Digimax FS

jrdmcdnld · Post by **jrdmcdnld** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:55 am

I read Craig Anderton's review of it, but do you guys and gals think that adding the presonus digiamax fs to my 828 would be a sound improvement worth 600 bucks (in reguard to the mic pres and digital clock)?

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 7:23 am

I just read Craig's review here: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/for ... id=1424234

I have heard that the preamp design is not as good as the Digimax LT, which I own. After modding my Presonus MP20 with Burr-Brown Op-amps and picking up a Sytek MPX-4Aii this summer the Digimax LT is no longer doing it for me. It's not a bad preamp, but Sytek clean and Digimax LT clean are two very different things.

We all need to think outside of the "Prosumer" box these days. Seriously. We also all need to take stock in how many preamps we really need at one time. If you are tracking bands and need 16 inputs, already have some outboard preamps, have an interface with ADAT i/o, and have a $600 budget, then either the Digimax LT or the Digimax FS may be the solution NOW. However, you will outgrow it. I tend to look at gear differently now; I'm picking stuff up for the long haul. This is simply experience talking.

Take $400 of your money and do what I just did a few weeks ago: http://www.blacklionaudio.com/motu_firewire_mod.html

Sounds amazing. Improves the two mic preamps considerably. BLA has sound sample on their site as well. Matt's clock upgrade is stellar. On existing mixes (tracks already recorded in DP) I was immediately able to hear a difference. Bass is tighter, highs are cleaner, more separation between existing instruments, reverb no longer sounds like mush (I use the WAVES IR-1). Mix is much more 3D. I'm getting my second 828mk2 modded this winter. 100% sold on this mod as a must if you use outboard analog mic preamps and if you do not already have a master clock.

I am selling my Digimax LT since I have nice channels of good solid preamps now. I would considering picking up a Focusrite Octopre with ADAT and letting BLA mod it as well (http://www.blacklionaudio.com/Focusrite_octopre.html) if I needed a solution for getting 18 channels into the 828mk2. I just don't think that I need that many preamps, and something like the Hamptone JFET may have more character.

If I were you, I would do the following:

••• BLA mod the 828mk2

••• If you do not have any outboard preamps and need a quick fix post BLA mod, then look into bang for the buck solutions.
- A used Sytek MPX-4Aii (quad) is usually $600 on the TapeOp b/s/t board or eBay. Combined with the 828 that gives you six channels that you will always want to use. Steve Albini uses the Sytek at Electrical, so, you know, they are a professional option.
- You could also buy some used Presonus MP20 preamps (stereo) and do the simple Burr-Brown mod to them, which costs $75 for parts and about 15 minutes of your time for labor. You can also have Jensen replace the trannies in there to the tune of $85 per MP20 + shipping to Jensen. The BB mod really improved the sound of my MP20; I will do the Jensen mod when I decide if I am keeping this preamp... or building a Hamptone or SCA kit to replace 10 of my current channels.

Hamptone: http://www.hamptone.com/
SCA: http://www.seventhcirclestudios.com/SCA/SCA.htm

Just my $.02, as I just spent the last year or so going through this same dilema. I went for the Digimax LT for expansion purposes after I sold my Mackie 1604VLZ Pro and Alesis HD24 and bought a powerbook for remote recording. Wanted to be 100% DP and get as many channels into DP as possible. I never needed more than 12 channels of preamps at one time when tracking a full four piece band and I was never really happy with the sound of the Digimax LT, although it was on par or a little cleaner than the Mackie XDR preamps in the VLZ Pro series. My Digimax LT has been sitting since I bought the Sytek over the summer, unused, in a rack. I should see if the clock mod to the 828mk2 has improved its sound at all.

Please feel free to PM me with any questions.

Jeff

jrdmcdnld · Post by **jrdmcdnld** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:07 am

great advise. I wish I could send my 828mkII to BLA now, but I've got projects coming up soon. It'll have to wait.

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:08 am

jrdmcdnld wrote:great advise. I wish I could send my 828mkII to BLA now, but I've got projects coming up soon. It'll have to wait.

Believe me, I understand the wait. I needed to have both of mine up and running all summer because I was doing sessions at home and remote sessions to finish the recording phase of a pretty big project. Then I had to wait for money.

Seriously, it is a smart move. I'm a very satisfied customer.

Jeff

jrdmcdnld · Post by **jrdmcdnld** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 10:43 am

I'm sold. After this, I'm gonna look into a presonus mp20.

jrdmcdnld · Post by **jrdmcdnld** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 10:52 am

Just out of curiosity, If I had never bought the 828mkII to begin with, would it have been wise to spend money on a better interface? (a post for those looking into motu hardware?)

jrdmcdnld · Post by **jrdmcdnld** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:43 am

The RME firefaces (400/800) look enticing.

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:39 am

jrdmcdnld wrote:The RME firefaces (400/800) look enticing.

Yes, also the Metric Halo and the new Apogee Ensemble. I'm fine with my 828mk2s, though. With the Black Lion modifications I am very happy.

I would like to A/B the modded MOTUs with the above mentioned interfaces, though.

I *may* be interested in selling my modded MP20 after the holidays. Thinking about selling both the MP20 and the Digimax LT and building a channel of the SCA N72 Preamp Module (plus chasis & power):

http://www.seventhcirclestudios.com/SCA/SCA.htm

I'm just at the point of quality over quantity these days. Not that the MP20 isn't a good preamp for under $500, and the BB (and Jensen) mod definitely make the MP20 sound much much better than stock, but learning how to build Neve clone modules and add them to the tune of $324/channel as needed (after the initial investment) is a sweet deal. I mean, by the end of next year I could have four channels of Neve-clone preamps, in addition to the Sytek and the upgraded ultra-clean MOTU BLA preamps.

This sounds like a win/win.

Jeff

valleysound · Post by **valleysound** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:58 am

I've got two Metric Halo 2882's (one +DSP) and really like them for their sound quality and features. I also own three Presonus Digimax96k. I can't comment on the quality of the Digimax LT, but I like my 96k. Obviously there are far better pre's that have a much higher price tag. I would say that the main difference that I hear in my live recordings(my specialty, not studio) comes more from my choice of mics. The Digimax 96k are very neutral, in my opinion, really captures the sound of the mic very well and cleanly if that is what you want. At some point I will get some boutique pre's for vocals or select instruments, but right now my money will go towards better mics. Check the Presonus website to see some of the bigger names using Digimax preamps.
Here's what an email from the company has to say:
"The LT and original 48k DM use 24bit Alesis converters. The Digimax
96k and Digimax FS use higher end AKM's. All 4 have different preamp
designs. ; ) We like to keep it interesting rather than copy/paste the same
preamp design over and over like some folks do."