The Lavry AD11 makes the perfect front end for a portable rig. It even works with Protools 9 and can record a D.I. signal and a vocal at the same time.
From their website:
"The AD11 stereo A to D converter offers USB connectivity, ideal for portable recording systems. Other features include built-in microphone preamplifiers with phantom power, large wide-range LED meters, and Lavry’s exclusive Digital Tape Saturation Emulation (“Soft Saturation”). All settings are controllable from the AD11’s front panel using a system similar to that of the companion D to A converter- the DA11.
Building on Lavry’s long established reputation of making the most accurate AD converters available, the AD11’s no-compromise design offers substantial value at an affordable price. With converter and microphone preamplifier performance that exceeds other manufacturer’s stand-alone units, the AD11 combines musicality with functionality. The USB output is available in parallel with both XLR and RCA AES/SPDIF digital audio outputs, so more than one recording or monitoring device can be fed directly from the AD converter. The MicPre function and phantom power are selectable on each channel, as well as the Soft Saturation and +4/-10 level functions.
Like the previous LavryBlack model AD10, the AD11 has “XLR-TRS combo jacks” for the analog inputs. When a balanced or unbalanced ¼” plug is inserted, 12 dB’s of fixed gain is automatically added to the front panel adjustable gain, to boost “-10” consumer level signals to “+4” professional level. Front panel line level input gain adjustment is available for each channel in 12 precise one dB steps. Additional gain in the range of 20 to 65 dB’s is provided for balanced low-impedance sources (typically microphone).
This makes it possible to record the “direct” signal from a guitar effects unit or keyboard at the same time as a vocal mic, with no more than the AD11 and a laptop! In addition to “dual monaural” recording; extremely precise matching between channels makes the AD11 equally well suited to high quality stereo Mastering applications or “true” stereo recording. Whether it’s home, on location, or professional studio- the AD11 is the right tool for the job!"
The LavryBlack AD11 features:
- Built in Microphone preamps with phantom power
- Accepts +4 or -10 line level inputs balanced or unbalanced (MicPre’s are relay bypassed)
- Front panel adjustable gain for each channel
- 0 to 12 dB of gain for line level inputs in precise 1 dB steps
- 20 to 65 dB of gain for low impedance balanced microphone inputs in 1 dB steps
- Recording at 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz with 24 bit word length
- Super-stable internal clock
- External clocking via Word Clock or AES/SPDIF sync
- BNC Word Clock output for synchronizing other gear to the AD11
- Digital output format selectable between AES/EBU and SPDIF (IEC 60958 type II)
- Peak hold selectable on large wide range LED meters
- Soft Saturation for “hotter” level and peak level control without time constants
- Built in Microphone preamps with phantom power
- Accepts +4 or -10 line level inputs balanced or unbalanced (MicPre’s are relay bypassed)
- Front panel adjustable gain for each channel
- 0 to 12 dB of gain for line level inputs in precise 1 dB steps
- 20 to 65 dB of gain for low impedance balanced microphone inputs in 1 dB steps
- Recording at 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz with 24 bit word length
- Super-stable internal clock
- External clocking via Word Clock or AES/SPDIF sync
- BNC Word Clock output for synchronizing other gear to the AD11
- Digital output format selectable between AES/EBU and SPDIF (IEC 60958 type II)
- Peak hold selectable on large wide range LED meters
- Soft Saturation for “hotter” level and peak level control without time constants
$1680 at Front End Audio: