Sugarite wrote:

If someone were to produce an 8-channel mic preamp/ADC that filled the
$600
gap between the ADA8000 and Presonus Digimax LT, then the DDX3216 would
become much more feasible. It's certainly not the only piece of audio
gear
whose dependence on other gear makes it less useful.

No live rig would EVER expose the diffrence
been there, done that

I can't believe you associate your business with statements like that. Ever
if it were true, no self-respecting musician or venue would be remotely
impressed by the attitude.

But it's so obviously not true. If you can't hear the difference between a
cheap mixer's preamps and a Presonus Digimax then there is something
seriously wrong with your live rig, your ears, or both. That's like saying
you can't hear the difference between an Apex 420 and a Neumann U87 through
a live rig.

It's not entirely unfashionable to suggest that live sound 'smears' the sound so
much that equipment quality issues are 'marginal' - or at least that seems to be
the received wisdom currently. In many venues with lousy acoustics I'm sure it's
often largely true.

Go back 35 yrs and compare a 'valve head' type PA to a solid state version and
you *knew* the difference. Pink Floyd didn't get a reputation for super sound by
accident and that was using early 'quasi-complementary' output stage PA amps
from WEM ! We've moved on some what since then too.

I'll follow your thread though.

To take your example, I acquired a *new* Neumann U87 many decades back at a
truly 'snip' price that I couldn't resist. It wasn't on their stolen register
either !

Somewhat timorously I *once* used it live. I had it on snare drum.

*WOW* !!!!!! is all I can say.

Anyone who reckons you can't hear the difference between that - and say a crappy
SM57 must have totally defective hearing.

It was a *revelation* - and that was live with a jazz-rock band at St Martin's
School of Art at London University.


Graham



p.s. added rec.audio.pro since I think this is of interest to this group