http://www.juno.co.uk/products/rme-babyface-audio-midi-interface-silver-not-available-to-mainland-europe/420691-01/

Baby face for $500 USD

digi2ns


What if you ran things through a decent mixer and then into to Octa? Would that take care of the hotness?

That was going to be my next step. Im sure it would help. I have a buddy who keeps insisting to dump the Octa Capture and go with the vintage but reliable Delta 1010LT through a mixer with good preamps. Ive been tossing around the idea but cant see myself going backwards in technology?

Babyface!

rheil

digi2ns


What if you ran things through a decent mixer and then into to Octa? Would that take care of the hotness?

That was going to be my next step. Im sure it would help. I have a buddy who keeps insisting to dump the Octa Capture and go with the vintage but reliable Delta 1010LT through a mixer with good preamps. Ive been tossing around the idea but cant see myself going backwards in technology?

From the research I've seen, the 1010LT is a solid card, but for the money difference on the used market, I would suggest going with the 1010 not LT. The noise floor and chipsets for the 1010 have better specs than the LT. I use the 1010 and it is still a very good interface.

I don't own an Octa-Capture but I do own a VS700R.  The software has a 20dB pad.  I'm running a Presonus MP20 (external mic pre) into the VS preamps with no issues- especially no issues in quality.  I'd be suprised to know the same doesn't exist in the Octa-Capture.  But maybe the auto-sensing took the place of the pad?  If the mic pres are close to the VS700R (says they're based in that technology), then it's a great interface for the dough.  I use a pair of A-Designs Pacifica mic pres- running through a MyTek A/D converter into the AES of the VS.  I wouldn't exactly say the VS preamps are 'as good' but I'd say they hang in there as 'professional quality' mic pres and I've used them a bunch in mission critical situations.

odmsteel


As a user of the Octa Capture since it came out, I am about to let it go..... I do love the Auto Sens feature and thats one of the only reasons I have kept it around for so long.

Now that I want to start using outboard gear I am so limited with the Octa Capture. 1 thing that I think is terrible is there is noway to bypass the mic pre's. I recently purchased a Tc Helicon Voicelive Rack and no matter what I do the signal is to hot! If I turn down the mic pre's on the Octa Capture you no longer hear the effect. I might take some heat for this but I am switching to a Presonus 16.0.2. which has 4 Aux inputs for some rack gear. I will also use the board live as well so it serves two purposes.

I haven’t tried this with my Quad Capture yet, but why can’t you just run your outboard gear via SPDIF into the Capture and out of the Capture into your DAW? This way you’d be bypassing the Captures’ pres altogether.  

1 thing that I think is terrible is there is noway to bypass the mic pre's.

FWIW, Very few audio interfaces allow you to actually bypass the onboard preamp circuit.
The MOTU 896HD does offer this feature (but it's been removed on the newer 896mkIII).