Sphere Recommended Preamp List
This is a master list of phantom powered microphone preamps and computer audio interfaces that contain mic preamps with precision stepped gain adjustment, which provide the simplest user experience when used with a Sphere microphone. When the preamps are digitally controlled these are sometimes referred to as “recallable” or “remotable”.
The Sphere microphone is a dual capsule/dual output microphone and it requires that the input gain of both preamp channels be set to the same level. Sphere uses two channels because it’s not possible to accurately reproduce a microphone’s three-dimensional pickup pattern and proximity effect without recording the front and back of the mic separately.
Using preamps with precision stepped gain makes matching levels very easy, but it is possible to use virtually any preamp with phantom power. If you'd like to use a preamp with continuous gain controls, please read these simple instructions.
If you find any errors or omissions in this document, please let us know through the contact page.
Computer Audio Interfaces
(USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, AVB, etc.)
This list of computer audio interfaces consists of devices that contain precision digitally controlled mic preamps which provide the best user experience when used with a Sphere microphone, especially when they allow linking two input channels. Please verify specifications and compatibility to ensure the device will work with your system.
We also specifically recommend Universal Audio Apollo & Arrow series interfaces (excluding Apollo 16) because they contain high-quality remotable and linkable preamps, and onboard DSP processing that runs the Sphere plug-in processing with ultra low latency and rock solid performance.
If on board DSP processing is not required, then good options to consider are the Apogee Quartet and Ensemble, the MOTU 4pre and 8M, the Fireface UFX and Babyface, the Presonus Studio 192, the Roland Quad-Capture and Octa-Capture and the Avid HD Omni. If price is a primary concern the Roland Quad-Capture is a great choice for those on a budget.
| Universal Audio | OS |
| Apollo x4 | M/W |
| Apollo x6 | M/W |
| Apollo x8 | M/W |
| Apollo x8p | M/W |
| Apollo Firewire (Quad/Duo) | M/W |
| Apollo 8 (Quad/Duo) | M/W |
| Apollo 8p | M/W |
| Apollo Twin (Solo/Duo) | M/W |
| Apollo Twin USB | Win |
| Arrow | M/W |
| Apogee | OS |
| Duet (Use with DC power supply recommended) | M/W |
| Duet FireWire (Use with DC power supply recommended) | Mac |
| Quartet | M/W |
| Trak 2 | Mac |
| Ensemble - Thunderbolt | Mac |
| Ensemble - Firewire | Mac |
| Element 24 | Mac |
| Element 46 | Mac |
| Element 88 | Mac |
| Symphony I/O (MKI and MKII) with 8MP option | Mac |
| MOTU | OS |
| 4pre | M/W |
| 8pre | M/W |
| Audio Express | M/W |
| Track16 | M/W |
| 896mk3 Hybrid | M/W |
| 828mk3 Hybrid | M/W |
| Traveler-mk3 | M/W |
| UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid | M/W |
| UltraLite-mk4/AVB | M/W |
| 1248 | M/W |
| 624 | M/W |
| 8M | M/W |
| 828x | M/W |
| RME | OS |
| Fireface UC | M/W |
| Fireface UCX | M/W |
| Fireface UFX | M/W |
| Fireface 400 | M/W |
| Babyface | M/W |
| Babyface Pro | M/W |
| MADIface XT | M/W |
| OctaMic XTC | Mac |
| Micstasy (ADAT and AES/EBU connectivity only) | N/A |
| Avid | OS |
| HD Omni | M/W |
| Pro Tools MTRX with Mic/Line Pristine AD Option Card | M/W |
| Pro Tools Duet (hardware by Apogee) | M/W |
| Pro Tools Quartet (hardware by Apogee) | M/W |
| Pro Tools S3 (Control surface with 2 mic inputs) | M/W |
| Prism | OS |
| Titan | M/W |
| Atlas | M/W |
| Orpheus | M/W |
| Lyra 2 | M/W |
| Roland | OS |
| Quad-Capture | M/W |
| Octa-Capture | M/W |
| Studio-Capture | M/W |
| Super UA | M/W |
| Focusrite | OS |
| Forte | M/W |
| Red 4Pre | Mac |
| Red 8Pre | Mac |
| RedNet 4 (with PCIe Card) | M/W |
| RedNet MP8R (with PCIe Card) | M/W |
| Presonus | OS |
| Studio 192 | M/W |
| Studio 192 Mobile | M/W |
| Quantum | M/W |
| Quantum 2 | M/W |
| Studio 192 Mobile | M/W |
| DigiMax DP88 (ADAT connectivity only) | N/A |
| Metric Halo | OS |
| 2882 | M/W |
| ULN8 | M/W |
| Waves | OS |
| DigiGrid IOC | M/W |
| DigiGrid IOS | M/W |
| DigiGrid IOX | M/W |
| Antelope Audio | OS |
| Zen Studio | M/W |
| Orion Studio | M/W |
| Zen Tour | M/W |
| Goliath | M/W |
| Discrete 8 | M/W |
| Discrete 4 | M/W |
| Merging Technologies | OS |
| Horus with AD8D / AD8DP expansion | M/W |
| Hapi with AD8D / AD8DP expansion | M/W |
| iConnectivity | OS |
| iConnectAUDIO4+ | M/W |
| Lavry | OS |
| AD11 | M/W |
| Zoom | OS |
| TAC-2 | Mac |
| Digigram | OS |
| CANCUN 222-Mic | M/W |
| CANCUN 442-Mic | M/W |
| Echo Audio | OS |
| Echo 2 | M/W |
| Weiss | OS |
| ADC2 (with Firewire upgrade) | M/W |
Live Sound Consoles and Preamps
This section contains a list of mixers, consoles and preamps with phantom power that have precision digitally controlled gain (sometimes referred to as “recallable” or “remotable”) and are predominantly used for live sound applications.
| Avid |
| Venue Stage 48 |
| Venue S6L |
| Venue S3L |
| Presonus |
| StudioLive RM16AI |
| StudioLive RM32AI |
| StudioLive 16 - Series III |
| StudioLive 32 - Series III |
| StudioLive CS18AI (2 channels) |
| Yamaha |
| SB168-ES |
| PM5D-RH |
| AD8HR |
| TF1 |
| TF3 |
| TF5 |
| Soundcraft |
| Si Performer 1 |
| Si Performer 2 |
| Si Performer 3 |
| Si Expression 1 |
| Si Expression 2 |
| Si Expression 3 |
| Si Impact |
| Vi3000 |
| Vi5000 |
| Vi7000 |
| Vi1 |
| Vi2 |
| Vi4 |
| Vi6 |
| Ui12 |
| Ui16 |
| DiGiCo |
| D5 Live 56 |
| SD5 |
| SD7 |
| SD8 |
| SD9 |
| SD10 |
| SD10-24 |
| SD11 |
| S21 |
| D-Rack |
| Midas |
| Pro1 |
| Pro2 |
| Pro3 |
| Pro6 |
| Pro9 |
| ProX |
| XL8 |
| DL16 |
| DL451 |
| Behringer |
| S16 |
| X32 |
| X32 Compact |
| X32 Producer |
| X32 Rack |
| X32 Core |
| Solid State Logic |
| L500 |
| L300 |
| ML 32.32 Analogue Stagebox |
| Line 6 |
| StageScape M20d |
| Allen & Heath |
| Qu-16 |
| Qu-24 |
| Qu-32 |
| dLive S3000 Surface |
| dLive S5000 Surface |
| dLive S7000 Surface |
| dLive DM32 MixRack |
| dLive DM48 MixRack |
| dLive DM64 MixRack |
| Roland |
| M-5000 |
| M-5000C |
| M-480 |
| M-400 |
| M-380 |
| M-300 |
| M-200i |
| S-0808 |
| S-1608 |
| S4000S-0832 |
| ProCo |
| Momentum mi8 |
| Aviom |
| 6416m |
| Whirlwind |
| E Snake 2 |
| Reidel |
| RockNet RN.101.IO |
| Cadac |
| M16 |
| Peavey |
| MediaMatrix System |
| Lawo |
| Digital And Live Level Interface System |
| InnovaSon |
| Stage Box |
| SR-16 Mini Stage Box |
| Eclipse GT (with SI-8D3 card) |
| BSS |
| SoundWeb London BLU-320 |
| OptoCore |
| X6R-TP |
| Digigram |
| AQONDA16 |
| MOTU |
| Stage-B16 |
| StageTec |
| TrueMatch RMC |
Standalone Preamps
This list contains standalone preamps with phantom power that have precision stepped gain either by digital or analog control. Some of these preamps contain A/D converters or some channel strip processing. Some devices are single channel and two units are required for use with the Sphere microphone.
For the analog stepped preamps some of them also have a continuous fine adjustment knob, which must be set properly. Usually, a maximum or middle position works best. It is recommended that you run a calibration procedure with the Sphere microphone, especially if the preamp has a fine adjust knob, to ensure that the levels are matched as expected. Please read these simple instructions for the calibration routine.
| Avid | Ins |
| PRE | 8 |
| Antelope Audio | Ins |
| MP32 | 32 |
| MP8d (with ADAT, MADI digital I/O) | 8 |
| Grace | Ins |
| m101 | 1 |
| 201 | 2 |
| m201 | 2 |
| 801 | 8 |
| 801r | 8 |
| m801 | 8 |
| m802 | 8 |
| m108 (with digital I/O) | 8 |
| Lunatec V2 | 2 |
| Lunatec V3 | 2 |
| M501 | 1 |
| Neve | Ins |
| 1073 | 1 |
| 1073DPA | 2 |
| 1073DPX | 2 |
| 1073DPD (with A/D converters) | 2 |
| 1073N | 1 |
| 1073LB | 1 |
| 1073LBEQ | 1 |
| 1081 | 1 |
| 1081R | 12 |
| 1084 | 1 |
| 4081 | 4 |
| Millennia | Ins |
| HV-3R | 8 |
| HV-3D | 4 |
| HV-3C | 2 |
| Lavry | Ins |
| AD11 (with A/D converters) | 2 |
| MP10 | 2 |
| Lavry Blue | 2 |
| Rupert Neve Designs | Ins |
| Portico 5211 | 2 |
| Portico 5012 | 2 |
| Portico 5024 | 4 |
| Portico 5032 (single channel) | 1 |
| Shelford 5052 (single channel) | 1 |
| Portico II (single channel) | 1 |
| RMP-D8 (with A/D converters) | 8 |
| AEA | Ins |
| RPQ | 2 |
| RPQ500 (single channel) | 1 |
| Earthworks | Ins |
| 1022 | 2 |
| 1024 | 4 |
| 521 ZDT (500 series) | 1 |
| Summit Audio | Ins |
| MPE-200 | 2 |
| Aphex | Ins |
| Model 188 | 8 |
| Model 1788A | 8 |
| Great River | Ins |
| MP-2NV | 2 |
| MP-500NV | 1 |
| ME-1NV | 1 |
| Tube Tech | Ins |
| MP2A | 2 |
| PM1A | 1 |
| GML | Ins |
| 8302 | 2 |
| 8304 | 4 |
| Benchmark | Ins |
| MPA1 | 2 |
| PRE420 | 4 |
| Vintech | Ins |
| X73 (single channel) | 1 |
| X73i (single channel) | 1 |
| X81 (single channel) | 1 |
| 273 | 2 |
| 473 | 4 |
| Shadow Hills Industries | Ins |
| Mono GAMA | 1 |
| Equinox | 2 |
| Quad GAMA | 4 |
| Focusrite | Ins |
| ISA 428 MkII (with A/D conversion) | 4 |
| ISA 828 (with A/D conversion) | 8 |
| Liquid Channel | 1 |
| Liquid 4Pre | 4 |
| Red 1 500 Series | 1 |
| Crane Song (Dave Hill Designs) |
Ins |
| Europa | 1 |
| Flamingo | 2 |
| Spider | 8 |
| BAE | Ins |
| BAE 1073 | 1 |
| BAE 1073MPL | 1 |
| BAE 1073DMP | 1 |
| BAE 1073 Dual DMP | 2 |
| BAE 1084 | 1 |
| 8CM | 8 |
| Universal Audio | Ins |
| DCS Remote Preamp | 2 |
| Empirical Labs | Ins |
| Mike-E (single channel) | 1 |
| Golden Age | Ins |
| PRE-73 (single channel) | 1 |
| PRE-73 Jr (single channel) | 1 |
| JLM Audio | Ins |
| MP-8 | 8 |
| TMP8 | 8 |
| 1290 | 2 |
| 1290x4 | 4 |
| TG2 | 2 |
| TGx4 | 4 |
| Miktek | Ins |
| MPA-201 | 2 |
| Sytek | Ins |
| MPX-4D | 4 |
| Avalon Design | Ins |
| M5 | 1 |
| V5 | 1 |
| AD2022 | 2 |
| Prism | Ins |
| Maselec MMA 4XR | 4 |
| CB Electronics | Ins |
| MA-104 | 4 |
| Prodigy Engineering | Ins |
| Bella | 1 |
| Cella | 2 |
| Anima | 8 |
| FMR Audio | Ins |
| Really Nice Preamp RNP8380 | 2 |
| Black Lion Audio | Ins |
| B173 (single channel) | 1 |
| Schoeps | Ins |
| VMS 5 U | 2 |
| Miktek | Ins |
| MPA-201 | 2 |
| Groove Tubes | Ins |
| ViPre | 1 |
| Chandler Limited | Ins |
| TG2 | 2 |
| NTP Technology | Ins |
| DAD AX24 (with A/D converters) | 8 |
| DAD AX32 (with A/D converters) | 8 |
| TC Electronic | Ins |
| Gold Channel (digital channel strip) | 2 |
| Microtech Gefell | Ins |
| AP1 (single channel) | 1 |
| Heritage Audio | Ins |
| DMA73 | 2 |
| Hamptone | Ins |
| HJFP2 with optional stepped attenuators | 2 |
| Crookwood | Ins |
| Rackpot | 4 |
| John Hardy | Ins |
| M-2 | 4 |
| Forsell | Ins |
| SMP-2 | 2 |
| SMP-500 (single channel) | 1 |
| FiveFish Audio | Ins |
| MX5 | 1 |
| SC-501 | 1 |
| X72mk500 | 1 |
| X12mk500 | 1 |
| DACS Audio | Ins |
| Clarity MicAmp | 2 |
| Clarity MicAmp 500 (single channel) | 1 |
| Chameleon Labs | Ins |
| 7602 (single channel) | 1 |
| 581 (single channel) | 1 |
| TK Audio | Ins |
| DP1mk3 | 2 |
| AML | Ins |
| AML EZ1073-500 | 1 |
| AML 5003D | 1 |
| AML EZ1073PRE | 1 |
| AML EZ1081PRE | 1 |
| Phoenix Audio | Ins |
| DRS-1 | 1 |
| DRS-1R-500 | 1 |
| DRS-Q4 Mk2 | 2 |
| DRS-8 Mk2 | 8 |
| Ascent One | 1 |
| Ascent Two | 2 |
Field Recorders
This section contains a list of field recorders with phantom powered preamps that have precision digitally controlled gain.
| Sound Devices |
| 788T |
| 744T |
| 722 |
| 702T |
| 702 |
| Zaxcom |
| Nomad |
| Fusion |
| Tascam |
| HS-P82 |
| DR-680 |
| Zoom |
| H4n |
| H4n Pro |
| F4 |
| F8 |