DM2000: a safe choice?

[bhuvan]

I'm giving serious thoughts to the DM2000 as the choice of digital mixer for our studio.

however, the one thing that's of concern is the quality of pres on the board. we're also going to be doing some work in surround. (probably with Dynaudio Air series monitors)

can i bank on the pres and ADs of the yamaha?

what are the other options that i should consider, keeping in mind that i get similar offerings that the DM has?

The service and support for this brand seems to be the best in my region.

I've decided on a Pro Tools HD2 with the Prism Dream ADA-8s instead of the digidesign I/Os. How strongly would you recommend that i spend that extra bit to get myself some pres as well?

Other than this, does anyone have any complaints with the DM2000? I had spoken to a friend of mine and he told me that the mixer wasn't being graded too high in his city.

As this is a key element in the chain and a fairly important decision, all advice and views would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

 

[AudioGaff]

You can't "bank" on anything. Your gonna basicly get what you pay for. And for what your paying your not gonna get mic pre's or converters as good as what you can get in outboard gear or as good that are in a console that has the cost associated with having great mic pre's and/or converters. While not being in the world class catagory of sound or tone, I would expect that the DM2000 would do a very good job as is. You are going to have to make the best decision you can make and if it doesn't work out then you'll need to live with the beast and use outboard to avoid the weakness of the mic pre's and converters or get rid of it and get something that will work for you. No matter how much research and how carefull you are, you can still end up not be satisfied with what you decide. While I haven't used the the DM2000, it sure appears to be a very good and quality unit with many features and high performance that is much better than past generations at a decent price point. No matter how much you spend on anything of this type and complexity, there are going to be issues using it and things that you like and that you don't like or even hate. If you can figure them out head of time, then at least you won't be surprised. But short of using one for a period of time in your own working conditions, I'm willing to bet that you'll find it hard to figure them all out out no matter how many people you ask.

 

[bhuvan]

well, i agree with :

Your gonna basicly get what you pay for. And for what your paying your not gonna get mic pre's or converters as good as what you can get in outboard gear or as good that are in a console that has the cost associated with having great mic pre's and/or converters.

however, i read the SOS review and this is what they have to say about the pre section:

Consequently, the preamps of the new console are a completely new design using exotic circuitry and components to provide exceptional clarity and noise performance — the results standing comparison with some of the best outboard units.

well, what i can probably derive from this is that the pres are far better than those of the 02R...

but comparing outboard pres: can you at all contest the focusrite red or, say, the platinum against the Yamaha?

 

[Bill Park]

Let me first say two things:

1. I have not heard the 2000

2. Don Pearson suggested that I buy one. (Don, who, with his partner, started and built UltraSound into one of the top touring sound companies in the country, knows his onions.)

My own problems with Yamaha for the past several years.... I hate the sound of their mic pres, and I really hate the sound of their on-board effects. No quarrel with the functionality... they've got a great handle on ergonomics.

My problem with digital consoles in general.... they tend to tie input and output formats together by putting both input and output on the same optional card. In my room, I might want to come in analog from my mic pres, and go out in some digital format (after all, why convert back, after converting to go into the console?)

My problems with combined units in general (of which a digital console, with effects, converters, and many include transport controls, certainly are...) is that if I want to upgrade any part of the thing, I have to replace the entire thing. (Or it makes little sense to lkeep the entire thing... same idea.)

My own choice was to go with outboard mic pres, converters, a small headphone mixer, and a Mackie Control. This works for me, because I've gotten rid of 80 spaces of vintage rack gear and replaced it with computer based effects, and I dumped my analog and digital recorders for computer based recording. Might not work for you.

Bill

 

[AudioGaff]

I have not heard the Yamaha so I can't fairly compare. However, you can't believe at face value reviews. And that is only one reviewers opinion. Lot's of marketing mook with crap like "exotic" doesn't mean anything of value to me. The Focusrite Red is of a colored flavor and I for one prefer that color for more sources over Yamaha's exotic no matter how clean or noise free it is. The Focusrite platinum is more likely closer to the Yamaha, and I for one would not call the platinum line quality sound or desired tone and avoid that stuff as much as possible. It's not that you can't use either of those and get good results, but when you have other options that are far greater in desired sound or tone, you tend to ignore what mic pre the mixer has in it.

 

[robchittum]

Wonder how this board compares to the Sony DMX-R100. I have had good luck with Yamaha equipment, but have heard a lot of good things about the Sony converters and pres. Still digital, and still has same potential(limitations?) as the Yamaha in that respect. Just a thought.

 

[bhuvan]

i'd heard that the sony board has been having some problems with it's software, plug-ins etc... and that corrections to some bugs were in the pipeline.

 

[bhuvan]

yeah, i was looking at the mackie desks too.. in fact, i had a fleeting experience with the d8b and i think it's quite a rocking board.

one thing that i want to keep in hand is that the mixer should be comfortable with a studio upgrade to surround monitoring and the mackie doesn't have that on these ones.

i met some friends yesterday and they were speaking really well of the Sony. They said the quality of the ADs, pres, the algorithms of processing were much better than that of the DM2000. However, the desk is also more expensive, so that will also be a consideration.

but again, to counter that is that i'll be getting external pres and ADs (probably Avalon with Prism/Apogee)

so i guess, between the DM2000 and the DMX-R100, it really won't make a difference (signal processing mostly on Pro Tools)..

what do you think?