Behringer ultragain

[dwdruman]

Just to start out im one of those guys trying to get the best for his money with very little of it. Im trying to figure out if a Behringer ultragain ada8000 will go right into my computer via firewire or whatever it use's. I downloaded the users manual but all it talked about was this adat thing the came up with. The whole thing left me even more confussed then i started out. If anyone has any help it would be great.

Thanks
-druman

[Massive Master]

You need an ADAT interface card. They're out there - can't think of any names off hand...

Punch "ADAT PCI Interface" into Google or something.

[dwdruman]

ok so lets say i get this and the adat card, will this work with sonar 3, ive worked with the aardvark q10. this whole thing started with a trip to guitarcenter and looking at things that might be like the aardvark. im relativly new to the recording sceen

[crankz1]

A Terratec EWS88D and the ADA8000 will do the trick at just under $400 total.
Not bad for 8 preamped channels plus two more channels of SPDIF I/O.

[dwdruman]

But i ask you, are all of the channels xlr? and adat format, are all things like this in the adat format, will i need to get something more for my computer?

[dwdruman]

ok this whole thing is very confusing the more i get into it, what is this adat thing anyway, im just looking for 8 xlr in to my computer with out any big hassel.

thanks
druman

[manning1]

first slow down. lets get back to basics.
you say you want 8 inputs to your pc. i'll try and help but i need to know your computer confign. including do you have pci slots filled currently or spare.
some rules to remember.
1. try and use a newish computer - preferably 2ghz plus with 512 ram, and two fast 7200 rpm hard drives. does your computer meet this spec ?
2. too many people try and use their pc for too many purposes thus they stuff all sorts of things into the pci slots. then they put a pro sound card in a spare slot and wonder why they get probs.
so you have to decide. the primary focus. for example i have a pc to surf the net kept seperate from my recording pc. you CAN do it all on one pc. but it requires PLANNING.

having said all that. what is your OBJECTIVE ?
do you want to mix 8 mics to a stereo track on the pc OR i assume
you want to end up with 8 distinct tracks on the pc.
and then be able to add 8 more if you wish. and so on.
some info on what you want to do in more detail would help.
peace.

[dwdruman]

just built my computer, pretty close to those specs amd xp 2000+ so far. and yes i want the distinct tracks, and im using sonar 3, and have alot of free pci slots, and i also need a pro sound card, and not to put to much on this but i have a very small $$ limit

[manning1]

run diskbench from prorec.com, and tell me the stats on your hard drive.
if you see over 100 tracks you should be fine.
heres what i would look at .
a delta or terratec 8 in soundcard with a mixer that puts out 8 distinct outs from 8 mic ins. do you have a mixer ?
if you want to take a chance tracertek.com have the new maya mk2 for 100 bucks for 4 inputs if you can get by with that as you mentioned $$.
but ive never tried one. also check out tracerteks other sound cards. they have a bunch. stay away from usb solutions. go pci.
with no tv tuner cards or other junk in the pci slots like high end gaming cards. unless its a matrox which doesnt seem to hog the pci bus.

[dwdruman]

i have a behringer eurorackfx2222 which is 8 xlr,s and i have around $300 to spend can go alittle more but nothing over 5, and my hard drive is small but am buying a 80 gig 7200 rpm one, i have a small 7200 one right nwo but im not doing alot of recording so that ill tied me over, i really just need a lay out of what you think i need and if i have to do something really complicated email me Flobiemail@yahoo.com, but i really need 8 mics in at the same time, thats all im really looking for

[ad0lescnts]

how are you going to monitor?

[dwdruman]

for right now i have a nice set of speakers with a receiver, and i know thats shit to monitor with but thats all i got for now

[manning1]

do you have 8 group outs on that ub ? youll have to excuse me i'm used
to big studio mixers. how many group outs ?
or direct outs on the mic pre;s ?
by the way dont get the biggest drives. more win overhead.
make sure dma is enabled.

[dwdruman]

theres only 2 sub outs on it. i use it for alot of live stuff and figured it could be used for this, and i didn't have to go get a new mixer, not to come off the wrong way but couldn't i just bring 8 mics in with the ada8000 and just mix it with sonar as it came in, or the software it may or may not come with, do i really have to use my ub for more then play back?

[manning1]

but you DO have insert/direct outs on the ub microphone inputs , am i right ?

[ad0lescnts]

I mean do you have outputs for headphones/monitors

T

[dwdruman]

im not sure for the monitor question, and i have mic channel inserts but as far as i know thats all they are

[dwdruman]

the mic inserts are just fx loops, i have 2 outs from the sub groups and another 2 outs to "control room". those are the only outs i have, but this goes back to my 1st statment on if i can just buy lets say the ada8000 or something close to it and have those 8 in and not have to worry about getting a new mixer for the time being.

[crankz1]

Channels 1 through 8 have inserts on them. They are pre EQ and pre Fader.
Using them, you would set your levels via the gain knobs.
Your thinking of them being FX loops is correct, but that's not all they can be used for. They can also serve as direct outputs for those 8 channels.
Though if you insert a regular TS cable you will interrupt the signal from going through the mixer. However, what you can do is make your own cables that are TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) at the insert end and TS (Tip, Sleeve) at the other end .... with the leads for the Tip and Ring connected together and soldered to the Tip of the TS plug.
This will effectively give you direct out without breaking the signal through the rest of the mixer (so you can still direct monitor what you are recording).
Then you could just get you a Delta 1010Lt for just over $200.
However, with your custom insert cables you would need to use Male RCA plugs instead of 1/4" TS plugs. Wire them the same way Tip and Ring leads to the center prong of the RCA and Sleeve to the outer ring of the RCA plug.
If you aren't up to making your own cables you can just buy 8 of these 8 of these.
This setup will give you a total of 10 pre-amped channels into your computer (8 from the mixer and two from the 1010Lt). Not bad ... and much greater flexibility than the ADA8000 and an ADAT interface card (like in my previous post).
Trust me, as a fellow drummer, if I were you I would get the 1010Lt and the appropriate cabling to use with the mixer you already have.

-Ken

[dwdruman]

not to sound like a moron but when i started this i wasn't planingon using my mixer at all and just getting the 8xlr's into my computer, is this way with the trs and ts cables easyer then going out and buying somethign that just has 8 xlr's?

[Mr. Moon]

If I were you, I would pick up a Q10 and be done with it. It has the 8 analog inputs (XLR and 1/4") with built-in preamps, headphone monitor, guitar/bass DI, and such that you're looking for all in one package. Great place to start. If you grow out of it in the future, which you may or may not, you won't look back on the purchase as a waste of time, as it is a decent product. I have the Aardvark DP 2496 (4-input version of the Q10) and it has served me well for the last 2 years.

-mr moon

[Strryder]

Originally Posted by crankz1

A Terratec EWS88D and the ADA8000 will do the trick at just under $400 total.
Not bad for 8 preamped channels plus two more channels of SPDIF I/O.

This is most likely the cheapest way to go, and you should be able to use either your recording software or the Terratec's software mixer for generating a monitor mix.

All of the outputs on the ADA-8000 are balanced XLR connections, so you'll probably need at least a couple of XLR to 1/4" balanced adaptor cables to hook up to your monitoring system.

I use an ADA-8000 along with a MOTU 828mkII with no complaints.

You can hear 3 ADA-8000's in use here, the link is on the bottom of the first post..

http://www.sawstudiouser.net/forums/...=golden+nugget

The price to performance ratio on the ADA-8000 is pretty good IMO.

[crankz1]

Originally Posted by dwdruman

not to sound like a moron but when i started this i wasn't planingon using my mixer at all and just getting the 8xlr's into my computer, is this way with the trs and ts cables easyer then going out and buying somethign that just has 8 xlr's?

Ok then ... go with the Terratec and ADA8000.
It just seems like a waste to have that mixer and not use it. Not to mention that it pry has the same preamps as the ADA8000 and the fact that the A/D D/A converters in the Delta 1010Lt are pry of better quality than the ADA8000's.
Never the less, the Terratec/ADA8000 combo would be one of the cheapest alternatives for getting 8 XLR's into the computer without the use of a mixer.

As far as any of it being easier .... this all depends on ones level of knowledge in regard to mixer routing and audio interfaces in general.
For me .... yes the mixer and the 1010 would be my choice.
Actually, my choice was a MOTU 828mkII, an Octane and a few RNP's.
But that's another story and quite a bit more $$.

[dwdruman]

ok well heres another question. if i get the card and the ada8000, are those 8 different ins, or is it mixed down to stereo before its sent adat to the card?

[Strryder]

Originally Posted by dwdruman

ok well heres another question. if i get the card and the ada8000, are those 8 different ins, or is it mixed down to stereo before its sent adat to the card?

That would be 8 seperate analog ins/outs and 2 more I/O if you used the spdif.

I went to the Terratec website, they said that you can run up to 4 of these cards together in one system, so there is an expandability option, and as a plus, if/when you decide to upgrade from the ADA-8000 somewhere down the road, you will have quite a few choices of better ADAT I/O devices.