New Studio -- Ideas? Feedback?

[Zeupater]

I'm still pretty new here at Gearslutz, but I've read a lot of posts and many of you have made this into a good place to get ideas and informed opinions about equipment.

I have a small personal project studio setup I've been using for a long time to record my own music, and occasionally another band for fun or for hire. It may seem ancient nowadays but it's served me well over the years. I want to expand now, and either add to or replace some or all of my current gear. This is most of it:

Alesis ADAT machines, Mac PowerPC w/ Master Tracks Pro (JL Cooper DataSync makes them talk), Assorted external synths, drum machines, etc., Alesis 12-track mixing board, Focusrite OctoPre (not LE), Alesis 3630 Compressor, Panasonic DAT recorder, AT4030, Shure SM57 and 58 microphones.

This would be primarily a personal studio, to record my own music and my own band, but I want to be able to get pro-quality recordings, and I will be doing other work for hire occasionally. Here is what I am considering:

Alesis HD24 -- I like the idea of having a 24-input recorder that will provide a backup of the raw tracks before I send them to the computer. Also, I have always liked the sound of ADAT and I've read of some great-sounding albums (such as Alanis Morisette) using the on-board converters, although I have never actually used an Apogee or Lynx converter. Am I really missing out? Is this a viable solution for a pro-quality studio?

Mac Pro 2.66GHz Quad-Core -- A sweet machine, no doubt. But should I sink the @2-3k into one of these, or would I do just as well with a Mac Mini or a MacBook? Would I be 'cutting corners' or avoiding overkill? Please note that in addition to recording songs with audio tracks and external MIDI devices I would like to be able to score music to film.

Logic Pro 8 -- As I said before, anywhere from 4 to 24 tracks of audio, plus external MIDI machines, and the ability to music for film. Will Logic do this? Is there another program I should consider?

Some outboard gear I am considering:

• Demeter VTMP-2C stereo tube preamp
• Gordon Model 5 two-channel preamp
• Alesis 12R for channel overrun in case I'm recording a live band or a drum set perhaps. Remember, I already have a Focusrite OctoPre (not LE).
• Apogee Duet for a little versatility. Maybe I will discover I like the sound and could use it to track the MIDI instruments individually, or occasionally bypass the ADAT converters?

Also, maybe a few more dynamic mics, a pair of Cascade Fat Head ribbon microphones, and I'm open to suggestions for a good condenser mic, and maybe a stereo microphone.

Should I look into a good external compressor or are DAW plug-ins comparable? Is a LA2A plug-in a good emulation? I have heard of engineers using the compressor as a recording preamp. Should I perhaps look into a Demeter HXC-1 compressor instead? Any suggestions?

My main keyboards now are a Roland XP-80 (with a few expansions) and a Kurzweil K2000R. I also have a DX7][FD (w/ Grey Matter). And I think my Korg EX8000 and Kawai K3m are nice little analog synths.

I'm considering getting a Kurzweil PC3 (How is the B3 emulation?) Also maybe Roland V-Drums or maybe a nice Mapex or Yamaha drum set.

Whew! It looks like a lot of gear now. Anyway, I would like to read some feedback, maybe get some alternative ideas? Am I missing anything important?

[Shadow Boxer]

hey mate,
i just got a mac g5 2.5G quad with a 250G HD + a 1TB Hard drive and 8G RAM form a place in Melbourne Australia called new wave systems, they do refurbished macs and will ship os i think.. it was only $1895 AU.. it is a great machine and has a pci-e slot (that may or may not matter??).. anyway maybe worth a look, cheaper then the power mac you mentioned and way better then a mini..

hope that is of some help,, don’t know about the other stuff your looking at.. im pretty in experienced