Topic: Mics -or- Pre ? Which to Upgrade?

[deeputahpowder]

will, thank you so much for posting ...i was able to exhale... i actually just pulled the trigger today and purchased the avantone ck-1's and the firebox and just about flipped reading that last post.  whew...i'm glad you've ran the firebox ->ibook w/o problem.

thanks everyone who commented...i've had the upgrade bug pretty bad and after checking out the thread decided it was a great idea to do this deal.  the firebox seems to get great reviews here and these ck-1's seem to be making a lot of people smile.

i'm headed to rockygrass next week and maybe i'll run all three polar patterns one on each day.  and hear what each one can do.  or maybe just the omni's.  now i just need to read up on different omni patterns. 

i love this site.
thanks. dave

[Jamos]

way to go man +T
I bet the CK-1's will sound great out at rockygrass.
Looking forward to hearing your results with that rig.

 

[Will_S]

One of the features that some of the solid state recorders have is auto splitting files at set sizes, 1gb mark and seamlessly, continually recording.  This would have to be a feature in replacing the ibook with the iriver, etc. so i can still record all day long festivals and not worry about it. 

One nice thing about the Firebox is that it still works (as a preamp, no digi-out) without a laptop attached.  So if down the road you decided to get an iRiver etc. you could also run Avantones > Firebox >iRiver (or R9 etc) line in and have a very compact setup, just add an external 12+ volt battery for the Firebox.  I do this myself (well, different mics) when space is tight.

I get something like 6 hours MINIMUM off a single charge on my iRiver, and the same with a Tekkeon MP-3000 running the Firebox.  Would make for a pretty good set it and forget it festival rig.  I made a little external battery pack for my iRiver out of 4 AAAs and an Altoids box that will fully recharge it, too.

[kozakz]

http://www.presonus.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16

Hardware Incompatibility

• ATI RADEON 9000/9001 IGP video chipset.  Symptoms are consistent clicks and pops during audio playback.  This video chipset is only found in PC laptops and is entirely integrated as the computer’s only video controller.  We strongly recommend that you do not get a system with this chipset, as there is currently no workaround for this incompatibility.

• USB/firewire and s400/s800 combo cards are not compatible.  Symptoms are usually no audio recording/playback but device will install and sync, erratic audio performance and rarely will not allow the device to install or sync.  We recommend a firewire card that ONLY has s400 firewire connections and preferably with a Texas Instruments or VIA chipset.

• Firewire cards with NEC chipsets are not compatible.  Symptoms are similar or the same as combo cards.
   

• NOTE: brand new PC's from major manufacturers are often loaded with software that is not needed to produce audio and will actually hinder system's performance. It is absolutely vital to your system’s performance to disable or uninstall all unnecessary software when working with audio interfaces and applications. It is best to have a dedicated audio system on which you have only installed the applications you intend on using.

[Nick's Picks]

You've got decent gear.  It works.  you pull recordings you like.
why change it?

spend your money on new speakers, new amp...higher end playback setup.
then you'll really start to hear what you want to change in your recordings.


but, if I have to throw down useful suggestions, I'll echo the ditch your current setup suggestions and go w/a MOD'd UA5 / Iriver

too bad you dont have the funds for an ACM660 ?
(marantz deck, moded' by the oades...killer all in one box).

[nic]

http://www.presonus.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16

Hardware Incompatibility

• ATI RADEON 9000/9001 IGP video chipset.  Symptoms are consistent clicks and pops during audio playback.  This video chipset is only found in PC laptops and is entirely integrated as the computer’s only video controller.  We strongly recommend that you do not get a system with this chipset, as there is currently no workaround for this incompatibility.

• USB/firewire and s400/s800 combo cards are not compatible.  Symptoms are usually no audio recording/playback but device will install and sync, erratic audio performance and rarely will not allow the device to install or sync.  We recommend a firewire card that ONLY has s400 firewire connections and preferably with a Texas Instruments or VIA chipset.

• Firewire cards with NEC chipsets are not compatible.  Symptoms are similar or the same as combo cards.
   

• NOTE: brand new PC's from major manufacturers are often loaded with software that is not needed to produce audio and will actually hinder system's performance. It is absolutely vital to your system’s performance to disable or uninstall all unnecessary software when working with audio interfaces and applications. It is best to have a dedicated audio system on which you have only installed the applications you intend on using.

in other words, "windows" pcs are affected, not Macs