Hooking up a preamp???

J

jimmy77611

New member
I'm thinkng about getting a UA 610 or 710 to use with my MOTU 8pre, but I'm not sure how to hook it up. The 8pre has 8 XLR/instrument combo plugs, and the preamp has XLR line and mic level outputs. By going XLR out from the UA to XLR in on the MOTU, am I killing the greatness produced by the UA, by "re-preamping" the signal with my MOTU's preamp??? Should I use a XLR to TRS cable into the 1/4" hole on the MOTU instead?
 
"Holes" don't make a difference - It's the type of input.

Line out to line in. LINE out to LINE in. Whether the line in is accessed via a switch, automatically on a multi-input, a different input (might be a TRS instead of a XLR) -- As long as you're using the LINE input.
 
That's where I'm confused. The 8pre says the 8 connections are Mic/instrument inputs. They are the XLR type with the 1/4 hole in the center (combo type plug in). Are the instrument inputs the same as line inputs? If not, then I guess my 8pre doesn't offer a way for me to hook up a preamp.
 
jimmy77611 said:
That's where I'm confused. The 8pre says the 8 connections are Mic/instrument inputs. They are the XLR type with the 1/4 hole in the center (combo type plug in). Are the instrument inputs the same as line inputs? If not, then I guess my 8pre doesn't offer a way for me to hook up a preamp.
Click to expand...

Going on what John is saying...

perhaps if the pre had some type of ADAT and Work Clock connection, you could get something going digitally between it and the MOTU. Focusrite's Octopre, for example, has this option.

If the inputs on the MOTU have a way to control level, hipass filter, pads and/or phase invert switches, then it's a full on preamp. You'll probably see 8 individual controls and you'd just be plugging in one pre into another. That's not what you want to shoot for.

Now if you see dedicated line inputs (1/4 inch or XLR with no external volume controls or anything like that), then thats what you're probably gonna plug into.

A simple start would be to put up a MOTU back panel diagram against the pre's back panel diagram to see that you have a match and really trying to flesh out what the user's manual is saying. My guess is that 8pre means 8pre.
 
Thanks for the info. They all have volume, pad, etc, so it looks like i would be double preaming. I think I'll look at some other options for an add on converter that has line inputs, or ditch the 8pre for something else.
 
jimmy77611 said:
Thanks for the info. They all have volume, pad, etc, so it looks like i would be double preaming. I think I'll look at some other options for an add on converter that has line inputs, or ditch the 8pre for something else.
Click to expand...

Check your manual.

The combo inputs (XLR with 1/4 down the cente) are usually mike level for XLR and line level for the 1/4. In which case you just use 1/4 to hook up, and this bypasses the XLR mike preamps.
 
gecko zzed said:
Check your manual.

The combo inputs (XLR with 1/4 down the cente) are usually mike level for XLR and line level for the 1/4. In which case you just use 1/4 to hook up, and this bypasses the XLR mike preamps.
Click to expand...

yes but.....
you need to be careful because just as often, if the TRS plugs in to the same combo XLR/TRS jack it still goes through the pre. The pre is just padded not bypassed.
Often to bypass the pre you need a separate Line level in on a separate input that is connected directly to the converters without passing through the pre. If you are looking at an outboard pre because it is in some way better (cleaner, lower noise, colored sound etc) be careful because if you pass that preamped signal through a padded, onboard pre you are in some way altering that sound and possibly negating the benefits of the outboar pre you have chosen

Looking at the MOTU website, it does not appear there is a way to bypass the onboard pre on this unit.
 
I wouldn't lose sleep over it or ditch anything before you've tried it... Everyone has spoken the truth... Yes on many supposed line inputs on a preamped channel the line input is just a padded input to the pre... but it doesn't have to be, it depends on the vender, and quite usually the cost of the unit... But, even double amping a signal, while not ideal, is not necessarily a show stopper. Most of a pre's character can be avoided by hitting it with sufficient gain to not require further amplification... Buy your pre... hook it up to the 8 pre... then listen. Now you can make an informed decision on whether you're happy with the motu or not
 
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