Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - Preamp, A/D convertors, what´s what?. General advice for a noob.

carayo · 27th October 2009

Hi:
I know this has probably been answered a million times but I can´t get the precise answer. This forum is great so I thought i´d try...

I´m looking to upgrade my setup to get a better sound, but I´m having a hard time understanding some basic concepts.

I´ll start with my current setup:
- iMac (latest release)
- M-Audio Ozone (USB Controller/Audio Interface)
- Alto preamp
- Modifief Oktava condenser microphone. (Very happy with it by the way, I bought it after extensive research in this forum).

I´m looking into a more cristaline/pro sound and I´m pretty sure my M-Audio Ozone needs to go (or just use it for midi). But I´m very confused about the preamp, converters, etc.
If I use the Alto (will come back to that later) as the preamp, is the Ozone´s preamp not working aswell?. Or just by not using the Phantom on the M-Audio is it being bypassed?. Im having trouble understanding the basic flow here... From reading around I´m assuming you need both a good preamp (external or integrated in card) and good A/D converters to get a decent sound.

Now by sections:
- Oktava Mic - As I said, I just bought it so it stays!!. Would love to hear your opinion though...
- Alto Preamp - alto - Alto, Music Passion Design - MINI TUBE . Is it good enough, does it make a huge difference?. I´ve only herad it with my Ozone, I don´t know if it would sound better with proper A/D convertors.
- Ozone - I´m assuming it´s "for beginners" and I could get a much better (cristaline and precise) sound.
- I also have a 16 channel Mackie mixer (with preamps, etc) which I´m not using at the moment (pretty useless with the Ozone). So I want an interface with multiple outputs (8...) to route through the mackie.

What to do with a limited budget? (Say around 600€).
- I´ll only be using 1/2 inputs but want outputs for the mixer. I´ve read here about RME and Echo Audiofire which look promising, but I need more the outputs than the inputs (Audiofire has 12 in and 12 out).
- Are the pre´s on Mackies better than the interface´s?. Which should I use?. Maybe use the pre´s on the Mackie and route it to the card?.

I hope this post is not as messy as my knowledge on the matter. Thanks for reading and extra thanks for your advice!!.

27th October 2009	#1
carayo Gear interested Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 18 Thread Starter	Preamp, A/D convertors, what´s what?. General advice for a noob. Hi: I know this has probably been answered a million times but I can´t get the precise answer. This forum is great so I thought i´d try... I´m looking to upgrade my setup to get a better sound, but I´m having a hard time understanding some basic concepts. I´ll start with my current setup: - iMac (latest release) - M-Audio Ozone (USB Controller/Audio Interface) - Alto preamp - Modifief Oktava condenser microphone. (Very happy with it by the way, I bought it after extensive research in this forum). I´m looking into a more cristaline/pro sound and I´m pretty sure my M-Audio Ozone needs to go (or just use it for midi). But I´m very confused about the preamp, converters, etc. If I use the Alto (will come back to that later) as the preamp, is the Ozone´s preamp not working aswell?. Or just by not using the Phantom on the M-Audio is it being bypassed?. Im having trouble understanding the basic flow here... From reading around I´m assuming you need both a good preamp (external or integrated in card) and good A/D converters to get a decent sound. Now by sections: - Oktava Mic - As I said, I just bought it so it stays!!. Would love to hear your opinion though... - Alto Preamp - alto - Alto, Music Passion Design - MINI TUBE . Is it good enough, does it make a huge difference?. I´ve only herad it with my Ozone, I don´t know if it would sound better with proper A/D convertors. - Ozone - I´m assuming it´s "for beginners" and I could get a much better (cristaline and precise) sound. - I also have a 16 channel Mackie mixer (with preamps, etc) which I´m not using at the moment (pretty useless with the Ozone). So I want an interface with multiple outputs (8...) to route through the mackie. What to do with a limited budget? (Say around 600€). - I´ll only be using 1/2 inputs but want outputs for the mixer. I´ve read here about RME and Echo Audiofire which look promising, but I need more the outputs than the inputs (Audiofire has 12 in and 12 out). - Are the pre´s on Mackies better than the interface´s?. Which should I use?. Maybe use the pre´s on the Mackie and route it to the card?. I hope this post is not as messy as my knowledge on the matter. Thanks for reading and extra thanks for your advice!!.