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| Does This Audio MIcrophone Preamplifier Product Exist? |
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| EEVblog:
I asked this on the latest Amp Hour, does this product exist? A single USB interface microphone pre-amplifier with the following: - Compressor and De-esser controls - 48 Phantom power - Heaphone output that disables line output whne plugged in. - balanced XLR line outputs for monitoring Basically the same as my Rode AI-1 or Scarlett Solo but with a compressor and De-esser circuit as well. I know you can combine products to do all this, but I'm after an all-in-one box. Thinking about maybe designing one myself, because it just kinda peeves me off that such a thing might not exist. Surely I can't be the only one that needs a USB microphone audio interface with real time analog compressor and de-esser controls to tweak your microphone audio? |
| Muttley Snickers:
--- Quote from: EEVblog on October 26, 2021, 07:10:25 am ---I know you can combine products to do all this, but I'm after an all-in-one box. --- End quote --- Just a suggestion, do any of the higher end Zoom or Tascam portable recorders offer these features in a single package?, they might be worth a look at anyway. I have a few digital audio recorders including Philips, Roland, Sony, Tascam and Zoom and each have slightly different attributes, I tend to use the Zoom more often than not. |
| EEVblog:
--- Quote from: Muttley Snickers on October 26, 2021, 07:51:23 am --- --- Quote from: EEVblog on October 26, 2021, 07:10:25 am ---I know you can combine products to do all this, but I'm after an all-in-one box. --- End quote --- Just a suggestion, do any of the higher end Zoom or Tascam portable recorders offer these features in a single package?, they might be worth a look at anyway. I have a few digital audio recorders including Philips, Roland, Sony, Tascam and Zoom and each have slightly different attributes, I tend to use the Zoom more often than not. --- End quote --- Nope, not that I am aware of. |
| borjam:
Complicated. As all of this stuff moves to the digital realm (with digital mixing consoles the typical analog outboard like dynamics processors and graphic EQs are tending to be phased out) you can only find kinda expensive options. Have you considered using software? Most of this processing is being doing in software nowadays. In the preamp camp you can find the dbx 286S, which is not expensive and ticks most of your boxes except for the digital output and the headphone jack. So you would still need an audio interface. MOTU offer built in DSP in some audio interfaces like the Ultralite (two microphone preamps) but they don't include a deesser function. Maybe you can persuade them to add sidechain filtering to their compressor, though. Universal Audio has a Thunderbolt interface with plugins but it's overkill. There is a very expensive option, Metric Halo, which includes a signal processing engine that allows you to draw an arbitrary signal processing workflow with EQ and dynamics processing which makes it possible to implement a de-esser for instance. You can use a band pass filter feeding the compressor sidechain. Mac only, the old ones are Firewire (but Metric Halo supports even their oldest products with new boards to use USB and Ethernet). An old ULN-2 would do the trick (two very good microphone preamps) but, again, Firewire unless you update it to "3d" and still Mac only. Have you had a look at an Austalian manufacturer, Rode? Maybe overkill but the Rodecaster includes gate/eq/deesser/compressor. It's a full fledged mixer designed for podcasters and small broadcast stations. They also have an application that works with their NT-USB Mini microphone and the Wireless Go II system that kinda does the same as a Rodecaster (in software). I'll check some other options, but complicated. |
| jim_griff:
While the DBX 286s is your closest competition in the marketplace for a single mic pre solution, it DOESN'T have a built-in USB audio interface. https://dbxpro.com/en/products/286s Linked it in purely for price comparison, in case you were wondering roughly what price a similar solution would be without an integrated USB interface. I've only ever seen two alternative soluitions that have similar features to what you'd like: CHEAPER: TC-Helicon GoXLR (aimed towards streamers / live broadcasts) - doesn't have balanced XLR out. EXPENSIVE (example): MOTU 24Ai (aimed towards pro studios) - fully balanced, but very expensive and unnecessary for your line of work. I'm guessing you want something with hardware controls (knobs/buttons) that is quick to set up and adjust? i.e. A no sh**s/giggles audio interface solution, with all features controlled via hardware knobs/buttons, and works straight out of the box. No fiddling with drivers, software mixers, etc. I would actually love something like that, and would be willing to part with my cash if you could provide a solution like it. I'm sure many audio equipment vendors would be happy to sell whatever you produce, no matter how niche it may appear. EDIT: What I mean is, perhaps a fully analog solution with knobs and all, but with a 2-channel USB audio interface built in. |
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