Topic: Adding a UA5 to my Edirol R1- what will I gain from this?

[tenesejedd]

Hey all,

I am considering buying a "standard" UA5. It only will have the digi mod and nothing else. I currently record with an R1 so I will only be using it as an analogue pre. Does anyone have any experience with these to pieces of equipment? I am interested in what will I gain (in terms of sound quality) by adding a pre- to my R1. Remember, it will NOT have any of the Oade mods so I am only interested in hearing what changes I can expect in sound quality with a stock unit.

Thanks in advance. You are all a great wealth of knowledge and have taught me so much!

Christos

[bconnolly]

I was always under the impression that without any modification to the unit, the stock amps had a high(?) noise floor and weren't that great when you needed to add a lot of gain (which the UA-5 seems want to do in most situations).  Though, this might be due to the rampant Oade flluff that gets touted around here (not that it's unwarranted, just saying).  In my mind, I get antsy when running an analog cable twice but that's just me.  I think it's nice to run analog from the mics to the pre and have that unit spit out a digital feed for my recording device.  It's less gain stages to worry about and less possible analog noise from mics to recording.  I'm a little paranoid about that sort of thing though.

Does anyone have any of the stock UA-5 vs. Oade mode UA-5 comps that were posted a while back? Listening to those might help.

[tenesejedd]

The R1 only has an anologe in, no digital in. Thus the need to run analoge.

[Brian Skalinder]

I am considering buying a "standard" UA5. It only will have the digi mod and nothing else. I currently record with an R1 so I will only be using it as an analogue pre.

Keep in mind when running UA5 analog-out > R-1, you're not simply utilizing the UA5's preamp, but also it's ADC and DAC.  The UA-5 does not have analog passthrough, i.e. when fed an analog signal it does not simply amplify and then output the analog signal.  When you feed it an analog signal, the UA5 converts it to digital and then back to analog before outputting an analog signal via its RCA.

IMO, you're better off either

<1> selecting a different pre
<2> using a different recorder with the UA5

Which option makes the most sense, and which specific gear to recommend, depends on your specific requirements:  budget, open or stealth or both, what mics you're using, what type of sound you prefer, etc.

[tenesejedd]

Can anyone recommend any pres that would fit my needs? again, I'm just looking for something that will give me a good analogue signal that will go into my R1.

The other reason I am interested in the UA5 is because (1) I can potentially pick one up for real cheap, (2) it will allow me to plug in XLR with phantom [i'm new to this, i currently us an AT822 stereo mic straight to the mic in on my R1. having the UA5 will allow me to upgrade to better mics], and (3) when i am ready to upgrade to a recorder with a digital in, i will be able to do that with this unit.

[Brian Skalinder]

Budget?
Open or stealth?
What's your timeline for upgrading to a digi-in recorder?
Do you require 24-bit out of your recorder?  Just wondering if there's an option to do it all in one big bang:  sell R1, buy UA5 + digi recorder (like a JB3, for example).

[tenesejedd]

Budget is tight right now. I may have an opportunity to pick up a ua5 for less that 200.

 I'm not a stealth recorder, so i really don't care for that.

I bought my R1 in august, so i'm not quite ready to part with it. it has done me really well thus far and don't see any reason to let it go at this point.  I don't require 24 bit. I currently record at 16bit 44.1k, and i'm very happy with that (for now atleast). At this point, the main reason I want a true pre is so i can upgrade to two seperate mics and experiment with various mic placement techniques. I know the JB3 is the main workhorse around here, but i like the idea of having a recorder with no moving parts. Less things that could eventually break down.

[jdawg]

Maybe look for a Denecke PS-2  http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=62416.0  This has 2 XLR inputs which provides 48v phantom power and that'll let you run 2 mics into it. Then you'll need a cable to go from the XLR's out of the PS-2 into your R1.  At least I think that might work for you.    Just a thought.