Advice on spending about 14K

[jimmyboy7]

Ok, last time I asked this it was for 6k and different needs/budget. The studio has been doing well and I'm getting ready to buy more gear

I have already commited to the MM 35's so I will have about $9500 left.

The burning question is whether or not an excellent 2buss compressor is worth it like the Neve portico II $4,000 or an API 2500 as well as some new Mic's like a U87 and some other goodies, maybe another Ribbon mic..you get the idea. I also feel at the top of my list is to get another 8 channels of conversion, I currently have an HD I/O 16.

To get another 8 nchannels eats up more dough obviously.

So, if you had the choice would you upgrade from Waves Gold to Mercury and basically be set with plug in's or get the compressor? I reallt can't seem to make up my mind..any advice would be welcomed

[jimmyboy7]

Bump

[KevWind]

I have heard and many have liked the A Designs Nail as a 2 bus comp more in the 2400 dollar range in fact for a bit over 4k you could get a Hammer eq and a Nail comp both of which get some praise for 2 bus and other track uses. Also for really excellent pricing and a great store and guys to deal with, if you PM me I can give you a link and name of the store that I use.

[JSt0rm]

Hows your room sound?

[Chris Lago]

Get a u47

[superwack]

Honestly, your question(s) is/are kind of all over the place. I have ZERO idea what you do or what you'll need to do it or make it better... you really should give some more info.

Plus how are you possibly going to decide (or get advice) if the Portico II or the 2500+87 is a better way to go when, as confirmed by google, the Portico II is not even available yet?!?!?

Sorry i couldn't be of any actual help.

[nas]

Originally Posted by JSt0rm

Hows your room sound?

+1

If you're going to go for MM35's and want to really get the most out of them (as well as any tools you use) then you should really have your room very well treated.. that would be my no. 1 priority. Then ask yourself what kind of work are you mostly doing right now..and build the rest of your system gradually according to your needs.

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by nas

+1

If you're going to go for MM35's and want to really get the most out of them (as well as any tools you use) then you should really have your room very well treated.. that would be my no. 1 priority. Then ask yourself what kind of work are you mostly doing right now..and build the rest of your system gradually according to your needs.

Ok, thanks and sorry for not painting a better picture of my current setup and work load/ room.
.
My room is very well treated with acoustic panels from GIK. I gave them my room dimensions and they sent me their reccomrndation which I followed to the letter. So I'm good there. Most of my work is with bands and artists of all types, no real post production or TV stuff.

The main reason I was considering a buss compressor was to help get better levels with transparency. I have found it difficult to get hotter levels with plug ins if a client wants me to get a hot level.

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by superwack

Honestly, your question(s) is/are kind of all over the place. I have ZERO idea what you do or what you'll need to do it or make it better... you really should give some more info.

Plus how are you possibly going to decide (or get advice) if the Portico II or the 2500+87 is a better way to go swhen, as confirmed by google, the Portico II is not even available yet?!?!?

Sorry i couldn't be of any actual help.

No worries, my question was kind of all over. I replied to another post on this thread with more detail on my needs etc..

I was wondering about that compressor because I saw a new product alert on it, watched some videos on it and it looked like a game changer for me. Mainly because it claims to limit very transparently or colored to taste. Which is something that would really help me to get hot levels on mixdown while avoiding audible clipping. I have my plug ins work good but create audible distortion. However, it is enticing to get the Waves Mercury upgrade because I really wouldn't have to worry about plug ins.

I was wondering if anyone gas had a similar quandry, I know the GML compressor/limiters can get up in the 6 grand area, the Atomic Squeeze box looks good too. I'm just trying to see if anyone had experience with any equipment similar to the Neve Compressor so I can plan for it.

Does that help?

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by KevWind

I have heard and many have liked the A Designs Nail as a 2 bus comp more in the 2400 dollar range in fact for a bit over 4k you could get a Hammer eq and a Nail comp both of which get some praise for 2 bus and other track uses. Also for really excellent pricing and a great store and guys to deal with, if you PM me I can give you a link and name of the store that I use.

Ok, I'll ceck that out, PM'd ya

[jimmy3189]

It is kindof strange to me that you have $14 000 to spend on gear and have already asked how to spend $5000 but you need to get hotter mixes for clients? And you don't know how without clipping?

There are two answers most are sub $200 plugins, and the other is a mastering engineer.

One is the cheap way, the other is the proper way.

[Aof]

I presume that by hotter, you mean you want louder mixes?
As jimmy3189 said, really the best way is with a mastering engineer.
Now, if you want to do it yourself, there are a couple plugins that can help you with that, like PRO-L, or Voxengo Elephant, both have very good reviews.

[KevWind]

As far as a reasonable mastering limiter plug in, Try the L2007 from Massey It's a look ahead brick wall limiter so you can set the output to 2 db and you wont clip it . Also if you keep the threshold between 3 to 10, you wont hear a great deal of artifact. This will get you more volume and still be fairly clean,

I have yet to get and outboard 2 bus comp, this is what I use. You can download the limited edition for free and see how it works for you. Massey Plugins Inc.

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by jimmy3189

It is kindof strange to me that you have $14 000 to spend on gear and have already asked how to spend $5000 but you need to get hotter mixes for clients? And you don't know how without clipping?

There are two answers most are sub $200 plugins, and the other is a mastering engineer.

One is the cheap way, the other is the proper way.

I know how to do it wihtout clipping, It's just difficult to get it to sound more open. I know that compression and limiting do this (crush sound). I was just attempting to see if anyone had used some analog gear that helped in this area but was more transparent than their plug ins. Some clients have asked me to master their music and I have done that for them. I know that sending them to a mastering engineer is a best case scenario but some just want me to do it, or make a final mix as loud as possible. In these cases I was hoping to find some fellow gear slutz that had some experience in this area with this kind of gear (buss compressors/limiters) that could help me decide if it was a good investment.

I do appreciate your comments though, seems like a buss compressor may not be worth it for what I was thinking.

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by Aof

I presume that by hotter, you mean you want louder mixes?
As jimmy3189 said, really the best way is with a mastering engineer.
Now, if you want to do it yourself, there are a couple plugins that can help you with that, like PRO-L, or Voxengo Elephant, both have very good reviews.

Thanks

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by jimmyboy7

Ok, last time I asked this it was for 6k and different needs/budget. The studio has been doing well and I'm getting ready to buy more gear

I have already commited to the MM 35's so I will have about $9500 left.

The burning question is whether or not an excellent 2buss compressor is worth it like the Neve portico II $4,000 or an API 2500 as well as some new Mic's like a U87 and some other goodies, maybe another Ribbon mic..you get the idea. I also feel at the top of my list is to get another 8 channels of conversion, I currently have an HD I/O 16.

To get another 8 nchannels eats up more dough obviously.

So, if you had the choice would you upgrade from Waves Gold to Mercury and basically be set with plug in's or get the compressor? I reallt can't seem to make up my mind..any advice would be welcomed

16 I/O is enough for me, and the HD I/O is a slamming option.

I would buy a couple plugs that I liked, Lexi PCM, Softube, Vallhalla Room, and hand pick some Waves plugs that are worth having around. I am not sure I would buy a bundle, unless I tried every plug and liked every plug.

But, I would favor the investment going towards analog hardware,

Bad mother stereo Buss Box;
API 2500 $2550

Seriously versatile Solid State LDC;
Microtech Gefell M1030 $2,045

Seriously versatile Ribbon
Coles 4038 $1250

Some useful comps for mixing and tracking
JDK R22 Stereo Comp $1K

EQ's with some room to expand later
Lunchbox with some Purple ODD 4-band EQ's $1875

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by Roc Mixwell

16 I/O is enough for me, and the HD I/O is a slamming option.

I would buy a couple plugs that I liked, Lexi PCM, Softube, Vallhalla Room, and hand pick some Waves plugs that are worth having around. I am not sure I would buy a bundle, unless I tried every plug and liked every plug.

But, I would favor the investment going towards analog hardware,

Bad mother stereo Buss Box;
API 2500 $2550

Seriously versatile Solid State LDC;
Microtech Gefell M1030 $2,045

Seriously versatile Ribbon
Coles 4038 $1250

Some useful comps for mixing and tracking
JDK R22 Stereo Comp $1K

EQ's with some room to expand later
Lunchbox with some Purple ODD 4-band EQ's $1875

Thanks!!! I'll investigate