I find the pre-amps on the Onyx 1220 to be very nice, they have a queit, smooth gain to them and lots of headroom. I was going to return mine once I found out the Firewire/DB25 I/O is all pre-EQ but I like the sound so much I've decided to keep it. I'm just going to add the Emu 1820m I/O to my Emu 1212m card and stick with balanced I/O in from the Onyx. For now it's giving me the sound I need and the price was fantastic.

I've never read a single bad review of the Onyx preamps.

I have the 800r. I like it a lot and like Calgary said. great all around pre.

We have two of the Onyx boards and find the preamps to be very very good. We cut four albums this summer on the board and the clients were all pleased. This was all done as remote recording and I found the preamps and the eq to be first rate. I have always used Soundcraft consoles or Neotek consoles in the past but we needed the firewire interface and for the money I don't think you can been the consoles.

Calgary wrote: I find the pre-amps on the Onyx 1220 to be very nice, they have a queit, smooth gain to them and lots of headroom. I was going to return mine once I found out the Firewire/DB25 I/O is all pre-EQ but I like the sound so much I've decided to keep it. I'm just going to add the Emu 1820m I/O to my Emu 1212m card and stick with balanced I/O in from the Onyx. For now it's giving me the sound I need and the price was fantastic.

I've never read a single bad review of the Onyx preamps.

You do realize that the direct outs are also pre eq don't you?

and yes, another thumbs up for the Onyz pres. You can't beat them for the $$$

You mean the "DB25" in the quote you cited? Yes I realize that, Mackie says the firewire/DB25 I/O is pre-EQ to "allow maximum flexibility" which is basically politician speak because obviously the most flexible option would have been to offer a pre/post toggle. Or are you referring to the extra stereo bus "ALT 3/4"? I'm pretty sure the ALT3/4 bus is not pre-EQ FWIW. The mains are post everything which is how I've been interfacing with the Emu so far, via short studioflex XLR to 1/4" balanced cables with the Emu I/O set to "+4 db".

I'm looking into that Focusrite Octo-Pre as a front end for the 1820m I/O. In theory that should sound very good for the price. To add the 1820m I/O to my existing card is only $350 CAN. Peanuts.

Right now I'm trying to get some feedback from anyone who has use the Focusrite Octo-pre to make sure it's at least entry level pro quality.

An Onyx board would be more appealing with a post/pre switch for the EQ.

stickers wrote: An Onyx board would be more appealing with a post/pre switch for the EQ.

Pre-Post what? the fader?

Not sure what you are referring to?

Ok, I know you want the octo-pre, but one last thought - for all-things-Mackie, go to their website, click on "Forums", and then select the ONYX Category.

There IS a company in Texas doing the post/pre EQ Mods now, and there's a lot of information about the whole thing - pro's and cons, etc.

Personally, I don't need or want the EQ while tracking, but YMMV. If you do want the EQ and are willing to pay a little extra for it, this company in Texas will do it for you.

At some point, the spec and schematic will end up floating around the web, I'm sure. It'll probalby void your warranty, but if you're handy with a soldering iron and wire cutters, you may save some $$$ and DIY.

WOW! That's awesome, thanks for the heads up! :)

Thomas, I think the idea is to make it so you can toggle whether the Firewire/DB25 I/O outputs a signal prior to the EQ strip or after the EQ strip. :)

take all the extra stuff out and just sell the preamp section....

Thomas W. Bethel wrote: [quote=stickers]An Onyx board would be more appealing with a post/pre switch for the EQ.

Pre-Post what? the fader?

Not sure what you are referring to?

Pre/Post EQ to the firewire. So that way EQ to tape. For drums, I know there are usually some EQing i know i would do anyways and the EQ on the onyx board maybe better than any plug in eq...who knows...its always nice to have the option though.

I have the 800R. I use it for drums. A 57 on snare, all toms and the beater side of kick,112 on the other and 2 cond for overheads. This works extremly well. Low cut everything but the kick mics, dial in a good impedence for your overheads. With this setup I really dont EQ squat, even after recording. Also dont gate squat either becuase once you get eveything placed nicely and get your levels, it's all about panning and thats really about it. Very open and sounds better than the actual kit itself. And mackie makes some quality products IMO.