Spending no more than $5000.00, build me a low end studio.

[Zachary]

Hi guys,

Thread title is pretty much self-explanatory. Spending no more than 5k, build me a portable recording solution from the ground up.

In your posts,please include some of the following gear:

-Interfaces
-Pre-amps
-Mic's
-Monitors
-Converters
-Effects
-Anything else you can think of.




Please leave out room treatment and software from your lists.

Interested to see what ideas you slutz come up with.

Zachary

[cdog]

Sweet, I like your budget, its a fun game Ill play.

What types of music do you plan to record?

I think the Mackie Onyx 1200F is pretty hard to beat for the money.

If you need less inputs or routing options, maybe MOTU or RME. But the 1200F is amazing for the money.

I think the Sure KSM series of studio mics are VERY underrated. And cheap.

I like Dynaudio monitors, ADAM also has some nice ones. Those arent cheap tho.

Maybe those Yamaha HS50Ms for monitors, only $339 a pair.

FX? Plug ins, freeer the better. I think a UAD1 is a pretty amazing piece of gear, I wouldnt mix without it.

[Tomer1]

How many channels will you be recording?

[Colonel Blues]

hi folks !
it's my first message on this amazing forum...

this thread is cool ! I stay around and will follow it...

[Zachary]

What types of music do you plan to record?

Everything ! My personal style is a mix between Boards of Canada and Pink Floyd.

I like Dynaudio monitors, ADAM also has some nice ones. Those arent cheap tho.

Agreed. The A7's are my first choice, but that subject to change.

[Zachary]

Originally Posted by Tomer1

How many channels will you be recording?

8-16 max.

My first pick for an interface was the Fireface 800.

[PureFluke]

A good selection from cdog: the onyx has 12 great preamps. And the Adam A7's changed the way I mix; never skimp on monitors! I can't speak for the KSMn series, but I've always thought the SE series were also way underrated. Don't forget your staple mics; SM57's, a D112, maybe a couple of 414's and 421's.... and there goes half your budget! Also, nice though the onyx pre's are, I'd make sure I had at least one really nice pre-amp/channel for OD's etc. (at least a focusrite track master). Don't forget to budget for leads, patchbays, and stands. You're right; this game is fun!

[minus-sounds.com]

I have the Fireface 800 and the Behringer ADA 8000 at my home setup. There are not enough things to say about the RME unit but the Behringer is decent for the price. So that's interface, converters and 12 mic pre amps for about $2000. (I don't know how much they are in the States)

Add a couple of Electro Harmonix 12AY7, true tube pre amps for $200 each.

For mics:
2 x SM57 SDD
2 x Octava MK012 SDC
2 x Octava MK319 LDC
2 x Octava ML52 ribbons (huge sound)
2 x Senh MD421 LDD used
2 x Beyer M260 ribbons (balanced sound)

So far that's about $4500
If you get the Yamaha monitors and some cables, you are within budget. Lose some mics and the EH pre amps to get the Adams.

Good luck

[phonzadellika]

Rack

Road Ready RRM14UW 340

In the Rack

Digidesign 003 Rack 1100
SCA N72 (2) T15 (2) Chasis 1200
RNC & RNLA FL Package 475
Lexicon MX200 200
Raxxess 3U Drawer (2) 220
Foam Padding 35 3570

In Rack Drawer 1

AT 4040 300
Shure SM57 (2) 200
Sennheiser e609 100
Audix I5 100
Cascade Fathead Pair 300
Sennheiser e902 200 4870

Cables, tax (magically comes out to 5000)

Add a BLA mod and more microphones as funds increase.

I forgot monitors. I am cheating and throwing in a free set of Yamaha HS50M's from sweetwater for purchasing close to 4000 worth of stuff from them.

[Hornblower64]

You didn't say: Is a computer part of this budget? Instruments and their amps are not, I'm assuming. Are you tracking a whole band at once, or one instument at a time? With this budget I'm assuming mixing ITB. One can, with good mic technique, track a band live with only 8 channels (or fewer.)
What size band? What instrumentation? Fewer channels means each can be higher quality. For instance, for minimalist classical recording I use 2 Telefunken Ela M 260 into an AEA TRP into an Apogee duet/ibook G4, with a Micro Track II for back up. Sounds fantastic, and without cables or stands comes in around $5k. With more information can come better advice. Though I understand this might just be an exercise, complete and real world scenarios will make it more challenging, and fun. Cheers, David

[Zachary]

Originally Posted by Hornblower64

You didn't say: Is a computer part of this budget? Instruments and their amps are not, I'm assuming. Are you tracking a whole band at once, or one instument at a time? With this budget I'm assuming mixing ITB. One can, with good mic technique, track a band live with only 8 channels (or fewer.)
What size band? What instrumentation? Fewer channels means each can be higher quality. For instance, for minimalist classical recording I use 2 Telefunken Ela M 260 into an AEA TRP into an Apogee duet/ibook G4, with a Micro Track II for back up. Sounds fantastic, and without cables or stands comes in around $5k. With more information can come better advice. Though I understand this might just be an exercise, complete and real world scenarios will make it more challenging, and fun. Cheers, David

Thanks for the reply David. A computer is NOT part of the budget, as i already have an Inspiron 1520 which i feel provides enough headroom ( Core 2 duo, 4GB ram, Vista 64 w SOnar 7 pro ect.) although i may be wrong.

My goal for this build is to find an equilibrium.Whether im tracking a whole band at once , or just one instrument ; id like to have the means to accomplish both without breaking any limbs in the process.

[Hornblower64]

If you have firewire, then this is the gear I would be looking at. All these pieces I have some experience with.

MOTU 896HD I/O. I have one. If you can get by with 36db of gain on the mic inputs, this is a good start. Later, outboard preamps and an analog means of controlling the volume will yield big rewards, as the conversion is better than the analog stages. All XLR ins/outs, separate +48V for each channel. $1k

KRK RP5 monitors. A friend has these. Not too bad for $200 pr. Add a sub later for full range monitoring.

Audio-Technica AT-4040. Decent LDC. Buy 2 for $600. Vocals, upright bass, etc.
Audio-Technica AT- 4051 or Rode NT-5 SDC. Buy a matched pair. Good for A. guitar, overheads, room, other acoustic instruments. Omni capsules available for NT-5's $300-700.
Misc. dynamic mics, the usual suspects: D-112 standard kick mic, SM-57 not great, but usefull in many situations, e609 good for inst. amps, Audix OM-5 better handheld than SM-58, Beyer M 201 similar to, but better than an SM-57.
I get better results with fewer mics on the kit, so no dedicated tom, hi-hat, etc. for me. Besides, I'm limited here to 8 ch.

This should be enough to track a whole band live, with care taken in mic. placement. And even with cables and stands, should be under $5k.

Well, that's what I would do anyway. There are other ways and opinions.

Best,

David

[Hornblower64]

Adding a MOTU 8pre will yield 16ch. of mic pre/ADC to the above system for an additional $550.

[noah330]

I think we all know that you will want to upgrade. I would say buy less high quality gear with your 5k and shop around for some used deals.

If possible, buy things that can be upgraded or expanded at a later date instead of being sold at a big loss.

[Herman Munster]

I have to disagree with Hornblower. Don't by MOTU. My understanding is that they are at risk of bankruptcy in the near future. I have been dissuaded from MOTU several times and I'm thankful. There's just better you can get for the money. Here's my ideas:

Presonus Firestudio (with free MSR which is $299) $699 (Fireface is another good option)
Presonus Digimax FS $599 ($1300 for 16 pres)

I will tell you that there have been issues with the Firestudio and Sonar, but my understanding is that it has been remedied. I have not heard the Mackie unit, but if it is now truly available (it took about a year!), I'm sure it's a good unit. My guess is that the pres and conversion would be on par with the Presonus units.

Best wishes on your decision. I've rethought and rethought decisions on gear purchases over and over, but it all comes back to the music. Good music will sound good. Have fun..

[Hornblower64]

If there are solvency issues with MOTU, then yes, explore other options. I now use Apogee I/O, but since you are not using a Mac that wouldn't be the best choice. Apogee would also blow your budget. My experience is primarily with MOTU and Apogee, so outside of these I would defer to the opinions of others. (Personally, I dream of Weiss and Lavry.)

David

[Herman Munster]

David,
I agree with Apogee. If I were a Mac user, that would be my route of choice. Good points.

[EvilE]

Originally Posted by phonzadellika

Rack

Road Ready RRM14UW 340

In the Rack

Digidesign 003 Rack 1100
SCA N72 (2) T15 (2) Chasis 1200
RNC & RNLA FL Package 475
Lexicon MX200 200
Raxxess 3U Drawer (2) 220
Foam Padding 35 3570

In Rack Drawer 1

AT 4040 300
Shure SM57 (2) 200
Sennheiser e609 100
Audix I5 100
Cascade Fathead Pair 300
Sennheiser e902 200 4870

Cables, tax (magically comes out to 5000)

Add a BLA mod and more microphones as funds increase.

I forgot monitors. I am cheating and throwing in a free set of Yamaha HS50M's from sweetwater for purchasing close to 4000 worth of stuff from them.

i like the way this guy thinks. however you forgot A COMPUTER!!! get a good computer and go for like DP or Cubase or something.

werd

[EvilE]

although i wouldn't get the lexicon. save up money for plugins dude! also....screw all this and get a 500 series rack with a couple pres, a laptop and a nice converter.
yeah

[jude]

Originally Posted by Zachary

What types of music do you plan to record?

Everything ! My personal style is a mix between Boards of Canada and Pink Floyd.

This i want to hear!!! 2 of my fav artists

[phonzadellika]

Originally Posted by EvilE

i like the way this guy thinks. however you forgot A COMPUTER!!! get a good computer and go for like DP or Cubase or something.

werd

Any self-respecting aficiando of music, pornography, and video games will already have the required laptop with ample processing speed, RAM, and hard drive storage capacity.

[Evanskyler]

Hi guy's, this is my first post and while I'm experienced in the ways of the audio jedi, I was just to plain lazy to register with gearslutz.

But I love stuff like this and I couldent resist, so here we go.

BTW: This is a pro tools setup as I work in PTLE most of the time.

Interface/Converter: Digidesign M-box 2 Pro 549.99 at audiolines.com

Preamps: Seventh circle audio 8 unit chassis with PS, wiring harness, 2 A12 (api) Preamp Modules, 2 sc25 opamps, and 2 N72 (Neve) preamp modules (Some minimal assembly required). $746.00 at Seventhcircleaudio.com

Monitors: M-Audio BX-8a Deluxe pair (Don't knock em, they sound pretty good.) $499.00 at AValive.com

FX/Outboard: Focusrite Liquid Mix 799.99 at AValive.com

Microphones: Cascade Fat Head Standard (The undisputed king of cheap microphones) 159.00 at Cascademicrophones.com

Avantone CV-12 $499.00 at Audiomidi.com

Se Electronics SE-1a Pair $345.00 at Audiomidi.com

Beyerdynamic M88TG (For the low end!!) $449.00 at Fullcompass.com

Beyerdynamic M201 TG (Greatest snare mic ever made) 299.00 at Full Compass.com

Accessories: 2 mini boom stands, 2 regular boom stands, 2 large boom stands, 6 proco 30' cables, 2 proco 25' speaker cables, 1 metal pop filterand 1 radial pro di $682.70 at sweetwater.com

GRAND TOTAL!!!: $5028.68 before shipping

I know its a little over budget but if you buy a lot of stuff from sweetwater at one time, they are liable to cut you a deal.

[dykstraster@gmai]

Concerning Presonus vs. Mackie... I own a Firestudio, and expand to 16 inputs via the Mackie 800r. The firestudio is great, but the Mackie pres smoke the Presonus ones. But there's something to be said for having options when it comes to pres. At your initial investment limitations, and starting from square one, I don't know that I would get too heavy otb. Maybe one juicy pre for over dubs, but for the most Part, I'd concern myself with mics you'll never out grow, and some good quality monitors. Starting with great monitors will allow you to hear where the rest of your chain is lacking, and allow you to make better informed decisions in the future. Best of luck, and leave room in the budget for some solid road cases FOR EVERYTHING.

[Pexx]

One important aspect which will affect your recorded sound more than any single piece of gear: room acoustics.
For a mobile system I say you wouldn't go much wrong by getting an SE Reflexion Filter or SM Pro Audio The Mic Thing.
You could even build your own.

[cdog]

Let me just add.

Also, you should MIX IN THE BOX, learn to do it well, and DONT BUY EXPENSIVE OUTBOARD PROCESSORS. If it can be done in the box, DO IT IN THE BOX.

BUT.

If you want ONE truly high end box.

The Langevin Dual Vocal Combo is IMPOSSIBLE to beat for the money.

Its a dual channel preamp with 2 channel EQ and 2 channel optocompression.

They used to sell for $1500 new, not sure now, you can probably find one on ebay, and Manley will fix it for free IF there are any issues with it, most likely.

Seeing as though its all solid state, these things are built like a tank and never die.

Also, to reiterate, the Mackie Onyx 1200F is the best bang for the buck interface right now, hard to see this not being the best choice.

And, you dont have to worry about Mackie going bankrupt.

But the Langevin DVC combo costs as much as the 1200F, and if your budget is only $5000, you cant spend $1500 on two channels.

Hmmmmmm. Not sure if that helped, but, it is what it is.

So, if your budget goes to $6500, get the DVC, otherwise just stick with the Makcie 1200F and some decent mics, monitors and plug ins.

[CafeEP]

Pete B’s Studio for $5,000

Rack 200

16 Tracks Recording:
MOTU 8Pre 600
MOTU 8Pre 600

Microphones:
5 Shure SM 57 500
2 Rode NT-5 450
2 Cascade Fatheads 300
2 AT 2020 200
1 EV RE-20 400
Blue Mouse 1,300

Monitors:
KRK Rokit 8 Monitors 350 (a pair) at American Musical

SUBTOTAL 4,500

If you have a PC
MBox Mini + Pro Tools 7.4 300
Stable, and gives you some good basic tools for mixing.
FXPansion VST RTAS Wrapper ($99) to get a TON of free VST plugins off of DontCrac[k] - Audio Software instant Downloads at Dontcrack

If you have a Mac
Logic Pro 500
Gives you some great creative resources for mixing and production.

[Saudade]

I think the vital piece of information you left out is: How many simultaneous channels do you need to record.

Without that I don't see how anyone can help you figure out a package that is really what you need.

[CafeEP]

This is a little old but I find it interesting nonetheless. maybe it would be helpful to you as well?

Build a Personal Studio on Any Budget covers five studio types, designed with a basic and killer price tag.

[CassidyGT]

Adam A7 - 1000
Mackie 1200f – 1400
AT4050 Pair – 700 (used)
Shure SM57 (4) - 400
Shure SM7 – 300 – (used)
Good set of cans - 150
Stands, Cables etc. – 300
Room Treatment – everything left over - 750

[Aurora T.]

Originally Posted by CassidyGT

Adam A7 - 1000
Mackie 1200f – 1400
AT4050 Pair – 700 (used)
Shure SM57 (4) - 400
Shure SM7 – 300 – (used)
Good set of cans - 150
Stands, Cables etc. – 300
Room Treatment – everything left over - 750

Nice setup!

That's it! It won't get any better with 5000.