Live Vocal

I bought the OctoPre MkII Dynamic simply to get more channels at an acceptible level of quality, a very utilitarian purchase. Since purchase, I've used the OctoPre in the studio on guitars and vocals, and for live classical events including both vocal and instrumental concerts/recitals. This amp has handled all of my applications gracefully and cleanly.

For live vocal tracks I usually run a Royer R121 at high gain and tweak and the compression knob as needed. It's simple to dial in my sound, and it maintains clarity at the highest settings.

I often ask for feedback from my clients, and most of them say they don't like listening to their recital recordings right away. But when they do, almost without exception, I've received 'wows' and specific compliments on the clarity and purity of the vocal tracks.

Caveat: Exposes the care with which you place your microphones. My live event clients always have limited time for sound check, and I'm always biting my lip when I've snap-decided a mic position. The price of clarity is that you hear precisely what you've done with your front end equipment. But that's also helping me become a better, more thoughtful engineer during setup.

I am very satisfied with the OctoPre and my clients are very pleased with the results. Much of my new business this year has been word-of-mouth recommendations. The OctoPre has been instrumental in the growth of my live recording business. Highly recommended.

Natural Mic Pres & Helpful Compression for Live Recording

I recently purchased the OctoPre to do a live recording. The compressors were really helpful in getting a hotter and more consistent signal into before conversion to digital.

In addition to the obvious additional 8 channels of input, you can make use of the 8 outputs to get additional monitor/headphone mixes. Works great with the Saffire Liquid 56 and the zero latency mixing available within the interface.

Killer Live Preamp, Awesome Value!

I got this sweet 8-channel pre to expand my live recording rig. Not only does it sound fantastic, but the 1-button compressors are absolutely incredible. With this wonderful preamp in my rig, I can dial in live drums in a couple of minutes, even under festival conditions. I simply can't recommend the Focusrite OctoPre MkII Dynamic highly enough.

THE OCTOPRE IS A MUST HAVE!

This is an awesome piece of gear. I use this with my Digi 003+ to record a live band with vocals, The compression is awesome! This is a must have. I have upgraded to Protools 9 and my 003+ interface will be replaced with the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 and the OctoPre will be like magic. I will purchase a 2nd one!!!!!

A Great Add

I use Pro Tools 10 with a Mac/Lion, and I added this to my RME FF800 interface for more xlr inputs and it works great. Nice design, simple to use and just a cool piece. Compression on each channel is a perk for added color.

OctoPre MkII

I was impressed, I needed mic pre's to track drums and got a bonus with the built compressor. Just the right amount of compression for the drum tracks and the added compression gave the room mic the presence i was looking for. A snap to expand my DIGI03, largely i just plugged it in and OctoPre seamlessly appeared on my input selection. Very cool.

Great piece of gear

Got this piece to record a acoustic band (7piece + vocals). At first the manual is very simple- not much info, so it took me few tries to get it set up right. Once that was done and my 003R recognized it; I was up and running. Any mic I throw at it sounds good. (Blue Baby Btl, Bluebird, AT 4k series, Shure KSM). The compressor on each chanel is a great addition. And having 16 simultaneaous inputs... great.
Recommend it!