alternatives to CRAP! Behringer ADA8000 Ultragain Pro-8 A/D/A Converter

[sleeper1400]

hi there slutz,

i got this peice of crap in a trade for studio time and hate it. i knew that it would be poopfilled, but curiosity got the best of me....

are there any testimonials to a similar peice of rack gear that isnt behringer. they suck.
it needs optical out.

thanks

[RTR]

Originally Posted by sleeper1400

hi there slutz,

i got this peice of crap in a trade for studio time and hate it. i knew that it would be poopfilled, but curiosity got the best of me....

are there any testimonials to a similar peice of rack gear that isnt behringer. they suck.
it needs optical out.

thanks

I thought it sounded way better than my old 003..what is it that you don't like?

PS. how's it going down in yipsi? I'm coming down there next week to see my brother!!

[rack gear]

seriously it's like $200 bucks... I'm thinking about getting one for outboard effects inserts now that the automatic delay compensation seems to be working on channel inserts...

I wouldn't use the mic pre's of course but for $200 bucks I don't know where else you get 8chs of lightpipe I/O... the only thing that sucks for me is the front end line inputs are unbalanced

not sure if you can bypass the pre's going on through the balanced inputs.

[sleeper1400]

Originally Posted by RTR

I thought it sounded way better than my old 003..what is it that you don't like?

PS. how's it going down in yipsi? I'm coming down there next week to see my brother!!

well, its not often used. but i dont like the optical outs, they crackly. honestly it could be the cables, and id think by selling and about 300 bones im sure i could find somthing better.
it could be the adat cables themselves, but there brand new!

maybe thats why it was traded

i also dont like the way the knobs are 'notched' so i cant go 'inbetween'

ypsi is ok, there isnt much money flowing...not a lot of jobs..
the bad parts of town, like many other cities, are a little worse, and the good parts are less active.

---
redvelvet, you bring a good point, its 200 slips.

i was checking out the usualy sites, and this Presonus Digimax looks like a good alternative.

luckily most of the folks i record dont use more than 8 tracks, so the 003 handles them.


ce la ve

[Hotstuff]

Hi,

If the optical outs are "crakly" it´s probably because your interface and the ada8000 are out of sync, you need to choose which one is master and which is slave. If not you will hear crackling noises.

Hotstuff

[sleeper1400]

Originally Posted by Hotstuff

Hi,

If the optical outs are "crakly" it´s probably because your interface and the ada8000 are out of sync, you need to choose which one is master and which is slave. If not you will hear crackling noises.

Hotstuff

thanks, ill look into that, i assumed if both items are 44.1 or 48 that would fix itself...

[Stevil]

Originally Posted by Hotstuff

If the optical outs are "crakly" it´s probably because your interface and the ada8000 are out of sync, you need to choose which one is master and which is slave. If not you will hear crackling noises.

+1
crackly is a configuration problem.

[drtechno]

crackaly noises are cased by bad optical cable or improper sync settings. Its best to run these things as slave adat and your interface as internal sync.

I encounter it at times with the one connected to my m-audio FireWire 1814 system. I just turn off/on the ada8000 and its ok.
I have never had it mess up on my Event EZ8 ADAT card system.

once you bypass the mic pre's you have a very nice line level a/d converter.

the a/d converter is an Alesis/Wavefront Semiconductor chipset
they set up perfectly with my soundcraft studio board's direct outs.


this is how the mod goes - this is done on the skinny board in the front on all channels:

this is what you have to do for each channel:

1. remove both sets of 47uF capacitors
2. remove both 6.8k resistors (I just cut all of them out with some clippers)
3. remove both glass surface mount diodes
4. remove both 825 ohm resistors
5. remove both 2.49k resistors
6. remove both A1316 pin in hole transistors
7. remove both A06 surface mount transistors
8. install jumper wire across where the 47 uF caps were
9. install jumper wire across where the base to collector juntion of the A1316 pin in hole transistor was.


And there you go, if you feel that you cannot perform this mod yourself, consult your local TV/VCR repair shop. They would have the knowledge and equipment to do this task. and trust me, this mod is worth it.

attached is the schematics for it, GYRAF submitted it in the original thread. print it out and take it to the shop. Happy mods

[RTR]

Originally Posted by sleeper1400

well, its not often used. but i dont like the optical outs, they crackly. honestly it could be the cables, and id think by selling and about 300 bones im sure i could find somthing better.
it could be the adat cables themselves, but there brand new!

maybe thats why it was traded

i also dont like the way the knobs are 'notched' so i cant go 'inbetween'

ypsi is ok, there isnt much money flowing...not a lot of jobs..
the bad parts of town, like many other cities, are a little worse, and the good parts are less active.

---
redvelvet, you bring a good point, its 200 slips.

i was checking out the usualy sites, and this Presonus Digimax looks like a good alternative.

luckily most of the folks i record dont use more than 8 tracks, so the 003 handles them.


ce la ve

YA..I here ya...Saginaw is just horrible the last few years!!

[Finnish]

Originally Posted by drtechno

crackaly noises are cased by bad optical cable or improper sync settings. Its best to run these things as slave adat and your interface as internal sync.

I encounter it at times with the one connected to my m-audio FireWire 1814 system. I just turn off/on the ada8000 and its ok.

I have two ada8000s and M-Audio FW1814. I had a session running the whole day, and in the end ada8000 started to click/pop "in a loop". I mean the click occured approx every 25 second. I wish I had known that on/off thingy.

[FredYeah]

LoL.

Doesn't matter what gear, if something isn't working properly:

1. Switch it on / off
2. No improvement? Hit it. Just beat the damn thing
3. No improvement? Call somebody who knows.

[art_z]

Originally Posted by sleeper1400

hi there slutz,

i got this peice of crap in a trade for studio time and hate it. i knew that it would be poopfilled, but curiosity got the best of me....

are there any testimonials to a similar peice of rack gear that isnt behringer. they suck.
it needs optical out.

thanks

Presonus Digimax D8?

[FeatheredSerpent]

Originally Posted by drtechno

crackaly noises are cased by bad optical cable or improper sync settings. Its best to run these things as slave adat and your interface as internal sync.

I encounter it at times with the one connected to my m-audio FireWire 1814 system. I just turn off/on the ada8000 and its ok.
I have never had it mess up on my Event EZ8 ADAT card system.

once you bypass the mic pre's you have a very nice line level a/d converter.

the a/d converter is an Alesis/Wavefront Semiconductor chipset
they set up perfectly with my soundcraft studio board's direct outs.


this is how the mod goes - this is done on the skinny board in the front on all channels:

this is what you have to do for each channel:

1. remove both sets of 47uF capacitors
2. remove both 6.8k resistors (I just cut all of them out with some clippers)
3. remove both glass surface mount diodes
4. remove both 825 ohm resistors
5. remove both 2.49k resistors
6. remove both A1316 pin in hole transistors
7. remove both A06 surface mount transistors
8. install jumper wire across where the 47 uF caps were
9. install jumper wire across where the base to collector juntion of the A1316 pin in hole transistor was.


And there you go, if you feel that you cannot perform this mod yourself, consult your local TV/VCR repair shop. They would have the knowledge and equipment to do this task. and trust me, this mod is worth it.

attached is the schematics for it, GYRAF submitted it in the original thread. print it out and take it to the shop. Happy mods

Thanks! thumbsup

[Stevil]

Originally Posted by FredYeah

LoL.

Doesn't matter what gear, if something isn't working properly:

1. Switch it on / off

reboot!!

[sleeper1400]

ok, its to my understanding as far as the "slave master" thing goes, that doesnt really apply it the optic out is set at a matching reate as PT.

44.1 >>> 48 = popcorn

44.1....44.1 = smooth like butta

(guess the album that lines from!)

im a humble enough guy to take instruction...but since its just a preamp, how could it become a slave/master anyway?

it doesnt really seem that it'd ever be a master eh?

some one fill me in.
thanks

[Stevil]

one is master the other is slave. either should work fine. usually yer card/controller is master.

[ears2thesky]

When you are talking about digital conversion, having your devices synchronized is mandatory. The master/slave thing is only about which device's clock will be followed by the other gear. You establish one unit as the one that others will follow. That is the master. It doesn't matter that a device contains mic pres--it's still doing conversion at a certain sample rate. You may also find that things sound a little better with one device as the master as opposed to another. Try it both ways and if you hear an improvement leave in that configuration.
I think the pres in the ADA8000 are comparable to Mackie VLZ preamps--not world class but very usable.

[headbomb]

I have one of these units and had this problem when i first got it. All i did was set it to master and my 001 to slave and it works fine

[Leon EA]

Originally Posted by sleeper1400

ok, its to my understanding as far as the "slave master" thing goes, that doesnt really apply it the optic out is set at a matching reate as PT.

44.1 >>> 48 = popcorn

44.1....44.1 = smooth like butta

(guess the album that lines from!)

im a humble enough guy to take instruction...but since its just a preamp, how could it become a slave/master anyway?

it doesnt really seem that it'd ever be a master eh?

some one fill me in.
thanks

RTFM before you start ranting on a forum.

[sleeper1400]

Originally Posted by Leon EA

RTFM before you start ranting on a forum.

stfu and mind your own business

[Leon EA]

Originally Posted by sleeper1400

stfu and mind your own business

You have such a great attitude.

You have no clue what you are doing, blame the hardware, come on a forum to rant about the product to finally tell us that you just guess your way through digital connections. If someone tells you to take another route you start with insults.

The topic of this thread should have been "alternatives to CRAP! Engineer with rotten attitude".

I have helped quite a few people on this forum with exactly such setups, but guess what: fuuck

[noah330]

I use one on my Tascam DM 3200 to get 8 additional ins/outs for hardware effects.


I have everything sync'd to an Apogee Big Ben and it sounds great.

The only minor complaint I have is that the line inputs pass through the mic pres. There is not a way (that I am aware of) to take the pres out of the chain.

All things considered it sounds great - and it would be a deal at twice the price.

[Wayne]

Originally Posted by Leon EA

You have such a great attitude.

You have no clue what you are doing, blame the hardware, come on a forum to rant about the product to finally tell us that you just guess your way through digital connections. If someone tells you to take another route you start with insults.

The topic of this thread should have been "alternatives to CRAP! Engineer with rotten attitude".

I have helped quite a few people on this forum with exactly such setups, but guess what: fuuck

Truly! Wow.

[Stevil]

Originally Posted by Leon EA

RTFM before you start ranting on a forum.

good advice!

[Hotstuff]

Hi,
Still havn´t sorted out the crakling problem?

Your 003 clock is set to internal so set the clock on the ADA8000 to slave, buy 2 word clock cables connect the out of the 003 to the ADA8000 and the in of the 003 to the out of the ADA8000, connect the optical (lightpipe) cables in the same manner.

No more pops and clicks!

Hotstuff

[RTR]

The ada8000 HAS TO BE THE MASTER..IU have used it and thats how it has to be..end O story!

[koaparlor]

I have the ADA8000 and had the same problem when I first hooked it up. The only way I could stop the crackling was to make it the master. It is cheap and not too bad if you're using external preamps going into it.

[Wayne]

Interesting it turns out the manual does not say it has to be master. So what's up? It has w/c', adat sync' ..but can't?
(Maybe I rescind my previous 'what is or ain't crap'..?

[Leon EA]

Originally Posted by Wayne

Interesting it turns out the manual does not say it has to be master. So what's up? It has w/c', adat sync' ..but can't?
(Maybe I rescind my previous 'what is or ain't crap'..?

If either the Digi or the ADA has trouble slaving to another unit, it will of course not say so in the manual. This is usually based on experience and trying out. Normally, such thing is not an issue if it provides a setting to slave to external clock.

If the ADA sounds like crap when it is slaving to either a wordclock or an ADAT input (that of course has to be connected as well, even if it is only used as an AD/mic pre), either the cable is faulty, the ADA simply has a bad clock or the source has a bad clock that drifts so bad (or is weak) that a sensitive slave cannot sync to it. I don't have either of these units but have never experienced such an issue. ut it seems some others in this thread actually have exactly this issue as well with these units so I guess you either have to set it to master or replace it with whatever alternative fits you. Maybe borrow any other device with digital or wordclock out and see whether that clock is accepted by the ADA.

[D K]

I used to have this unit - I slaved it to my RME Multiface via ADAT and it sounded fine - better then when set as the master..