Opinions on Soundcraft 328?

[EddieRay]

I've been using a Soundcraft F1 mixer but it only has 6 pre-amps and I'd like to have more on hand. I'm thinking of going with either a second small mixer or a larger one that has enough preamps.

I'd be using it for home recording to PC as well as remote recording to ADAT.
I've seen the 328 on craig's list and elsewhere. What is your opinion about it? Is it a step up or down from the F1 I already have? How does it compare to a Soundcraft E-8?

[mellowman]

Hey there i asked about the soundcraft 328XD a while back (pretty much identical to the 328) and got quite a few useful replies.

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthr...ght=sonudcraft

The general idea is that they have very good pre's but the main limitation and it is quite a burden is the limitation of 48K sampling rate, which is behind the recent standard of recording (24bit/96K).

The mixer would be perfectly functional for a home recording set up, and for more mic pres there was an optional 8 pre expansion pack.

This mixer does have great conectivity and was always at an excellent price but the limitation of 48K put me off it in the end.

Hope i've been of some help.

Toby (Mm)

[mellowman]

Oh and by the way would you be getting this second hand as they are out of production now?

Toby

[EddieRay]

Originally Posted by mellowman

Oh and by the way would you be getting this second hand as they are out of production now?

Toby

Thanks for the comments. Yes, I see them come up on craig's list every now and then.

[Fireal402]

I love mine. I've been using it for 2 years or so, and I haven't run into any major problems with it. I'm pleased with everything but the built in effects, but I use plugins anyways, so it's a moot point.

At first I was concerned about the whole 96k deal, but after using both it and a friends 96k capable digital mixer (tascam I think?), I realized there is little difference if you know what you're doing. I'll admit, I fell for the 96k hype bigtime, but as I learned the board and really got to understand the craft of mixing, I came to the conclusion that it's mostly BS (unless it's application specific, like mixing a DVD or surround).
If you want 24/96, I'm not sure what any good options are around the price of the Soundcraft. You have to take into account electronics quality, and many of the 'cheaper' 24/96 digital mixers lose any advantage they'd have due to cheaper components. It's not that they're bad mixers; quite the contrary actually. It's just that you're not gaining as much of an improvement as the marketing directors would like you to believe. It's all in your needs, really.

Best of luck with whatever route you take, and I'll answer any questions you have about the 328