Preamp Recommendation

C

carryonsteve

New member
For the last couple years I've been using a Liquid Saffire 56 interface for all my recordings. I love the liquid channels and the overall quality of the interface. However I know there's a lot better stuff out there, but with so many options it's really quite crazy to know which really would be worth getting that would be worth the money. I love the convenience of preamps and converter in one unit, but would also love to be able to use separate preamps if I were to purchase any. So my questions are,

1.) Are there any preamp/converter interfaces similar to the 56 that would be quite a step up? Budget around $1500-2000.

2.) If I were to purchase just a preamp, can you connect it to a 56 and bypass the internal preamps so there's no coloration from the 56?

3.) Which preamp and ad/da converter (separate units) would you recommend that would be a significant step up from saffire 56? Staying within the same budget of $1500-2000.

I know there's thousands of preamps and so many options out there, but I'm just looking for a better preamp/interface for recording mostly vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, and some string instruments. I'm not looking to get rid of my 56, so I don't need anything with more than 2 channels.

Thanks!
Stephen
 
The connections in the back are line in, they by-pass the built in pre-amps.

But, and others will tell you this as well, it is about your chain. Before you go into buying better anything, make sure you are using what you have to its optimum. Mic, room, instrument, all of these play into your sound. Sometimes a better pre-amp doesn't yield the results you might think. Just FYI.
 
Yeah, like DM says, its about your whole sound chain. What mics do you have? What's your tracking room like?
 
DM60 said:
The connections in the back are line in, they by-pass the built in pre-amps.

But, and others will tell you this as well, it is about your chain. Before you go into buying better anything, make sure you are using what you have to its optimum. Mic, room, instrument, all of these play into your sound. Sometimes a better pre-amp doesn't yield the results you might think. Just FYI.
Click to expand...

This was posted in the Newbie section but I guess I wouldn't say I'm a complete newb so yes, I've got a decent 7.5' x 8.5 vocal booth with 10ft ceilings and plenty of auralex panels and bass traps and a custom made wall panel with great wiring to a small control room. For vocals I mostly use a Lawson L251 and sometimes a AKG 414 for certain vocals. I understand that everything in the signal chain needs to be good for optimum quality, but currently I'm looking for a better preamp and converter setup.
 
The control room is definitely my biggest problem area. I have Neumann KH 120 monitors but my whole setup is stuck in a corner which I know is a big no no especially for an accurate bass response. The control room which is just a converted office has a granite desk that is in the corner and for the time being I can't do anything about it. I threw a bunch of bass traps and other panels in the corner to control the bass build up. Overall though the room is small and isn't ideal for monitoring back sound. I just have to deal with what I've got.
 
Getting "a significant step up" from the Focusrite preamps is going to be difficult unless you mean something with "attitude" or uber clean gain for a ribbon for example. F'rite are well known for producing excellent mic amps and I think you would be pushed to tell any difference unless, as I say, you want something special.

You mention your monitoring problem. Perhaps spend that significant budget on some really top end headphones? There are some planar diaphragm types about now that are reckoned to be quite a jump in "realism" from even really good moving coil cans? Then there are hard/software packages that claim to give "room" sound to headphones, not perfect but likely better than you have at the moment?

If you DO go for another pre amps you might consider an ADAT unit? These not only bypass the AIs analogue section but converters as well. Product by Presonus and (gulp at the $$!) RME.

Audeze LCD-X & EL8 | Sound On Sound

Dave.
 
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