How important is your interface if you have GREAT outboard mic pre's?

[rlcramer]

So I was thinking about investing in a few (OK..1) really good Mic Pre / Channel Strip to front end my DAW. Currently I have a MOTU 896HD that is OK, but nothing spectacular. My thought was that since I NEVER record more than 2 channels at once, I want to figure out the simplest and least expensive interface that I can use to get all of the quality out my 1 great preamp into my DAW (Logic Pro)? I'd like a really clean, really simple signal chain something like Mic->Pre->Interface->DAW.

I guess my question is - if I'm working with all standalone preamps, how important is the actual audio interface that I'm using?

And does anyone have any recommendations for the best way to connect my soon-to-be-awesome pre's to my Mac? It doesn't seem like anyone makes an interface geared specifically toward people who have a stable of great pre's that only need to get a group of line level signals into a DAW.

Bobby

 

[crillemannen]

Well if you buy a 2 channel PRE with A/D then the interface wont get in your way. API A2D is a great choice for high end. Then there is of course the D/A but there is allot of things you can invest in before you hit the D/A's

 

[rlcramer]

That's a really good point. The Pre I was looking at was an Avalon 737 though, so no built in A/D.

I'll definitely give the API a look though.

 

[Ermz]

You have a bunch of options, the best perhaps being to get an interface that solely sports Digital I/O like the RME RayDat, 9652 or Digiface. Use SPDIF to hook up a Benchmark ADC-1 and there you go. 2 ins, pristine, rock solid drivers to boot.

 

[Emdprodukt]

You have a bunch of options, the best perhaps being to get an interface that solely sports Digital I/O like the RME RayDat, 9652 or Digiface. Use SPDIF to hook up a Benchmark ADC-1 and there you go. 2 ins, pristine, rock solid drivers to boot.

word! Get a digiface and some sort of AD/DA converter and your settled for the future

 

[csholtmeier]

Sounds like an Apogee Duet might be perfect for you. Inexpensive, top-notch conversion, integrated with Logic Pro and you get two really good clean pres with it.

Can I talk you out of that Avalon though? Never liked those (rap guys seem to love em' though). Not my first choice for rock/metal sounds.

Personally, I use a Duet. When I want clean, I use the built-in pres. When I want color, I patch in the LA-610 or the ADM (API-ish) pair.

 

[kantoor]

If you have good pre´s the 2 most important things are conversion (overrated) and stability/latency.

Almost every interface out there has at least decent conversion but not so many have great drivers to get a really stable system at low latency.

I´ve had good luck with RME stuff, really stable & pretty decent AD/DA.

 

[rlcramer]

Are the RME drivers stable on the Mac too? Or do all of the stability raves come from the PC side of the fence?

 

[gabriel g.]

if you interface is solid then also think about an external clock.

I hooked up 4 api preamps in the analog inputs of my digi003 and clocked the digi with lightpipe from an apogee AD.

Sounds amazing!!!!

 

[amarshism]

How would you go about using two interfaces? I want a better interface than a 003 but I need it for ptle access. Am currently contemplating the purchase of an API 3124+, ssl vhd4, 2*ua610s and a rme ff800. How could I get the most out of this as I'd like to have everything patched up all of the time.

Edit: I'd like to use third party conversion and clocking.

 

[gabriel g.]

amarshism buy an apogee or aurora converter and clock the fireface 800 via lightpipe(adat). Or you could simply buy the digiface+DA converter.

Then you put the fireface or digiface in the m-audio lightbridge and running pt m-powered.

At that point you just sending 1-0-1-0-1 clocked by the apogee or aurora so the lightbridge wont fuck up the quality.

But you could also hook up the external converter with the digi 003 and clock it with the external. Then you have 8 new analog inputs + 4 analog inputs on the digi. There wont be a noticeable quality difference to the fireface 800...

And 12 high quality inputs are more then enoug IMO.

 

[amarshism]

Do you think something like a big ben would be imperative for clocking such a setup?

So the 003 would be connected to my computer, with the converter going into this digitally, with my pres all going into that analogue? Would the rme also be going into the converter, or the 003, or straight into the computer? Essentially this would give me 8 ins via the rme, and 10 through the other pres? The digi pres are useless to me in comparison.

 

[gabriel g.]

yeah the 003 pres are like every other standart preamp.
I used mackie onyx, focusrite octopre....they are all in the same leauge...

So you have the digi 003 ,right? the one with 4 preamps or the one with 8 preamps?
The one with 4 preamps is a good starting point. The one with 8 preamps and NO analog inserts is shit->sell it

A amazing setup with the digi 003 (4 preamps) is:

interface: digi 003
digi preamps (4) for guide tracks, talkback....
analog inserts for the SSL, or the api

Adat in you buy a apogee or lnyx AD (with 8 converters)
put in the uad, tg2.....

Go to the digi-core setup and clock everything via lightpipe.
So everything follows the clock of the apogee/lynx

No need for any RME stuff in that setup+you have the spdif connection for another AD (like the apogee mini) to put in a mastering chain( outboard)

You would have a absolute premium-class setup with
12 high-end preamps and 4 preamps for guide/talkback stuff

Another setup would be ditching the digi003 and buying an fireface800 instead. So you would have 8 more adat slots and 4 more analog inputs.
but you would need an M-Audio lightbridge to use protools. (rme adat outs->m-audio lightpipes)

I would stick with digi 003. There is not that difference between the 003 and the ff800 IMO

I think you wont need any external clock with this setups...
The clock in the apogee is amazing!!!