• Registered: 2023-02-06
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Which mic preamps for a Fireface 400?

Hello,

I am new to this forum and am seeking for advice.
For more than 10 years I have been using a Fireface 400 without any problem and for now I do not intend to change my soundcard.
I do wish to have 8 more high quality mic inputs/preamps.

Will a OctaMic II work effortlessly smooth with a Fireface 400?
Are there any other preamps you could advice me?

Many thanks in advance,
Greetings

RJB

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2023-02-06 18:40:08)

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 13,206

Re: Which mic preamps for a Fireface 400?

Do you look for something exclusively from used market?
And your maximum Budget is?

Generally: whatever preamp has an ADAT output and has up to 8 Mic inputs (more would be a waste) and fits into your budget.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14
  • Registered: 2023-02-06
  • Posts: 2

Re: Which mic preamps for a Fireface 400?

Thank you Ramses for your answer, I could have googled it all but this way is much faster.

As I am a beginner with ADAT I thought I'd ask if it is mandatory to use RME preamps and if he newer ones will work. As I understand from your answer, any ADAT preamp will work.

Thanks again

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 13,206

Re: Which mic preamps for a Fireface 400?

ADAT is a standard digital I/O port, you can choose what you want.
As the FF400 has only 1 ADAT port, you are limited to:
- 8ch @single speed (44.1/48 kHz)
- 4ch @double speed (88.2/96 kHz)
Recording at quad speed is really not required.

When choosing a preamp you may want to check several things
- how it integrates into TM FX, best integration with Octamic XTC (from used market) as Auxdevice, then you can store most important preamp settings directly into TM FX snapshots/workspaces
- gain range, modern preamp designs support up to 75 dB gain range, I think 60-65 dB is a good minimum value to look for 1st
- level stability of the inputs
- special features like pad, instr inputs, phones add outputs, operateable at the front
- USB Class compliant mode (Octamic XTC), to be able to connect it as preamp/interface to iPAD or Windows
- the usual things like SNR, etc ...
- amaount and type of digital and analog inputs
- whether it has analog output as cue out port or whether its possible to route audio from ADAT input (if present) to analog outputs
- features like format conversion between ADAT, AES, MADI (Octamic XTC).

The most versatile product is IMHO the Octamic XTC (currently only available from used market).

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14