Which 8 channel PreSonus would you get?

[lucasmusic]

PreSonus FP10 10x10 FireWire Interface (Firepod) $399.95
PreSonus FireStudio Project $499.95
PreSonus DigiMax D8 8-Channel Preamplifier $449.95
PreSonus DigiMax FS 8-Channel Microphone Preamp $649.99
PreSonus FirePod 24-bit/96k $399.99

WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE? WHICH IS BEST SOUNDING OUT OF THESE?
Im wanting to use to connect with Digi002, which all will do through S/PDIF cable.

[Grumblefoot]

I have the FS lightpiped to my 003, if that helps.

[tnjazz]

I would go with the D8 personally.

The FP10 and Firepod have only coax spdif out, which only carries 2 channels.

Assuming you want all 8 you need to use lightpipe, which leaves the FS units or the D8. Since your final destination is the 002, there's no reason to buy another interface (unless you are contemplating a move away from PT in the future).

That's how I would approach it.

[turk sanchez]

None.

The preamp in the Firebox was hands down the worst sounding preamp I have ever heard. I bought one for a friend and we returned it the next day. Used a 57 to try and record some acoustic guitar...ended up w/the gain all the way up and the level was still VERY weak and there was a TON of noise. I though it was broken but tech. support said it was not and that I just needed to buy some condenser mics or a different preamp. Total junk. Even a Mackie vlz is 10 times better than these. Maybe they use different pres in their other units? I can't belive a company puts out junk like that. He ended up with an Mbox mini and the pre in there is a lot better...but coming from the Presonus anything that is usable seems good. If I compared the vlz or mbox pres to my P1 or Great River they would not seem as sweet, but they still work okay. I just used the pres as a point of reference. You would think the Pre in the firebox would be able to hold it's own next to a Mackie pre...not even close.

[danbronson]

Originally Posted by waffle waitress

None.

The preamp in the Firebox was hands down the worst sounding preamp I have ever heard. I bought one for a friend and we returned it the next day. Used a 57 to try and record some acoustic guitar...ended up w/the gain all the way up and the level was still VERY weak and there was a TON of noise. I though it was broken but tech. support said it was not and that I just needed to buy some condenser mics or a different preamp. Total junk. Even a Mackie vlz is 10 times better than these. Maybe they use different pres in their other units? I can't belive a company puts out junk like that. He ended up with an Mbox mini and the pre in there is a lot better...but coming from the Presonus anything that is usable seems good. If I compared the vlz or mbox pres to my P1 or Great River they would not seem as sweet, but they still work okay. I just used the pres as a point of reference. You would think the Pre in the firebox would be able to hold it's own next to a Mackie pre...not even close.

I have a Firepod, and have the same problem. Not a ton of gain, and it gets noisy at extremes. Using a 57 on an acoustic is not really possible unless the player is loud and you're micing close.

THAT SAID, for the money you're spending, you could do far worse. 55 dB of gain or whatever is enough 95% of the time (assuming you're not an avid ribbon user). And sonically, I get very useable results with mine and record everything from acoustic to hardcore. The pres don't sound great, but they also don't sound 'bad' to me.

[Jonboy79]

Originally Posted by waffle waitress

None.

The preamp in the Firebox was hands down the worst sounding preamp I have ever heard. I bought one for a friend and we returned it the next day. Used a 57 to try and record some acoustic guitar...ended up w/the gain all the way up and the level was still VERY weak and there was a TON of noise. I though it was broken but tech. support said it was not and that I just needed to buy some condenser mics or a different preamp. Total junk. Even a Mackie vlz is 10 times better than these. Maybe they use different pres in their other units? I can't belive a company puts out junk like that. He ended up with an Mbox mini and the pre in there is a lot better...but coming from the Presonus anything that is usable seems good. If I compared the vlz or mbox pres to my P1 or Great River they would not seem as sweet, but they still work okay. I just used the pres as a point of reference. You would think the Pre in the firebox would be able to hold it's own next to a Mackie pre...not even close.

I'm no fan of Presonus but saying the Mackie is 10 times better is just a gross over exaggeration. First off I don't think you could pick a worse mic to use to record acoustic guitar and second if you would've done a little research you would've known that the Presonus(and most budget pre's) just don't have enough clean gain to record something as relatively quiet as an acoustic guitar with a dynamic mic that requires that much gain. If you would've used a condenser you would've probably heard a world of difference. I've heard plenty of recordings using cheaper presonus stuff that sounded just fine. I myself owned a Eureka which did a perfectly fine job recording every source I put in front of it and the only reason I got rid of it was because I upgraded to a True Systems P8 and UA M610.

To the original poster, if you aren't making the purchase any time really soon I'm actually buying a D8 later this week just to have a few extra channels and, to prove this guy wrong, I'll record the next band I have in with it exclusively. So you'll have a chance to hear how it stacks up in a full blown recording.

[DJBlueDrink]

I'm gonna have to agree with waffle waitress and say none. I have personally used many of presonus's products and still own 2 firepods and I must say they are just piss poor. Don't get me wrong, if you need 8 channels of input and it between that and not recording at all then do what you must. One thing I see is that you want to input to the Digi 002 digitally meaning that you'd be using the presonus converters. IMO thats mistake #1 as the presonus converters are just absolute Crap. Like as if somebody took a blanket and put it over your monitors. Def not a step up from the digi converters, most likely a step down. Id say for that kinda money, look into 8 channels of decent analog pre and run it into the digis converters.

PS: Presonus is NOT decent analog pre.

I will elaborate more on this and give you some more specific advice but im heading out the door right now.

[Jonboy79]

Originally Posted by DJBlueDrink

I'm gonna have to agree with waffle waitress and say none. I have personally used many of presonus's products and still own 2 firepods and I must say they are just piss poor. Don't get me wrong, if you need 8 channels of input and it between that and not recording at all then do what you must. One thing I see is that you want to input to the Digi 002 digitally meaning that you'd be using the presonus converters. IMO thats mistake #1 as the presonus converters are just absolute Crap. Like as if somebody took a blanket and put it over your monitors. Def not a step up from the digi converters, most likely a step down. Id say for that kinda money, look into 8 channels of decent analog pre and run it into the digis converters.

PS: Presonus is NOT decent analog pre.

I will elaborate more on this and give you some more specific advice but im heading out the door right now.

Well inputs 1-4 on the 002 are amped(volume knob controls both the line and mic input) so it really wouldn't make sense to run another preamp into them. I do find it interesting that the two people on here ripping Presonus are the ones using firepods which I thought was already long ago established to be shitty. Have either of you extensively used their newer lineup of pres? Have you guys ever used some of their higher end Digimax's from a few years ago? Presonus most certainly makes decent gear and I'd put it right up on par(if not better) than the pres and converters on the 002. Like I said I'll track an entire song with their new DigiMax D8 and then you all can compare it to other songs I've done in the past with pre's that would be considered more "high end". I'm betting you won't hear a huge difference.

[James Krumhansl]

I can say that the Digimax LT is a fine product, not only for its pre's but for the converters too, when I use outboard pres they go right into the inserts of my digimax and I have yet to be disappointed. I'd like to note I have no trouble getting enough gain for my SM7 to work on most sources with these pres and anyone who has worked with one knows you need a lot to drive that thing. It goes for 800, I got it for 600, I think it would have been more than worthwhile at full price.

[tnjazz]

Originally Posted by Jonboy79

I do find it interesting that the two people on here ripping Presonus are the ones using firepods which I thought was already long ago established to be shitty. Have either of you extensively used their newer lineup of pres? Have you guys ever used some of their higher end Digimax's from a few years ago? Presonus most certainly makes decent gear and I'd put it right up on par(if not better) than the pres and converters on the 002.

Agreed. The Digimax line sounds quite good, and sure as hell smokes the crappy VLZ pres.

I have not tried the new D8 as of yet but I have been contemplating one for the rack here in the studio.

I have owned Digimax LT and Digimax 96 units several times in the past though, and I've recorded numerous bands with them (mobile). They are just fine for use with an 002. Certainly worlds better than the Firepod or the Firebox.

Sometimes I think people just like to bash the pro-sumer companies like Presonus for sport.

[SRS]

Sorry to hi-jack the thread a bit, but...

I am selling a D8 on Ebay right now. Has about 3 hours left on the auction.

Presonus Digimax D8 - Brand New - eBay (item 200259391864 end time Oct-04-08 19:03:35 PDT)

I had another D8 that I used on a couple of projects in the B studio. This one was purchased for the same room, but never used. If you wanna pick it up for $285, it would be a steal. It's brand new, never used. It currently has 15 watchers so far.

I can say that the pres do need to be boosted pretty high, but I also think that as said in one of the previous posts that it was really noisy..., I did not find that with the one I used.

Not bad for 8 pres for $300 though. With lightpipe.

[Jungle Jazz]

I've also had positive experience with Presonus gear, especially the Digimax FS. I think the preamps are quite usable, and the conversion and clocking are pretty good as well. It may not be boutique gear, but for general utility purposes, it's fine. For what you get, the Digimax FS is a tremendous value, and the DAC outputs really make it a useful tool for live or studio use.

I've also got to say that my dealings with Presonus support have been positive as well. The only negative experience I had was with the FireStudio, and that was with the drivers, not with with the hardware.

[turk sanchez]

[QUOTE=Jonboy79;3542916]I'm no fan of Presonus but saying the Mackie is 10 times better is just a gross over exaggeration. First off I don't think you could pick a worse mic to use to record acoustic guitar and second if you would've done a little research you would've known that the Presonus(and most budget pre's) just don't have enough clean gain to record something as relatively quiet as an acoustic guitar with a dynamic mic that requires that much gain. If you would've used a condenser you would've probably heard a world of difference.

Hey Jonboy,

This was not my firebox...I have a client that I was trying to get set up w/a small rig so he could do some basic recording/demos/writing etc. A 57 is all he has...and while maybe not ideal it should work fine (and does through other inexspensive pre like the VLZ which I used as a generic example).

The guy was strumming hard on his Taylor using a heavy pick and 11 or 12 gauge strings. I put the 57 right up close (like 2 or 3 inches away).

To me saying "you can't think of a worse mic than a 57 for acoustic guitar" is just a gross over exaggeration.

PS...I would never have dreamed of pluging my Gefell or one of my nice mics into a Pre like that! That's like taking a hooker out to a $200 dinner!

[Sid Viscous]

FS. It does just about everything you could ever ask of an 8 channel pre.

[Heartfelt]

The new Firestudio Tube is their latest and it seems to have better specs than previous models. 114db dynamic range on the converters gets it up to relative RME and lower Apogee model specs.

[Heartfelt]

awww....

oh well

[lucasmusic]

Originally Posted by Jonboy79

To the original poster, if you aren't making the purchase any time really soon I'm actually buying a D8 later this week just to have a few extra channels and, to prove this guy wrong, I'll record the next band I have in with it exclusively. So you'll have a chance to hear how it stacks up in a full blown recording.

sweet, im lookin forward to it!

[Jonboy79]

[QUOTE=waffle waitress;3543954]

Originally Posted by Jonboy79

I'm no fan of Presonus but saying the Mackie is 10 times better is just a gross over exaggeration. First off I don't think you could pick a worse mic to use to record acoustic guitar and second if you would've done a little research you would've known that the Presonus(and most budget pre's) just don't have enough clean gain to record something as relatively quiet as an acoustic guitar with a dynamic mic that requires that much gain. If you would've used a condenser you would've probably heard a world of difference.

Hey Jonboy,

This was not my firebox...I have a client that I was trying to get set up w/a small rig so he could do some basic recording/demos/writing etc. A 57 is all he has...and while maybe not ideal it should work fine (and does through other inexspensive pre like the VLZ which I used as a generic example).

The guy was strumming hard on his Taylor using a heavy pick and 11 or 12 gauge strings. I put the 57 right up close (like 2 or 3 inches away).

To me saying "you can't think of a worse mic than a 57 for acoustic guitar" is just a gross over exaggeration.

PS...I would never have dreamed of pluging my Gefell or one of my nice mics into a Pre like that! That's like taking a hooker out to a $200 dinner!

Well it is just my opinion but I'd rather use just about ANY cheap condenser over a 57 on acoustic guitar. I'm not saying the 57 isn't a good mic, I love it for certain applications but it would literally be the last mic in my collection I would use on acoustic guitar.

[turk sanchez]

Right on Jonboy.

My point was that there was a major problem in his recording chain using the Firebox and the 57...and the 57 was not the cause.

He uses his 57 now w/no problems on acoustic along with his mbox mini and the preamp in there sounds much better than the Firebox did (just because it is usable). You don't have to dime the mbox pre to get a decent level...and w/out the noise galore.

To the original poster, as I stated b4 I have not tried the other units in the Presonus line...but after what I heard why would I want to? If I go out to eat and the service sucks and the food is cold...why go back and try it again when there are tons of good places to eat? And if somebody was asking about that place I would tell them about my experience to maybe save them some hassle (and some bling).

[JustinAiken]

Originally Posted by Heartfelt

The new Firestudio Tube is their latest and it seems to have better specs than previous models. 114db dynamic range on the converters gets it up to relative RME and lower Apogee model specs.

I think the FS Tube doesn't have lightpipe though, so you couldn't hook it up to an 002.

[stafs]

I have two Digimax FS, linked together. Pres are clean, maybe even sterile. Downside - pres have only 55db of gain, but actually i never had probems with that. Converters is the main reason, why i bought FS. Converters are great. Actually, You can't find any better sounding coverters in taht price range. And even some of the higher end converters just can't beat FS. Clocking also is good.
Yes, and he routing...Digimax FS have a lot of ins and outs - thats what a lot of other preamp boxes lack.

[DJBlueDrink]

Hey, sorry I took so long to finish my post, nasty computer virus that was a PITA to get rid of. Anyway, As far as the inputs on the digi being amped, set it to unity gain at line level and you should have a minimal impact aside from it running though the digi's circuit in the first place. Next off, I was not the person who bought the firepods which now just get used strictly for conversion, I just have the misfortune of owning them and If you seriously think there is little difference between the firepods pres and "high end pres" that's fine, you're entitled to you're opinion. I heard quite a large difference using the pres in an Allen Heath Gl2200 over tracks of the same instrument recorded with the firepod pre being the only difference in the signal path. That's not even a "High End Pre". The problem I find with the pods pres is that as you increase their gain they just start to sound small and flat. Some mics it's not a problem as they have a high enough gain where you're not relying on the pods pres to supply it. Alot of the time this is just not the case. As far as using their other products, yes I have tried most of them and while some are superior to the firepod, that's not saying much. Among these are the Eureka, Firestudio Tube, TubePRE, and you're beloved Digimax(which ill agree is superior to the pod).

The point of this is (to the original poster) I think you're making a mistake by investing your money in lower middle of the road prosumer stuff that the guy at guitar center tries to sell you because he doubts you'll spend the dough it costs to get the serious gear so at least he gets some commision. Some of you may have had good experiences with Presonus, but I have not. Alot of hype for something that's not that great. Plus their support is sub par and the drivers are unstable at best(It's not due to comp illiteracy, was a comp sci major). So in conclusion I would say save your money if you're serious about recording and get some stuff you'll wanna hang onto for life and not something that works "for now".

PS: This is just my opinion based on my Personal experiences. Anyone who finds it invalid does not have to follow it.

[wesarvin]

I don't think you should get any of them. All of the cheap presonus pres are crap. I hate my bluetube and firepod, and usually use a mackie vlz for the extra pres on my 002r. Totally flat, lifeless, and at high gain, noisy.

[steelyfan]

I've always achieved great results with the firepod, I guess it's all how you use them, if anyone thinks trying to crank an a/d the ships with 8 preamps is gonna sound great than, ..... use the firepod as just a way to get audio into your computer, I'll use an LA-610 , or the pre-amps in my Ramsa board, vibe everthing first, and send them through the firepod.
Keeping the firepod at @ 12:00 , never any noise issues, just don't put it
in the red. I think people try to track too loud with these things, It;s like what they say about the 610 as well. If your running out of headroom on a la-610, go back and listen to your mix, it's too hot. My firepod is quiet,
but i usually bypass the preamps, but yes, when i try to crank it, it can get noisy, turn it back to @12:00, and increase the gain somewhere else.
Think of it as a digital recorder, not a preamp.

[tnjazz]

Originally Posted by Pfraser

Driver issues out of the ass. I lost hair because of using a PreSonus.

That was the case a while back but I was under the impression they've remedied that?

Anyway, the OP wants something he can run directly into an 002. No drivers involved in that activity.

Don't you people read these posts before you jump in and start bashing shit?

[Studiodawg]

Digimax FS...I have never had any issues with mine and it's easy to operate.

[wesarvin]

Originally Posted by tnjazz

That was the case a while back but I was under the impression they've remedied that?

Anyway, the OP wants something he can run directly into an 002. No drivers involved in that activity.

Don't you people read these posts before you jump in and start bashing shit?

whoops. digimax or behringer ada8000 should get him into the ballpark for a low price.

[Antonio_4346]

I've got the Firestudio and M-Audio's Profire 2626 (essentially the same unit). I prefer the PreSonus for direct applications and the Octane for all other miked projects. The Octane preamps in the Profire just seem to have more overtones than the XMAXs in the PreSonus.

[PMoshay]

The RME Octamic II is very nice sounding...... i have one for extra record channels and find it quite nice! Lightpipe & WC as well as AES.

[PAETEK]

Hey Guys this is Jeremy from PreSonus Audio, I'm not here to give my opinion or try to sell you something, I'm here for those who might have technical issues or questions or problems with our products in the past they may need fixing, if you need any help, feel free to contact me.

-jpleasant@presonus.com