Improving my studio gear...need some advice

[::XeS::]

Ok, this is the situation.
Actually I have a profire2626 as main interface and a Focusrite Octopre LE for additional 8 in's/pre's, connected to the profire via adat.
In these days I'm thinking about a way to improve my signal chain, from the mic to the daw. One of the solution I found was a tube console, with 8 or 12 preamps (1 for each channel), provided with adat in/out...just to have some good preamps in one unit, to add a good flavour to the signal.
I would connect it via adat so I'll have:
Profire -> adat1 -> Focusrite Octope
Profire -> adat2 -> Console
16 channels with preamps connected to the Profire (that will be only a "dongle" for the external inputs/preamps).
Now, if I would buy a good AD converter...if I wanna record drums (as I actually do) I think I will need 16 channels of AD conversion...so as example we can think about the Apogee AD-16x.
Here is one of the things I don't understand...The signals have to come into the Apogee after or before the preamps? In both cases there is something I can't understand.

If the routing is: mics -> Apogee -> Preamps
I don't understand how to go from apogee to preamps, because the apogee is connected at the audio interface via adat, so the signals are already inside.

If the routing is: mics -> Preamps -> Apogee
Same thing as before...

Last but not least, if I don't have free adat port...where should I connect the converters?
Also if I have a free adat port for the apogee, how can I route the signals from the AD to the preamps or viceversa?
Probably some stupid questions but it's something I need to understand.
Anyway I think that when you start to improve the signal chain, these interfaces with preamps and converters all-in-one become very limitative..

 

[jipchen]

If the routing is: mics -> Apogee -> Preamps
I don't understand how to go from apogee to preamps, because the apogee is connected at the audio interface via adat, so the signals are already inside.

That wouldn't make any sense, at least to me
The Apogee (AD 16X) is an analog->digital converter, and the output of your preamps is analog. So you have to connect it like this:

mics -> Preamps -> Apogee

The analog signal from the preamps goes into the Apogee (you'll need a breakout cable for this purpose, as there are no Line/XLR inputs on the Apogee),
then the Apogee converts the signal to digital then the signal goes via to your main interface via ADAT.

1 ADAT port can only handle 8 channels. If you want to use the 16 channels of the Apogee, you'll have to use both ADAT inputs on your interface.
So you can either use the 16-channel Apogee alone OR some 8 channel A/D convertor plus your Octopre.
Apogee AD-16x together with your Focusrite Octopre won't work.
And the ADAT=8 channels thing is only true if you use 48khz or lower. If you wan't 88.2 or 96 you can only use 4 channels instead of 8.

By the way, I don't know your setup but I would first invest in acoustics, then microphones, and only then in some high-end preamps/channelstrips/console and convertors.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Naturally, a microphone connects to a microphone preamp, which connects to the converter, which connects to the interface. What sense would it make to plug a mic in to an AD converter which then would send the DIGITAL signal to a microphone preamp? :zombie:

If you haven't got a free digital input port on your interface, you really have no use for an analog to digital converter. And furthermore, you won't be "routing the signals from the AD to the preamps." Signal goes FROM a preamp THROUGH a converter TO an interface. So basically you will hook up the gear as such: Microphone -> XLR cable -> Microphone preamp -> TRS cable -> Converter -> ADAT Toslink cable -> Interface -> FW cable -> Computer. If you want the signal to go the other way, from the computer to somewhere else, you need a DIGITAL TO ANALOG converter, such as the Apogee DA16 or just use the Profire's outputs.

EDIT: Jipchen beat me to it And yeah, judging from your Myspace, you definitely should invest in some more crucial things first before you start hauling top-of-the-line AD-converters and such. Acoustic treatment, upgraded monitoring etc. are a must before you start considering an AD16 IMHO.

 

[::XeS::]

Yeah of course...Here I've only explained my doubts about the routing part...I'm considering lot of things at the moment
So...if I need 16 inputs channels I can use the 8 inputs of the focusrite (focusrite -> trs -> converter -> adat -> interface) and 8 inputs of another 8 channels preamp for example (connected to the other adat port of the profire).
I could also use the profire for the other 8 preamps because using it like a standalone preamp the internal AD/DA conversion is turned off, but I don't know if the adat functions are still available