While I didn’t use the individual compressors (because I only had four), I did use the soft-limiter option with great results. Levels were set, and I used the rig to record acoustic guitar, conga and vocals. To lock the system’s clocks, I ran a short 75-ohm BNC cable from the clock output of the 96 I/O to the word clock input of the 4-710d and the “lock” light on the front of the unit immediately confirmed all was good.įive sE Electronics sE3 microphones were patched into the preamps, and Pro Tools saw all five on a single 5-channel track.

My hookup to Pro Tools used the optical output of the 4-710d, which I ran into the optical input of an Avid 96 I/O interface. As I needed five preamps, I brought a 710 Twin-Finity along and ran its output into one of the first of the four extra line-ins in the back of the 4-710d. I first used the 4-710d in a surround recording session. The digital side of things has AES/EBU outs on a D-Sub connector, word clock I/O and twin ADAT outs that are mirrored at 44.1 and 48 kHz, 4+4 at 88.2 and 96 kHz, and 2+2 at 176.4 and 192 kHz. In my sessions, this offered a handy way to get other line inputs into the digital back end of the unit.

There are also four extra TRS inputs for the extra line inputs. The back panel carries XLR mic in, line in, line out and balanced insert send/returns on TRS plugs. As on the 710, there are pots for input and output gain, and blend between solid-state and tube. Two switches below the meter engage the insert and compressor with either slow or fast attack/release. Each preamp has a DI input and six switches bookending the analog meter for phantom on/off, -15dB pad, mic/line, meter switching (output/GR/drive), low-cut (75 Hz) and polarity. The 4-710d has all the bells and whistles of its single-channel predecessor. This 4-channel preamp offers all the features of the 710, but adds compressors on each channel switchable inserts an 8-channel, digital A/D converter with ADAT optical and AES/EBU DB-25 outputs an ultra-low-jitter clock subsystem word clock I/O soft limiting and variable sample rates up to 192 kHz, 24 bits. Well, I got my wish and more in the 4-710d. The only complaint I had at the time was that it didn’t come in stereo. I found it to be a versatile, affordable and innovative take on the tube vs. I first had the opportunity to review Universal Audio’s 710 Twin-Finity in the summer of 2009. The 4-710d preamps offer all the features of Universal Audio’s 710 Twin-Finity, plus compressors on each channel.

Universal audio 710