Best bang for buck? 8 channel Preamps/converters?

[warhead]

The Digimax FS is ruling the roost on bang for the buck + good sound. It also does D--->A conversion which is quite nice to have, and handles up to 96K for S/MUX users.

War

[bobwarren]

I got a Digimax FS to do some remote video recording with my mobile MOTU rig. I demo'd a screamo band called Stictland with the Presonus using the following mics:
D112
Audix i5 or SM 57 (can't remember)
(2) MD421
(2) AKG 451B
KM184
(2) TLM-103 (room)

There's a little eq in the drums at the begining for effect but after that, everything else is dry including the guitars and bass. Track is mixed with levels only with just an SSL G comp on the end.
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attac...0&d=1173131428

[loaf]

sounds pretty harsh

[bobwarren]

mission accomplished.

[Ringwraith]

I didn't think it sounded harsh. Where's the rest of the song?

Cheers
Sean

[bobwarren]

I just posted a sample to give an idea of the Presonus Digimax FS. I prefer to track with my API gear for drums, but, oh well. I'll try to post the whole song tomorrow. It's still in a very unfinished state. You also have to understand the gendre as well; very aggressive...

[Tommy Fobia]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. The general feeling surrounding the Digimax seems to be pretty good then...

If the recording sounds harsh, I have a feeling that is due to a combination of the tracks being unmixed and the fact that it has been encoded to MP3 in this state.

Taking this (and the price) into consideration (and the fact I briefly got chance to demo one) I think the digimax is surprisingly faithful to what you put into it, which is exactly what I want!

Thanks for the help guys. If anyone else thinks I am missing out on a similarly priced 8 channel preamp/converter/clock, I would appreciate your input!

[stonewall40]

I think the FS is a good choice. I'm going to get one soon to replace my Berh.. ADA8000. The preamps are pretty crappy, and I just can't stand having Behringer in my rack.

[John Suitcase]

In sort of the same range, I have a Mackie 800r that sounds awfully nice. Much punchier/smoother than other pre's in this price range, in my opinion. I've used it a lot, mostly on drums, but also on guitars and vocals. Haven't tracked bass through it yet, but it's on my list.

They retail at around $1100, but you can get them used for $700 or so. Might be worth considering...

Of course, the presonus are very usable too, but the sound is definitely different.

[dan*leclub]

Hey,
in case you are on a Mac, maybe you could stretch your budget a little and get a MH 2882. They sell around 1300$ new and are a serious upgrade. Many poeple here consider them the best conversion in that pricerange. Got two. For me, no more need for converter upgrades anytime soon...
Dan

[mltamisin]

Yeah, I've heard the Onyx 800r and it sounded better than the older Digimax, but I've not heard the new one.

[tnjazz]

For the price range I would also recommend the Onyx 800R. I've used all the Presonus stuff and eventually ended up selling it all. It was good, but it just wasn't as good as the Mackie.

I still have an 800R in my mobile rig that gets primary use on drums and bass these days, although I've also used it successfully on many other electric instruments (guitars, keys, organ) and vocals.

I would also recommend the 2882 as a secondary option, although it may not be quite the right ticket to work with an 002. I loved my 2882, but I needed a preamp with gain knobs for mobile work so it had to be replaced with something easier to use in a dark club. The preamps are good, the conversion is great. But since you already have the interface (002) you might be better served with a dedicated preamp like the Onyx.

[mjteix]

Don't know about the more recent Presonus, but I had the Onyx 800R or a year or so, and I ended up using it for everything: Vocals, Drums, Electric and Acoustic guitars, Bass (DI and Amp), even rough electro-acoustic guitars directly thru the DI inputs - we kept the take because it was so good. I'm using it mostly with a Digi 001 (no need to laugh) at home, so I can tell you that using it with a 002 (or 003) is really easy, use it at the master clock for you LE system (if you don't have a better external clock), and you will already hear the difference. Also the 800R has ADAT smux and AES outputs up to 192K, so you're good for a couple of years!