preamp into Korg D16

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drembo

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I have a Korg D16. Currently, I use the built in preamps or a blue tube pre when I need phantom power. I want to upgrade to a nicer pre amp and am looking for something in the $500 to $1000 range, preferably 2 channels. my question is, since I will be running any new pre amp through the D16 preamps, how much benefit will I get from the out board preamp, or, how limited will I be by running the new preamps through the D16 preamps?
 
How does you existing blue tube preamp work with it? I recently sold a D1600, but I recall needing to crank the gain on the onboard pres quite a bit even when using outboard pres (in my case, a Soundcraft M12 mixer). This definitely reduces the signal quality and may lead you to not getting the best bang for the buck out of an expensive 2-channels of nice pres. If you're considering upgrading in the future it still might not be a bad idea as you'll always be able to use those pres with a new interface. But basically I'd go based on how your system works with your existing pre (in terms of gain staging).
 
I can't answer your question exactly, but I had a similar situation with a yamaha 2816. I bought an rnp, and was able to turn the gain on the yamaha down to zero, which supposedly makes it like a line-in input. It worked great for me, and I could definitely tell a difference for the better.
 
I did the FMR RNP with my Korg D8 and got a tremendous improvement over the internal pres. Just keep the trims all the way down. I'm sure it's affecting the signal some (since the D16 pres will still be in the chain) but it is definitely worth the upgrade....especially the improvement in the noise floor. Those Korg pres stink...and the Blue Tube isn't much better (I have one of those in my closet).

Also look at: Grace Design 101, Safesound P1, Sytek 4 channel thing ( really nice sound..I have one...very quiet and clean), the one channel Great River thing (if you really want to step up), Groove Tubes Brick, two channel Sebatron, .....there are more.

good luck
 
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