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Originally Posted by 58lespaul  I am also interested in this. How do the Pre-amps compare to other stand alone pre-amps as well? |
I've had an n12 for a little over a year now and have gotten to know the preamps pretty well. I have not done any direct, side by side comparisons with any expensive units but I've compared it to the M-Audio Projectmix, the M-Audio Octane and the Presonus Bluetube into the Projectmix. The n-12 preamps are quieter through most of their range of operation. If you drive them really hard on low level signals, they fall apart pretty fast. I have realized recently how important it is to set levels very carefully, especially on hard transients like crash cymbals, kick drums, etc. I'm recording dynamic sources at -6 to -10dB and am getting great weight and clarity. Acousitic instruments like guitar and piano through an excellent condenser is amazing for a unit as affordable as the n series. By comparison, the Projectmix and Octane sound metallic and grainy - and they lack dynamics. The Bluetube sounds slow and loose in comparison.
Most of my work on the n12 has been ar 44.1/24 bit and I use Cubase 4. I need to give the Yamaha guys a call as I'm thinking about switching from XP 32 bit to Vista 64 and don't want any down time.
What I'd really like to see is for Yamaha to come out with an n20. I could really use 16 mic preamps. Has anyone here daisy chained an n-8 to a n-12? Advice?