does anyone have the motu 896hd

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:21 am

just want some reviews on it from other people thanks

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 1:27 pm

I have it and love it. It has good preamps, is simple to use, and the cuemix dsp is handy as well. It was easy to download drivers from their website as well, which is handy. I did a years of research on interfaces and this is what I went with . I'm very happy and will eventually buy another.

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:14 pm

thanks appreciate the advice im probably gonna get one soon just want to see what other people think of it and i will be using it via my profire lightbridge which i just got yesterday running on prot tools m powered 7.3

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:43 pm

I have a couple of 896 (non HD) version.

The pre's IMO are ok at best, I wouldn't say they are good (good compared to what?) - I'll use them if I absolutly have to. The converters work well for me, and the units have been rock solid as far as reliability.

It's a decent converter and you should be happy barring any configuration issues.

If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer...

~Lerxst

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:20 am

mobilelab wrote:

I have it and love it. It has good preamps, is simple to use, and the cuemix dsp is handy as well. It was easy to download drivers from their website as well, which is handy. I did a years of research on interfaces and this is what I went with . I'm very happy and will eventually buy another.

Can it power a Ribbon mic with no other power source such as a tube pre?

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:44 pm

I'm not sure. I have to admit sheepishly that I don't use ribbons 'cause I'm afraid I'll blow them up.

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:37 pm

mobilelab wrote:

I'm not sure. I have to admit sheepishly that I don't use ribbons 'cause I'm afraid I'll blow them up.

They are tough, the ML52 from Oktava is a dual ribbon. The mistake was opening it up, one of the ribbons broke. One is still perfect though,
these use 2.5 micron corrugated aluminum. No worries about the broken one since it might sound interesting replacing it with a 1.5 micron.
As it is, those ribbons could take a close up saxophone blow and loud singing close up with no damage. You also get figure 8 sound and bass down to 20hz, which I bet would have been useful on Bessie Smith or Janis Joplin.

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:14 am

filmmusic2008 wrote:

Quote:

Can it power a Ribbon mic with no other power source such as a tube pre?

I'll answer your question although I know you did not ask me.

Short answer is - no

You may be able to get a somewhat usable signal depending on your ribbon, but I've had problems getting enough gain on even some dynaminc mics. That is part of the reason I use outboard pre's.

~Lerxst

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:21 pm

Lerxst wrote:

filmmusic2008 wrote:

Quote:

Can it power a Ribbon mic with no other power source such as a tube pre?

I'll answer your question although I know you did not ask me.

Short answer is - no

You may be able to get a somewhat usable signal depending on your ribbon, but I've had problems getting enough gain on even some dynaminc mics. That is part of the reason I use outboard pre's.

~Lerxst

Just comparing it to the Yamaha GO46. What do the XLR Input specs of 10Kohms mean?
So far, it is powering my ML52 dual Ribbon.
The purpose is to use this with a laptop and be portable to go into the wild.

Have you seen any self powered/USB powered Tube Pre amps that would power the Ribbon? The Tube Pre from PreSonus works well enough, though it needs a 16VAC.

The FAQ says..
Is the input-output impedance of GO46/GO44?

They are as follows.

[GO46]
• INPUT1/2 XLR connector on front panel: 10Kohms,
• TRS phone connector on front panel: 1Mohms,
• INPUT1/2 phone connector on rear panel: 10Kohms,
• OUTPUT1/2(MAIN) on rear panel: 75ohms,
• OUTPUT3/4(MONITOR) on rear panel: 75ohms
• 2 x Premium Quality Mic pre amps with XLR/Combo connectors
• Phantom Power ( +48V ) switch for each connector
• 2 x Insert connectors for analog inputs
• 24 Bit/192 kHz compatible
[/img]

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:03 pm

filmmusic2008 wrote:

Lerxst wrote:

filmmusic2008 wrote:

Quote:

Can it power a Ribbon mic with no other power source such as a tube pre?

I'll answer your question although I know you did not ask me.

Short answer is - no

You may be able to get a somewhat usable signal depending on your ribbon, but I've had problems getting enough gain on even some dynaminc mics. That is part of the reason I use outboard pre's.

~Lerxst

Just comparing it to the Yamaha GO46. What do the XLR Input specs of 10Kohms mean?
So far, it is powering my ML52 dual Ribbon.
The purpose is to use this with a laptop and be portable to go into the wild.

Have you seen any self powered/USB powered Tube Pre amps that would power the Ribbon? The Tube Pre from PreSonus works well enough, though it needs a 16VAC.

The FAQ says..
Is the input-output impedance of GO46/GO44?

They are as follows.

[GO46]
• INPUT1/2 XLR connector on front panel: 10Kohms,
• TRS phone connector on front panel: 1Mohms,
• INPUT1/2 phone connector on rear panel: 10Kohms,
• OUTPUT1/2(MAIN) on rear panel: 75ohms,
• OUTPUT3/4(MONITOR) on rear panel: 75ohms
• 2 x Premium Quality Mic pre amps with XLR/Combo connectors
• Phantom Power ( +48V ) switch for each connector
• 2 x Insert connectors for analog inputs
• 24 Bit/192 kHz compatible
[/img]

Don't get me wrong, you can use a ribbon with the MOTU or the Yamaha, and it is okay to do that. I think I shouldn't have used the word "No". The question really becomes; are you getting the signal/sound you desire? When I first purchased the MOTU's, the only pre's I had were the ones built in - and they were okay. After I purchased my first outboard quality pre, it amazed me. It was like having hot monkey sex after being abstinent for a long time - but I digress

The spec you see on your Yamaha is the input impedance. Your microphone also has an impedance. In theory, the input impedance should be about ten times that of your mic. So lets say your mic is 100ohms. Multiply that by ten and you have 1K ohms. The input of your Yamaha is 10K (which seems a bit high) and your Octava is 300 ohms, so your pre impedance should be around 3K. Ribbon and dynamic mics will be the most affected by impedance changes as condenser mics are already amplified.

As far as self powered or battery powered pre's, I couldn't comment - I'm pretty much in a fixed facility and have not done much location recording.

Now enough of this impedance talk - I have to go relieve my pee dance...
(Hey that was almost a Remy)

~Lerxst

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:31 pm

I've got an 896HD and I love it and am going to get another just like it! Smile

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:36 pm

GeorgeinFlorida wrote:

I've got an 896HD and I love it and am going to get another just like it! Smile

What the hell for?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:59 am

filmmusic2008 wrote:

GeorgeinFlorida wrote:

I've got an 896HD and I love it and am going to get another just like it! Smile

What the hell for?

Why the hell not?

~Lerxst

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:33 pm

Lerxst wrote:

filmmusic2008 wrote:

GeorgeinFlorida wrote:

I've got an 896HD and I love it and am going to get another just like it! Smile

What the hell for?

Why the hell not?

~Lerxst

To daisy chain them together for four XLR inputs?

If bus powering through a PCI card with a 6 pin Firewire then a Texas Instrument card is recommended according to Motu.com.
Anyone use a PCI card to Bus Power their Firewire interface?

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