FA: Panasonic DA7 digital mixer (again)

[Scott Porter]

Previous auction attempt ended unspectacularly with a non-paying bidder, so
here's round two.

DA7 MK I with 2.0.1 software, meter bridge, 3 ADAT cards, 1 ADDA card, and 6
optical cables. Starting at $995 with no hidden reserve. Buyer pays for
shipping from CA, which will be on the order of $60.

eBay item 2551807163

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2551807163&category=23785

[Mike Rivers]

In article <fNt%a.2346$4o6.780@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com> sporter7@pacbell.net writes:

> Starting at $995 with no hidden reserve. Buyer pays for
> shipping from CA

Why not post it for sale here and list how much you really want for
it? This is one of those "hard luck" items as there was a blowout a
year or so ago when they were going absurdly cheap. I almost bought
one myself but kept my sanity. I would think that you could get $1000
for it on a direct sale. (apologies if you already tried. I can't keep
track of everything)



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - (mrivers@d-and-d.com)

[Scott Porter]

Actually, the winning bid in the previous auction was $1775 .. "For What
It's Worth", clearly, since the high bidder apparently had second thoughts
about that price ..... and flaked. Tsk tsk tsk.

So, starting again at $995, and if only one person bids... then that's what
I'll sell it for.

I've always enjoyed using the DA7 (had it for about 4 years.) Seems like a
good choice for people who need a 24-channel digital mixer with automation
and are shopping in the $1K - $1.5K range. Funny though, I've noticed a
couple threads recently on this topic .... there might be 1 reply suggesting
the Panasonic, but then the discussion generally turns to Yamaha stuff.
It's too bad the DA7 has never been more widely known - Panasonic did a good
job on that product. Never had any problems with it.

Ah well, on to the brave new world of keyboard/mouse/RSI....


"Mike Rivers" <mrivers@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
news:znr1061058246k@trad...
>
> In article <fNt%a.2346$4o6.780@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com>
sporter7@pacbell.net writes:
>
> > Starting at $995 with no hidden reserve. Buyer pays for
> > shipping from CA
>
> Why not post it for sale here and list how much you really want for
> it? This is one of those "hard luck" items as there was a blowout a
> year or so ago when they were going absurdly cheap. I almost bought
> one myself but kept my sanity. I would think that you could get $1000
> for it on a direct sale. (apologies if you already tried. I can't keep
> track of everything)
>
>
>
> --
> I'm really Mike Rivers - (mrivers@d-and-d.com)

[Steve Holt]

"Scott Porter" <sporter7@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:odS%a.1799$pM7.988@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com ...
>
> Actually, the winning bid in the previous auction was $1775 .. "For What
> It's Worth", clearly, since the high bidder apparently had second thoughts
> about that price ..... and flaked. Tsk tsk tsk.
>
> So, starting again at $995, and if only one person bids... then that's
what
> I'll sell it for.
>
> I've always enjoyed using the DA7 (had it for about 4 years.) Seems like
a
> good choice for people who need a 24-channel digital mixer with automation
> and are shopping in the $1K - $1.5K range. Funny though, I've noticed a
> couple threads recently on this topic .... there might be 1 reply
suggesting
> the Panasonic, but then the discussion generally turns to Yamaha stuff.
> It's too bad the DA7 has never been more widely known - Panasonic did a
good
> job on that product. Never had any problems with it.
>
> Ah well, on to the brave new world of keyboard/mouse/RSI....
>


Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?

--
Steve Holt
INNER MUSIC
Music Creation & Production
http://www.inner-music.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt

[LLLindblad]

you couldn't "second chance it" at the next lowest bid??

[jim andrews]

In article <bBS%a.2046$Ki3.254385@news20.bellglobal.com>, steve@inner-
musicNOSPAM.com says...

re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:

> Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?

I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel has a
*great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I went
through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie and
Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an O2R I
have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the classic
mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely low-
budget.)

jim andrews
basset sound
austin, tx

[Steve Holt]

So what do I need if I wanted to hook it up to 3 DA-88s?

Steve Holt
INNER MUSIC
Music Creation & Production
http://www.inner-music.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt


"Scott Porter" <sporter7@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:odS%a.1799$pM7.988@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com ...
>
> Actually, the winning bid in the previous auction was $1775 .. "For What
> It's Worth", clearly, since the high bidder apparently had second thoughts
> about that price ..... and flaked. Tsk tsk tsk.
>
> So, starting again at $995, and if only one person bids... then that's
what
> I'll sell it for.
>
> I've always enjoyed using the DA7 (had it for about 4 years.) Seems like
a
> good choice for people who need a 24-channel digital mixer with automation
> and are shopping in the $1K - $1.5K range. Funny though, I've noticed a
> couple threads recently on this topic .... there might be 1 reply
suggesting
> the Panasonic, but then the discussion generally turns to Yamaha stuff.
> It's too bad the DA7 has never been more widely known - Panasonic did a
good
> job on that product. Never had any problems with it.
>
> Ah well, on to the brave new world of keyboard/mouse/RSI....
>
>
> "Mike Rivers" <mrivers@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
> news:znr1061058246k@trad...
> >
> > In article <fNt%a.2346$4o6.780@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com>
> sporter7@pacbell.net writes:
> >
> > > Starting at $995 with no hidden reserve. Buyer pays for
> > > shipping from CA
> >
> > Why not post it for sale here and list how much you really want for
> > it? This is one of those "hard luck" items as there was a blowout a
> > year or so ago when they were going absurdly cheap. I almost bought
> > one myself but kept my sanity. I would think that you could get $1000
> > for it on a direct sale. (apologies if you already tried. I can't keep
> > track of everything)
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > I'm really Mike Rivers - (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
>
>

[jim andrews]

In article <Roa0b.6056$Ki3.694105@news20.bellglobal.com>, steve@inner-
musicNOSPAM.com says...
> So what do I need if I wanted to hook it up to 3 DA-88s?

You need 3 TDIF cards. Check out the forums at da7.com and see who is
still selling them. You should be able to get them for maybe $50 or $75
a pop, and with any luck you'll find some new ones.

jim andrews
basset sound
austin, tx

[Steve Holt]

"jim andrews" <jimandrews@austintexas.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.19ab2878139dd182989cc4@news-server...
> In article <Roa0b.6056$Ki3.694105@news20.bellglobal.com>, steve@inner-
> musicNOSPAM.com says...
> > So what do I need if I wanted to hook it up to 3 DA-88s?
>
> You need 3 TDIF cards. Check out the forums at da7.com and see who is
> still selling them. You should be able to get them for maybe $50 or $75
> a pop, and with any luck you'll find some new ones.
>
> jim andrews
> basset sound
> austin, tx


Alright, so now I'm tempted. I'd love to have the automation that a digital
board would offer. Would the DA7 be an improvement over my Soundcraft Ghost?
What would I be giving up?


Steve Holt
INNER MUSIC
Music Creation & Production
http://www.inner-music.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt

[david]

In article <MPG.19aa7ed9428ed5a5989cbe@news-server>, jim andrews
<jimandrews@austintexas.com> wrote:

> In article <bBS%a.2046$Ki3.254385@news20.bellglobal.com>, steve@inner-
> musicNOSPAM.com says...
>
> re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:
>
> > Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?
>
> I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel has a
> *great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
> sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I went
> through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie and
> Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an O2R I
> have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the classic
> mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely low-
> budget.)
>
> jim andrews
> basset sound
> austin, tx




A *great* eq?? I spent about 80 hours on a project mixing on this
board and the best I could say about the eq is it's pedestrian and
usable, but def nowhere near the land of great.

Not to piss on all digital eq's, I do really like the Waves Renaissance
Eq.




David Correia
Celebration Sound
Warren, Rhode Island

CelebrationSound@aol.com
www.CelebrationSound.com

[jim andrews]

In article <190820030121480967%ihate@spamo.com>, ihate@spamo.com says...
> In article <MPG.19aa7ed9428ed5a5989cbe@news-server>, jim andrews
> <jimandrews@austintexas.com> wrote:
>
> > In article <bBS%a.2046$Ki3.254385@news20.bellglobal.com>, steve@inner-
> > musicNOSPAM.com says...
> >
> > re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:
> >
> > > Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?
> >
> > I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel has a
> > *great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
> > sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I went
> > through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie and
> > Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an O2R I
> > have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the classic
> > mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely low-
> > budget.)
> >
> > jim andrews
> > basset sound
> > austin, tx
>
>
>
>
> A *great* eq?? I spent about 80 hours on a project mixing on this
> board and the best I could say about the eq is it's pedestrian and
> usable, but def nowhere near the land of great.
>
> Not to piss on all digital eq's, I do really like the Waves Renaissance
> Eq.

Fair enough. It's as useful as my best outboard EQ (a Trident A-range
job), but that thing is cranky as hell, so maybe I'm just spoiled by the
fact that my mixer works on a day to day basis. I'm sure I overstated
the quality of the DA7's channel EQ. However, at something like $1K for
a 24-channel board with EQ and comps on each channel, not to mention a
bunch of mic preamps that I have ****-all knowledge of how good they are
(since I never use them), it's a damned good deal.

jim andrews
basset sound
austin, tx

[Steve Carroll]

In article <190820030121480967%ihate@spamo.com>,
david <ihate@spamo.com> wrote:

> In article <MPG.19aa7ed9428ed5a5989cbe@news-server>, jim andrews
> <jimandrews@austintexas.com> wrote:
>
> > In article <bBS%a.2046$Ki3.254385@news20.bellglobal.com>, steve@inner-
> > musicNOSPAM.com says...
> >
> > re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:
> >
> > > Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?
> >
> > I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel has a
> > *great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
> > sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I went
> > through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie and
> > Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an O2R I
> > have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the classic
> > mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely low-
> > budget.)
> >
> > jim andrews
> > basset sound
> > austin, tx
>
>
>
>
> A *great* eq?? I spent about 80 hours on a project mixing on this
> board and the best I could say about the eq is it's pedestrian and
> usable, but def nowhere near the land of great.
>
> Not to piss on all digital eq's, I do really like the Waves Renaissance
> Eq.
>
>
>
>
> David Correia
> Celebration Sound
> Warren, Rhode Island
>
> CelebrationSound@aol.com
> www.CelebrationSound.com

The DA7's EQ takes some getting used to and, like its preamps, it's not
too bad for the money. I have friends with an O2R and a D8B and I prefer
the sound of this board to either of those.

Steve

[Steve Holt]

"> > > re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:
> > >
> > > > Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?
> > >
> > > I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel has
a
> > > *great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
> > > sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I went
> > > through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie and
> > > Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an O2R I
> > > have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the
classic
> > > mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely low-
> > > budget.)
> > >
>
> >
> > A *great* eq?? I spent about 80 hours on a project mixing on this
> > board and the best I could say about the eq is it's pedestrian and
> > usable, but def nowhere near the land of great.
> >
> > Not to piss on all digital eq's, I do really like the Waves Renaissance
> > Eq.
> >
>> >
> > David Correia
>>
> The DA7's EQ takes some getting used to and, like its preamps, it's not
> too bad for the money. I have friends with an O2R and a D8B and I prefer
> the sound of this board to either of those.
>
> Steve

Let's forget mic pres and dynamics for a moment. My concern in trading out
of the Ghost and into a DA7 is that the EQs will be worse and the converters
are of lower quality than my DA88s. The Ghost EQs are nothing to write home
about, but they are usable for mixing if used sparingly, plus I also have
several channels of good outboard EQ. What about the converters on the DA7?
How does the board sound just passing signal? Is the console really
preferable to an 02R?


Steve Holt
INNER MUSIC
Music Creation & Production
http://www.inner-music.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt

[Mike Rivers]

In article <qxg0b.668$HB4.152979@news20.bellglobal.com> steve@inner-musicNOSPAM.com writes:

> Would the DA7 be an improvement over my Soundcraft Ghost?

Maybe. It depends on what you do and how you work. Digital consoles
are great for some people and a pain in the butt for others. Either
way, it requires some adjustment. If you've never worked with a
digital console, before you make your decision, you should probably
play with one a bit, or preferably visit one in a working studio so
you can see how to do things that you need to do every day.

> What would I be giving up?

Knobs.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - (mrivers@d-and-d.com)

[Steve Carroll]

In article <f_s0b.3554$HB4.448762@news20.bellglobal.com>,
"Steve Holt" <steve@inner-musicNOSPAM.com> wrote:

> "> > > re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:
> > > >
> > > > > Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?
> > > >
> > > > I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel has
> a
> > > > *great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
> > > > sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I went
> > > > through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie and
> > > > Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an O2R I
> > > > have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the
> classic
> > > > mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely low-
> > > > budget.)
> > > >
> >
> > >
> > > A *great* eq?? I spent about 80 hours on a project mixing on this
> > > board and the best I could say about the eq is it's pedestrian and
> > > usable, but def nowhere near the land of great.
> > >
> > > Not to piss on all digital eq's, I do really like the Waves Renaissance
> > > Eq.
> > >
> >> >
> > > David Correia
> >>
> > The DA7's EQ takes some getting used to and, like its preamps, it's not
> > too bad for the money. I have friends with an O2R and a D8B and I prefer
> > the sound of this board to either of those.
> >
> > Steve
>
> Let's forget mic pres and dynamics for a moment. My concern in trading out
> of the Ghost and into a DA7 is that the EQs will be worse and the converters
> are of lower quality than my DA88s. The Ghost EQs are nothing to write home
> about, but they are usable for mixing if used sparingly, plus I also have
> several channels of good outboard EQ. What about the converters on the DA7?
> How does the board sound just passing signal? Is the console really
> preferable to an 02R?
>
>
> Steve Holt
> INNER MUSIC
> Music Creation & Production
> http://www.inner-music.com
> http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt
>
>
>

While I thought the DA88's convertors were better than those on the
Adats,(at least my XT's) to my ear the DA7's convertors are definitely
superior to those on a DA88,(my buddy with the O2R has a couple), but
this difference could probably be attributed to the fact that the DA7
uses a 24 bit word length. FWIW, I prefer the convertors on the DA7 over
the O2R. I think the O2R is a good board for the money, I just like the
way the DA7 sounds compared to it. There is a message board (DA7.com)
that you might check out if you're interested in this unit. Keep in mind
that if you plan on using those outboard EQ's (or any outboard gear) you
will need to use up a slot with an ADDA card. This is typical of a
digital board but the DA7 only has 3 slots (I believe the O2R has 4). I
use mine with DP and it's not a problem for me used like this (premixing
some things in the DAW) but it may take it off of your list.

Steve

[Steve Holt]

"Steve Carroll" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:noone-6539F1.17282019082003@netnews.attbi.com...
> In article <f_s0b.3554$HB4.448762@news20.bellglobal.com>,
> "Steve Holt" <steve@inner-musicNOSPAM.com> wrote:
>
> > "> > > re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:
> > > > >
> > > > > > Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?
> > > > >
> > > > > I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel
has
> > a
> > > > > *great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
> > > > > sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I
went
> > > > > through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie
and
> > > > > Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an
O2R I
> > > > > have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the
> > classic
> > > > > mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely
low-
> > > > > budget.)
> > > > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > A *great* eq?? I spent about 80 hours on a project mixing on this
> > > > board and the best I could say about the eq is it's pedestrian and
> > > > usable, but def nowhere near the land of great.
> > > >
> > > > Not to piss on all digital eq's, I do really like the Waves
Renaissance
> > > > Eq.
> > > >
> > >> >
> > > > David Correia
> > >>
> > > The DA7's EQ takes some getting used to and, like its preamps, it's
not
> > > too bad for the money. I have friends with an O2R and a D8B and I
prefer
> > > the sound of this board to either of those.
> > >
> > > Steve
> >
> > Let's forget mic pres and dynamics for a moment. My concern in trading
out
> > of the Ghost and into a DA7 is that the EQs will be worse and the
converters
> > are of lower quality than my DA88s. The Ghost EQs are nothing to write
home
> > about, but they are usable for mixing if used sparingly, plus I also
have
> > several channels of good outboard EQ. What about the converters on the
DA7?
> > How does the board sound just passing signal? Is the console really
> > preferable to an 02R?
> >
> >
> > Steve Holt
> > INNER MUSIC
> > Music Creation & Production
> > http://www.inner-music.com
> > http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt
> >
> >
> >
>
> While I thought the DA88's convertors were better than those on the
> Adats,(at least my XT's) to my ear the DA7's convertors are definitely
> superior to those on a DA88,(my buddy with the O2R has a couple), but
> this difference could probably be attributed to the fact that the DA7
> uses a 24 bit word length. FWIW, I prefer the convertors on the DA7 over
> the O2R. I think the O2R is a good board for the money, I just like the
> way the DA7 sounds compared to it. There is a message board (DA7.com)
> that you might check out if you're interested in this unit. Keep in mind
> that if you plan on using those outboard EQ's (or any outboard gear) you
> will need to use up a slot with an ADDA card. This is typical of a
> digital board but the DA7 only has 3 slots (I believe the O2R has 4). I
> use mine with DP and it's not a problem for me used like this (premixing
> some things in the DAW) but it may take it off of your list.
>
> Steve

Hmmm. So how does it work using analog channel inserts?

--
Steve Holt
INNER MUSIC
Music Creation & Production
http://www.inner-music.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt

[Steve Holt]

"Mike Rivers" <mrivers@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
news:znr1061286789k@trad...
>

> > Would the DA7 be an improvement over my Soundcraft Ghost?
>
> Maybe. It depends on what you do and how you work. Digital consoles
> are great for some people and a pain in the butt for others. Either
> way, it requires some adjustment. If you've never worked with a
> digital console, before you make your decision, you should probably
> play with one a bit, or preferably visit one in a working studio so
> you can see how to do things that you need to do every day.
>
> > What would I be giving up?
>
> Knobs.
>



Knobs matter. I detest the architecture on the Soundcraft Studio, with its
zillion menu pages. Is the DA7 like this? Are they all like this?

--
Steve Holt
INNER MUSIC
Music Creation & Production
http://www.inner-music.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt

[Steve Carroll]

In article <Kyz0b.4567$HB4.636285@news20.bellglobal.com>,
"Steve Holt" <steve@inner-musicNOSPAM.com> wrote:

> "Steve Carroll" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in message
> news:noone-6539F1.17282019082003@netnews.attbi.com...
> > In article <f_s0b.3554$HB4.448762@news20.bellglobal.com>,
> > "Steve Holt" <steve@inner-musicNOSPAM.com> wrote:
> >
> > > "> > > re: Panasonic/Ramsa DA7:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > Anyone here who uses it? Care to comment?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so *useful*. Every channel
> has
> > > a
> > > > > > *great* EQ and a useable compressor, and the thing is just musical
> > > > > > sounding. Doesn't sound one iota like the two gnarly boards I
> went
> > > > > > through prior to buying my DA7(s). (I previously owned the Mackie
> and
> > > > > > Studiomaster boards, and the DA7 blows those away, as well as an
> O2R I
> > > > > > have mixed on a few times. It doesn't have any "magic" like the
> > > classic
> > > > > > mix desks, but why would it? It's digital and it's definitely
> low-
> > > > > > budget.)
> > > > > >
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > A *great* eq?? I spent about 80 hours on a project mixing on this
> > > > > board and the best I could say about the eq is it's pedestrian and
> > > > > usable, but def nowhere near the land of great.
> > > > >
> > > > > Not to piss on all digital eq's, I do really like the Waves
> Renaissance
> > > > > Eq.
> > > > >
> > > >> >
> > > > > David Correia
> > > >>
> > > > The DA7's EQ takes some getting used to and, like its preamps, it's
> not
> > > > too bad for the money. I have friends with an O2R and a D8B and I
> prefer
> > > > the sound of this board to either of those.
> > > >
> > > > Steve
> > >
> > > Let's forget mic pres and dynamics for a moment. My concern in trading
> out
> > > of the Ghost and into a DA7 is that the EQs will be worse and the
> converters
> > > are of lower quality than my DA88s. The Ghost EQs are nothing to write
> home
> > > about, but they are usable for mixing if used sparingly, plus I also
> have
> > > several channels of good outboard EQ. What about the converters on the
> DA7?
> > > How does the board sound just passing signal? Is the console really
> > > preferable to an 02R?
> > >
> > >
> > > Steve Holt
> > > INNER MUSIC
> > > Music Creation & Production
> > > http://www.inner-music.com
> > > http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/steveholt
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > While I thought the DA88's convertors were better than those on the
> > Adats,(at least my XT's) to my ear the DA7's convertors are definitely
> > superior to those on a DA88,(my buddy with the O2R has a couple), but
> > this difference could probably be attributed to the fact that the DA7
> > uses a 24 bit word length. FWIW, I prefer the convertors on the DA7 over
> > the O2R. I think the O2R is a good board for the money, I just like the
> > way the DA7 sounds compared to it. There is a message board (DA7.com)
> > that you might check out if you're interested in this unit. Keep in mind
> > that if you plan on using those outboard EQ's (or any outboard gear) you
> > will need to use up a slot with an ADDA card. This is typical of a
> > digital board but the DA7 only has 3 slots (I believe the O2R has 4). I
> > use mine with DP and it's not a problem for me used like this (premixing
> > some things in the DAW) but it may take it off of your list.
> >
> > Steve
>
> Hmmm. So how does it work using analog channel inserts?

Via the ADDA card. If you're seriously interested, I strongly suggest
you go to the message board I mentioned above. There is a ton of info on
the DA7 over there, as well as some very knowledgable users.

Steve

[Scott Porter]

>
> Hmmm. So how does it work using analog channel inserts?
>

I carefully investigated this specific question before I originally bought
my board (since it replaced an analog board):

"Out of the box", there are 16 analog inputs (with trim pots so that each
can operate at mic or line level) and there are the 3 slots for I/O cards.

You can add two 8-channel digital I/O cards (ADAT, TDIF, AES/EBU) to slots
#1 and #2, giving you 16 digital input channels along with the 16 analog
input channels.

If you add a third 8-channel digital I/O card to slot #3, then one of the
two "banks" of 8 analog inputs is replaced with a 8 digital inputs, giving
you 24 digital plus 8 analog. (Actually, the mixer has a "runtime switch"
so that you can still choose to operate with 16 digital + 16 analog inputs
if you want even though the card is installed in slot #3.)

If you put the AD/DA card in slot #3 instead of a digital I/O card, then you
have the standard 16 analog inputs + 16 digital inputs + 8 additional analog
inputs and ouputs (with 20-bit convertors as opposed to the 24-bit
convertors that are built into the board) which can be configured in
different ways. One way to configure them is analog insert points on any of
the 8 digital Mix or Master L/R Busses. So you can put an analog stereo
compressor across the main mix bus before the master fader, for example.

Regarding analog inserts for tape returns from the DA88's:

If you were to configure a DA7 board with 3 TDIF cards, then along with the
24 digital inputs, you'd still have 8 analog channels that you could use to
patch in alternate returns from the DA88 analog outputs. So you could insert
analog processors on up to 8 of your tape returns.

Alternatively, you could set the board up with 2 TDIF cards plus an AD/DA
card. Then you could return tracks from two of your DA88's through TDIF
cards, and return the third DA88 through 8 of the 16 analog line inputs
(with analog processors optionally patched in before the board.)

That leaves the other 8 analog line inputs available for use as analog
channel inserts for the first two DA88's if you want.... and ... you can
also use the AD/DA to patch in analog processors on the mix busses.

This is the exactly way I used my board most of the time. Tape machines 1
and 2 went in via 2 digital I/O cards, tape machine 3 always went in through
8 analog inputs (usually that one had vocal or guitar tracks, which
sometimes went through an EQ or compressor on the way in anyway). Up to 8
tracks from tape machines 1 and 2 could still be routed in through analog
processors via the remaining 8 analog inputs (just mute the corresponding
digital inputs for those tracks).

Hope this helps.....

(The forum on www.da7.com is great for this kind of information.)

-Scott

[Paul C. Weber]

>
>
> Knobs matter. I detest the architecture on the Soundcraft Studio, with its
> zillion menu pages. Is the DA7 like this? Are they all like this?

You have only 4 "layers": Ch 1-16, Ch 17-32, AUX+Busses, CUSTOM (!).

The custom layer is the best part of the deal, IMHO. It lets you
define which faders you want to control from each layer. If you add
the fact that you can group faders together, you could then move a
whole group of faders with just one of them in the custom layer and
still have other custom faders to control analog AND digital channels
AND FX sends/returns on the same surface. I personally couldn't live
without it. Oh yeah... and it can function as a remote HUI for your
DAWs. Of course, if you are *really* well endowed, you can always buy
a board that is 4 times wider and probably 10 times more expensive.
There ya' go... take the plunge.

See ya' on da7.com

JingleJungle

[Mike Rivers]

In article <Kyz0b.4568$HB4.636275@news20.bellglobal.com> steve@inner-musicNOSPAM.com writes:

> Knobs matter. I detest the architecture on the Soundcraft Studio, with its
> zillion menu pages. Is the DA7 like this? Are they all like this?

What's the Soundcraft Studio? Do you mean the 828 digital console? I
think that's one of the most menu-free consoles. The Yamaha 01V is one
of the most menu-intensive consoles. The DA7 is a little this, a
little that, mostly what people like about it is how good it sounds,
and what they chose to put into it, and what they didn't.

Since you have some concerns, you really need to make more of an
effort to go see one in the flesh. Why not post a straightforward
message here stating your location asking if anyone within 100 miles
has one and will let you visit? Road trips are cool.

In regard to your question about analog inserts, they're in line with
the analog inputs, so you can insert an outboard processor when you're
tracking with a mic, but you can't directly insert a processor in line
with a recorded track that you're mixing through digital inputs. There
are ways that you can route recorder return signals to analog outputs,
however, so you can go out to an analog processor via that route. You
need to get into, and understand the routing, which is on a matrix of
sorts displayed on the menu screen. Not at all as easy as putting a
couple of plugs into a patchbay, but, on a limited basis (there are
only so many gozintas and gozoutas) it's possible to apply an outboard
analog processor to an input from a digital source.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - (mrivers@d-and-d.com)