Log in
Register
Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Featured content
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
News
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Features
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Install the app
Install
Reply to thread
Home
Forums
Pro Audio
Varsity
New Midas M32 Console
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="John Roberts" data-source="post: 125166" data-attributes="member: 126"><p>Re: New Midas M32 Console</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>This raises a fair question.... that may make some people uncomfortable to inspect too closely. What makes a mic preamp a "midas" preamp? The inference is that a preamp designed by engineers from a more expensive brand will sound and be better. In my experience it is harder to design circuitry for value products than for premium products where you don't have the same strict cost constraints, so a value preamp designed by premium engineers without the same cost discipline** might actually perform worse. The reality these days is that most preamps (especially digitally controlled mic preamps) use canned off the shelf ICs, while the Midas engineers would be wise to make their actual preamps different to justify price differences to the Midas customers. </p><p></p><p>This is a difficult line to walk and be true both ways. The X32 customers wants to believe their preamps are "the same as", and Midas customers want to believe their's are better. One option available to Midas to differentiate these two preamps is to implement their preamp soft overload circuit. While a purist might debate whether this is really better, it is different and a feature that some customers appreciate. </p><p></p><p>Some of the Midas digital consoles allow the digital FS to be tweaked wrt analog clipping/limiting threshold, making for an interesting trade-off between noise floor and headroom, and ability to adjust how much limiting coloration is available. I do not know if M32 has this extra digital input stage gain adjustment or not. </p><p></p><p>A subtle difference in the marketing messaging for the X-32 claims preamps designed by Midas engineers (from a company famous for award winning preamps), and the M32 says they actually use the award winning Midas preamps. </p><p></p><p>This suggests to me that the preamps would be different, and the M32 overload behavior would sound different than the X32 preamp hard clipping, but I am just speculating based on published promotional copy. </p><p></p><p>JR</p><p></p><p>*** engineering cost discipline these days may be a moving target. Classically it was about component cost and labor content. These days with highly automated production assembly lines, located in far away lands, direct labor costs are easier to manage. Component costs involve another variable related to purchasing scale. The number of mic preamp channels that Behringer sells are many times more than Midas, so Behringer could buy the exact same parts for lower cost than Midas.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="John Roberts, post: 125166, member: 126"] Re: New Midas M32 Console This raises a fair question.... that may make some people uncomfortable to inspect too closely. What makes a mic preamp a "midas" preamp? The inference is that a preamp designed by engineers from a more expensive brand will sound and be better. In my experience it is harder to design circuitry for value products than for premium products where you don't have the same strict cost constraints, so a value preamp designed by premium engineers without the same cost discipline** might actually perform worse. The reality these days is that most preamps (especially digitally controlled mic preamps) use canned off the shelf ICs, while the Midas engineers would be wise to make their actual preamps different to justify price differences to the Midas customers. This is a difficult line to walk and be true both ways. The X32 customers wants to believe their preamps are "the same as", and Midas customers want to believe their's are better. One option available to Midas to differentiate these two preamps is to implement their preamp soft overload circuit. While a purist might debate whether this is really better, it is different and a feature that some customers appreciate. Some of the Midas digital consoles allow the digital FS to be tweaked wrt analog clipping/limiting threshold, making for an interesting trade-off between noise floor and headroom, and ability to adjust how much limiting coloration is available. I do not know if M32 has this extra digital input stage gain adjustment or not. A subtle difference in the marketing messaging for the X-32 claims preamps designed by Midas engineers (from a company famous for award winning preamps), and the M32 says they actually use the award winning Midas preamps. This suggests to me that the preamps would be different, and the M32 overload behavior would sound different than the X32 preamp hard clipping, but I am just speculating based on published promotional copy. JR *** engineering cost discipline these days may be a moving target. Classically it was about component cost and labor content. These days with highly automated production assembly lines, located in far away lands, direct labor costs are easier to manage. Component costs involve another variable related to purchasing scale. The number of mic preamp channels that Behringer sells are many times more than Midas, so Behringer could buy the exact same parts for lower cost than Midas. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Home
Forums
Pro Audio
Varsity
New Midas M32 Console
Top
Bottom
Sign-up
or
log in
to join the discussion today!
