Ramsa DA7 with DP, share your thoughts?

[cleantone]

It's not the newest board out there. Would it not make sense to add something like this in 2009? Would some other HUI controller work better? Would anyone recommend against a Ramsa? If so why?

I haven't researched at all but I assume the board can read and write automation data. Assuming you do not go beyond 32 tracks I guess. Does the Ramsa show up in the IO assignments like a MOTU interface does? Can the automation data be saved in DP session or does it have to be saved on the board?

Does flipping fader banks work well? The settings jump right to the settings for the new faders and such? I know the automation it minimal (fader/mute/solo/pan). Are the onboard comp's and eq's okay? Does using onboard/DAW/outboard gear work well with the desk?

Things I should think off of the top of your heads?

[Jeff E]

Cleantone...
The DA7 is a great board for what it is. I have 2 of them. The Mic pre's are very transparent and "yes" the board does have a sound of its own which is a total matter of taste.
The most useful way to use it is in the case of tracking and getting 16 inputs for the $$. The EQ is great and the compressors/gates are usable but certainly not analog.

The Pluses are..
Price verses Value - It would be hard to get what you get in this board for the $$ in most setups. I think a fully loaded board can run anywhere between $800-$1200 although you can find them stripped down for far less. They are useless with out the input cards so its better to find one with them already installed.

8 XLR mic pres with phantom
8 1/4"pre's with phantom
Can't even say these are comparable to the Berhingers - but thats opinion.
8 aux sends which can be great for head phone mixes /effects.
Talk back feature
MIDI layer for HUI.
Great for line level synths as well.
3 card slots - Mates up well for a 2408 playing back 24 channels
Board is solid - works all the time .

CONS
The Max automation software is pretty much a boat anchor and is not needed in this day of DAWs.
It is NOT 96K if you are going there.
HUI mode is usable but antiquated compared to new boards out today - But then again - Price verses value.
Takes up desk space compared to the Euphonix.

I have considered selling one of mine and going to the Presonus central station and such but it just does not match up. Sell the Board for $1000+/-
and get a Central station out of it?? Doesn't compare for what i do .

What you will have to work though is how you want to run your studio. Do you need the 16 input channels for input? Are you going to just mix in the box??

I used to have mine with the 2408s and have since moved the Digi 192. The DA7 is still my security blanket..

I hope that helps..

Feel free to email me with any questions..

Check out DA7.com or http://www.audiotalkback.com/ as it is now called. Lots of current and past DA7 owners there. The Moderator Justin is a great guy and most are very helpful.
Cheers

Jeff E

[cleantone]

Thanks. I use an Alesis HD24XR as my main "tape machine". I also have over 40 channels of outboard pres. I guess I would want to use this mostly for mixing. Though I am not sure if I would want to use it to actually mix or to work with DP and sum in the box. Then again I may want to use it with the HD24XR only sometimes.

[waterstrum]

I used a tandem setup of DA7s with DP for years.
Thumbs up for sound quality and bang for the buck.
76 inputs (tandem) for pretty low dough.
A very clean and clear sound.
Even now, great features and reliabilty.
Very primitive for use as a HUI.
Onboard automation sucks.
No it won't show up in IO assignments on your Mac... It uses serial ports for computer connection. (Jurassic)
Audio is TDIF, ADAT, etc. via optional cards.
I have a great fondness for the DA7.
I made a bunch of records with it and they still sound pretty good to me.
Maybe it will end up being a "vintage sound" item.
Weird in the digital age.
I agree with Jeff E, go to
http://www.audiotalkback.com/

[IO]

i 2 had a ramsa da7 used it with a 2408.... worked great.

[Tim]

It's cool for routing, fx sends to hardware units, monitor select and volume control, direct zero latency monitoring for live inputs, etc.
Automation (even with MAX software) bites.
Compressors: usable safety net - zero excitement.
EQ works good, but also boring.
Converters and mic amps; smooth, clean, and still better than most in the same range.

[philbrown]

Ditto the above.
I've never used the automation on it.
The mic pres sound pretty good to me. Clean and not much coloration.
I've got 2 ADAT cards and 2 macs each with a 2408 and have evertything lighpiped every which way for maximum connectivity. Also have an AES/SPDIF card and use that for digital FX I/O with some TC outboards.
My only complaint (and only because I'm in a small space) is I wish it had a little smaller footprint. That's the only reason I've considered going to something else.
I'd try to get the meter bridge for it if possible, especially if you're going to do much live tracking.

Cheers
Phil

[TheHopiWay]

I'm a DA7 fan too.
Every time I think of "upgrading" to a newer console I end up keeping the 7 as bang for buck it's still miles ahead of the competition.

16 good mic pres, flexible routing of 24 channels of light pipe, easy interface to analog gear via the aux bussing, daw fader control on the 4th layer and lot's of other perks.

Also as stated above it's one of the best quality builds out there and has a great rock solid track record.

[Don T]

Hello,
We still teach signal routing on the Da7 cuz' it is set up with multiple workflow options. The A/D is cleaner than anything else we have at school (incl HD PT). It has a MIDI fader layer that I use to slave the faders in DP. It becomes a control surface to write dynamic mix automation in DP. OR.... I do corrective editing with mouse written automation in DP then do a final dynamic mix using the Da7 faders and outboard gear etc. Best of both worlds. Lock your clock via word and all is golden. The Da7 automation can be used if you have MTC or SMPTE time code locked. HUI mode does not make sense because DP faders and Da7 faders will both move and attenuate signal (Da7 faders retain their internal function). It also has a channel delay setting I used to fix DP & plugin latency issues although now I don't need it so much.

[cleantone]

So how would I clock it to my Mac and DP? Right now I use MOTU 896's as my DA to my monitors. I don't have a master clock. Thanks for the inputs thus far.

[Don T]

Hello,
Send word clock out the 896 to the Da7 word in (BNC cable). In the Da7 digital I/O menu set the clock source to external. Make sure that you are dividing the clock output from the 896 cuz' the Da7 only runs 44.1 & 48 khz. I assume the 896 has the same clock options as my 24 I/O. This way the Da7 follows whatever clock rate you set in DP.

Another option is to use the Da7 as the master clock and you can set DP to slave to word clock or the optical ADAT / TDIF clock source. This last option requires setting clock rate in both DP and the Da7 so files have the proper data heading.

One more option is to run the 896 analog outputs to the Da7 "2 TRK B" analog inputs so you can select it in the Da7 control room section and control the monitor gain from there with its handy "MONO" switch.

It all depends on the work flow you decide on............ ah the possibilities with unlimited (and seemingly endless) digital signal routing options.