Soundtracs Topaz 24 vs. Soundtracs PC MIDI 24

[FirstLoveStudio]

Anyone know if the pres on these boards are comparable? Is one better than the other?

Are either any good as additions to a few outboard pres (so I can get my Octopre LEs out of the signal path!) + monitor/headphone mix etc - I'm tracking bands mainly

[microwave]

The Topaz is a more recent design and thought out from the ground up to be a project studio desk, hence the compact format. Its quieter than the PC Midi, ok preamp and nice eq, groups, balanced outputs, decent routing, nice little desk and highly recommended over say a Mackie 8 bus.
The PC Midi comes from an era when the boundary between project and professional gear was much more blurred - its modular, big and heavy, old fashioned size with plenty of space between the knobs, nice preamp (good enough to track most things with without worries) and very nice - in fact absolutely lovely - eq. Definitely a character desk where the Topaz has a rather more nondescript sound. On the other hand it has no groups in the commonly accepted sense of the term (no inserts on the groups), its a bit more noisy, all unbalanced and the routing is primitive. Not a one solution desk but you can always mix in the box when a less coloured sound is more suitable. If you mix indie music or anything that benefits from a bit of attitude and grit I'd say the PC Midi, otherwise the Topaz could be more versatile.
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Soundtracs Products, Specs & Information » Studio Systems

[michael cleary]

I have a soundtracs solo and I don't know how it compares to the ones you're asking about but the preamps are useable, decent headroom, a little on the dark side but not in a bad way. FYI, I usually use outboard pres but I wouldn't shy away from these if needed.