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RVLVNGDRS
New member
So far, the best value 8mic pre ive found is the Presonus Firepod. In the same price range (give or take 150$) would anyone have a suggestion for something better OR comparable?
HeyHeyMyMy
Red Member
I'm sure people will mention the MOTU 8pre, etc. I've been searching for the same thing and there are lots of threads discussing this. Some people will likely also mention the possibility of using an Alesis Multimix Firewire 18, or a comparable Phonic Helix board. Each have their pros and cons if you read up on them. I live in Canada, too, and from what I've seen around the Toronto area, most music stores seem to price the Firepod higher than they should (when compared against online U.S. retailers like zzounds, etc.). What I plan to do is buy a used Firepod off of eBay.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
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johnny5dm
New member
You guys are right about the Firepod being the best value used off of eBay, but beware that the expandability sucks. Most of the other options out there allow you to add some sort of A/D conversion to add 8 or so more channels, but the Firepod doesn't. DON'T plan on daisy-chaining Firepods - doesn't work that well, and your monitoring options are very limited. However, if you're doing solo work and won't need more than 8 channels in the near future, the Firepod is a good choice.
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RVLVNGDRS
New member
Thanks for all the help...but bleh, i guess i forgot to mention its just for recording drums...so i dont think all those expandability issues will be a problem
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lumbago
New member
Focusrite Octo-Pre with the digital expansion card would work.
I guess I'd be looking for a small eight channel mixer - possibly the EQ on drums and some effects (reverb & compression) would be more help than hindrance.
Soundcraft make some nice 8 channel mixers. Mackie also.
Why you'd need 8 channels of mics for drums is another question.
I guess I'd be looking for a small eight channel mixer - possibly the EQ on drums and some effects (reverb & compression) would be more help than hindrance.
Soundcraft make some nice 8 channel mixers. Mackie also.
Why you'd need 8 channels of mics for drums is another question.
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RVLVNGDRS
New member
lumbago said:
8 mics on the drumset?
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iancl
New member
Are there any reviews around comparing the Presonus FirePod and the Motu 8pre?
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Minion
Blow Me !!!
If it is only for Drums then you don"t necessarilly need a Pre with a Huge frequency responce or SNR so you might look into the ADA8000 which is a 8 channel Preamp with 24 bit/48khz ADAT for only about $200...They aren"t the best quality preamps but they should be ok for just drums....
Just a Thought....
PS: Yes 8 or more Mics is quite common for drums...I use 8 mics for my 5 piece kit....
Just a Thought....
PS: Yes 8 or more Mics is quite common for drums...I use 8 mics for my 5 piece kit....
ChuckU
New member
The MOTU 8-pre looks really versatile as it can be an ADAT I/O expansion or a firewire, direct to the computer, unit. Limited analog outs may be its only shortcoming, but I have yet to do a final mix analog. I should add that I am in between soundcards right now and do not own one. I have been shopping the ADAT I/O and firewire options extensively lately.
One on the kick
One on snare
One on each tom (there are three on the kit I use most of the time)
Two overheads (to give a stereo image and get the cymbals)
One on the hihat (some songs will dictate this - you may want the isolation)
Some people like to mic the bottom heads of the drums (out of phase with the mics on top), but there is no substitute for new heads, tuned properly in the right room.
All the time.RVLVNGDRS said:8 mics on the drumset?
One on the kick
One on snare
One on each tom (there are three on the kit I use most of the time)
Two overheads (to give a stereo image and get the cymbals)
One on the hihat (some songs will dictate this - you may want the isolation)
Some people like to mic the bottom heads of the drums (out of phase with the mics on top), but there is no substitute for new heads, tuned properly in the right room.
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mikey@thecave
New member
sebatron 4 channel
daking 4 channel
that will keep you for a while
daking 4 channel
that will keep you for a while
mrbowes
New member
mikey@thecave said:
The OP is looking at units around $500, not $3000+
However, the Sebatron is indeed a sonic beast. I own the VMP-4000e and love it.
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RAK
Manufacturer - Shure, Inc
I guess you could say there are three levels of 8 channel mic pre's out there:
1: Interface directly with the computer via FireWire
2: 8 Analog In, 8 Analog Out.
3: ADAT I/O
Of course these are not either/or cases and many boxes combine both.
If you just want all analog, Nady and SM have some models, but I have no idea if they're worth anything.
If you don't need the firewire connection, then I recommend the Behringer ADA8000. I mean 8 mic pre's with ADAT and Analog I/O for less than $200. If you cheap is your main priority, go with it. It will sound just fine (at least I think so). Sure I'm ethically conflicted about owning a few pieces of behringer gear, but sometimes you just can't say no.
In terms of slightly higher quality though, I highly recommend Focusrite. I think the Octo-Pre is a great box. And if I've got my facts straight, it was Focusrite who made the pre's in the original M-Box, which some people consider to be better than the later versions when Digidesign did it on their own.
As for the 8Pre, I haven't heard that, but I do have the 828mkII, and MOTU can do no wrong by me. My only gripe with them is that they released the Traveler not too long after I made my purchase. Why couldn't they have released when I was in the market. I agree about the limited Analog Outs being a bummer though.
The thing to keep in mind is, considering you can spend over $1000 for a single microphone pre-amp, you're only going to get so much out of 8 of them for $200.
1: Interface directly with the computer via FireWire
2: 8 Analog In, 8 Analog Out.
3: ADAT I/O
Of course these are not either/or cases and many boxes combine both.
If you just want all analog, Nady and SM have some models, but I have no idea if they're worth anything.
If you don't need the firewire connection, then I recommend the Behringer ADA8000. I mean 8 mic pre's with ADAT and Analog I/O for less than $200. If you cheap is your main priority, go with it. It will sound just fine (at least I think so). Sure I'm ethically conflicted about owning a few pieces of behringer gear, but sometimes you just can't say no.
In terms of slightly higher quality though, I highly recommend Focusrite. I think the Octo-Pre is a great box. And if I've got my facts straight, it was Focusrite who made the pre's in the original M-Box, which some people consider to be better than the later versions when Digidesign did it on their own.
As for the 8Pre, I haven't heard that, but I do have the 828mkII, and MOTU can do no wrong by me. My only gripe with them is that they released the Traveler not too long after I made my purchase. Why couldn't they have released when I was in the market.
I agree about the limited Analog Outs being a bummer though.The thing to keep in mind is, considering you can spend over $1000 for a single microphone pre-amp, you're only going to get so much out of 8 of them for $200.
warble2
Not an expert
RVLVNGDRS said:8 mics on the drumset?
Does that sound strange or something?
Although with a nice room, four mics would work fine - one on kick, one on snare and two overheads.
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RAK
Manufacturer - Shure, Inc
warble2 said:
There's nothing wrong with 8 mics for a 5 piece kit, although personally I would probably cut the hi-hat mic. And while there are obviously standard conventions as well as tried and true methods, really you can do whatever you want to achieve the sound you're after. Everything from using a single omni mic, to close micing every cymbal and drum head (top and bottom)
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Gilliland
New member
....then take a look at the Studio Projects SP828.RAK said:
And if you need Lightpipe output, consider the M-Audio Octane.
Both are in the desired price range, and both are better than their price would lead you to believe.
warble2
Not an expert
Gilliland said:
I've been wondering about the SP828. Sounds like it uses Burr Browns and would actually make a nice 8 ch. pre. Analog outs only might be a drawback from some, but looks interesting nonetheless.
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Gilliland
New member
I've had mine in my remote rack for over a year now, and each time I take it out for a recording I wind up happier that I made that purchase. They have a nice clean "openness" that holds up well when stacked in a mix. Nothing magical about them, just clean and thoroughly usable. They use the Burr Brown INA217 instrumentation amps as their main chips. I don't know much about the rest of the circuitry, but it seems to do the job well.warble2 said:
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RVLVNGDRS
New member
i found a focusrite octopre and an m-audio octane used for a good deal (equal price)
would anyone be able to give some agruments as to why you'd choose one over the other?
i saw this thread https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=212253&highlight=m-audio+octane
and was convinced by the gentleman with 20000+ rep points that the octane would be an excellent choice for drums...(although i am not about to spend 700$ based on green dots and a big number...
)
would anyone be able to give some agruments as to why you'd choose one over the other?
i saw this thread https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=212253&highlight=m-audio+octane
and was convinced by the gentleman with 20000+ rep points that the octane would be an excellent choice for drums...(although i am not about to spend 700$ based on green dots and a big number...
)
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Gilliland
New member
If it were me, I'd decide based on which unit had features that best met my needs. I think both of them have pretty good reputations (for this price point anyway). And the feature sets for these two units are quite different. So that should make it easy to choose.RVLVNGDRS said:
BTW, $700 sounds a bit high for these if you're buying them used, no?
Does this used Octopre include the A/D card, or is it all analog? That might impact your decision. (Might also explain the $700 price tag.)
warble2
Not an expert
RVLVNGDRS said:i found a focusrite octopre and an m-audio octane used for a good deal (equal price)
would anyone be able to give some agruments as to why you'd choose one over the other?
i saw this thread https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=212253&highlight=m-audio+octane
and was convinced by the gentleman with 20000+ rep points that the octane would be an excellent choice for drums...(although i am not about to spend 700$ based on green dots and a big number...
A used Octane shouldn't cost you $700....more like $500 or slightly more. I've heard good things about them. They've got pads on each channel which might prove useful for tracking drums - Octopre doesn't have them.
I'd agree with Gilliland - look at the features of each, and decide which one suits your needs. In this price range, I don't think you're going to experience vast sound differences from one to the other.