Hey guys, in this video we’re going to go over the Behringer ADA8000 Ultragain Pro-8
Digital preamp.
These are cheap 8 channel preamp units that connect to the ADAT optical connections on
the back of your audio interface to add additional inputs and outputs.
This preamp is the discontinued version and they have been replaced by the ADA8200, but
there’s a lot of used units available online that still work well.
So first let’s talk about why you would want to use this type of preamp.
For my audio interface I’m using a Focusrite Scarlett 18i6.
This interface has 2 preamps built in, with 6 line inputs on the back.
I could just add extra preamps to get those 6 line inputs on the back working, but that
would cost quite a bit more than this unit did.
By connecting this interface, I have 10 inputs with preamps and 6 line inputs.
This is enough to mic up a full drum kit, or record a band with separate vocal mics,
and using the Behringer 8 channel direct box to record instruments into the line inputs.
To get this working, just connect the ADAT input on the audio interface to an optical
cable.
I just used a cheap cable for this, and I’ve linked it in the video description below.
Then connect the other end to the optical output on the ADA8000.
Set the ADA8000 to master 44.1 kHz for the sample rate.
This means that the Behringer unit will be controlling the clock for the Focusrite interface.
We do it this way because this particular interface doesn’t have an optical output,
so I can’t set the Behringer to use the Focusrite’s clock.
In some cases you can do that, and it might be better option to choose that way.
The next step changes depending on your interface.
What we need to do is tell our audio interface to use the 44.1 kHz clock from the Behringer
unit.
Some audio interfaces will have a switch on the back, and others are done through software.
For my Focusrite interface, I just open the Scarlett Mix Control software and set the
Sync Source to ADAT.
Then we should see that the clock is locked, and the locked indicator should light up on
the front of the interface.
If it doesn’t, then the Behringer unit is probably set to slave by mistake, or there’s
a problem with the hardware.
Now that this is setup, our computer will treat the Behringer inputs as 8 more inputs
connected to the audio interface.
Now we can use all of these inputs with the recording software at once.
Selecting the ADAT inputs should be the same as any of the other inputs on your interface,
but some software, such as Reaper, will require that you set the range of inputs that the
software can use.
For the connections on this unit, we have XLR inputs on the front, along with Line inputs.
The XLR inputs are used for mic level signals.
The line inputs should be used with other devices such as extra preamps or a direct
box, but they’re not for plugging in instrument level signals like a guitar.
Each input has a control for the level, and there’s detents that way it can be set to
the same place every time.
This is good to get consistent levels, especially between stereo pairs of microphones, but prevents
you from fine tuning the level.
There’s also a signal level indicator and clipping indicator for each channel.
Since this is done with only two lights, the best approach is to monitor it through your
software or audio interface.
There’s also a phantom power button on the front for using condenser microphones.
Keep in mind though that this applies it to all channels, so be careful if you’re also
useing ribbon microphones.
On the back, we have XLR outputs.
If your audio interface supports optical out, you can use these extra outputs.
That way you can use hardware-based effects and loop them back into your recording software.
In my case, my interface doesn’t have this, but it’s nice to have for future expansion.
There’s also a switch on the back to select clock source.
We can set it to WORD clock and use that, optical input from an audio interface, or
set it as the master clock at 44.1 or 48 kHz.
Overall, the build quality of this preamp is pretty good.
It feels solid and the connectors are nice, but the preamp level knobs seem fairly flimsy
and might break off easily if not taken care of.
Besides that, the sound quality is definitely usable.
Don’t expect them to perform like a high end preamp, but for a clean boost without
much added noise, they definitely do the job just fine.
If you’re looking to expand your recording setup for more inputs, I would definitely
recommend checking out the links in the description so you can pick up your own.
Thanks for checking out this video on the Behringer ADA8000 Ultragain Pro Digital preamp.
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