Topic: Things are going to change soon... I need help...

[DMBprez]

Okay, so I'm definetly going to be buying a UA5 in the near future.  And I have a couple of questions, becuase I have been very limited to what I understand in this crazy ass hobby.   


1. If I were to buy a UA5, just off musiciansfriend.com or something, what's the deal with me having to get it modded?  Who mods it?  How much does it cost?


2. What changes will I have to make (what do I have to buy, get rid of) in order to host this bad boy?

I run... SMK-H8K's->Phantom II-> MIT 176's-> JB3.

3. What the hell is running "optical."

4. What goes where?  Cause I certainly don't see it...

http://www.hispasonic.com/modules/ProdReviews/images/edirolua5.jpg

5. Is this worth it?


Thanks in advance for the help.

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone 

[DMBprez]

6. Is this worth bidding on?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Edirol-UA-5-USB-audio-Interface_W0QQitemZ140127275767QQihZ004QQcategoryZ41784QQcmdZViewItem

[cmoorevt]

UA5 FAQ

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,14389.0.html

[jkbyram]

you would just need some xlr mic cables that go from the mics to the ua5 and an optical cable to go from the ua-5 to the jb3.

[Dutchman1101]

you would just need some xlr mic cables that go from the mics to the ua5 and an optical cable to go from the ua-5 to the jb3.

Toslink to Mini optical cable

[KLowe]

Don't buy the UA-5 and Make an offer on the 671 (in the link above).

You will be happier about the purchase 


FWIW.  I still have my wmod Ua-5 and can't bring myself to let her go just yet.  Good little box.

[DMBprez]

What's the 671?

[DMBprez]

UA5 FAQ

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,14389.0.html

Still confused, I need it dumbed down. 

[SmokinJoe]

Ok... here is an explanation, hopefully it makes sense.

Basic recording set up is (a) mics > (b) phantom power > (c) preamp > (d) analog to digital converter (aka A/D) > (e) storage aka bitbucket.

The UA-5 is a combination mic preamp, and analog-to-digital converter, and it provides phantom power.  Mics go in, and digital signals come out.  The original UA-5 is designed to work with a computer.  Most tapers have it modified to work without the computer.  This "digimod" is relatively simple for someone who knows what they are doing.  Other mods can be done to enhance sound.  I would say the first person to ask about getting a mod would be "Busman2".

the chain goes like this... 
- Mics (with big 3 pin XLR connections) >
- Standard Mic Cables (have female XLR at mics and Male XLR at UA-5) >
- Mod UA-5  >
- Optical cable (about like so: http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/audio_toslink_cables.html#mini )
   with the "square" end going into the UA-5 "optical out" on the back, and the miniplug going into the JB3 >
- JB3 optical in

Somewhere you need a battery for the UA-5.  They run on 9V typically (although I just found out they will take up to 12v no problem).  The standard solution is a "portable DVD player battery" available on Ebay, with a power cord adapter available at Radio Shack.

The UA-5 has a bunch of knobs and switches, and you don't need to mess with most of them.  Just make sure the rate is set to 44.1.  You plug everything in, and turn on the UA-5.  Wait a few seconds. Assuming your mics need phantom power, push the little phantom power button, and it should light up, indicating it is powering the mics.  You adjust the recording sound levels for each mic using the "sens"itivity knobs on the front, and watch the meters on the JB3.  Don't try to adjust volume on the JB3.

When people talk about an "all in one unit", such as the Marantz PMD-671, it has the phantom power, preamp, A/D, and storage built in.  Good ones are fairly expensive.  Currently you are using the JB3 as a preamp, A/D, and storage "all in one unit", but it costs about 1/4 as much as the Marantz, and to some extent you get what you pay for.  The JB3 is great as a storage device, but the UA-5 should be a significant improvement as a preamp and A/D.  You won't need the Phantom II or mit176 any more.  Those are basically built into the UA-5.

Good luck.

<edited: I believe twatts is correct, Hi-Z/Lo-Z button won't matter for XLRs, so I deleted that comment>

[DMBprez]

Thank you Joe

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I loved my UA5...  I miss it sometimes...  I upgraded from a WMod+ > JB3 to a HD-P2...

Anyways, if I remember correctly, the HiZ/LoZ only affected the 1/4"TRS inputs... 

As for the Digi-Mod, Oade brothers used to perform mods on units only bought from them.  BusMan will do mods on units bought from other sources.  There are also several FAQs if you want to do the mod yourself. 

But no matter what you do, you'll have to do the digi-mod in order for the UA5 to work without a computer (USB required for unmoded UA5s).

Terry

[Jeebas]

6. Is this worth bidding on?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Edirol-UA-5-USB-audio-Interface_W0QQitemZ140127275767QQihZ004QQcategoryZ41784QQcmdZViewItem

I would be wary of that... Buy one from someone in YS.. Your really not gonna find one for under $200.. And even if you did, expect to pay $$$ or spend time learning how to do the digi-mod yourself. If ya can't drop around $300, then just wait til you can. If the rig ya have now works, then just use that.

I got my UA-5 (already digi-modded), batt for UA-5, JB3, external Batt for JB3, and all the necessary cords (power, batt power, optical) for $250 but that was a steal... Just check the YS everyday -- soon you will whether you need to buy anything or not.... 

[anodyne33]

The digimod is easy to do yourself with an xacto knife and a soldering iron. If you can't or don't feel comfortable doing it you can always ask your favorite electronics tinkerer to do it for you. Should take about 20 minutes.

[dean]

There are any number of people on this board who will do the digimod for you at very low cost.  Eventually you'll likely want the Busman mod.  But one way to avoid all that is to wait for a modded UA5 to come up in the Yard Sale.  Save your dough, they're well worth it.

All the advice above is accurate and actionable, but I'll add a thread link here that will show you exactly how to cable the UA5 to a dvd batt.  Since there's a reverse polarity issue with the UA5, it's crucial to get this right, and the linked thread is indispensible in getting that right...
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=20671.0#msg260237

Also, make sure you check out the Team UA5 threads.  There's a lot of pages, but a TON of information, including busman's description of his mod and what he thinks the Oade mods are all about...

[DMBprez]

What is the difference between the Busman and the other mods?

I don't get it.

I thought you could get these things to run off of a 9V...

How much do the wally batteries usually cost?