I'm happy with my Clarett. I have the Quad and so I run four other inputs into it, but the stock preamps are good also.
A lot of great stuff at all price points, though. This is a pretty great time to be alive for this stuff.
moar inputs
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Larry Mal
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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- Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
- Location: Saint Louis, MO
Re: moar inputs
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.
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marqueemoon
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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- Location: Seattle
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mcatano
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 327
- Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:01 pm
Re: moar inputs
I know this is an older thread, and you seem sorted, but just to kick the can around a bit...
I also wanted a dedicated recording setup that I could keep in my band's rehearsal space so I could track drums/loud amps/etc there quickly without having to move much stuff from my home. Just grab my laptop and go. What I landed on was a pair of RME Fireface800 units - I paid about $400CAD each, which seems to be a little lower than the going rate ($600-700CAD here in Toronto), but I bought them both from pals who'd upgraded to newer/shinier devices. (a caveat, this assume you're an apple person.)
The 800 is pretty similar to the current version, but doesn't have a USB output - per the name it's a firewire interface. RME have kept the firmware up to date, and they work perfectly with modern, silicon macs. You just need two adaptors to get from FW to TB. You end up with a clunky connection, but after that's sorted you're good to go. You can run up to three FF800s in parallel with 10 analog inputs each, and each unit can accept 8 more channels via 2 ADAT ports. So, $800CAD plus $100 for the adaptors and that's 20 analog inputs, 8 extremely clean preamps, and the option to expand another 32ch of inputs via ADAT.
Another option to think about, especially if you're interested in expanding your outboard or building a 500-series rack, would be something like the RME digiface, which is multiple ADAT inputs to USB2.0. That would give you a very affordable (~$600USD), high quality I/O hub that you can expand or upgrade over time as budget/needs allow. For about $1K you could have *extremely* good conversion and a pair of the behringer ADAT pres providing multi-channel i/o. Adding one of the ferrofish units would let you incorporate another 16ch of outboard pres and still be able to keep the behringers around in case you decide to mic the hi hat or whatever.
All that said, if I was just looking for something decent, simple, and sort of portable I'd look at the EVO16 from audient.
I also wanted a dedicated recording setup that I could keep in my band's rehearsal space so I could track drums/loud amps/etc there quickly without having to move much stuff from my home. Just grab my laptop and go. What I landed on was a pair of RME Fireface800 units - I paid about $400CAD each, which seems to be a little lower than the going rate ($600-700CAD here in Toronto), but I bought them both from pals who'd upgraded to newer/shinier devices. (a caveat, this assume you're an apple person.)
The 800 is pretty similar to the current version, but doesn't have a USB output - per the name it's a firewire interface. RME have kept the firmware up to date, and they work perfectly with modern, silicon macs. You just need two adaptors to get from FW to TB. You end up with a clunky connection, but after that's sorted you're good to go. You can run up to three FF800s in parallel with 10 analog inputs each, and each unit can accept 8 more channels via 2 ADAT ports. So, $800CAD plus $100 for the adaptors and that's 20 analog inputs, 8 extremely clean preamps, and the option to expand another 32ch of inputs via ADAT.
Another option to think about, especially if you're interested in expanding your outboard or building a 500-series rack, would be something like the RME digiface, which is multiple ADAT inputs to USB2.0. That would give you a very affordable (~$600USD), high quality I/O hub that you can expand or upgrade over time as budget/needs allow. For about $1K you could have *extremely* good conversion and a pair of the behringer ADAT pres providing multi-channel i/o. Adding one of the ferrofish units would let you incorporate another 16ch of outboard pres and still be able to keep the behringers around in case you decide to mic the hi hat or whatever.
All that said, if I was just looking for something decent, simple, and sort of portable I'd look at the EVO16 from audient.
Last edited by mcatano on Fri Mar 01, 2024 1:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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marqueemoon
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 7696
- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:37 pm
- Location: Seattle
Re: moar inputs
Thanks. I am still planning to expand my setup at some point.
Currently thinking along the lines of a more basic interface + ADAT expansion.
I haven’t looked too deeply into the RME options because the mixing software seems intimidating and cost, but there seems to be quite a bit of info on YouTube, and I would feel much more comfortable buying a used RME piece than just about anything else used.
Currently thinking along the lines of a more basic interface + ADAT expansion.
I haven’t looked too deeply into the RME options because the mixing software seems intimidating and cost, but there seems to be quite a bit of info on YouTube, and I would feel much more comfortable buying a used RME piece than just about anything else used.