Firepod Vs. old Spirit Studio

  • Thread starter Thread starter JuliánFernández
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JuliánFernández

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Hi guys! A store near my house is selling a cheap Soundcraft Spirit Studio, and since i´m using no control surface (i´m just using my firepod), i was thinking about this for the last few days...
Wich one have best pres? (let´s say from rock to jazz, and soul to funk)

It´s a good idea to pick up the Spirit and any decent AD/DA converter, or should i forgot about it?

Should i keep my firepod and save the money for really good pres?

Thanks!
 
Get that board. Excellent preamps. If you don't get it, send me the price, I might buy it. Is it the 8 or 16?

Seriously, one of the best values out there are used Spirit Studios. I have the live version and it has limited routing. I love the preamps though.
 
short question:

how would you compare a spirit mixer with the M16 or M8 series?

i have no clue,

thanks
 
The Spirit Studios were pretty expensive. I've used a Spirit Studio 24 quite a bit and to my ears the pres were pretty damn good. It was with a HD24 though, so the converters were pretty hot too.

I have the M12 and it's excellent value for money, but the Spirit Studio desk I used was quite an aspirational piece of gear ... I found the EQ better than anything else I've used and there was plenty of routing.

But they are old and have one or two quirks. For instance the group outputs were running at -10dB on our desk and Soundcraft just didn't have any idea how to change it to +4dB for a healthy output to the HD24. One of the techie nerds at university figured it out and tried it, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
 
very interesting,
now, i always thought that the SPIRIT consoles were one of the "cheapest" soundcraft mixers,
like my brother has a soundcraft SPIRIT mic, not a good machine,
we got a spirit at our youthouse, not such a superb machine either...

so i assume that the spirit studio is something totally different?
isn't it possible to give a little hierarchy of soundcraft mixers?

to start from the junkiest model to the top consoles?

would be awesome !
thanks
E
 
Especially the older Spirit's, in my opinion, are pretty awful. In fact, it's one of the things I see on every live rider, NO SPIRIT's. The studio versions are the same, but offer different feature sets and layout. Spirit is not of true Soundcraft production or parts. The new Spirit's may be a little more closely tied to Soundcraft, but are certainly the bottom of the Soundcraft barrel.

It's kind of like the whole AMEK/TAC thing. Just because it says 'AMEK" on it, does not mean that it really bears any similarities even to an actual AMEK console. That alone does not make a TAC a bad console, but it doesn't make it an AMEK either.
 
Oh well ... we all have opinions!! I've used other Spirit gear and thoroughly disliked it (mics especially) but this desk, despite its obvious problems (and as I said when I've used it, it's been with quality supporting gear, HD24, Dramwer comps and gates, Lexicon FX etc) seems a pretty decent centre-piece of a half-decent studio to me. Are we talking about the same desks? This is the one I mean -

http://www.sanyo-densi.com/dai2/soundcraft_spirit_studio24_005.JPG
 
Yeah noisedude... i´m talking about the SOUNDCRAFT SPIRIT STUDIO 24X8.
I just would like to know if you think that Spirit´s pres are much better than Firepod´s... I know that it also depends on the ad/da converter (in the case of the Spirit using a DAW)... i don´t wanna make the investment if i´ll get the same (or even worst) pre sounds when working with my DAW.
Any ideA?
Thanks!
 
I've not heard the Firepod (on my list to buy) so I don't know. It'll give you lots of options for EQ and hooking up external gear, plus will look awesome. But try to make yourself aware of any faults with it because they aren't cheap to get service now, I don't think.

I wouldn't have space to put one in but my intention is to use my M12 to mix through and the Firepod to record into. The pres will likely be comparable and it gives a much cleaner setup. But with the Spirit 24 you have the choice of main channel or tape returns anyway, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Only do it if your software has the appropriate bussing to use eight channels of the desk as part of your mixing. :)
 
Yes that is the exact Spirit desk I am referring too. In the end though it is my opinion, but like I said, I am most certainly not the only person that thinks so. I can't tell you how many of those spirit's I have seen in awful shape no less. The new Soundcraft pre's and EQ's are MUCH nicer than the old Spirits. From Soundcraft's literature it sounds like they are starting to use more of the Soundcraft technology in the Spirit line than they used to. This is a good thing. On ALL the old Spirit's I have worked on I was always able to easily hear a really strange sounding upper harmonic distortion in things.
 
noisedude, how are you gonna hook up the m12 with the firepod? Direct out´s, to line in´s? I think that the m12 have spdif out (am i right?), can you use it?

And a question that´s making noise in my head... is there any way to record more than 10 tracks with the firepod? (I only imagine using a mixer, and using groups to send more tracks in one on the FP)...

Thanks!
 
Xstatic - you've used a lot more gear than me so I won't disagree. I know the studio techs at university hate ours ... but my experience was of getting a really good recording with the mixer in the thick of it. I dunno.

Julián - I will compare pres but I reckon I'll use the Firepod's pres and mix through the M12, so I can have the flexibility without replugging everything. You're right about the track count limits ... if you need more than eight (ten if you have a separate spdif or are using the M12's - which would need you to monitor not using the M12 cos the spdif is across the main buss) you either need to separate your parts or be very trusting in your mixing skills!! :)
 
I would take the older Spirit Studio over the M12 stuff any day. I have used both and there is no comparison. The preamps are substantially better. I have seen both down to the wires and trust me; better overhead and transient response on the Studio version. The M8 and M12 are pieces of plastic junk and in recent years the Spirit line has taken a turn for the worse. The Spirit line was always the low end of the Soundcraft line. The Spirit Studio was however an excellent analog board with near quality Ghost preamps.

Live, Studio, Delta etc. are really nice pieces of analog gear. Due to their age however, you have to make sure you aren't getting one with a problem. Their EQ is very high quality.

xstatic, "Spirit is not of true Soundcraft production or parts." Although this may be true today, the Spirit Live and Studio were most definitely made by Soundcraft.
 
Last edited:
Middleman said:
The M8 and M12 are pieces of plastic junk
Click to expand...
Speak your mind, why don't you?! :D:D

Mine's the nicest piece of plastic junk I own. :)
 
Well, everybody has a right to their opinion. There is a good reason you don't see a whole lot of Spirit studio consoles out there live or in the studio. The old spirit's sound NOTHING like the old Soundcraft stuff. Soundcraft had very little to do with them besides sharing some technology and slapping a logo on it. If they are so great live, how do you explain nearly every rider I get saying in CAPITAL letters, NO SPIRIT CONSOLES! :D

Noisedude, it's important to remeber, that I come from a differnt place. The gear I have to work on is MUCH nicer than something like a spirit. In all fairness, my opinions are a little biased from having the fortune to constantly work on really nice gear, thus, all of my comparisons are inherently tied to those experiences. Also, to me, if you are are getting great mixes using a Spirit studio console, that leads me to believe that YOU are doing a good job, and not the gear doing it. So please accept that statement as a compliment:)
 
I hear what you're saying, mate, and it's all good. The nicest console I've used is a Souncraft LX7 24-channel. Usually it's either a Mackie CFX16 or my M12. Rest of the time it's Yamahas, Behringers and worse!!!! :eek:
 
Xstatic, maybe you've been on that top end gear so long you forgot what homerecording is about. The Spirit Studio is a great home board, reasonable cost. Better than most of the under $1000 products out there now except maybe Allen Heath.
 
There is maybe some truth to your statement Middleman. There is some affordable gear that gives great results. But I could list a long line of consoles for $1000 or under that generally sound better than a Spirit studio, and also does not have maintenance issues.
 
Then please do. It might be beneficial for a few newbies around here.
 
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