Upgrade Audio Interface or Add preamp?

[DoubleBlade]

Hi all,

I'm currently using a NI Audio Kontrol 1 as my USB audio interface hooked up to my monitor speakers.

I intend to upgrade my setup but I can't figure out whether I should get a preamp to connect to my interface or change to a better interface?

If I were to add a preamp into my interface, I'm considering a Focusrite ISA One Preamp (Analog).

If I were to upgrade to a better interface I'm considering getting a Saffire Pro 40.

Now my AK1 has 1 x 1/4/XLR dual input and 1 x 1/4 input and has 4 x outputs.

My original intention of upgrading is to beef up on my input recording signal to make it my input signals sound better.

I could get the ISA One Preamp and hook it up to my interface to beef up my recording signals but if I were to think long term, I might upgrade and buy more equipment in the near future which my AK1 may not have enough inputs and outputs available to support extra outboard gear.

The Saffire Pro 40 on the other hand, has 8 inputs and 10 outputs which gives me ample room to fit in extra outboard gear in the near future should I upgrade considering I'm thinking long term. It also has 8 x focusrite preamp models in the interface to choose from. What type of focusrite preamp models they have in the Saffire Pro 40, I'm not sure so I can't really make an accurate judgement as compared to the Liquid Saffire 56 which states what preamp emulations it has. But I've read lots of positive reviews for the Saffire Pro 40 on the net.

Hence, my objective of upgrading is to beef up my input recording signals (bass,keyboard,guitar,mic) something like how a preamp does. Judging by my situation should I get a good preamp to hook to my interface or get the Saffire Pro 40 Interface?

Hope to hear from you people soon.

Cheers

 

[DoubleBlade]

Okay I just realised that if I were to get the ISA One Analog hooked to my AK1 and If I want to upgrade and get more outboard gear, I can always get a mixer with ample aux inputs to route all the outboard gear into it.

Hmmmmmm..........

 

[grarrgrarr]

I wouldnt get an ISA One to use with your AK1, because preamps are only one of the components that affect the sound youre gonna get. You also fall into the trap of having and unbalanced "quality" of components in your signal chain.

You arent making full use of your money by having a high end preamp but having budget converters etc...
For now my opinion is that you should upgrade your interface to a Pro 40 or similar level item, and spend the rest of the money on your microphone. Not sure what youre using now..

Anyway... item comparison:

The converters in a Saffire pro 40 / liquid saffire 56 are a league above the AK1s.
They also offer many more ins and out, and they are expandable by daisy-chain and ADAT.


You are severely limiting yourself by getting a mixer because you would still be only able to record limited tracks at a time.

If you have each outboard plugged into a separate in/out on the interface, you would be able to be very flexible in your routing.

 

[DoubleBlade]

Hi Grarr,

Thanks for the input advice. Since you mention about adding high end preamps to budget converters ain't the way to go, I think it give me an even better reason to upgrade to a better interface.

 

[kester]

The focusrite saffire pro 40 and liquid saffire 56 have the same preamps with the exception of the two channels of liquid preamps. Just to let you know you can only use the liquid preamps with microphones (or XLR cables).

 

[DoubleBlade]

Thanks for pointing that out Kester.

I just placed my order for the Saffire Pro 40 via Vpost.

Actually was also considering the Saffire 56 but then I realised that the main difference between the saffire pro 40 and saffire 56 is that the saffire 56 has the liquid preamps in it and the price difference is quite a lot. I doubt I will be fully utilising the liquid preamp technology to its fullest and hence I went for the saffire pro 40.

 

[kester]

You didn't want to try sinamex? I bought my Saffire 56 online from BH Photos, after like 6 months something happened and I had to send it to Sinamex for servicing... the price advantage from buying online was lost!

The focusrite preamps are very clear and accurate, so you don't have to worry- the liquid preamp technology is basically a way to "colour" your sound, much like how you would use different mics to get different sounds.

 

[grarrgrarr]

Good buy doubleblade, I have used the liquid saffire 56 quite abit, and I feel that the focusrite signal chains are 1 level higher than the entry-level interfaces.

Good thing that the focusrite stuff has automatic international voltage selection.

one BIG BIG BIG BIG concern though, is this your first Firewire interface? Are you using a PC or a Mac?

Basically for people new to firewire. It is not like USB.. you cannot plug it in and just expect it to work in 90% of the cases.
Most audio interfaces are only known to work well with Texas Instruments chipset firewire cards, and many dont even work AT ALL with other firewire cards (plug in and dosent detect at all).

Don't panic if you get the item and it seems dead. It is 99% something to do with the firewire connection.

There are so much support issues that last time I heard at sinamex the guy was saying that he dosent recommend firewire at all to PC users. Can understand because most people will come back saying the device dosent work.

A proper texas instruments firewire card is CHEAP (<$50 ? cant remember how much i bought mine for). Many people try to hack around with drivers etcetc.... and complain that audio is glitching with multiple channels etc...

Too many threads on the internet having people just too lazy to move it and get a proper TI card and expecting people to solve their audio problems : )

I bought mine from one of the shops in Funan btw.. not sure if its still available, was quite hard to find. Maybe someone here knows where to easily get TI-based firewire cards?

 

[DoubleBlade]

Gargar, I'm using a Mac Pro as my DAW. And yes it's my first firewire interface.

I checked the internet and apparently the Mac Pro firewire chipset is a TI card.

 

[kester]

Eh same! just remember that the FireWire audio interface must be turned on before turning on the computer, and also don't turn it off until the computer has fully shut down.

 

[grarrgrarr]

If youre on a Mac then no worries... If your mac is a new type with a firewire 800 connector "Square type" you would need to get a Lacie firewire 800-to-400 cable so that it would fit

 

[DoubleBlade]

Thanks man. Will take note of that too as well.

Btw, I just read from Focusrite's FAQ that the power intake for the Saffire Pro 40 can handle any voltages between 100-240V at 50/60 Herz. I ordered it from a US merchant and therefore I presume that the it works with US voltage only at 110V. Just would like to confirm whether it's true. I know since it's on the official website, it will be true but I just want to be 10000000000% I would not need a step down transformer for the interface and I can just plug the power adapter to our local 230V power supply.

 

[kester]

yeah you can do that with no problem

 

[DoubleBlade]

Thanks kester.

 

[DoubleBlade]

Okay quick update,

I've just got my Saffire Pro 40 up and running. However one question still looms in my head. When they say that the Saffire Pro 40 has 8 award winning Focusrite in-built preamps, does it mean it has 8 separate preamps models in it (which I could choose from) or 8channel mic preamp (it has 8 inputs)?

The box says 8 award winning preamps in the interface but I can't seem to find the preamp models resting in my interface. Or am I getting this wrong and it's a 8 CHANNEL preamp resting in my interface instead?

 

[kester]

haha it has an 8 channel mic preamp. They mean that they have 8 of their "award winning focusrite preamps".

 

[DoubleBlade]

You mean each of the 8 inputs has a separate preamp in it?

 

[squarehero]

Hi DoubleBlade,
It means that there are 8 copies of the same type of preamp onboard, one for each Mic input. Not "8 inputs has a separate preamp on it" as you mentioned.

I believe the Liquid Saffire Pro 56 is the only audio interface in the Saffire series that has Liquid preamp technology for preamp emulation i.e. switching between types for each preamp.

 

[DoubleBlade]

Thanks for the clarification Squarehero!

Anyways I'm loving the Saffire Pro 40. World of a difference as compared to my Audio Kontrol 1 interface.

 

[kester]

Have you tried the focusrite plugins that come with their interfaces?