Studio upgrade advice needed.

[dpdavis]

Hello. I am impressed and excited to find a site like this.

I’m a composer for film/TV, and am upgrading my studio. I can use some good advice on where to go. My main requirements are sound quality and realitive ease of use. When budgets are small and I can’t hirer an engineer and studio, I need my home technology to operate as transparently as possible so I can focus on writing and producing, yet have enough firepower to deliver product without any outside services if need be. Music produced under these conditions is sample driven (Vienna/Sonic Implants etc). yet, I need to be able to record various live instruments and/or voices, but never more than one or two musicians at a time. Plus I’d like to look at ways to warm up the sample portion of the recordings as well.

My current rig includes a new Apple G5 dual core 2.3 GHz (PCIe - currently without an interface), running DP 4.6, Logic 7, Peak 4, Waves NPP, and MACH 5. I also have my previous G4 dual 1Ghz with RME HDSP 9652, running same as the G5. In addition to the Mach 5, my main sampler is a PC 2.8 GHz, also with the RME, running Gigastudio 3. I am also using a Lucid Genx6 96 WC, and Mackie’s HR824.

I plan on selling my DM24 (w/ 2 ADAT cards), MOTU MTP AV, and perhaps the G4 above (or keep it to run the new MACH 5 as a standalone). I find I don’t need the DM24’s size and I am not particularly fond of its processing.

When all is said and done, I am looking at spending something in the neighborhood of $2500-3000. I want to build my basics so that I can upgrade on top of this set up as I go. I’d like to stay away of exclusively processing my audio in the MAC, unless there is a good reason to do so. The different options I’m exploring center around the G5 and an outboard mixer or control surface or both. I don’t need massive I/O, but I do need quality. I have no objection with a traditional small mixer setup with outboard compression/reverb etc, or something more digital.

I have no idea if what I am looking to do is doable under with my current budget/setup, so I am open to any alternative suggestions you guys may have. Thank you so much in advance!

dpdavis

[dpdavis]

<-- what my technological mind is doing to my composer mind . . .


In case my previous post got lost in the shuffle, I'll bring it up again. I really need a good engineer to help me with my business.

Perhaps this is a low end problem, so I can post this there instead. Either way, help!

[RedEar]

Where are you? My wife and I do similar work and I would be gald to drop by and chat about ideas I have with you if you are east coast...

[dpdavis]

Originally Posted by RedEar

Where are you? My wife and I do similar work and I would be gald to drop by and chat about ideas I have with you if you are east coast...

Hey there. I am on the other side, in Santa Monica, Ca. I used to be in that neck of the woods (sort of) when I attended Berklee College of Music. Thank you for the offer, though.

This studio upgrade must include a helpful engineer that I can build a relationship with. Which plugins are best for that?

[JohnRodd]

Hello and welcome, DPDavis

I just sent you a private message....

John

[dpdavis]

Hey John,

Thank you for replying. I responded to your private message, and sent an email to your address on your website.

By the way, I assisted Jaime Christopherson on his recording sessions for Citadel, and I believe your name may have come up. Are you the same person? Or is it from reading your name in the credits of Angels in America (which I did to pass time on the 405, while listening to the CD yesterday)?

Small world either way!