Hi guys !
Like some already know I have some troubles with my interface and I'm checking to change it
I was to wait for the new PreSonus studio 192 but I just saw an add for a FF800 at 1k, seems to be clean.
IS the 800 worth it even after all those years or should I go for the PreSonus.. ?
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If you are talking USD, 1000 is quite a lot for a well-used FF80
If you are talking USD, 1000 is quite a lot for a well-used FF800. That's not to say you should turn away before you consider it, though. What specs do you need? The older FF800s have only 4 mic pre-amps, plus 8 line inputs avoiding the pre-amps, two of which share the same Firewire channel as the pre-amps (so 10 individual inputs in total). There are 8 analog outputs plus a stereo headphone out. The conversion quality both in and out is amongst the best in its price range.
However, the FF800's real glory comes in its internal software patch panel, where you can route and mix any combination of inputs (either external or from the Firewire).
The ff800s have been in that price range forever! I think buying
The ff800s have been in that price range forever! I think buying into something that age at this point doesn't make a lot of sense as an investment.
You could always get some more isas with the conversion card. Are you looking to make an upgrade, or just replace what's acting up?
I actually have the UA 4-710 that has 8 channel ADAT on which I
I actually have the UA 4-710 that has 8 channel ADAT on which I send 4 ISA preamps I have and I drive it at 96khz, so I need 2 adat input for this.
With this I use spdif rca for my AD96 on which I send my 2 LA610. At this point everything is included with the fireface 800
Of course I'd like to have more preamps included than the 8 of the 4 included in the FF800 but with the line input, I could add more boutique preamps later on.. For now it gives me 10 high end preamps and the 8 of the interface I have.
I really don't know if the Presonus 192 (that is not out yet) will permit a line in to converter without passing through the preamps.. But I doubt it, since they are all mic/line inputs...
In a sens I think I can live with the setback of having minous 4 preamps that I have now, knowing that I can buy more/better later.
The thing is I don't have 3k to spend and I doubt I'm gonna have it for a while and my actual interface (focusrite saffire 56) is deffective (4 preamps come and go.... So I'd like to change it soon.
Now if anyone is to say that the preamps or converters of the 800 are bad and I should chose a younger unit.. It would help my decision.
Also, I love Rme Totalmix.. who is to say that I would not buy a 802 in a few years to coupled with the 800 ;)
Looks like apogee ensembles can be had pretty cheap $600. Proba
Looks like apogee ensembles can be had pretty cheap $600. Probably the closest to the ff in quality. Likely a step up from the Saffire, or the presonus. The onboard pres worked very well on an 80s style electric guitar. I was like 'whoa nice guitar sound' and the boss said 'yeah that's the ensemble pres, I needed an extra, and it sounds better than any of the others we tried, so we kept it'
I don't have a ton of experience with the pres, so I can't speak on versatility, but I think that distorted electric guitars are a good test in general anyway. They are complex harmonically, and on lesser units, get nasal and scratchy, especially in those notorious upper mids. The the pre/conversion is smooth them, it's a good sign IMHO.
Seems to me that the FF800 would fit into your system pretty wel
Seems to me that the FF800 would fit into your system pretty well, Marco. As you say, you would not be stuck with the pre-amps, as you have many others with ADAT, S/PDIF and line-level outputs and the FF800 is almost the ideal way of getting them into the computer. Added to which, if the currency is CAD and not USD, it's looking increasingly like a bargain.
pcrecord, post: 429129, member: 46460 wrote: Aren't the apogee e
pcrecord, post: 429129, member: 46460 wrote: Aren't the apogee ensembles mac only ? I use a pc :unsure:
BTW, 1k is in CAD, this is equivalent of 820USD
True. I forget these kind of technicalities still exist. Don't think your gonna do much better than the ff in your case.
$820 for a used 800 is not out of line. RME box's hold their val
$820 for a used 800 is not out of line. RME box's hold their value for a long time.
the [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.rme-audi…"]UFX[/]="http://www.rme-audi…"]UFX[/] is a cool box. it does AES/EBU, Firewire, USB, spdif and ADAT. USB can be stored via a thumb drive port on the front panel making the UFX a stand alone recorder. RME has a cool remote for the UFX that functions as a controller and monitor station.
i've been researching converters for the same reason and imo the RME line offers the best quality/affordability of any products on the market ... great conversion, quality pre amps and unsurpassed connect-ability. a dream system for me at this point would be a UFX 800 for multi track capture and and a UCX for 2 track mix capture.
Yep, if you can stretch to a UFX, it's worth it for the extra fu
Yep, if you can stretch to a UFX, it's worth it for the extra functionality. The 8 line inputs are fully separate from the 4 XLR inputs, and you get the USB master slot on the front panel that Kurt mentioned for local attached storage.
The UFX pre-amps are meant to be even better than those in the FF400/800 models, but I didn't hear any certain difference on a quick listen.
Some news ! I received an email from the seller, he claims he's
Some news !
I received an email from the seller, he claims he's out of stock and don't have an ETA and proposed that I cancel my order
I'm pretty sure he realised the price mistake and try to avoid loosing money
Do any one of you ever dealed with a problem like that through Amazon ?
I replied that I suspected the price mistake was the reason for not shipping, but should I write to amazon directly about it ?
BTW it was showing in stock when I bought it..
pcrecord, post: 429126, member: 46460 wrote: I actually have the
pcrecord, post: 429126, member: 46460 wrote: I actually have the UA 4-710 that has 8 channel ADAT on which I send 4 ISA preamps I have and I drive it at 96khz, so I need 2 adat input for this.
With this I use spdif rca for my AD96 on which I send my 2 LA610. At this point everything is included with the fireface 800
Of course I'd like to have more preamps included than the 8 of the 4 included in the FF800 but with the line input, I could add more boutique preamps later on.. For now it gives me 10 high end preamps and the 8 of the interface I have.I really don't know if the Presonus 192 (that is not out yet) will permit a line in to converter without passing through the preamps.. But I doubt it, since they are all mic/line inputs...
In a sens I think I can live with the setback of having minous 4 preamps that I have now, knowing that I can buy more/better later.
The thing is I don't have 3k to spend and I doubt I'm gonna have it for a while and my actual interface (focusrite saffire 56) is deffective (4 preamps come and go.... So I'd like to change it soon.
Now if anyone is to say that the preamps or converters of the 800 are bad and I should chose a younger unit.. It would help my decision.
Also, I love Rme Totalmix.. who is to say that I would not buy a 802 in a few years to coupled with the 800 ;)
The Persons 192 has two ADAT inputs that you could run your UA 4-710 (ISAs) into. There are 6 line inputs on the rear of the unit too, which don't go through the mic pre's. From my previous experience with Persons interfaces, they aren't great in terms of AD/DA conversion quality. I have found that the RME fierce 800 has a more full sound to it. But then again I am comparing the £400 Persons Audiobox interface that I had to an RME FF800 which cost over £1000 at its time of release. Maybe not a fair comparison.
If I get screwed with my RME UFX order and Jeff has already sold
If I get screwed with my RME UFX order and Jeff has already sold his FF800, I'll have to re-evaluate every options, including the presonus. I heard great recording done with a presonus from Donny. I'm not affraid of trying their products.
But when spending around 1k or more, I'll take time to make a good choice that I won't regret. My interface (Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56) isn't a bad interface, I just got a bad unit that was in demo for too much time in the store. If I knew I would have let go of the 100$ saving and get a brand new.
In a sens, since I'm changing, I'll try to get something even better than the saffire 56.. (I'm still praying for they to ship me one)
Once I have a replacement, I might send it to focusrite so the can evaluate a rebuilt and resell it.. don't know yet ;)
Well Amazon.ca just cancelled my order..:rolleyes: Sad, but I ha
Well Amazon.ca just cancelled my order..:rolleyes:
Sad, but I had to try.. a UFX new for 1k, it would have been something !!
Back to FF800... so what I get of you is that the old design of the 800 would certainly surpass presonus yet to deliver studio 192..
interesting.. I contacted Jeff again for his 800 ;)
RME has built quite the reputation for affordable quality. Come
RME has built quite the reputation for affordable quality.
Come to think of it, I've yet to hear anyone say anything negative about any of RME's gear... as far as I know, they've always had a rock-solid reputation for building great-sounding stuff.
I've only ever used RME pre's a few times - and while I don't have any experience with the 800 model that is being discussed - both times I used an RME, it was at client's home studios, and on both occasions it was the Babyface, 2 channel models (pro?)
On both occasions, I found it to be incredibly clean and super transparent, but it had beefy gain, too... something like 70db (?) - certainly more than enough for dynamics and even ribbons...I was really surprised by the amount of gain that this little pre could muster (the size threw me off) ... but at the same time, it was also dead silent, too - even at higher gain levels. I don't know how much the converters had to do with it, but I would think that they played a pretty big part in the sound quality, considering that RME has gained a reputation for using high quality converters in all their gear...
Thinking about it, The RME might just be the most "honest" preamp-i/o I've ever heard in its price bracket... The only other one that I've heard that comes close, in that same price range, is the Grace M series.
I say this as having had experience with other preamp - I/O's in the same price range - I'm not comparing either of these to any of the super-boutique and pricey multi-channel preamp - i/o's, like Millennia's, SSL's or Antelope's, but, based on what I heard, on both vocals and acoustic guitar, I have a hard time believing that you couldn't get truly pro results out of either of these.
One thing's for sure, with its transparency and pristine clean sound - based on what I personally heard - if you are looking for a pre that will add any type of "color" or "character" to your signal, the RME (or the Grace, either) would not be the right choice... ;) LOL
DonnyThompson, post: 429408, member: 46114 wrote: One thing's fo
DonnyThompson, post: 429408, member: 46114 wrote: One thing's for sure, with its transparency and pristine clean sound - based on what I personally heard - if you are looking for a pre that will add any type of "color" or "character" to your signal, the RME (or the Grace, either) would not be the right choice... ;) LOL
You know I already have preamp alternatives ISA, UA 4-710 and LA-610. So clean will be very welcome to complement those. ;)
I made my order with Jeff. I'll post some comparative tests when I get used to it ;)
pcrecord, post: 429237, member: 46460 wrote: If I get screwed wi
pcrecord, post: 429237, member: 46460 wrote: If I get screwed with my RME UFX order and Jeff has already sold his FF800, I'll have to re-evaluate every options, including the presonus. I heard great recording done with a presonus from Donny. I'm not affraid of trying their products.
But when spending around 1k or more, I'll take time to make a good choice that I won't regret. My interface (Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56) isn't a bad interface, I just got a bad unit that was in demo for too much time in the store. If I knew I would have let go of the 100$ saving and get a brand new.In a sens, since I'm changing, I'll try to get something even better than the saffire 56.. (I'm still praying for they to ship me one)
Once I have a replacement, I might send it to focusrite so the can evaluate a rebuilt and resell it.. don't know yet ;)
If this helps sway your decision, Antelope Audio just released a youtube video of some high-end recording done with the Zen Studio - THEY EVEN PROVIDED THE STEMS!
Listening to the raw tracks reveals that the preamps/conversion is very nice in the Zen - significantly better than the FF800, and (i suspect) the Presonus 192.
I would say that the Zen Studio offers better bang for buck than the UFX, you do get 12 preamps in a tiny box after all.
The only thing that has put me off buying the Zen is how bad it's virtual mixer (control) software looks. It appears very cheap looking, in contrast to RMEs TotalMix FX, or Apogee Maestro 2, which are both clean in design and easy to locate what you're looking for.
The zen studio is one of the very interesting unit but is out of
The zen studio is one of the very interesting unit but is out of my budget for now. 2300$USD
With the 12 preamps I'd have a lot of fun with that. One thing I think they missed when conceiving it is that their is only 4 mixes you can do for monitoring.
The RME limitations is the amount of outputs so with the FF800 has 8 (ex 1 stereo for main monitoring and 6 more for mono headphones.)
The UFX has 10 outputs, so you can do 5 different stereo mixes or 1 stereo and 8 mono
Now getting back to RME is something I'm very happy with because the drivers and Totalmix is very solid easy to work with.
Changes are that if my budget is getting better in a year or two, I will think about adding a second 800 or a UFX to run with the 800 I ordered.
One thing I'm not sure is how Totalmix will manage 2 units. one the same page or 2 seperate page that won't link...
Anyone using 2 Fireface ?
pcrecord, post: 429417, member: 46460 wrote: Anyone using 2 Fire
pcrecord, post: 429417, member: 46460 wrote: Anyone using 2 Fireface
I owned 2 a few years back and they worked excellent. The preamps weren't my choice but the unit itself is excellent and the drivers are solid. If I recall, you may need to connect them via FW 800 to get them to cascade. I used them separately (two FF ports) in my hybrid setup with the MixDream. They showed up as two independent units.
Make sure you use a dedicated FW port for them and they will be solid as a rock for years.
Patrick Higgs, post: 429415, member: 49087 wrote: If this helps
Patrick Higgs, post: 429415, member: 49087 wrote: If this helps sway your decision, Antelope Audio just released a youtube video of some high-end recording done with the Zen Studio - THEY EVEN PROVIDED THE STEMS!
Listening to the raw tracks reveals that the preamps/conversion is very nice in the Zen - significantly better than the FF800, and (i suspect) the Presonus 192.
"significantly better", based on .....? unless tests are run under exacting conditions, most comparisons are useless.
imo once the tools are at this level of "goodulation", if someone can't get a good recording they should give it up. choose what you need with form factor and features in mind. maybe you could hear a difference between the two but i doubt most will. i don't think i can ....
i prefer the connectivity of the RME stuff. the ZEN Studio has no dedicated balanced line inputs.
pcrecord, post: 429417, member: 46460 wrote: The RME limitations
pcrecord, post: 429417, member: 46460 wrote: The RME limitations is the amount of outputs so with the FF800 has 8 (ex 1 stereo for main monitoring and 6 more for mono headphones.) The UFX has 10 outputs, so you can do 5 different stereo mixes or 1 stereo and 8 mono
Now getting back to RME is something I'm very happy with because the drivers and Totalmix is very solid easy to work with.
Changes are that if my budget is getting better in a year or two, I will think about adding a second 800 or a UFX to run with the 800 I ordered.
One thing I'm not sure is how Totalmix will manage 2 units. one the same page or 2 seperate page that won't link...
Anyone using 2 Fireface ?
The FF800 has 10 analog outputs, the UFX has 12, but both have 8 as balanced line-level. On the FF800, two of the 10 go to the TRS unbalanced headphone output, but the other 8 are available on TRS jacks. On the UFX, you get two stereo headphone outputs plus the 8 line level outputs (6 on TRS, 2 on XLR). For analog inputs, the FF800 has 10 that are independent where the UFX has 12.
You can use two FF800s on a standard FireWire400 connection as long as you keep the aggregate sampling rate at or below what FireWire400 can cope with.
Boswell, post: 429421, member: 29034 wrote: The FF800 has 10 ana
Boswell, post: 429421, member: 29034 wrote: The FF800 has 10 analog outputs, the UFX has 12, but both have 8 as balanced line-level. On the FF800, two of the 10 are go to the TRS unbalanced headphone output, but the other 8 are available on TRS jacks. On the UFX, you get two stereo headphone outputs plus the 8 line level outputs (6 on TRS, 2 on XLR). For analog inputs, the FF800 has 10 that are independent where the UFX has 12.
You can use two FF800s on a standard FireWire400 connection as long as you keep the aggregate sampling rate at or below what FireWire400 can cope with.
You're right Bos.. I wasn't counting the headphone jacks because I have a PA for them so the TRS will be used.. ;)
OR wait a few years for a antelope zen studio I crave for ;)
OR wait a few years for a antelope zen studio I crave for ;)