Need to replace a bunch of mic pre's

I have been using to good sucess an old Mackie CR 1604 (pre VLZ model). It is a rather neat little board, as you can actually get 16 discreet ouputs from it using channel inserts and various sends, and with the XLR expander every channel is XLR. I plug a Tascam MX-2424 into it and get 16 simultaneous recording channels, then dump the projects to Sonar for mixing.

I would like to replace the Mackie (which I am using just for the mic pre's) with something that would sound better, but not break the bank. Does anyone have a suggestion? I would still like to end up with 16 available inputs.

Thanks,

Poco

I asked a similar question on the cakewalk GEAR forum. one of the answers I got was an OCTOPRE by focusrite. 2 of those would give you what you want, I believe.

Mike preamps and converters (and room treatment and good mikes) make up most of what is the foundation for great sound recordings. The mackie pre's only sound good until you compare them to great pres. I have a 1604, and I have several high end preamps (Langevin, Quad Eight, Electrodyne, Trident). The trick IMHO, is to find the balance between price and purpose. You may want tp pick up a pair of high grade preamps such as Great River (prox $2,ooo)as your "go to" pres for vocals acoustic guitars piano, etc., and get several ok but not as good pres like the 300.00 DBX tube preamp, or better yet grace101's at about 400 a pop.(excellent transparent choice). All is academic if you are using low end converters which do not give you a solid present rich sound. When I sold my delta 1010 and went to Lynx I was floored at the difference. I had been trying all these great mikes and pres and just couldn't hear too much difference until I upgraded the converters. Just don't forget the song is what will make you succed, not the gear. Another bang for the buck pre is supposed to be the Presonus Eureka at about 300 used, but I havn't heard those.

Depends what you want to spend. I've heard great things about the Great River, etc. but they all seem a bit out of my price range. Agreed on the converter comments, but you have to start your signal path upgrade somewhere. Good mic's will get you a fair amount of bang for your buck in a hurry, but again the really good ones are worth one term's college tuition it seems (paying for daughter through college at this point). Pres and A/Ds (as well as good clocking) are the rest of the equation. Really good pres and mic's are probably pretty good investments (if well cared for), as the classics seem to hold their value pretty well. I'm not so sure about A/Ds as an investment, as they are constantly being upgraded by more advanced electronics.

I have the FMR RNP which is a good mid-range pre, and combined with their RNC (compressor) is a good basic setup, much better than most low end mixers (I have a VLZ Mackie mixer and a Yammy board as well and still go with the FMR most often). FMR incidentally is coming out with a third compressor which is similar to a Distressor type unit (lots of character). Mercenary Audio has demo files on line if you're intersted.

Another way to go (if you're a pro with a soldering iron, and can identify components accurately) is kit built. The pres at Seventh Circle Audio look pretty nice and have been well reviewed. They are clones of classic Pre circuits. The catch is that they only work in their own rack and power supply which drives the entry level price of your first pre from them up considerably. Once you've made that investment, you can add more pres (some of which require purchasing seperate amplifier modules) in kit built or finished form at more reasonable prices. The modules look similar to API 500 series rack modules but they are not compatible with 500 type racks. Of course the resale value of kit built pres is not going to do nearly as well as classic high end gear. Going this way, for around $3k+ you could have a set of 8 pres, a pair each of four classic preamp styles at your disposal.

And there you have it. When it comes to anything and everything music, Sonar, or electronics-related, just think of him as "mikepedia". i.e. don't mess with the Zohan.

I know this will soon be moved to the Gear section - (You know the section nobody reads?) But If I were to get started in higher end pres, I would look no further than the 4 channel Sebatron VMP 4000e. I picked mine up for $1725. It's a fairly transparent to dirty tube pre, with a multitute of eq options. It has character but you can really dial that down if you want a cleaner track. It's pretty amazing for the money. Your situation may differ, but I've really enjoyed mine.

Regards,

Hi feedback,
FWIW I think the Seventh Circle stuff is cool, well priced, and a very good recommendation.

I'm just a bit picky about the descriptions. :-)

best regards,
mike