PreSonus DigiMAX D8 Reviews

3.7/5.0 based on 16 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Ron Daniel

In my studio, I run a DigiMAX FS via ADAT optical into my Digidesign 002, giving me eight extra mic preamps. With the DigiMAX D8, PreSonus has ingeniously removed from the FS everything a guy like me doesn't need: ADAT in, S/MUX, analog inserts, internal sync, and DAC outputs. This was a brilliant move, enabling them to hit a significantly lower price, even while adding front-panel metering. In my opinion, this is the best value for adding eight more input channels to your ADAT-equipped audio interface!

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Customer Reviews

Robert Vogland
from Kaneohe, Hawaii
June 19, 2012Music Background:
Fine Artist for a living, Singer/Composer hobbyist now loving studio production!

Digimax D8

This was my simplest component to hook up. I had no problems with it at all. This was my first time hooking up studio equipment. I had no clue at all. I was praying that it was user friendly as I have had past experiences with digital mixing that wasn't successful at all. This is as easy as hooking up my PA.

Matthew Rosenblatt
from Boca Raton, Florida
August 27, 2011Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer

Amazing unit

Just like the Firestudio, this unit sounds amazing and works well. There are a few gripes that I have with the unit. First, the XLR connectors are in the rear of the unit versus the front whereas the Firestudio has them on the front. This causes you to pull a snake to both the front and back of a rack which is rather annoying. Secondly, there's no "thru" for the wordclocks BNC so you'll want a T adapter.

The unit definitely has enough gain per channel to run everything from an SM7B to a U87. It's also got a 20dB Pad. It has no insert points on a per-channel basis, but it does have direct outs on a per-channel basis.

Dajrt
from
April 17, 2012Music Background:
Producer, pro musician

Awesome!!!

Great sound and gear

Mike
from Michigan
June 30, 2011Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer

Works well

I use this unit along with my O1V96 Yamaha console and it works well. although there is a word clock issue between the two devices, I use this in live situations and it delivers. It doesnt seem to color the sound too much, if at all-

PreSounus Should work on the internal word clock a little..

D.J.
from Monterey, TN U.S.A.
October 28, 2008Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer, Recording Engineer, Vocalist

Can't Beat It For The Price

I have to go back to my old benchmark measuring tool when evaluating this piece of gear---Price To Performance Ratio. Simply put, the D8 gives you exactly what you bought it for: 8 extra XLR mic pres for your DAW (ProTools in my case). What sets this unit apart is that it gives this to you for less than $450, and doesn't give you a bunch of fancy add-ons for those of us who don't need them. All I need is a gain control on each channel, and the D8 delivers this in a convenient, front of unit format that is easy to use and hard to screw up. If you want more control over the sound of each channel, then you will have to jump up in price to get a fancier channel strip, but I am not writing this review for guys looking for that kind of pre. I am writing this review for guys like me who just need a way to get 8 more mics into their 003 Rack or other DAW interface, and who don't want to pay an arm and a leg to do so. This product is perfect for us, and I have to say that the pres are not bad at all either. Again, the price to performance ratio is why I give the unit 4.5 stars, as you just won't get this kind of quality from something else in this price range. The only thing keeping it from getting a perfect 5 stars is the fact that Presonus hasn't given it the 24bit/96k ADAT in/out of the DigiMAX FS for this price. I really love this unit and it has performed like a flawless workhorse for me for over 6 months now. If you just need 8 more XLR inputs and not a lot of extra "flash", then buy this unit. I did, and I have not regretted it one day since.

Chuck H
from McRae / Baxley, GA
April 18, 2008Music Background:
Performer, Local Producer, Studio Owner, Multi-Instrumentalist

Great Product...

Ok, I've only had this unit for two sessions, so my assessment may be immature, but I just thought I'd put in my 2-cents. The D8 may earn 5-stars after a few sessions.

I bought the DigiMÃ…X D8 in order to add 8 more channels to my Pro Tools 002 rack, I've read nothing but good reviews for Presonus products in the past, so i thought I'd give this unit a try since I'm on a somewhat limited budget. So far, I definitely made the right choice.

First let me say that I connected via the light-pipe to my 002 rack, but be warned Pro Tools & Mac users... I had to delete some of my Pro Tools junk files for the two to read / inter-connect with each other via the time-clock (002 doesn't have a BNC clock connection, just light-pipe & SPDIF enabled), but once I did - thanks to the advice from the guys at tech support from Sweetwater - it ran as it should. This was more of a Pro Tools / Mac issue than a Presonus issue.

So, the first instrument I plugged in was my bass, a Schecter Elite 5-string, & I plugged right into channel 1 on the front of the D8. I ran a drum pattern with Strike & had my buddy Mark jam along to it on the bass (since I'm no a bass player), and I was surprised to find that I didn't have to do any tweaking at all to get a great sound, even though i usually have to do a good bit of tweaking to get the bass as smooth and even as I like. It was an impressive signal right away. I mean, it really did sound good!

Let me say I'm not running a high-end production studio with preamps that cost more than my clients cars, but I know my own equipment well enough to know that this unit is a great bargain. it's simple, sounds great, and I hope it will give me years of good use. Based on other Presonus components and reviews I've read, I think it will. I usually come back after a few months & rate these products after I put them through the paces, so I'll give a better review next time. But for now, I'm very satisfied.

Ray Von Rotz
from Nashville, TN.
March 2, 2013Music Background:
Pro Musician

DigiMAX D8 is a winner

This is a low cost mic pre that does everything it says it does. I'm using it for drum sounds and it works great. I wouldn't call it high end sound, but for under $400, you can't beat it. It's a great piece of gear for the small studio.

Alex
from Knoxville, TN
January 1, 2010Music Background:
Live sound, recording, audio production and post for TV/film

A Worthy Investment

The first thing that struck me about the Digimax D8 was the extremely quiet operation. The pre-amps in the D8 are amazingly quiet, and beat just about everything else I've heard in the per-channel price range (and quite a few of the more expensive two-channel units out there).

I needed 8 more inputs for my ProTools Digi002 Rack, and on a tight budget this really fit the bill. The ease of operation out of the box is impressive... I was able to get it running without looking at the manual.

I hooked the D8 up in my studio the day it arrived and was immediately impressed by the sound of the pre-amps. They are much more flat and natural than many of the other budget-minded pre-amps.

The next day, I left for a conference in North Carolina, ProTools rig in tow. I was up and running quickly, ready to record a live concert. The D8 was invaluable to me in capturing what I needed from the console's direct outs.

The pre-amps, as I said, are extremely clean. This is a basic, no-frills, pre-amp and ADAT converter that is a worthy investment for anyone looking to add 8 analog channels.

K. Osborne
from Oklahoma
June 4, 2009Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, Producer

Gets the Job Done

This thing can save your butt.

You know, I've seen a lot of companies put out preamps for low prices, but I've not seen one company that can produce a product this good for this cheap. Don't get me wrong, I record with API and UA preamps and high quality equipment like many of you out there, but there have been so many times when I said "you know, I'd like just a few extra mics on the drumkit" or "maybe I'd like to add some room mics to mess with later" or "maybe I need a talkback mic hooked up really quick" or recently, "I'm recording a drummer of a band that needs to also play with the guitarist and bassist, so I need a few extra preamps to run them in the system without bleeding into drum mics..."

How many of you have been in this situation? Regardless, it's a VERY useful thing to have around. Simple, effective, and the thing sounds darn good for the price.

Plus, for people that need to record a kit but don't have a lot of preamps...GET THIS. I think it's better to have more preamps with the SAME BRAND than a bunch of different preamps that don't sound alike at all. If you do that, your kit won't sound right. At least if you use all the same pre on the kit then it'll sound like a single instrument.

Daniel Vaccaro
from San Diego
April 26, 2009Music Background:
Audio Engineer. The Elephant Room.

Use that lightpipe, add 8 inputs. No Frills

If these pres had some lavish color to them they would be 5 stars. For 10x the price see UA, Avalon, Chandlerâ€¦..if thatâ€™s your deal, this arenâ€™t for you!

Only two sessions used so far itâ€™s just as if I added 8 more inâ€™s to my 002, maybe even a bit better due to the Pad and price. Itâ€™s nothing colorful, just straight mic pres with light pipe out (48K MAXX! No 96K 4 channel option) just as we have all wanted. There are a few other boxes out there that do the same thing but with more junk on them, the D8 had the 002/003 in mind when created, if you just want to add 8 more pres to your light pipe system this box is money, and itâ€™s a VERY cheap price for what it does, which isnâ€™t much. Itâ€™s just to help you get more inputs. From a Sound perspective, youâ€™re going to have to work to get these things to sound warm, tubey, etcâ€¦.there is little color to them, and if you got an 002 then expect the same pre sound as 002, but there isnâ€™t the amount of noise floors from the 002 at high gainâ€¦.they stay quiet until you get to the top. Use these guys for very high outputs, I.E. close mic condenser, OHâ€™s. Donâ€™t drive these guys hard, you wonâ€™t get that color saturation you would get from high end pres that sell for twice this price for a single channel.

If you just need 8 more pres/inputs this is a great deal, as the FS, OctoPre, etcâ€¦.have more junk slapped on them that you â€œmightâ€ use, they really sound the same at the end of the dayâ€¦..move your mics if itâ€™s not the sound you want. In all honestly if I had the cash I would have gotten the Focusrite ISA 428 with A/D card. I have used them both and Focusrite converters are nice, the soft limiter (not featured on the ISA 828) is worth the extra $$. D8 is a great way to start using your light pipe option. But donâ€™t be fooled the ISA 428 doesnâ€™t come with the A/D card, and its only 4 mic pres, so you are A/D card short and four mic pres short of the D8 when compared to the ISA 428. The D8 sounds MUCH better than the â€œtubeâ€Pre, and each pre is Â½ the price of an already dirt Cheap tube pre. Look at it this way, youâ€™re paying $50 per pre, most pres are $1000 per channel.

shannon
from Winnipeg, Manitoba
June 26, 2008Music Background:
Project Studio Owner

Digimax to expand digi

I had been looking for a device to add 8 tracks to my digi 002 and when I saw the price the D8 I picked it up right away. As I am an owner of a digi 002 the best I can do is compare the digimax d8 to the preamps in the 002. First off the digimax has slightly larger headroom than the 002, but this is extremly small difference. The noise floor is almost exatly the same, with the edge going to the digimax (but of course the 002 is known to be a little weak on this part, but again a very small edge). As sound goes the digimax is a little darker than the 002 and doesnt have the same upper frequency clearity as the 002. While the D8 has a slightly better low end response than the digi. Therefore I use the D8 on things like Tom, Bass, and other darker instruments, or things that I find taking alot of hi end out, like Hi Hat. While I would never put it on a snare or bright acoustic guitar that I want to cut through the track. The D8 realy complaiments my 002 and I am loving it so far.

Robert Snyder
from The Great State of Texas
August 6, 2012Music Background:
Studio Owner and Engineer

This aint bad. Very usable unit.

I'm no gear snob, but I know what I like and when a piece of gear is really just a piece. This surprised me. The inputs are clean enough and have a surprising amount of usable gain. If your board or interface needs extra mic pres, you could do a lot worse... and these area a lot better than their $50 a channel price. Don’t be a snob. Use good gear like the Presonus D8 and keep all the extra money.

David
from boston, ma
July 1, 2008Music Background:
recording engineer, musician, student, live sound

Good unit with some issues

I got this unit as a replacement to the eight pres on my korg d888 (i use the 8 balanced outs for this). I didn't like the pres on them so i got this and the sound is good, if you can get a good level it sounds great on the highs, mids, and lows. although sometimes i have a problem getting sufficient levels and i occasionaly even have to activate the pres on my korg which im not a big fan of. the pads are very useful especially when recording drums. a huge pain is that the phantom power buttons are on the back and i have to reach into a space in my rack to activate the switch. the two hi-z inputs on the front are very good and i use them for direct recording on bass and guitar. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN U CRANK THE GAIN KNOB, U GET NOISE, not a lot, but enough to be a pain. overall its a great sounding unit for the money and the adat and word clock is a plus but if you got the money and/or are looking for a great sound, go with the m-audio octanes or the higher end digimax's like the FS or LT

Brian
from San Francisco
December 8, 2009Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Guitarist/Bassist

Great Price, but the results are not amazing.

I have one of these In my studio and have been playing around with it for about a year. If your going to use this on drums, don't. I found my self spending hours and hours trying to eq the drums, especially the toms. It is useful to add an extra 8 channels of audio, but do not expect it to be pristine quality. The only way I can get away with using this on drums is if i sound replace everything with drumagog anyway. Its pretty much good as a backup,or for a few extra unimportant channels. The best way I can describe it, is to think of the way plastic would sound.

Yavé Rodriguez
from VA USA
April 14, 2013Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Musician.

zzz.......

I have a m-audio project mix, so I was looking for something better and less "boring" than my PM, and this preamp sound exactly the same of mi interface, nothing especial same boring sound.
if you want get more inputs is a great option for the price, but if you looking for get more "character" "warmer" in your sound this is not for you.

Eddie Curnan
from Arnaudville, la
March 30, 2013Music Background:
Performer, recording

Junk

This thing is worthless! I got it to use with my ISA428. You almost can't even hear it. I have presonnus blue tubes too. The distort horribly but at least you can hear them.

Save your money, don't buy this hunk of junk.