Anyone out there with experience recording into DT with a 500 series preamp (API 512)? Curious about optimizing sound quality recording acoustic instruments as well as fattening up synth bass lines and drum beats.
Buy a UAD Apollo Twin, Their plugins are out of this world, sounds identical to the real thing, like the API Preamp, Neve, SSL and LA2 too, amazing sounds, they have transformed my mixes. Crank them up and they overdrive and distort jsut like the real thing, no need to Analog Heat
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Not a DT but have a 500 series with a Neve 511 and a cheap DBX into MPC Live. Sounds great.
I used to run all my stuff through a pair of hairball audio Lola preamps. It was subtle, but I think there was some (positive) effect. Those preamps had a volume knob, so I could pick between low gain settings, letting stuff through pretty clean or lowering the volume and cranking the gain for fun and profit. I sold that setup to fund an SSL SiX, but Iād go back to that kind of setup again. If youāre DIY handy, I think DIYRE.com is having a sale on their kits and gear right now. They developed the ācolorā module series which would be fun to explore for synth usage. There are a couple threads in here about that system.
@echothief
Thanks, I have heard good things about that. Iām aiming to avoid my computer but definitely something to consider. At some point Iāll be turning it on either way.
Awesome, those Neveās are great. On the wish list!
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Hadnāt heard about DIYRE, thanks for the tip. I was looking at axoloti for a bit but got distracted!
Thanks yāall
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Honestly I feel like way too much āmagic powerā is attributed to preamps these days.
The primary purpose of preamps is to amplify signals which are too low. Nowadays even pretty cheap preamps are very capable of amplifying signals cleanly. Back in the days this wasnāt the case, and because weāve grown to love and expect the harmonic distortion and ācharacterā these designs impart on sound, theyre sought after and imitated. Some do sound great, but using a preamp doesnt magically make your music sound better.
There are other and better ways to improve the audio you record into the DT. I would suggest getting a good eq, because eqing your sounds before recording in the DT helps with the fact that the DT doesnt have an eq.
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This!
And if it is really necessary to pump up some areas of the sound, there is still plenty options like the already mentioned UAD stuff, DDMF and Pulsar Mu.
If you are comfortable with working on an iPad there is also plenty AUv3 exciters etc, which definitely sojnd very close to the āoriginalā hardware nowadays
Diyre is nice, smart design with the modules. That might be my Christmas present. The perfect storm, cheap pre and a cool project.
Separate off topic question, how do you like the pres on the Six?
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To be honest, I havenāt really used the preamps on the SiX. I only really have line level sources going in. As far as Iāve heard and read though, the superanalogue preamps are top notch, clean with a lot of gain.
I do make use of the one-knob compressor and eq in channels 1/2 and those are really useful, especially when working with oddball sources like ciat lonbarde gear.
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Thanks. With the price drop Iām on the fence with getting the SSL and flipping the 500. Seems like a ton of mixer for a great price. Thanks again for replying and sorry for the derailment.