If you had $2000 to spend.

[jaybriggs84]

I currently have a Firepod and will soon be upgrading. I'm probably going to sell my macbook pro, cause I don't use it enough to justify how much I spent. I will probably get rid of the Firepod and want a new interface that will support 16 channels of simultaneous ins. I want to keep it around $2000, because thats about how much I will have after I sell my Macbook pro and firepod.

I considered going Pro Tools and getting a 002 rack with and adding channels with adat, but I don't want to be limited to 32 tracks.

Another setup would be a Presonus firestudio, a digimax fs to add 8 more ins, and a lucid masterclock to get the most out of the units.

Anyone have any ideas for me?

[Sloan]

I thought the firepods were linkable?

[jaybriggs84]

They are, but I want to upgrade to something better

[jaybriggs84]

Anyone have any advice on the RME Fireface 800?

[jamacian]

Moving from a Firepod to a Firestudio seems pointless to me.
If you need more inputs one of these paired with an ADA8000 would give you a stupid number of mic ins.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MACONYX1200F

[jaybriggs84]

I've changed my idea of getting more inputs to getting a really good sounding setup. My friend recommended using the firestudio along with a mytek stereo96 and getting some better preamps, using the mytek for and the outboard pres for most things and clocking it with the mytek.

[ridgeback]

Uh what about another computer to replace the mac?

[jaybriggs84]

I'm using my PC, I'm selling the mac cause after I got it, I still wound up using my PC for everything. I got it because I wanted to track drums in remote places, I'm just not doing that enough to warrant spending so much on it

[vadoom]

How many inputs do you need? Were you planning to expand in the future? You say you want better preamps - as in more than one preamp? What about the mics?

Firepod seems like a unit that will give you a "good sound". A couple of "better" preamps will run you at least $400/ea. Well, and if you need a mic - you can get a decent one for probably $400. Are you mixing in heaphones or you still need the monitors? That would probably cost you another $400. That leaves you with about $400 more to either get another mic/absorb extra cost of already mentioned equipment.

[jaybriggs84]

I have a good assortment of mics and I have monitors. I'm basically just wanting pro sounding converters and pre's.

[vadoom]

A "pro sounding" converter starts at about $1200 with 8 inputs. Some people may argue about $2000. So with 16 inputs you may actually be starting at about $2000.

My impression is that you need more than 2 preamps. A solid "pro sounding" preamp start at about $600. With at least 3 preamps you are looking at a total of about $1800.

So which way do you want to go? Keep in mind that your "pro sound" may be different than mine. Depending on your definition you may actually be looking at preamps that are $2000/channel... It probably can also be argued in the other direction.

-----

On the other hand...

What is wrong with your current sound? If you can't specifically describe it, you might as well get another Firepod ($400) and link it to your existing one. Pick up 2-3 M-Audio DMP3's ($160/ea -> sub tot: $320-$480). You will still have about $1100-$1250 to pick up either couple of preamps in $600 range or one in $1000 range.

And for all intents and purposes, your Firepods will provide a sound that if you know what you are doing will be "pro sound". Otherwise, with $10k budget you not get that "pro sound".........................

[jaybriggs84]

No, the firepod pres and converters just sound kinda muffled, def lacking high and low end, and clarity. I'm probably going to get a 2 channel mytek converter, because other than drums, I don't use more than 2 ins at a time. Then I'm going to get either a RNP or a sytek MPX-4aii, which will get me started for the time being. I'm not looking at 16 channels anymore.

[vadoom]

Originally Posted by jaybriggs84

No, the firepod pres and converters just sound kinda muffled, def lacking high and low end, and clarity. I'm probably going to get a 2 channel mytek converter, because other than drums, I don't use more than 2 ins at a time. Then I'm going to get either a RNP or a sytek MPX-4aii, which will get me started for the time being. I'm not looking at 16 channels anymore.

May be nice if you let everyone know how it all turned out...

[jaybriggs84]

Originally Posted by vadoom

May be nice if you let everyone know how it all turned out...

I will, I'm still workin on selling a few things, I might end up with a little more than $2000 if everything goes well!

[Trell Blaze]

Originally Posted by jaybriggs84

I've changed my idea of getting more inputs to getting a really good sounding setup. My friend recommended using the firestudio along with a mytek stereo96 and getting some better preamps, using the mytek for and the outboard pres for most things and clocking it with the mytek.

I can vouch for the mytek. VERY good converter worth more than you'll pay for it.

However, depending on your mic collection, you could also hold off on the mytek and look toward a (or a set of) high quality mics. Again, this depends on what mics you're already running with and what applications are most critical to you.

I still think the Mytek coupled with a high quality pre or two is a good idea though...

*edited

[jaybriggs84]

Originally Posted by Trell Blaze

I can vouch for the mytek. VERY good converter worth more than you'll pay for it.

However, depending on your mic collection, you may could also hold off on the mytek and look toward a (or a set of) high quality mics. Again, this depends on what mics you're already running with and what applications are most critical to you.

I still think the Mytek coupled with a high quality pre or two is a good idea though...

Yeah, I'm hoping to have a few hundred left that I might use on a new mic. Right now I have an AT4050, pair of Rode NT5's, 3 sennheiser e604's, a sennheiser e902, and an sm57. I also have access to a Rode NT2, it's my friends but I'm keeping it now cause he's moving.

A mic I'm thinking about getting is a modded oktava from michael joly, the 319 with the premium electronics. I also want a 421

[Trell Blaze]

Sounds good. What pre's are you lookin' at?

[jaybriggs84]

the sytek mpx-4aii and RNP. trying to find some of these used

[vadoom]

Originally Posted by jaybriggs84

the sytek mpx-4aii and RNP. trying to find some of these used

Have you considered DMP3's?

[jaybriggs84]

I think those other pre's I mentioned are gonna be better than the DMP3's

[cusebassman]

So for now are you just looking into upgrading the preamps then? I'd stick with the firepod, since I've had great results using it solely for line-inputs with better preamps, even with the DMP-3. The built-in preamps are definitely not even decent quality - they'll do if all you want is an interface, but you really need to step uip a bit to get, at the very least, a lot of clean gain, if not much more transparency / clarity and headroom.

[RandyW]

Have you heard any of the new Motu FW interfaces. You could get an 828MKII and a 8 pre for about $1250 that would give you 18 inputs plus SPDIF and MIDI.
BTW: their stuff works great with both MAC and PC. The pres sound better than the ones in the firepod. But you would still want something with a little more pizazz for voclas etc.

[pandamonk]

Do you have any acoustic treatment?

[jaybriggs84]

Well, I don't really have a room of my own I can just put up acoustic treatment, otherwise I would have done that a long time ago. For vocals and electric guitar I do those in a closet that has a bunch of stuff in it that deadens it some.

I'm lookin at the RME stuff, like the fireface 800 or multiface. What I'm most worried about is getting a piece of gear that has really good A/D conversion. I will probably add a seperate A/D converter like a mytek or a lucid ad9624 so I can 2 really good channels of conversion when I'm tracking things that I only need 1 or 2 inputs for. I'm not as worried about preamps on units because I will probably end up going outboard for that anyway.

[Ironklad Audio]

the fireface converters are fucking sweet, and the preamps aren't all that bad either

to be honest i've never used the pres in a fireface, but there was a shootout on another forum a couple weeks ago with some electric guitars that were re-amped through several pres, and the preamps in the fireface sounded marginally worse than vintech, great river, and API pres.