I would have to guess they would be better. I just ordered a 428 for my studio so we will see. I just got the Apogee Rosetta 200 and the converters are so much better sounding than my 1884.

I plan on getting a second 428 so I can have 8 Focurite in and 2 apogee and not use the pre's on the tascam anymore, just use it as a controller.

Yes.

The converters in the 428 are actually quite nice. IMO, they are at least as good as many of the Apogee products available. (Though I'm an admitted non-fan of Apogee.)

You won't need 2 428s though to get 8 channels of conversion. They have 8 channels built in- 4 from the pre and 4 inputs.

IMO, these pres/converter combo are one of the better values out there today. They sound good, you can change the sound a little (with the variable z) and they're made pretty darn well.

They are on my short list to purchase, but other things are first. A studio buddy of mine has them though and I try to borrow them when ever I can.

J.

Good to here you like them. Above I meant I wanted 8 pre's and Digtal ins and outs. So just plug the 4 outs of the second unit into the 4 extra ins and unit 1 and you get 8 pres 8 ins and 8 outs. Plus the great Focusrite sound (if thats your cup of tea)

Thanks guy's for your help.

So it sounds like the focusrite converters would be in the same ballpark as the mytek's? Quite a deal for 8 channels of conversion.

I just got a 428 Demo today to audition. Man I like this pre a lot. I have used it for Bass, Clean Guitars so far and it sounds great.

I also have a Presonus ADL600 and a Avalon 737. I dont like the other as much for insturments, But they will shine with vocals. I am also getting a neve Portico next week to check out. I know for sure I will be keeping the 428. I will be cutting drums with the 428 this weekend and vocals next tuesday. I will give a report then on all of them.

I just have a quick question about this unit. Does it tranfer all 8 ins via adat and is it lightpipe? Maybe a stupid question but I don't feel like talking to sweetwater for an hour just to get a simple question answered. Also I read where it has adatx2, why is that? Thanks in advance for your help.

jonnyc wrote: I just have a quick question about this unit. Does it tranfer all 8 ins via adat and is it lightpipe? Maybe a stupid question but I don't feel like talking to sweetwater for an hour just to get a simple question answered. Also I read where it has adatx2, why is that? Thanks in advance for your help.

ADAT and Lightpipe are one in the same.

Yes, it does transmit all 8 channels via ADAT format and it has 2 ADAT outs so that you can run it in S/MUX mode to get up to 24bit/96kHz sampling rates over standard lightpipe.

Not a stupid question, if you don't ask, you won't know... :D

BTW - who are you working with at Sweetwater that takes 1 hour to ask a question? I recommend Craig Wilson (ext 1374). Of course, they do like it when they get to sell you something rather than being just a place to get questions answered.

J.

holy crap!

Craig Wilson is my audio sales guy at sweetwater too.

I have ordered most of my gear through him. The last item I ordered with him was my monitors. Tapco S5s wth Tapco 10s sub. I originally wanted the Yamaha Mp5 or what ever they are called and he recommended the tapco set-up instead. He didnt like the yamahas. The tapco sound great IMO, though.

I work with paul allen, I think he just keeps me talking forever cause I'm pretty damn close to making the jump to entry level pthd. I've probably talked to him 4 times in 8 months and once was probably an hour and a half, I would have to say an hour per phone call is a bit of a stretch but I'd bet we talk for a good 30 mins every time I call.

The Focusrite ISA-428 is a great choice with the AD Card! The sound is a little colored but not in a bad way. The clocking is good too.

With the AD option you don't need to purchase another ISA-428, you could go for a Sebatron or Millennia HV-**. Just the 4 x A to D is worth it. The limiting works well also!

AES is the ticket for 192kHz BTW. 8-)

ATB

Paul.

I have a 428 without the ad converter. I run it into my DAW with xlr cables through the preamp. would there be any reason for me to have the AD converter?

thanks
Justin.

What are you using for an AD converter?

IOW, what are you plugging the outputs of the 428 in to?

J.

I am running into the XLR inputs of a KORG 32XD recorder. I turn the gain all the way down on the inputs from the Korg to minimize any effect of the built in pre-amps. I would then guess that the A/D conversion occurs after the pre-amps built into the machine. The Korg does accept SPDIF input and I wonder would that improve the sound enough to warrant the $600 A/D converter for the 428.

Justin

Hey pixelhead if your there!

Just wondering if you tried the fw1884 sync'd to the apogee and if it improved the fw1884 conversion or not?

I'm curious 'caus I might run 8 channels of 428 and use the other fw1884 channels of conversion for the other 8.

Thanks for your help btw, sorry to ramble.

ps. have you tried the 428 converters yet?

Another question:

If you run the 428's A/D converter that has a built in word clock into something (Korg 32XD) that has a wordclock, do you have to purchase another master word clock to get them all on the same time? I honestly don't know anything about digital connections as I have always just used analog XLRs. :oops: Thanks.

Justin

Hey pixelhead if your there!

Just wondering if you tried the fw1884 sync'd to the apogee and if it improved the fw1884 conversion or not?

I'm curious 'caus I might run 8 channels of 428 and use the other fw1884 channels of conversion for the other 8.

Thanks for your help btw, sorry to ramble.

ps. have you tried the 428 converters yet?

I just got the AD card for the 428 today. I am clocking everything to the Big Ben and I dont here a big diff. on the 1884. I am lightpiping the 428 into the 1884 for 16 ins. I was playing around with using the 428 on drums tonight, it sounds so much better than the tascam. I think I am going to buy a second 428 tomorrow and just use the 1884 as a controller. Which brings me to my next dilema. Do I get the API 4 channel pre and run it into the 4 extra ins on the 428 for a little spice of life instead of the second 428? So many choices not enough money.

Hey Pixelhead!

For a different flavor of pres, if you want the API etc - try the old school stuff. I've only heard in it use a couple times, but so far, I've been impressed.

They're on my short list and if you get a lunchbox or a rack pack, you've got room for APIs, BAs, and Old Schools.

J.

So nobody is sure on the A/D conversion vs. XLR inputs for my situation? I just don't know if the preamps in my DAW are degrading my sound.

Justin

J-MADD

If you are running the 428 into the mic pre's on the korg as well then you are definately degrading the sound. Does the korg not have line in's as well? I would guess it does so you should run the 428 directly to those with a xlr-1/4 cable. I would try that first and then look at converters as they would improve your sound as well, however you should look at the rest of your studio first as you might need other items that would give you more improvement first. such as mics, monitors, etc.

Running the 428 onto the korg is a bit like playing a PRS guitar into a behringer amp. Your not utilizing the capability. BTW spdif will only give you 2 channels to play with, plus unless I'm wrong aren't the korgs 16bit 44.1k? Seems like such a waste of a high end converter.

Have you looked into computer daw's?

Other than that for now I would try the 428 into the line in's, that may give you the improvement your looking for.

Thanks, I will definately do that (xlr to 1/4" line ins) first. A computer based daw will be one of my next purchases, but down the road a bit. I run the Korg @ 24/48 khz for my songs and that gives me 16 tracks to work with. Thanks again.

Justin

Just a follow up.

After looking at the schematics for the line ins on my Korg, I see that they too go through the same preamp as the XLR ins. I have ordered an optional ADAT input card and will use this in conjunction with the converter on the 428. It just sucks to have to spend extra money to get the sound from the 428. I guess when I do finally get a computer based DAW, I will have the front end taken care of.

i have used the 428 converters and they sound way better than my oo2r converters, drstic differnce, too badn my adda card went bad or i ouwl still have it,, but that is what 30 day return policies are for. also i hear dth Old school audio stuff is great too, comparable to the vintech stuff even a little better. you need ot talk to nathan at altas pro audio, he has got the real scoop. but yes the 428 coverters are better. also if you are not running the gain up on the korg you shouldnt get too much colouratioon from the pres...

J-MADD

Sorry dude I think I may have led you astray.

Your right in that the line ins in you korg run through the preamp as well, maybe one less gain stage though?

If you have inserts you could patch in to those as others have mention'd. I just went through all this with my FW1884, all this time I thought the line-ins would bypass the preamp, anyway I patched into the inserts and there is actually a noticeable difference. I guess Tascam figures they don't need to print block diagrams in their manuals anymore, the growing lack of thoroughness in some manufactures manuals these days is starting to get really annoying. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Anyway sorry to rant and sorry to have given you wrong advice, hope it didn't mess you up to much.

Tried the converter card yet? Just ordered mine yesterday.

i have used the converters on the 428 for about a month and they sound much better than the converters ina 002r

No I haven't got the converter card yet, I just bought the ADAT in card for the KORG. Let you know how it sounds when I get the 428 converter.

Hey Guys!

Just thought I'd chime in here and confirm some stuff.

Yes, if you run out of the 428 into the Korg, either line or mic in, you will be hitting the pre - as you've already confirmed by your schematic review. However, this doesn't negate the Focusrite sound, rather it incorporates the two together. (So, it does degrade it a bit.)

The FW1884's converters aren't bad either (it was brought up here, so I'll touch on it.) In general, I hate the FW1884. I went through 5 of them before I finally sold the last one and washed my hands of them. It was used primarily as a control surface in my studio, but also worked well as a midi interface and adding some inputs from time to time. However, there were just too many problems with it for me to keep. (If something - ANYTHING - fails me even once, my confidence is shaken in it. If it fails a second time, I get rid of it and never deal with it and often its manufacturer again. I don't have the time or money to waste on crap. So, I know I'm harsh on the 1884, but I gave it far more chances than I would any other piece of gear and I still wound up hating it.)

All that negative stuff said, the converters really weren't bad at all. I couldn't see any advantage to hooking it up to a Big Ben to make it sound better. Now, if you're running a bunch of digital stuff, sure the Big Ben would be worth it (or any clock for that matter) simply for consistency's sake.

I'm glad you all are enjoying the 428 - it really is a nice piece of gear.

j. 8-)

For anyone interested, I'm going to be selling my focusrite isa 428 a/d card on ebay within the next week or so. I'll repost here with a link when it's up!

(And fwiw, I'm not selling it b/c I don't like it -- I do very much -- I am just reorganizing my setup to save some money. Actually, to get some money back that I already spent! :lol: )

-eric.

ISA428 ADAT

Do you need the Focusrite card for the ISA428 if you just want to use its ADAT into something like a digi003 or a project mix? I have read the user guide from the focusrite site and also searched the forums but cant really find a clear answer on this one. I may be overlooking something.

i am using 2 La610s right now and Im pretty excited to have the variety when I get my new 428. From what I have read I am under the assumption that I can plug my 2 LA610s into the focusrite along with 2 other pres and then run the adat out of the ISA428 directly to my interface without the use of the extra card. Fingers Crossed! Input is much appreciated.

The ISA 428 doesn't have ADAT outputs unless you add the digital add on card.

Ok....thats good to know. Thanks for the reply.....One more question. (sorry..setting up a preamp this way is new to me)

I am just wondering.... Once the card is installed into the computer do you run the adat cables from the 428 into the card then back out of the card and into the adat of your interface? Or is the adat recognized by protools from within the computer?

Basically I am wondering if it is possible to set it up with my system if I buy the add on card. I am using Pro Tools M powered 8 with an M audio Project Mix control surface.

I had a look at the connections page of the ISA manual on their site and it didnt give a very clear schemetic on how it was hooked up via the card. Maybe I will have a look at the user manual for the card itself.

I think you're misunderstanding how this interface works.

The digital option on the ISA 428 is a card that gets installed into the ISA 428. If you're seeing pictures on the web or elsewhere that lead you to believe that it has optical outputs without having installed the digital option, that's a misconception. If the digital option is not installed, the area where the optical ports are in the photos is occupied by a flat black plate of metal.

Once installed into the ISA, you would take an optical cable and feed it to whatever your interface is. If you're installing a card into the computer that uses optical (lightpipe), then you just run a single optical cable from the ISA to the input on that card. However, if you're using an external device and it has adat optical inputs, then that's where you'd plug it in.

Since your interface is the Project Mix, if it has optical inputs, that's where you'd run it. Then, in ProTools, you'd activate the tracks that are associatesd with those optical inputs.

I hope that helps clear it up.

Cheers-
Jeremy

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

That 100% answers my question.

You are right...I did see the pictures online with the optical outs right in the 428 and that confused me and made me think there was another card that was some sort of PCI gadget or something.

I guess I was just hoping that Focusrite would have installed a factory firewire output as they do in some of their lower end pres that are just ADAT plug and go. Looks like they will be getting some extra $$$ out of me on this one. Well worth it im sure.

Thanks again for the response!

Mark