depending on if you want analog or digital.....I would recommend on holding off for a bit. Next week i'll be seeing a demo of the new mackie digital board. One of two things can come of this....you may be able to afford the new one or definately get into a D8B seeing how the prices will be driven down big time when the new one comes out.

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Oh and ive been seeing some MXP3036's going for less than $4k.... not a bad board for the price imho. the pres and eq's are moduler.

Maintenance and interfacing of the Sony board is reason enough, in my book, not to go that way. More and more consoles are only of use in routing signal to the DAW. Once everything is digital, it makes the most sense to keep it there. I would be thinking of front end gear and ways to make my computer more powerful so that issues like image collapse in the 2-bus were of less constraint instead of pouring my cash into a "maintenance pig" like a large format console..

Following Kurt´s advice, I won´t buy another Yamaha digital console. THe 02R V2 paid for itself after almost 6 years of intense use, but now it is less than half of what they cost.
Buy an used one or invest on analog high end gear
:p

I would personally keep the Ghost and get into several varieties of outboard mic pres and compressors.With the Ghost you have an excellent platform for monitoring and play back and mix if you so desire.I dont think you'll be able to get anything much better in the price range you're talking about without finding something that will need a huge maintainence budget just to bring it back to life.Theres nothing bad about the Soundcraft pres that a little upgrade cant fix. You could put your money there. I believe there are sites that would have some suggestions towards this end, mostly dealing with burr-brown ic's and such.Or you could try a Variac and run your voltage to the power supply up to about 126 volts.This has worked well for me and others as the Ghost seems to operate better at the higher voltages.But for your situation, keep what you know works and simply add to it with Sebatron,Millennia,John Hardy,True Systems,D.W.Fearn, stuff like that.
You could also upgrade your mic colection.Theres so many really good mics available now.
Are you also aware that your Ghost sold for over 10 grand new?And its probably the premier platform at that price range.As far as EQ goes...I dont see how you would have a problem with Soundcraft EQ. They've always sounded much better to me than most everything else and other than the routing are the the best feature on the Ghost.

Davedog, don't get me wrong, I like my ghost a lot. I agree that the EQs are awesome. I was just curious if there was something much better for a little more money. Nowadays, with ebay and all, sometimes you can scoop up a really good deal...that's all. I know I can find some decent older boards, but I didn't even think about the maintenance aspect. Thanks guys...

If you are happy with the ghost why change? Are clients asking for additional features or "name brand" consoles (API, Neve...)? Being a project studio myself it would be better to focus on the quality and cost. I would stay with the Ghost if it makes you happy and pick up some outboard gear to help enhance your recordings.

That is pretty much what I did except I have a Yamaha PM-2000. People do not come to work with me because of the console I use. It still gives them the "wow factor" but it also sounds really good to me. Which, in the end, is what it is all about. Sounding good.

jason

Kurt,
I'm running NU 1.61 and NU 2 on a Sony DMX R100 and using it as the converters and to get OB gear in and out of Nuendo. I mix on the DMX, Nuendo, and Total Mix all at the same time. Plus I've got 24 extra pre's.
It's SOOOOOOOOO easy to automate in two systems at once. The choices of work flow are great!
Plus I like the way the board sounds.
When you figure what all you get and then figure what it cost to replace it all seperatly it's a no contset to me. Still haven't found any Plugs I REALLY like so I stay mostly with my OB gear.
Larry
BTW The only problem I've ever had with the DMX was the touch screen and I fixed it myself.

Larry,
That is a killer system.. I would take the Sony board anyday. I think that it is the one viable solution to SSL, Neve etc.. othewise, just stay "in the box".. Kurt