As a Drummer and Producer, this is so good! The difference is enormous! Love UA and use all of their products, but the Super 8 are simply MUCH BIGGER! Nonetheless, with the x8p you'll have an amazing sound, but it you compare it, for sure it's more open and clear with Super 8. Great video man, be well!
This is gonna sound crazy. But I'm listening in a treated room and good monitoring (atc's), and there is a pretty big difference. Its hard to describe but the super 8 to me definitely has a "color" to it and its something that I was shocked that it was as big of a difference, there is a high end subtle push and forwardness to the super 8's that I love. Before this I wasn't sure if I wanted to get these preamps or just the built in pre's. Now I'll get a little cheaper interface (without built in preamps) and get these pre's! Thanks!!
First off, thanks for the great video. (Subscribed!) I look forward to your next one (anytime soon?) with the Apollo’s 1073 unison plugin in line vs. the HA and possibly the AMS Neve 1073OPX? This would make for a killer comparison. Great drumming. Thanks again
Cool video, we would love to see the Super 8 vs the 1073 unison preamps in the x8p, please! That would be the comparison to make. This one is a character pre vs purposefully non-character pre.
Hope your polar bear is OK. I subscribed. The Super 8 sounds so much more open, rich in the lows, and shimmery in the highs. All around a better option!
Haha thanks man! Yeah the crunch from the knee mic had a lot warmer saturation, and the overheads seemed to have a little more depth to them... just my observations though!
All of the x8p single mic comparisons sound much 'quieter'. I'm assuming you've peak level matched them, but it is a noticeable difference and I'm watching this video on my macbook 13" air through the laptop speakers (not even proper monitors or headphones). This could be the reason why the apollo x8p pres sound 'darker' but to me it's just quieter, especially when you compare the mics solo.
Agreed, 100%. I’m listening with headphones, and there is a considerable level difference between the two preamps. It gives a misleading interpretation.
I use a WA-47jr too for kick out Sounds great! Thanks for the video. Just out of curiosity, do you have any video with you plsying drums with a band in a pro setting?
Would love a comparison between the super 8 and 1073opx. The ams neve 1073 opx uses a marinair input transformer and no output transformer. Super 8 has carnhill input and output transformers. Maybe you can get more saturation with the super 8? more control? Would love to hear your opinion.
This is a good video made by a good drummer. But there is several pieces of misinfo that should be cleared up. @6:36 you mention the “tube” in the Super 8 being driven harder and providing the difference in sound from the 8xp, but there are NO tubes in this unit. It is based on a Neve 1073 design which utilizes exactly 0 tubes. Also you mention some friends told you to push the Super 8 pres more by turning up the output and get your “gain” from the inputs. This is the exact opposite of what people have done with 1073 style pres for 50 years. You want to push the front end into the output transformer to get the most saturation and color from the pre. The method you describe in the video would be ideal for keeping it as clean as possible and therefore as similar to the raw x8p pres as can be. I look forward to more vids in the series hopefully with more of that tasty drumming.
Thank you, I was shaking my head at this video. Of course there is no "tube". This guy clearly doesn't know how to use either of these pieces of gear. BTW, I own both...
Thanks for the compliment, and for the clarifications! You're right, pushing the front pre into the output transformer definitely gets the most saturation/color, and vice versa for pushing the output transformer...
The difference is actually pretty monumental to me. The Super 8 sounds so much fuller in the lows, has a more open and airy top end, and the whole kit just sits in space better.
I’ve never been a UA guy but I like their plugins. Nothing against the hardware either. However I don’t think using the modeling changes anything with the “current”, as it just uses the DSP to process the incoming signal before it hits the DAW. Am I wrong here? Any documentation on that claim?
The HA definitely sound more saturated and in a good way. Are the UAD preamps emulating a Neve 1073, or are we hearing the raw UAD preamps? Good video mate.
When you raise your hands, I'm imagining it's like your thumbnail promo photo with the two units in either hand. FYI...on Macbook Chrome I see nothing popping up in the hands. Kinda useless imagery. You should have really taken the time to do the unison and learned to use the Super 8 before even posting this.
