Putting together a recording studio today means turning a computer into the complete system. This statement, unthinkable twenty years ago, has become the most compelling reality, with the greatest practical effect, in the world of audio recording and editing. The direct consequence is the minimization of costs, size and connection infrastructure, and with all this the studio has been brought within reach of all kinds of customers, giving rise to what we know as the "home studio," since the gear can sit in any corner of our own home. The preamp...
However, a computer and a good audio editing program alone aren't enough. The input, output and MIDI connectivity features barely cover the minimum requirements, forcing us to replace stock sound cards with higher-performance ones. On these cards, the number of mic preamps usually comes down to two, or in many cases none, which forces us to use a mixer outside the computer or to expand their number, which is necessary if we want to record a drum kit, rehearsals or, for example, a live show via the mixer's subgroups.
The PR8 meets these expectations and arrives in the outboard displays of audio stores at a very appealing price, promising quality and a good number of features, including an ADAT output card for the eight channels on eight outputs.
EXTERIOR AND FINISH
The PR8 looks good on the outside, in two rack units with a brushed aluminum finish and good solid-aluminum gain knobs, with front access via eight Chinese-made combo connectors, phase reverse and 48V phantom power per channel, both with a dedicated LED, an LED peak meter and a power switch. On the back we have eight balanced XLR outputs and another eight unbalanced ¼" jack outputs, very useful for direct monitoring, eight inserts, also on jacks, this time with shared send and return, and the corresponding IEC power input (the computer kind) with a voltage selector switch protected by a plastic cover. You can also spot the cover of the digital output slot, hopefully so that in the future we'll be able to insert other options besides ADAT.
The exterior finish is better than usual for Chinese-made devices, passing convincingly for a high-quality unit, which is also apparent when you lift the lid, where the quality of the assembly work also exceeds what the price would suggest. That is, except for the screws holding the power supply, which tend to work loose and could cause a future failure if we take the PR8 on tour as an input expander, for example, for a digital console with lightpipe, as is standard on a YAMAHA 01V 96.
TECHNICAL DATA
- Minimum input sensitivity: -50dBu on mic, -5.4dBu on line.
- Peak level: +8dB.
- Gain control: from -20 to +40dB.
- Distortion: 0.0005%.
- Frequency range from 20Hz to 20kHz.
- Signal-to-noise ratio: greater than 87dB.
IN OPERATION
The first impression, and one of the most important, comes from the noise floor, almost imperceptible, complemented by a transparent sound that shows a skillful design solution, with balanced grounding and little induced noise. It's a fairly wide sound, although not as big as with Class A circuitry or some tube systems, with correct channel crosstalk. As a major flaw, we found a lack of symmetry between channels, which we measured with the NEUTRIK analyzer at almost 4 dB on some channels, a flaw that can be corrected using the smooth continuous pots (not stepped resistor types). The average sound with different instruments and vocals was better than with mid-range mixers, which puts it in a good commercial position with many options given its price, and overall it's a good unit that has earned that 8 for value for money.
For its part, the SMPR8llA card is easy to install, with good converters and fast sync, for which it has BNC word clock input and output. We can also change the sample rate from 44.1 to 48 kHz with a switch.
CONCLUSIONS
The PR8's capabilities make it suitable for a wide range of customers, proving to be a good expansion for computer-based recording systems, an option well worth considering if we want to inject some quality into multiple takes on limited home sound cards. I assure you, you won't regret investing in this eight-channel preamp.
