Any luck with Presonus?

thebigcheese said:
All mics need preamps. Preamps just bring mic level up to line level, but they all have their own unique character (just like mics).

I've noticed a lot of Shure mics tend to be fairly low output. Before I broke my 57, I always had to crank the preamp to get it about the same level as the others. When you are looking at preamps, just look at the specs to see how much gain you'll be able to get from it. Well, look at reviews, too, I'm just saying that if you're concerned about the signal level from the mic, look at the amount of gain you'll get. M-Audio's Fast Track interfaces are not likely to be enough; I sold both that mic (the 7b) and a Fast Track to a guy once and he was freaking out because it came out so quiet.

If you're recording digitally, which most of us are these days, the level isn't that much of a problem. Making it louder in your DAW doesn't really add any additional noise.
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thanks for your input, however, of course a mic needs to be amplified but there are preamps built into the presonus firestudio.

i was asking him about getting an external preamp since he had mentioned that the preamp that came with the presonus might not do the sm7b justice.

and there is more to a preamp than just gain levels.
 
I own a Firepod, and have had a couple issues. First, one of the two firewire ports seems to have failed on me, and then a couple weeks back it just died altogether - even the power LED seems to have failed. I still need to call them and see if it's repairable (I just bought a M-Audio Profire 2626 as a replacement).

I've talked to one other person who had the same problem (with it dying) and was told the factory could fix it for $75, which isn't THAT bad. Aside from that, I didn't really have many complaints - the pres were relatively good, certainly on par with anything else in the price range, and good enough that if your recordings still suck, working with this, then the fault doesn't lie with your gear.
 
Bisson820 said:
i was asking him about getting an external preamp since he had mentioned that the preamp that came with the presonus might not do the sm7b justice.
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Actually, I didn't say that specifically. I was just referring to the idea that if anyone was going to have a gain problem with a Shure SM, that it is typically more likely to happen with a 7b than with a 57.

Actually, looking at the specifics in this case - assuming you're looking at a Presonus with their current XMAX preamps as used in the StudioLive - are that the XMAX pres are spec'd to provide up to 67dB of gain, which is just fine for the 7b. It's some of the entry-level preamps that only provide like 50-60dB of gain, and do so noisily, where the level can get disappointing.

And cheese is kinda right in that boosting the gain digitally in post in and of itself does not add any noise, but it does also pull up the recorded *analog* noise level every time you need to boost gain in post. That may not necessarily be an issue every time, but it's best to avoid that when possible just to keep the aggregate mix noise to a minimum.

G.
 
Bisson820 said:
thanks for your input, however, of course a mic needs to be amplified but there are preamps built into the presonus firestudio.

i was asking him about getting an external preamp since he had mentioned that the preamp that came with the presonus might not do the sm7b justice.

and there is more to a preamp than just gain levels.
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I believe I said that preamps color sound... But the essential purpose of any preamp is just to make the signal louder. They are colored differently because they use different components to do the same thing. Anything else on a preamp (like a compressor or EQ) isn't technically part of the preamp circuit; it's just a nice addition.

As Glen said, the XMAX pres are pretty good, so I wouldn't worry too much about them as long as they have enough gain.

To counter Glen's last point, I would think that it would be preferable, at least with some pres, to bring the level up in the DAW rather than cranking the gain on the pre all the way up, since some pres (usually cheaper ones) tend to be a lot noisier at the high end of the gain range. Up until that point, though, he is probably right.
 
thebigcheese said:
To counter Glen's last point, I would think that it would be preferable, at least with some pres, to bring the level up in the DAW rather than cranking the gain on the pre all the way up, since some pres (usually cheaper ones) tend to be a lot noisier at the high end of the gain range. Up until that point, though, he is probably right.
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You are right also; we're kinda looking at two sides of the same coin. I was making the argument for having a pre with enough juice to handle the less sensitive mics without having to boost the gain in post just to make up for it. OTOH, you're right that if it's a weaker or noisier pre, than pushing the pre too hard can generate more noise than running it lower and pushing it in post.

All in all, a good example of how gaming the gain structure is indeed - or in a best case, should be - influenced by the gear chain one is using.

G.
 
Bisson820 said:
this has all been very helpful, thank you so much!

Mattdee, what did you do about the sm57 problem? im guessing you got some preamps. what did you get and how has it worked for you?
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As it turns out, I haven't had to do much to get around the problem because I typically use condenser mics for acoustic guitars and vocals. I've been using dynamics mainly on guitar amps and drum kits, and those two things are not a problem.

I find that I start getting objectionable hiss from my preamps if they are turned up past about 3 o'clock. The few times I've tried, I've noticed that the recorded levels are extremely low from the 57 on vocals and acoustic guitars at 3 o'clock and below.

Of course, I am doing 24-bit recording; I will concede that maybe I just gave up on the idea too soon.
 
mattdee1 said:
As it turns out, I haven't had to do much to get around the problem because I typically use condenser mics for acoustic guitars and vocals. I've been using dynamics mainly on guitar amps and drum kits, and those two things are not a problem.

I find that I start getting objectionable hiss from my preamps if they are turned up past about 3 o'clock. The few times I've tried, I've noticed that the recorded levels are extremely low from the 57 on vocals and acoustic guitars at 3 o'clock and below.

Of course, I am doing 24-bit recording; I will concede that maybe I just gave up on the idea too soon.
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Oh ok.. that makes me feel better.

i'd use 57's for snare, toms, and cabs.

for acoustic guitar and vocals im deffinately using condensors.

you think i should be fine with that set up?
 
I would, and do recommend Presonus to anyone. I personally use a Firestudio Tube for mobile recording, I have used a Firebox prior to that, and am probably going to buy a studio live very soon.
I have never had a single problem, and the product is ROCK SOLID!
 
I have a Firestudio and have had a couple problems with it. They are very picky on the firewire chipset so make sure you have the right card. I bought one of the exact cards that they recommend and still it runs in "safe mode 1" with 512 sample rate. My combined latencey is about 20ms. Luckily with cubase's latency compensation and the fact it's direct monitoring this isn't a problem.

The only time I've ever used the thing live I wanted to use it to send separate monitor mixes. I used it for months without issue and the night before the gig I renamed the ins and mixes to make things a little easier and when I went to set it up the next day it wouldn't connect to the pc or work at all. I had a net connection and did everything I could that night and finally gave up. When I got it home and hooked it up the next day it told me there was a firmware update, which there wasn't because I know it was up to date. After I reinstalled the firmware it worked fine. I think renaming the inputs and mixes somehow fucked the firmware. Maybe I used too many characters or the wrong ones, I don't know.
 
I record to a self built PC with a SIIG firewire PCI card. The SIIG has a TI chipset.

I started with one Firepod and had no problems with it. Then I got another Firepod and didn't have any problems with them. I had them daisy chained for 16 inputs. As a note: I bought both Firepods used. I then sold both of the Firepods (not because I didn't like them) and bought a Firestudio and a Digimax FS to replace the Firepods. I have been exremely happy with all of my Presonus gear. I haven't had any problems with the Firepods or Firestudio.

I've got the Firestudio and Digimax racked up in a 4 space rack with a headphone amp and a power conditioner. It makes for a very easy live recording rig. See pic below.

The only thing that I kindof don't like (and it's a very small dislike) is that I find it a little confusing to assign in/outs in the Control Console software. Maybe it's just because I haven't used it enough.

The installation was a snap. And like I've said, I've had no problems with any of my Presonus gear.

I was really, really close to buying a StudioLive last Christmas, but I backed out. I REALLY like those things. It's a very cool piece of gear.
 

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I do actually have issues with gain if Im running a dynamic mic direct like a 57, but since I almost always run thru a tube pre, gain isnt an issue
 
Sorry to bump medium old thread (at least its the same year). I am in a position to return a motu UL MK3 (it has issues) and I have been giving the presonus line a look. Other input as to presonus stuff. I like the UL MK3 but dealing with it has been a pain. It has the I/o I need as does some of the presonus gear. Comments appreciated as to durability flexi, and pre quality. Be Well All.
 
Thurgood said:
Sorry to bump medium old thread (at least its the same year). I am in a position to return a motu UL MK3 (it has issues) and I have been giving the presonus line a look. Other input as to presonus stuff. I like the UL MK3 but dealing with it has been a pain. It has the I/o I need as does some of the presonus gear. Comments appreciated as to durability flexi, and pre quality. Be Well All.
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MOTU is reputed to have VERY good AD/DA conversion, and while Presonus is perfectly fine, you're going from a industry leader to middle-of-the-pack. Not sure if that's a concern...
 
Presonus

Been using the Presonus Firestudio project for for over a year. No issues. Very easy to use, set levels and gets good quality sound. Also using the Presonus Tube pre. Once I replaced the lousy 12ax7 it came with, much better! Good luck
 
hello from Louisiana.... presonus is a baton rouge based company and the took all the engineers from Steinberg(Cubase).. I own a lot of presonus products. in 3 years I've only had to replace a single monitor. at half cost... recommend them
 
I've dropped a note into the mod section.
I thought we had a necro-thread warning. Probably just another one of those things that got talked about...
 
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