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Post by ninworks on Jan 16, 2021 19:52:18 GMT -5
I just ordered a new API A2D mic preamp from Sweetwater. They had a demo model for sale that saved me a couple hundred bucks. This model has the same 312 analog mic preamps in it that their model 3124 does. It has become a kind of industry standard. This is a 2 channel model that has a built in A to D converter. My Focusrite ISA428 also has a digital output. It is in the shop at the moment but these 2 preamps should give me a very versatile and high quality front end for my microphones not to mention that I'll now have 6 channels of quality mic inputs as well as 8 lower quality mic pres in my Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 interface for a total of 14 mic inputs. That's easily more than double the number I'll ever use all at once but you never know.
Now the worst part. Waiting.........
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Post by ninworks on Jan 20, 2021 19:34:42 GMT -5
API mic preamp came in today. It was a demo model. I can hear something loose rattling around inside it. Sounds like a screw. I don't know if I should open it up to check it out or just send it back. I don't want to void the warranty. I'll email Sweetwater and see what they want me to do.
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Post by ninworks on Jan 21, 2021 12:37:30 GMT -5
Sweetwater contacted me and said to go ahead and open it up. That will not void the warranty. Sweetwater offers a 2 year warranty on display models so they said they will take care of me if anything happens within that time. It was a mounting screw that came out of one of the circuit boards. I put it back in and we are good.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 21, 2021 14:28:02 GMT -5
Oh cool. Demo or not, loose screws..not cool. Glad you resolved it.
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Post by insanecooker on Feb 14, 2021 13:07:22 GMT -5
A great regret of mine is selling my mkI of those. I was moving internationally at the time and it made sense to sell it first and then buy again. In the meantime it got discontinued and became impossible to find. One day perhaps, but I did get a deal on an ISA Two a couple of years back that sounds just as good, but without the great metering or a digital option. |
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Post by ninworks on Feb 14, 2021 15:03:27 GMT -5
All the ISA units have the same analog preamp guts. Like you say, it's just the metering and digital options that are different.
Here's my review.
I have had a chance to do a comparison between the API and ISA preamps hooked up in a few different ways both digitally and analog. Since the digital option on the ISA has 8 channels of conversion, and only uses the first 4, I plugged an analog output from the API directly into channel 5 on the ISA's digital card. All 8 channels of the ISA's digital out are available independently through the Lightpipe connection.
My recording interface, into the computer, is a Focusrite 18i20. It has SPDIF and ADAT Lightpipe for it's digital connections. I attached the ISA's digital output to the 18i20 via Lightpipe and the API to it via SPDIF. I set up an SM57 on my AC15 and used a mic splitter to run a cable to an analog input channel on the ISA and plugged the other cable into a channel on the API. I set up 3 tracks in Pro Tools and assigned one of them to the ISA's channel digital output, another to the API's SPDIF output, and the other, that was being fed by the analog output of the API, to channel 5 of the ISA's converters.
I recorded a single pass of guitar simultaneously onto all 3 tracks. Everything locked up the way it was supposed to but the API had some sample offset issues when being clocked by the 18i20 and would not line up perfectly with the ISA when used simultaneously. On playback the tracks were sync'd, just offset by 12 samples which caused a substantial phase problem. Once I slid the API track to align with the ISA everything was in sync and stayed that way until the end of the recording. The 2 channels, the one from the ISA's preamp in, and the ISA's digital output channel the API was attached to, sync'd and locked perfectly. I talked to Focusrite about the offset issue and they stated they had ran into the same problem in testing when syncing the SPDIF output of the API to their units and had not yet found a solution. It won't be an issue for me. I'm pretty sure I will never record anything like that again with the 2 units. If I do I know how to fix it after-the-fact.
As for the sound, the API has a more pronounced upper midrange than the ISA in all the configurations. I can make the API overdrive a little easier than the ISA due to it having a master volume of sorts but it is very clean when not overdriving the circuit. Both units sound very very good. The ISA seems to have a more neutral response curve to my ears.
I think it's going to be advantageous having the 2 different preamps. Using the same microphones on the different units will sound differently and that makes for a wide pallet of sonic combinations. I just need to familiarize myself more with the sonic characteristics of the 2 devices so I'll be able to choose the proper combination when recording different instruments or voices. I have a lot of experimenting to do. If you need me I'll be in the studio for the next few weeks.
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