I could really use some advice here. I've been trying to research the
best way to augment my Digi001. I need better converters than the
stock Digi001 for recording drums and doing overdubs (vocals, guitars,
etc.). I keep going back and forth between something like the
Presonus Digimax 96 and the Apogee Mini-Me. As I live rather far away
from the nearest store, I could really use some advice:

1. Does the DigiMax 96 have quality A/D converters and mic preamps?
I noticed the mic preamps seem to be fairly highly regarded in some
circles, but then, I also see them being compared to Mackie VLZ Pro
mic preamps. So which is it? Are they noticeably higher quality than
the Mackies? How about the A/D converters? Are these good quality?
The DigiMax 96 has gotten shockingly glowing reviews in numerous
publications, which is making me wonder.

2. Or is it better to go with something like either the Apogee
Mini-Me (are these converters and mic preamps noticeably better in
quality than the Presonus's?) or the Lucid 9624 coupled with the FMR
mic preamp or something similar for about the same money?

I would normally be using the upgraded converters and mic preamps for
most of the overdubs, and would only use the Digi001 mic
preamps/converters when I was tracking drums. If the difference
between the Presonus and the Apogee (or Lucid) is honestly negligible
- not a super-huge difference - then I would want to just go ahead and
get the Presonus. If the Apogee or Lucid are really noticeably more
open and better, then I would prefer to upgrade that way and I guess
shrug my shoulders when cutting drums. But really, I could use some
advice from someone who has has experience with these products.

Thank you very much.

Lars / Nectarphonic

Nectarphonic wrote:

If the Apogee or Lucid are really noticeably more
open and better,

They are indeed noticeably more open, noticeably clearer, and noticeably
richer and deeper in terms of overall tone and texture... how the Presonus
people can put that **** on the street with a straight face is a total
mystery to me...

The Apogee/Lucid debate... that [at least to me] is more of a debate of
with or without pre's... and the "soft limit" function is the most musical
version of the feature Apogee has ever produced... so that might swing my
decision in that direction... but overall, you can't go too far wrong with
either [in the world of inexpensive converters... there are several that
are heap big many more duckets that bury both units].
--
Fletcher
Mercenary Audio
TEL: 508-543-0069
FAX: 508-543-9670
http://www.mercenary.com
"this is not a problem"

Fletcher wrote in message ...
Nectarphonic wrote:

If the Apogee or Lucid are really noticeably more
open and better,

They are indeed noticeably more open, noticeably clearer, and noticeably
richer and deeper in terms of overall tone and texture... how the Presonus
people can put that **** on the street with a straight face is a total
mystery to me...

Oh, that bad, eh? Glad you've actually heard the Presonus units.
It's valuable to have an opinion from someone who has actually heard
both units. Thanks, Fletcher.

The Apogee/Lucid debate... that [at least to me] is more of a debate of
with or without pre's... and the "soft limit" function is the most musical
version of the feature Apogee has ever produced... so that might swing my
decision in that direction... but overall, you can't go too far wrong with
either [in the world of inexpensive converters... there are several that
are heap big many more duckets that bury both units].

That's part of it. Part of it is trying to figure out how good those
Apogee mic preamps are. I could definitely stand to upgrade my mic
preamps, and part of the decision is whether to go with the Apogee
Mini-Me or the Lucid + the FMR Really Nice Preamps. If they are
similar in quality, I'll go for the Apogee since it has the Soft Limit
feature.

And, btw, I just realized that I am actually under a different name
because my home computer is kabloooey. This is my friend's Google
account - this is actually Ken (Eleven Shadows) here. Didn't realize
it the first time I posted! Thanks again.

-Ken

Lars/Nectarphonic

I am looking for good A/D with or without mic-pre, what others would
you suggest besides the Apogee and Lucid? What are your "several that
are heap big many more duckets that bury both units?
thanks


On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 13:43:41 GMT, Fletcher
wrote:

Nectarphonic wrote:

If the Apogee or Lucid are really noticeably more
open and better,

They are indeed noticeably more open, noticeably clearer, and noticeably
richer and deeper in terms of overall tone and texture... how the Presonus
people can put that **** on the street with a straight face is a total
mystery to me...

The Apogee/Lucid debate... that [at least to me] is more of a debate of
with or without pre's... and the "soft limit" function is the most musical
version of the feature Apogee has ever produced... so that might swing my
decision in that direction... but overall, you can't go too far wrong with
either [in the world of inexpensive converters... there are several that
are heap big many more duckets that bury both units].

tojo wrote:
I am looking for good A/D with or without mic-pre, what others would
you suggest besides the Apogee and Lucid? What are your "several that
are heap big many more duckets that bury both units?

Prism, Db Technologies, EMM (Meitner), Mytek... ummm... Benchmark,
Sony, Denecke, even stuff like the old Symetrix 620.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."