else together?

+1

A couple follow-up questions.

1) Are you primarily a musician just trying to record your own stuff and maybe that of friends?

or

2) Are you primarily a budding basement engineer and want to offer your services?

I'm no expert, but the way I see it is if the answer is you are more #1 then go with the BLA 003r mod and spend the other money on mics/instruments/engineering training (online, local day classes @ a studio, private sessions, etc). But the primary focus should be on your craft of songwriting and performance. It won't matter how great you can capture sound if you can't make it sound good in the first place.

If the answer is you are more #2 then you will probably want to focus on the 003r being the thing that ties everything together (still with the mod). You'll most likely end up over at GS perpetually chasing different tones with different signal chains. I'd still say just stick with the 003r mod and focus on outboard gear. Of course, this takes cash.

I'm more of a #1 and based on all of my research I've redirected my gear acquisition syndrome efforts at (a) mid to high-end instruments, (b) middle of the road mics (SM7 through TLM 49), and then (c) quality outboard gear like pres/comps/limiters/tubes/etc - in that overall order.

However, whatever you decide to do focus on getting the room right first.

[canoleguer]

whats BLA?