Cheap studio gear to add to your Christmas list...

[Josh Rose]

i see that some people get Distressors and u87's for Christmas. My relatives aren't rich enough for that. I'm trying to compile a list of relatively cheap items to enhance my studio. It can be anything really... Mics, outboard gear, or even visual enhancements. Some stuff that's already on there...

Auralex Acoustic Treatment Kit - $139
Apex 205 Ribbon Mic - $99
CAD 179 - $129
Orange Crush cr15 Amplifier - $99
Audix i5 - $99
Various Area Rugs
A second 17" flatscreen monitor

What affordable stuff is on your list?

[BOWIE]

Yea, I wish my parents ("relatives") would buy me gear! If they had any idea much my gear is costs they would call for an intervention. They don't even know what a compressor is and I don't think they could fathom why I would spend $3K on one. Especially an "old" one!
It would be great if my wife bought me something cool but she's got no clue when it comes to gear. She's just tired of it filling up the apartment.

[jvkeboxHERO]

lol at bowie. i purposely hide my own credit cards so i have to ask my sister for them before i use them. i have a problem with impulsive gear purchases i dont really need. like three wah pedals and 2 basses when i can only play one at a time.

anyway, a small list of cheap shit would go as follows.

Peavey Windsor - $400
Epiphone So-Cal - $500
Kramer Striker FR - $250
Lexicon MX200 - $200
ART MP Tube Studio Preamp - $30
AKG D112 - $220
CAD M177 - $80 (today only)/$170
E-MU 1820 -$300

i guess most of that isnt really cheap but whatever. we can dream.

[laboitenoire]

Etymotic ER-6 isolator buds. ~$100, near-reference quality. I use them all the time seeing as I mix without monitors in an untreated back room :D. Between them, my TriPorts, my PC speakers, my midrange stereo, and my car, I get pretty good mixes.

EDIT: and for guitars/basses, take a look at rondomusic.com. SX instruments are damn good for the money! I love my fretless Precision knockoff...

[Ray Sr.]

not sure what you have or what you do but...

Sony MDR-7506-$99

[jaz49]

Or Equation RP-21's. Very highly rated....they seem to be a steal for under $100 on ebay. Mine are on the way...supposed to be very flat/neutral for studio use.

[Josh Rose]

I picked up one of the cad m177 last night. I've been needing a good floor tom mic, so it came around at just the right time.

[ether88]

Korgs Nano series? $50-60
AKG k240 ~70 on ebay

thats all my cheap stuff this winter

[skiltrip]

ProRMP Reamp device $99.
EZdrummer $99
EZXs for EZD $79
M-Tron $99

[manning1]

1..toneport gx is 50 buks.
cheap fun.
2..reaper is 50 buks to get into.
a great daw software. just the 100 plug ins are worth it.
3..realband from pgmusic.com. its like haveing session players to build songs with.
nothing like it in daw land.
4..one of the best cheap upgrades for a daw studio pc is more ram
or a 32mb cache 7200 rpm drive.
5..get your relatives to give you their old cassette deks.
if you get the right one for free you might find a useable mic pre in it
for a dynamic mic.
6..more dvd's as gifts to back up your song projects and/or cheap usb pen drives 4 gigs.
7..get the sewers in your family to knit some nice rugs you can throw on a wall for dampening.
8..get em to buy some office dividerrs to use in your studio for seperating players.
used office stores are good for this.
9..a used 8 by 2 line mixer is always good for something.
look for old tascam n fostex units.
10..more cables. always usefull or a surge power strip to protect your gear.

MERRY XMAS TO ALL.

[lynyrd]

On my list I have K&M mini boom stands (you can never have enough mic stands and I am slowly weeding out the crap and replacing them with K&M stuff)
I also have Canare mic cable (once again, you can never have enough mic cables)
Finally, on my list I have a Neumann U47 microphone. It was priceless when my dad went to the local Long & McQuade and asked a fellow I have known for years if they had any in stock. He knew he'd been had when my friend replied that he might be able to get one on Ebay for about 10 grand!

[Josh Rose]

Good stuff guys. Anybody else?

[mdjice]

tranzport: best couple of hundred $$$ u could spend for your studio if you record yourself.

[ElevenShadows]

Tranzport
Cables
Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers
lava lamp

[dualflip]

Originally Posted by jvkeboxHERO

lol at bowie. i purposely hide my own credit cards so i have to ask my sister for them before i use them. i have a problem with impulsive gear purchases i dont really need. like three wah pedals and 2 basses when i can only play one at a time.

anyway, a small list of cheap shit would go as follows.

Peavey Windsor - $400
Kramer Striker FR - $250
Lexicon MX200 - $200
ART MP Tube Studio Preamp - $30
AKG D112 - $220
CAD M177 - $80 (today only)/$170
E-MU 1820 -$300

i guess most of that isnt really cheap but whatever. we can dream.

Forget about the ART MP, i had the V3 which is basically the same thing, and i hate it, i posted it in the "worst piece of gear you ever bought" post

[ether88]

ART MP Tube Studio Preamp - $30

i love mine... more then presonus tubes and other >200 pres.

V3 which is basically the same thing,

The v3 sounds different, and i gave it away, terrible indeed.

[dualflip]

Originally Posted by ether88

The v3 sounds different, and i gave it away, terrible indeed.

Ohhh i thought it was the same thing... but with some like modeling stage, but its good to know

[jvkeboxHERO]

Originally Posted by dualflip

Forget about the ART MP, i had the V3 which is basically the same thing, and i hate it, i posted it in the "worst piece of gear you ever bought" post

i was just going to be using the ART MP as a DI buffer of sorts, for acoustic guitar, bass, and maybe some dynamic drum micing. mostly in live situations for that recording tbh. i wouldnt be using it thinking im getting a real tube preamp for vocals or something. I am very well aware im not going to be getting this great little box for $30 in todays supply and demand music/recording industry. if its good you gotta pay for it.

Originally Posted by laboitenoire

and for guitars/basses, take a look at rondomusic.com. SX instruments are damn good for the money! I love my fretless Precision knockoff...

i hear good stuff about rondomusic.com but they dont make anything im interested in really. im really into "80s-looking/feeling" guitars(along with the peavey that is voiced like an 80s marshall and the 80s lexicon reverb unit), stupid bright colors and maple necks and FRs and shit, so the kramer is kinda what im looking for at a nice price. Unless i stumble upong some neon yellow ibanez' on eBay or something, a candy red kramer is perfect.

[manning1]

i sent back the v3 art but kept the art mp.
i would suggest you demo a mp for yourself and form your own conclusions.
awhile back was a shootout tween mp and some other higher end pre's in low end.
all my fault..lol. search under my name.
some people were surprised..lol.

no its not a 2k pre.
but there are some triks i would like to alert you to in its useage.
1. dont push it too hard.
2. if you want lots of gain before sending output of mp to sound card,
take mp out into a CLEAN line mixer for added gain..THEN to sound card line in.

i have no alternative as i'm on a pension.
i also make my own diy pre's.

all i can say is ive recorded in the past in big studios with high end gear , n it aint that bad.
when i compare my vocal traks done in hi end studios.
the KEY is to condition the traks after recording.
but hi end studios condition too.

i dont profess to be a ace AE (just write songs for fun with my songwritin pardner...)
but you can hear the mp on lots of different lead
vocals of mine in different genres at >> The Rocking Blood Brothers

when the nimbit player comes up click the arrows to get to the vintage album.
n the cokney album songs.
then listen to deadbeat song n the boomers 69 song. done with the mp and a few other songs.
also the first song that comes up "i gotta get out" is the mp.
also cokney hell. all my vocals.

where i feel people go wrong with the mp is i feel they push it too hard.

heres another "trik". a toneport gx (50 buks..) has a few mic pre models built in.
from big name consoles. you could try takeing out of mp into gx n invoking one of the
mic pre models..lots of experimenting fun..lol.

mebe youll hate the mp..i dunno...but i would at least try one.
for 30 buks i dont think anyone can complain.
but...
frankly after hearing on a fab voice in the high end forum a studio projects vtb1 pre take on
higher priced pre's , i'm thinking of getting one. ...a vtb1.

god bless n hope this helps somehow.
MERRY XMAS !!!

[omtayslick]

Originally Posted by mdjice

tranzport: best couple of hundred $$$ u could spend for your studio if you record yourself.

Yeah man! Got one of these a couple months ago. As the man said, great if you record by yourself. Wish I'd gotten it sooner.

[jsrockit]

Akai MPD24
Electro Harmonix Holier Grail
Shure SM57
Beyerdynamic DT770

[homestudioguy]

How about some tubes?
Tung Sol 12AX7s are around $14.
M-Audio Oxygen8 V2 is on my list for around $100.
XLR cables.
Don't forget to add the rackmount power conditioners!

[mdjice]

if you are on PT : ATA Mellowmuse!!! cheap and VERY USEFUL!!

[aussie_techie]

a soldering iron should be the first thing on anyone Christmas list if they dont have one, even asking people who dont know about them just ask for a decent brand and you will be right.

Rolls of cable and connectors after that if you trust anyone else to buy the right thing.
then again XLRs get so cheap in bulk there's no point in asking any one else.

[BOWIE]

Originally Posted by aussie_techie

a soldering iron should be the first thing on anyone Christmas list if they dont have one, even asking people who dont know about them just ask for a decent brand and you will be right.

Rolls of cable and connectors after that if you trust anyone else to buy the right thing.
then again XLRs get so cheap in bulk there's no point in asking any one else.

Awesome idea!
That's something that every engineer needs to know how to do. I simply can't count the number of times that the ability to solder has come in handy or even saved a session!

[TurboJets]

-The new mod offered by Michael Joly for my MXL 990

-An SM57 (for a 70's Pioneer RTR deck I just bought)

-1 of Bill Lawrence's new MicroCoil pups for the Middle pos. on my Strat.

[Herman Munster]

Not real cheap, but considering what you get - UAD-1 FlexiPak ($299 with a $750 voucher).

I still can't believe UA is doing this. You could buy one and then convert

[mdjice]

Originally Posted by Herman Munster

Not real cheap, but considering what you get - UAD-1 FlexiPak ($299 with a $750 voucher).

I still can't believe UA is doing this. You could buy one and then convert

where is this offer? any link?

[bigbadwolf]

+1 on the soldering iron.
Go get an old 4 track 1/4", some tape, a splicing block, and some razors. Teach yourself analog. One of the best things I did was to learn all about analog before diving into Digital. You can find great sounding tape machines for dirt cheap. Like $100. And if it's broken, figure out how to fix it.
Best.

[fuzzrhythm]

A cheapie backup guitar from Rondo Music

Amp Stand

Vox Amplug