You CAN have a pro home studio for 1 Grand!

[Jonathanvl]

So..People say you're a pro when you're making money with it.

My setup: Logic Studio 9, Rode NT1-A, Shure SM58, Saffire Pro 24 DSP, no monitors.

I record everything for my band myself. I use EZ Drummer for drums, and i use ampsims. I sell my music, and it sells good. Am i a pro now?


Or what if:

I've been working as an engineer in a top notch studio for 35 years. I retire, and have earned ALL of my money by making recordings. Am i still a pro, even when i'm retired? Guess not, i'm not making any money with recording.

Or what if:

I have the same skills as a pro recording/mixing engineer. But it's not my job, i don't earn any money with it, because i like my dayjob more. Am i a pro?

[Cans]

Originally Posted by Jonathanvl

So..People say you're a pro when you're making money with it.

My setup: Logic Studio 9, Rode NT1-A, Shure SM58, Saffire Pro 24 DSP, no monitors.

I record everything for my band myself. I use EZ Drummer for drums, and i use ampsims. I sell my music, and it sells good. Am i a pro now?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Jonathanvl

I've been working as an engineer in a top notch studio for 35 years. I retire, and have earned ALL of my money by making recordings. Am i still a pro, even when i'm retired? Guess not, i'm not making any money with recording.

No, you're not, you're a veteran/expert in the field.

Originally Posted by Jonathanvl

I have the same skills as a pro recording/mixing engineer. But it's not my job, i don't earn any money with it, because i like my dayjob more. Am i a pro?

No you're just skilled.

[Enlightened Hand]

Actually the issue with this thread was that one could have a "pro home studio for 1 grand".

That's not the same as saying it's possible to make professional sounding recordings for a grand of gear. I for one never doubted that it's ENTIRELY POSSIBLE to make professional sounding recordings for a grand in gear.

But EVERYONE can't do it (as implied by this thread). Because everyone doesn't have the experience and skill to pull it off. Those that claim to have the skill to pull it off and then post about how they have that skill ought to show the fruits of their claim if they are sincerely interested in motivating people to not be held back by their gear. You can SAY anything. But the proof is in the DOING. It's not enough to say that you can create something that sounds professional with your gear and then tell people that they can't hear what you have actually created until it has been significantly altered from the state you created it in. How does that motivate anyone? It's an empty assertion.

Further still, those that want to change the topic of this discussion towards one about whether it's "nice" to request someone show what they're talking about are obscuring the issue. This isn't about the burden of proof being nice. It's about making claims and then displaying absolutely no substantial, valid evidence to back them up.

We can go on and on about the discussion that this ISN'T. Or we can cut to the heart of the matter:

-Yes skilled people can make high quality recordings with the lowest budgets of gear.

-No everyone can't do that

-If you claim you can then it's customary to show that you can.

-No a professional recording facility, in the way that we all understand a recording facility to be in a commercial, professional capacity, cannot be had for 1-grand.

[dasnub]

Christ people, simply making money off something doesn't make you a pro. You have to do it for a living to be a professional. That means probably a minimum of $30k a year.
I can set up a lemonade stand in my driveway and make 25 cents a glass... That doesn't make me the owner of an Orange Julius.

[anna_britbass88]

^ lol Orange Julius

"My setup: Logic Studio 9, Rode NT1-A, Shure SM58, Saffire Pro 24 DSP, no monitors.
I record everything for my band myself. I use EZ Drummer for drums, and i use ampsims. I sell my music, and it sells good. Am i a pro now?"

what he said - well, that's the plan anyway - I plan on knockin' all yer socks off w/my SEMI-PROFESSIONAL RAW TRACKS before they go out to a PROFESSIONAL STUDIO FOR MIXING & MASTERING.

lol

[JSt0rm]

I think the most important thing for the low budget studio is a ****NG COOL sounding room.

Not perfect but ****ing cool. I know some guys down in san deigo that live in a little tiny ass apartment and it has all wooden walls in the main room with built in wooden bookshelves and that room sounds ****ing cool.

Now yes they are stuck with that room sound and in a pro studio you can adjust all of those reflections but they get good results from it. And no I dont have recordings sorry

[mhs2xs]

While I understand what the OP is trying to get across, the real issue, as I see it is this: Of course you can purchase several pieces of pro quality gear for a price in the neighborhood of a grand. But to say "a pro home studio" needs to come with a caveat.

As many others in this thread have indicated, certainly decent recordings can be made with the gear that was purchased. However, you're only going to do so much with it. I have been a musician for 36 years and own many thousands of dollars of equipment. I have quite a few mics and other recording gear that are highly regarded in this forum. Even with all that, there's no way I'd say my more than modest setup in my house is a pro facility. Owning pro gear does not a professional artist/engineer/producer make. And just making money at it, in my opinion, doesn't necessarily make you a professional in an industry either. To me, the moniker "professional" has certain connotations that go with it, like respect, reputation, work ethic, and last but not least, knowledge.

We are in an era where a lot of people think that just because they WANT to do something, or have the money to buy some stuff, they have then automatically achieved what they aspired to be with little or no experience to go with it. Modesty, humility and knowing how much you DON'T know about something seems a foreign concept these days. I'm not saying the OP is that way, but I've seen many others that are. They get a bunch of cash, run down to GC to buy a mic, an interface and a box-o-beats, and that's all that's required. If they thought far enough in advance, they've already got their business cards printed up.

I'm sure I'll get flamed as being "old" for my harsh and politically incorrect opinion on the subject. At some point though, the words we use have to actually mean something to someone else besides ourselves. So while it's possible for the right person to make pro recordings of certain vocals and/or instruments with $1k worth of gear, it falls well short of what I would consider a truly "professional" setup. But that's just my outdated and crusty opinion.

[psycho_monkey]

You can get results on a par with "pro" recordings for under a grand.

In some aspects. vocal recording for example. A decent mic, a reflexion filter and a way to hear what you're doing, and you can get good vocals. It's not hard.

You can't get a pro studio for a grand. A pro studio is much more than a mic, an interface and a computer.

[guitarboy94]

Seems that everybody has their own definition of "pro", and that's the real issue. Is there really a definition?

Just like all of these "pro" scientists who claim that global warming is caused by man....and all of the other "pro" scientists that claim that it isn't. What's the answer? Who's the pro? If they're both pro's, how can thousands of them be so right, and thousands of them be so wrong? Why are pros allowed to get it wrong and still call themselves pros? Why aren't amateurs allowed to call themselves pros when they get it right? Isn't the real gold in the finished product? Isn't that what really matters?

Me thinks so.

[Cans]

Originally Posted by anna_britbass88

^ lol Orange Julius

"My setup: Logic Studio 9, Rode NT1-A, Shure SM58, Saffire Pro 24 DSP, no monitors.
I record everything for my band myself. I use EZ Drummer for drums, and i use ampsims. I sell my music, and it sells good. Am i a pro now?"

what he said - well, that's the plan anyway - I plan on knockin' all yer socks off w/my SEMI-PROFESSIONAL RAW TRACKS before they go out to a PROFESSIONAL STUDIO FOR MIXING & MASTERING.

lol

you're definitely not pro, you don't have prism conversion and neve preamps.

gtfo with that SEMI-PROFESSIONAL shit, everyone knows you can't make good recordings without spending millions of dollars building and designing a studio from the ground up.

god, wtf is with you people.

[Cans]

Originally Posted by guitarboy94

Seems that everybody has their own definition of "pro", and that's the real issue. Is there really a definition?

Just like all of these "pro" scientists who claim that global warming is caused by man....and all of the other "pro" scientists that claim that it isn't. What's the answer? Who's the pro? If they're both pro's, how can thousands of them be so right, and thousands of them be so wrong? Why are pros allowed to get it wrong and still call themselves pros? Why aren't amateurs allowed to call themselves pros when they get it right? Isn't the real gold in the finished product? Isn't that what really matters?

Me thinks so.

Just because you're a professional does not make you an expert in all the given fields of study that are related to your profession. Just as if I'm a professional mixing engineer that does not make me an expert mastering engineer.

[anna_britbass88]

that's it! I'm going back to stripping!

[mhs2xs]

Originally Posted by guitarboy94

Seems that everybody has their own definition of "pro", and that's the real issue. Is there really a definition?

Just like all of these "pro" scientists who claim that global warming is caused by man....and all of the other "pro" scientists that claim that it isn't. What's the answer? Who's the pro? If they're both pro's, how can thousands of them be so right, and thousands of them be so wrong? Why are pros allowed to get it wrong and still call themselves pros? Why aren't amateurs allowed to call themselves pros when they get it right? Isn't the real gold in the finished product? Isn't that what really matters?

Me thinks so.

Not everything follows the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" philosophy. While I agree with your statement about the finished product, again, the words "professional home studio" is too broad a term to have "for a grand" attached to it, with nothing else to go on. The term professional, in a nutshell, means qualified. And not just qualified in you own mind. When you have the trust and accolades of your clients and peers and can build yourself an honest to god following of people who want your product, then you'd be considered a professional.

Some people think a Chevy is just as good as a Mercedes. Some people think that a cup of coffee from a gas station is just as good as Starbucks. Some people justify in their own mind certain things about what they're capable of doing. Every "singer" that shows up for American Idol thinks they are a professional. You have several true professionals working in the music business in this thread telling you what's professional and what's not. The only ones thinking that the defiinition is overly subjective, are not being honest with themselves.

[ShadowAMD]

Originally Posted by guitarboy94

Just the other day I realized how great my recordings are starting to sound after two painful years of buying and selling sub-par mics and preamps. I decided to tally up exactly how much I have invested in my current equipment. To my surprise, I came to the conclusion that around 1 grand can purchase a setup that can yield a pro recording. (and I stress the word can, provided one is a competent musician, songwriter and knows how to use that equipment). Keep in mind that I'm doing acoustic singer/songwriter type of stuff.

Here is my setup:

Focusrite ISA ONE preamp: $380 new from Ebay
Shure Sm7b: $250 used from Ebay
Oktava MK012 pencil microphone: $150 used on Ebay
EMU1212 soundcard: $150 new on Ebay
Monster XLR cable: $20
Sonar Producer 8 software: $50 used on Ebay
Headphones: $60
Monitors: Used off ebay 100 bucks.

Total comes to 1200 skins.

Now go make some great recordings!

It's a good start

I have more interest in recording and instruments than Gear, no point in putting crap in it whether you have a £1000 or £100000.. It's the people and the instruments that matter..

I have spent £4K on amps, guitars and drums alone.

[JSt0rm]

Originally Posted by anna_britbass88

that's it! I'm going back to stripping!

probably have more job security

[mhs2xs]

Originally Posted by JSt0rm

probably have more job security

That's right! Crazy business. But then again, it's all pretty crazy right now. The one constant is men will always pay to see a naked woman.

[gravyface]

This whole thread reeks of shameless self-promotion and click whoring.

[guitarboy94]

OMG! I've created a MONSTER with this thread...

[mhs2xs]

Originally Posted by ShadowAMD

It's a good start

I have more interest in recording and instruments than Gear, no point in putting crap in it whether you have a £1000 or £100000.. It's the people and the instruments that matter..

I have spent £4K on amps, guitars and drums alone.

I hear ya. I'm the extreme case. Just one of my Les Paul Customs is worth $3500. In most cases, you get get what you pay for. Every now and then, there's gems for cheap. Formthe most part though, good sounds cost.

[ShadowAMD]

Originally Posted by mhs2xs

I hear ya. I'm the extreme case. Just one of my Les Paul Customs is worth $3500. In most cases, you get get what you pay for. Every now and then, there's gems for cheap. Formthe most part though, good sounds cost.

MMM very nice, I've noticed even dreaded amp sim's sound better with good guitars.

[dasnub]

Originally Posted by guitarboy94

OMG! I've created a MONSTER with this thread...The cool thing is that my webpage received 250 something views last week! Keep the comments coming!!!

You're almost as close to being Google as you are to being Andy Wallace. Pro on so many levels!

[Convectuoso]

Originally Posted by newdigitaluser

your milage must vary

i love using headphones to mix/master
much better easier faster cheaper than speakers
and fixing room acoustics

When Ted Jensen starts mastering on headphones then maybe I'll start too.

When the big mixers stop mixing on speakers and exclusively on headphones, maybe I'll start too.

Post some of your mastering/mixing done on headphone and I'll bet $1 they don't translate well to speakers.

[mhs2xs]

Originally Posted by ShadowAMD

MMM very nice, I've noticed even dreaded amp sim's sound better with good guitars.

I'm glad you're able to make that happen. All of mine were cheap though. I finally gave up and bought an Egnater Renegade and never looked back. Between it and all the guitars I have, I can get most any sound I care to get.

[ShadowAMD]

Originally Posted by mhs2xs

I'm glad you're able to make that happen. All of mine were cheap though. I finally gave up and bought an Egnater Renegade and never looked back. Between it and all the guitars I have, I can get most any sound I care to get.

Yeah I'm a Mesa fan, not the easiest to dial in the best tone but when you do. It's magical.

[mhs2xs]

Originally Posted by gravyface

This whole thread reeks of shameless self-promotion and click whoring.

And no audio. Please post all music that sells plenty. or a short clip, no need for the whole tune. I'm always interested to hear what people are doing with meager amounts of gear.

Here's one my son and I are messing around with

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/7364334-post424.html

[Convectuoso]

Originally Posted by ShadowAMD

It's a good start

I have more interest in recording and instruments than Gear, no point in putting crap in it whether you have a £1000 or £100000.. It's the people and the instruments that matter..

I have spent £4K on amps, guitars and drums alone.

I have a $3000NZD bass guitar (that I paid $1000NZD for), a Les Paul Studio (no need for frills for me), a Bogner Alchemist, a Fender Pro Junior and a couple of pedals. I could still buy a Fender Telecaster, a Mesa of some sort, and a bigger Fender amp, and this is all way over the budget.

Instruments to me always make way more difference than preamps/converters. Mic's a big deal next of all, but man, the difference between a REAL guitar and a cheap knock off is incredible.

[ShadowAMD]

Originally Posted by Convectuoso

I have a $3000NZD bass guitar (that I paid $1000NZD for), a Les Paul Studio (no need for frills for me), a Bogner Alchemist, a Fender Pro Junior and a couple of pedals. I could still buy a Fender Telecaster, a Mesa of some sort, and a bigger Fender amp, and this is all way over the budget.

Instruments to me always make way more difference than preamps/converters. Mic's a big deal next of all, but man, the difference between a REAL guitar and a cheap knock off is incredible.

Before I started mixing years back, I had a whatever approach to it.. I think it was mainly factored in by money

It's surprising how just a good set of strings for your guitar can make a difference.. I have a Schecter BlackJack, it's not the cheapest guitar in the world and it sounded rubbish.. I changed the strings and the difference was very noticeable.. I am really happy with it :D

Converters and pre's after a certain level just become characters, like comp's... They aren't necessary but they can be justified..

It all depends what you want, The PBC-6A / Distressor / LA2A gives a Rhode or some Neumann's less of an Ice pick in your ears effect, when used as a coloured device..

But I'm pretty sure I could get a transparent comp and EQ it..

I can't add something that was never there.

[Squidy]

Having a good setup at home these days is easy, but I still wouldn't call them pro unless the people involved had some great skill.

I recall a time where an old friend's local band was going to record. They'd sunk a considerable amount of money into a home setup and paid a friend to record it. It sounded bad. The gear was crap, the sound was crap etc... they blamed the gear and not themselves. They asked me to record them and they'd pay me money. I walked in, saw the setup and went "ok, so where's the rest?" and pretty much refused to do it. I knew I could do it, but it wouldn't have been the best sounding recording they wanted so I politely declined. 3 mics for a drumkit? Direct out from the amp with no speaker emulation straight into the mixer? Really?

They played back what they'd recorded previously and it was atrocious. They'd even used the kick mic to record both a kick AND a guitar amp at the same time (put one right up to the other and stuck the mic in the middle). I convinced them to pay a pro to record them because they had great songs. They paid a pro... to come to their house. The complete opposite of what I was talking about.

I sat around out of curiousity. The pro looked like he was about to walk, but he'd been paid so he tried. He was using the same gear and after careful micing and bringing in a few of his own he pulled a miracle. He was doing all kinds of things to get extra channels, bouncing from one mixer to another to record drums then back into the main mixer etc and all this stuff they'd never heard of or even thought of. He pulled it off with minimum gear. He knew his gear and how to work it. Most people go "oh, this mixer is too small" and pros are like "fit you son of a bitch, FIT!" and they'll pull miracles with less gear.

It was at that point I realised the difference between a pro and a pro home studio. A pro has the experience, the patience, and the absolute balls to make it work and with a "think outside the box" mentality. He was only a small time pro dude, but he inspired me in a big way.

That's not to say home studios can't be good, they can be excellent, but you really need to know your sh*t and your craft to get the results you're after.

The funny thing was, as he was leaving he was less than pro, he said "please don't call me again". I laughed my balls off, but the other guys were offended.

After seeing their effort compared to this guy, the difference is night and day. Hats off to the guy. I was in awe the whole time, the way he handled the situation and thought ways around limitations, it was amazing to watch. I sat around and didn't even utter a word, just watching. The world needs more people like that. THAT is a pro.

[LoganKade]

Originally Posted by mhs2xs

And no audio. Please post all music that sells plenty. or a short clip, no need for the whole tune. I'm always interested to hear what people are doing with meager amounts of gear.

Here's one my son and I are messing around with

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/7364334-post424.html

That acoustic sounds really lush. I think it sounds like a really solid recording of everything overall, actually, especially to not have vocals or be mixed yet. I'd say well done

[funkycam]

Originally Posted by Squidy

Having a good setup at home these days is easy, but I still wouldn't call them pro unless the people involved had some great skill.

I recall a time where an old friend's local band was going to record. They'd sunk a considerable amount of money into a home setup and paid a friend to record it. It sounded bad. The gear was crap, the sound was crap etc... they blamed the gear and not themselves. They asked me to record them and they'd pay me money. I walked in, saw the setup and went "ok, so where's the rest?" and pretty much refused to do it. I knew I could do it, but it wouldn't have been the best sounding recording they wanted so I politely declined. 3 mics for a drumkit? Direct out from the amp with no speaker emulation straight into the mixer? Really?

They played back what they'd recorded previously and it was atrocious. They'd even used the kick mic to record both a kick AND a guitar amp at the same time (put one right up to the other and stuck the mic in the middle). I convinced them to pay a pro to record them because they had great songs. They paid a pro... to come to their house. The complete opposite of what I was talking about.

I sat around out of curiousity. The pro looked like he was about to walk, but he'd been paid so he tried. He was using the same gear and after careful micing and bringing in a few of his own he pulled a miracle. He was doing all kinds of things to get extra channels, bouncing from one mixer to another to record drums then back into the main mixer etc and all this stuff they'd never heard of or even thought of. He pulled it off with minimum gear. He knew his gear and how to work it. Most people go "oh, this mixer is too small" and pros are like "fit you son of a bitch, FIT!" and they'll pull miracles with less gear.

It was at that point I realised the difference between a pro and a pro home studio. A pro has the experience, the patience, and the absolute balls to make it work and with a "think outside the box" mentality. He was only a small time pro dude, but he inspired me in a big way.

That's not to say home studios can't be good, they can be excellent, but you really need to know your sh*t and your craft to get the results you're after.

The funny thing was, as he was leaving he was less than pro, he said "please don't call me again". I laughed my balls off, but the other guys were offended.

After seeing their effort compared to this guy, the difference is night and day. Hats off to the guy. I was in awe the whole time, the way he handled the situation and thought ways around limitations, it was amazing to watch. I sat around and didn't even utter a word, just watching. The world needs more people like that. THAT is a pro.

this post is pure gold.