Should i to get RAMSA?

[Roman]

I have paid for and will be receiving a ramsa wr8616 this next week.
It's got 9 mono channels and 7 stereo channels. I am plugging in sound module outputs and sound card outputs into it. The manual says the inputs are all xlr.
I want the 9 mono channels to take my sampler outs and synth etc. I want 5 or 6 of the stereo channels to take stereo stems from my DAW.
All my MIDI modules are 1/4 jack output. So I can confidently buy a trs to mxlr 8 snake.
But what cable do I need for the stereo channels.
I haven't received the mixer yet. But I am assuming a stereo signal can be carried by a single xlr cable. My guess is I need some xlr to dual ts cables.
Or am I mistaken?
What are the input jacks for stereo channels?
I am going to be connecting 10 sound card outputs as 5 stereo stems to those stereo inputs.

I know it's a bit strange tacking this question on to this thread. I thought it might be a bit more efficient than a separate thread.
Thanks,
Roman.

[crufty]

it's a great question.

stereo modules appear to be two xlr line inputs, -20 to +10, 10k ohms balanced, XLr type connector x 2. pin 2 cold, pin 3 hot, pin 1 ground.

sadly, the 8616 manual is readily available on the internet. the 820? pthtpt.

I really wish I knew what the program mix knob did.

[FreshSkweez]

Two years ago I couldn't find the WR8616 manual anywhere which was a major pain in the ass 'cause my board was at my techs' shop undergoing some mods and they had to retrace every PCB board to figure things out. It was a total nightmare! Actually it was the first time I ever got incredibly frustrated with gearslutz. Here I am with a problem that's killing me both time-wise and financially and the people who I know (from their previous posts) could totally help me out prefer discussing RNCs and VLAs for a hundrendth time instead, completely ignoring my plees...

Anyway I have manuals for both WR8616 and T820 if anyone's interested.

As to the whole stereo vs mono modules on th 8616 - each channel has 2 XLR inputs, a standard insert TRS and an unballanced TS direct out. That's the way they are labeled on the back. Except it's module-dependant. If you insert a stereo module in a given slot your 'Line In' becomes your 'Line In Left' and your 'Mic In' becomes a 'Line In Right'. Neither Inserts nor direct outs work with stereo modules (obviously). So in order to run stereo pairs out of your DA into the 8616 all you need is a standard XLRm-to-whatever-your-converters-have snake and you're good to go.

Feel free to post or pm me with questions on the 8616. I'm always glad to help a brother out with info and a kind word of advice, unlike some people...

[Gibripper75]

I am selling my Ramsa WR-T820, excellent condition, fully functional, meter bridge, original meter bridge cabeling, original manuals. I've been hesitating to put it on ebay for like 4 years now, just because I am still a little hung onto it and I will not ship it, pick up only...
Would like to get around $600

[Roman]

I've got a mono channel with a broken low frequency knob. It's the top half of the dual knob that is snapped off.
I want to source a complete ramsa wr8616 low frequency dual eq knob.
Maybe other Ramsa desks have the same part.
The mono channel module is called wu8101.
Maybe you guys know of someone or yourself.
I also would like a female xlr jack for the Ramsa wr8616. I bought one locally but it's a smaller size. I could mount it on a backing spacer. But would like to replace it with the same size female xlr jack.

[GotGear?]

I've mixed on a friend's WR-T820 that he had in the 90's. It's nice sounding board. I'd have no problem buying one of these if needed.

I always thought it sounded pretty good with nice EQ.

[jimmoon]

Can the crackling pots and faders be cleaned to get rid of the noise?

[FreshSkweez]

Originally Posted by jimmoon

Can the crackling pots and faders be cleaned to get rid of the noise?

Well... yeah

[jimmoon]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

Thanks for saying that. I feel like the compromise I make sometimes for channels being grouchy in exchange for how the audio sounds rules out in my favour for sure. I'm somewhat entertained by the character of my ramsa, being that it's behavior is starting to become a personality in my music. It's like a very random fireplace crackling in the background of some of my recordings, when a channel starts to decide to be dirty, a log burst into flames for a moment or something. It sounds like a record smug or skip, like you are listening to a record recorded to a cassette. ......
It 's not frustrating , It seems familiar to listen to

I've embraced this idea, like all my future recordings might feel the wrath of the Ramsa.

Do the channels crackle just passing audio through them or only when you turn a knob or adjust a fader? If it happens randomly that would really suck.

[hossman777]

I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I'm super stoked. I'm picking up a Ramsa WR-8616 tonight after work. I'm giving the guy a Bellari RP220 and $150 cash for it! After reading through this thread (in spite of a couple naysayers) I'm even more excited!

Anyone got any routing suggestions? Currently, I'm using a Tascam US-1641 interface...I'm thinking running the direct outs into the xlr inputs of the Tascam (while keeping the Tascams preamps turned all the way down) and using the Ramsa as my frontend, then routing the each of the Tascam's 4 outputs back out to the Ramsa so I can setup busses in my DAW and be able to do multiple monitor mixes with the AUX outputs on the board. Thoughts?

[ianbryn11]

i stumbled across a Ramsa Wr 8210a in a pawn shop in texas last spring.... I bought it... never heard of it at the time.. It looked mad old but in great condition..... It had a cool leather cushioned arm rest in the front of the board... And it was really heavy! I like heavy gear......

Anyway, it sounds great. Ive used it for the pres and EQ's so far... just pass the audio right into digital or onto tape.... I think it was one of the best buys ive ever made.....

[steelyfan]

That model is swanky son! Always liked that brown armrest look, very 70's.thumbsup You just need some hottie with feathered hair, blue eyeliner, and bellbottoms moving mics for you to fully illustrate the glamour of your Ramsa! I always wanted that version! Lucky guy,
I bet it sounds awesome.

I'll have to post a picture of this custom desk I made for mine, it looks like some strange country Japanesse furniature. Sorta fancy, really. he he he

steely

[steelyfan]

Originally Posted by jimmoon

Do the channels crackle just passing audio through them or only when you turn a knob or adjust a fader? If it happens randomly that would really suck.

No, it just happens sometimes, mostly when turning knobs on a channel.

But that doesn't happen much anymore () LOL! I Kind of miss of fireplace background noise, added so much character to the recordings, and was usually only audible on quiet passages.

But really, I have so much stuff connected to the mixer now that all the channels are starting to work out their storgage kinks. When these older mixers get put in garages or storages for a while, they get dusty and dirty pots from lack of use. But with use, they start to work all the gunk out.
I'll have to leave one channel alone though, for my fireplace effect!

REALLy like my Ramsa, but my favorite sounding record is King Crimson's ITCOTCK, which has a smokey, hazey and very analog sound to it. To me, these Ramsa's are VERY analog sounding boards, and alot of people don't dig colored or murky sounding gear. But in the digital age of everyone looking for pricey stuff to mojo out their clean digital recordings, or just get a warmer sound, with the Ramsa it's already at the source in spades..... like it or not. But if shooting for a crisper sound, I just skip the Ramsa and use other preamps.

steely

[ianbryn11]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

You just need some hottie with feathered hair, blue eyeliner, and bellbottoms moving mics for you to fully illustrate the glamour of your Ramsa!

HA Now that sounds like a good plan....

[hossman777]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

That model is swanky son! Always liked that brown armrest look, very 70's.thumbsup You just need some hottie with feathered hair, blue eyeliner, and bellbottoms moving mics for you to fully illustrate the glamour of your Ramsa! I always wanted that version! Lucky guy,
I bet it sounds awesome.
steely

I'm buying a new outfit for my wife! She actually likes to help me in the studio! I love this quote.

The one I'm picking up tonight has the brown leather arm rest...I can't wait. :-) You guys think going direct-out (TS) to the XLR inputs on my Tascam US-1641 will work? (Gain on the tascam all the way down, of course)

[Lumin One]

you can do that. i opted to take advantage of the busses instead of the direct outs. i have the wrt820b.
not too sure what you will have connected to your mixer though. may make more sense to go direct out. either way will sound good

[steelyfan]

Originally Posted by Lumin One

you can do that. i opted to take advantage of the busses instead of the direct outs. i have the wrt820b.
not too sure what you will have connected to your mixer though. may make more sense to go direct out. either way will sound good

AUx's for me too.

How I've always set up my mixers was to have my aux's routed into inputs of my interface and keep all my gear hooked up to the mixer. I 've got 3 synths, two are in stereo and one is mono, along with mics, samplers, etc. are all plugged into the mixer, and then route whatever I'm using to whatever input I want through an aux. No plugging and unplugging.

steelyfan

[ronniemann]

hi, i need manual for T820. thanks loads. ron

[ddageek]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

I would love to see a Malcolm Toft/John Wendt cage match! Me and John Oram would be in the first row!

Many of us did wonderful work many years ago. To me what matters now is what have you done lately?

In record lingo, you're only as good as your last hit. I havn't heard about Wendt for quite some time...

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

Yeah, but you, I and the Designers know that in most cases a co-design credit should be given to the Accountant, for his "we need to hit this price point"
Thought of John Wendt the other day when I saw an old 824 the "recording version" of the 840/852!

I know you really hate Panasonic for those Mackie faders

[FreshSkweez]

I'm reviving this ancient thread to share a recent development that might be of interest to potential Ramsa users. I've been on the record before saying Ramsa WU-8101 eqs feel weird and are a bit too broad for my taste. Well...

My first 'pro' eqs that I absolutely loved were API 550b. Very drastic, character pieces... you guys know what I'm talking about. I used them for a couple of years but then I had to relocate, open my own facility... yada-yada-yada I sold them and never had the spare cash to buy them again. And I sort of forgot what they sounded like. A couple of days ago I got offered a lunchbox with 6 550bs for 3K which as you know is ridiculously low. So I brought them to my studio to check them out.

I opened a mix I'm in the middle of and patched them in. Once I got the sounds I thought - how about I compare the curves to the Ramsa eqs and see how close I can get them to sound. Imagine my surprise when in a couple of minutes I had almost identical curves! The character was a tiny bit different, APIs being more '900Hz forward' and Ramsas being a touch deeper and fatter but you REALLY had to listen to notice the difference. The only obvious thing was that 550s were considerably quieter but not in a usable vs unusable kind of way.

I'm baffled! ;-) Hopefully I'll have time to post a couple of clips in the nearest future.

[5150MP]

Anybody know where I can get a power supply built for an WR-8816?

[Vern]

I have a wrt820 myself and it is a very good choice for someone who wants to get out of the box and is making mixes for demo's and such. The pre's are the most impressive aspect of this console while the routing is the least impressive. The eq is actually very very nice overall with 3 band parametric eq which was really why I gave the console a shot for $450. It's definitely a sturdy console and the meter bridge is pretty decent too. I have never worked on the Midas or Ghost, but have worked on Tridents and Mackies and would say this actually falls in-between the two. The EQ is definitely more warm sounding than a mackie, but definitely not as precise as a Trident. The pre's, in my opinion, are pretty similar sounding to a Trident80, the pre's are worth the money alone if you don't use the EQ on this conosole. Cons are routing capabilities as well as crosstalk which is not so good on my console, actually, kinda bad but is still ok and kinda adds to the whole analog flavor when all the channels are being used. My stereo buss is a bit unbalanced from left to right as well, but can easily be made up with my outboard buss compressor. Overall, i would recommend to get this RAMSA version if you are looking for something under $1000 to get out of the digital world and experiment with mixing on a decent sounding analog console, especially if you don't have GREAT expectations. If nothing else, you will have a very decent tracking console with the pre's when you upgrade to a better mixing console later.

[Erik Thomas]

I have the WRS4424, and love it. Cost all of 400 bucks for a used one in great condition. Very warm and "musical" sounding board. It adds an analogy flavor to a mix, while still maintaining the clarity and precision of digi. One of the best purchases Ive made in a long time.

[nigel saunders]

Originally Posted by Erik Thomas

I have the WRS4424, and love it. Cost all of 400 bucks for a used one in great condition. Very warm and "musical" sounding board. It adds an analogy flavor to a mix, while still maintaining the clarity and precision of digi. One of the best purchases Ive made in a long time.

wr-s216 for £92
brilliant buy - as somebody said - the pres make things sound like a record.

[RARStudios]

I recently traded my MOTU896hd and sm57 for a full wr8616 and a half (for sister parts) wr8616. This thing goes perfect with my ITB setup. Less ITB EQ, amazing analog pres that give a color to pair up with my apogee ensemble. The pres sound amazing on guitar and vocals. I just got it 2 days ago, so I am still working on doing a full production with it!

I stupidly carried this thing into my house alone...which is not recommended. It weighs a ton (more than me). I also almost dropped it on cement...once again, don't carry it alone.


I'll post some clips here In a few days!

Here's a pic:




Oh! And thank everyone on this forum for convincing me to make my second best buy since my apogee ensemble!


Evan

[hossman777]

Originally Posted by RARStudios

I stupidly carried this thing into my house alone...which is not recommended. It weighs a ton (more than me). I also almost dropped it on cement...once again, don't carry it alone.

Yeah, the thing is a bruiser. I had a buddy help me go get mine from a guy who lived in the mountains outside Boise, Idaho. It was dumping buckets of snow and we were driving around dirt logging roads trying to find this guy's cabin. Finally found it, and we had to carry the thing down a flight of 40 snow-covered stairs made of 2x6's down the side of a hill. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but it was sure sketchy.

Congrats on the Ramsa! I'm sad to say mine isn't getting the use that it should these days; even contemplated selling it and going all ITB, but I just can't seem to bring myself to do it. Hopefully I'll have some time to do a little maintenance and tune up the scratchy pots and get some more use out of the ol' girl over the winter.

[RARStudios]

I am glad you all made it out okay!!! That sounds terrifying. I am not a big guy (135 lbs), this thing made my back sore, that's for sure haha.

For me, I just needed some colored pres + eq...now I have 16 channels of audio:

4 apogee ensemble pres
9 Ramsa pres with 3 band eq
7 Ramsa pres with the hi/Lo cut eq

Which is more than enough for what I do!

Try incorporating it for the EQ! I personally think the depth and sound of the eq beats any itb eq I currently own.

Not to mention, the pres are really really great! They compete with my ensemble...