upgrage question

[ghosttt]

in terms of hittin our pocket hard we need a few things to upgrade.

first we need a really good pre i was looking into the gtq mark 2

and as a compressor i was thinking of the good old 160 vu a pair
and a pair of distressors

heres my question if you wwere doing an upgrade (mind you i track to protools from the mpc thru a board ) what peice of equipment would be a more substantial upgrade first should i focus on the good pres and good compressor then when the money is right get an ad coverter (rosetta) or should i get the converter first?

i want pro sounding audio..
i know its more than a 1 step process but in what direction should i concentrate first.

[XHipHop]

If you're goign to be using the DBX 160's in stereo, you can save a few bucks getting a 162. They go for about $600 on ebay, which is a steal (even though i just probably ruined the prices).

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by XHipHop

If you're goign to be using the DBX 160's in stereo, you can save a few bucks getting a 162. They go for about $600 on ebay, which is a steal (even though i just probably ruined the prices).

162 and 160VU...


Totally different sound.



For the poster save your pennies on the 160VU pair and buy a Tubetech CL1B(edited).

[XHipHop]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

162 and 160VU...


Totally different sound.



For the poster save your pennies on the 160VU pair and buy a Distressor.

Ok...technically you're right.

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...hlight=dbx+162

That should clear up the differences.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by XHipHop

Ok...technically you're right.

.

XHip,

I was just talking about sound alone.

The 160VU has a very characteristic sound.

Its just not the most flexible unit.

The 160SL and 162 i've owned and sonically its very different.

To my ears what they have in common is that they are both not that flexible.

[XHipHop]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

XHip,

I was just talking about sound alone.

The 160VU has a very characteristic sound.

Its just not the most flexible unit.

The 160SL and 162 i've owned and sonically its very different.

To my ears what they have in common is that they are both not that flexible.

I believe you. I never tried them side by side so I did a search and I came up with the differences in their VCA.

[ghosttt]

thanks yall,
but you guys still haven't answered my question.
maybe i should clarify it better.

what im actually asking is i want to do an upgrade to my system, should i first buy a good compressor or buy a good converter to track with?

cl1b i heard is good,
i hear the 160vu isn't that flexible however it does add alot of color? am i correct on this?
so the 162 is the stereo version, can you unlink them to use them individuallly in this model?

boards like this are awesome, so i wont get jerked every again. i wish i stumbled on this thing 3 years ago.

[Audio1420]

Yo, Your looking for a good comp, pre, eq and a/d converter grab the SSL XLOGIC with A/D192khz unit... I have 2 of them and love it... Match that with a BIGBEN and use the clock it's Nasty...

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by ghosttt

thanks yall,
but you guys still haven't answered my question.
maybe i should clarify it better.

what im actually asking is i want to do an upgrade to my system, should i first buy a good compressor or buy a good converter to track with?

.

What are you looking to track?

Synths or vocals?

If its both than in true gearslut fashion the answer is you need both.

[ghosttt]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

What are you looking to track?

Synths or vocals?

If its both than in true gearslut fashion the answer is you need both.

somehow i knew someone was going to say that.... my pockets are already starting
to ache me just thinking about it.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

What are you looking to track?

Synths or vocals?

If its both than in true gearslut fashion the answer is you need both.

Yes... And the GTQ can do double duty in this case... I have one and use it for vocals and tracking keyboards, MPC, etc.. The GTQ and a pair of 160's would be a better upgrade for right now than buying the converter.

[heathen]

Get a second hand al smart c2 and some second hand apogee converters ie:psx100se they are superceeded now and probably sound just as good as the new rosettas.I did this recently and it made a hell of a difference.Good converters and a high quality fast vca comp for anything from tracking whatever to stereo buss compression.Spend some moolah youll be happy if your a true gearslut.The al smart and apogee were just an example. There are so many other top comps,eq's and converters out there (that i cant afford),I want them all.But buy expensive gear for cheap if possible,there are big studio's closing down everywhere and still brand new superceeded gear in shops,offer em cash they'll do you a gooood deal,usually.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

Yes... And the GTQ can do double duty in this case... I have one and use it for vocals and tracking keyboards, MPC, etc.. The GTQ and a pair of 160's would be a better upgrade for right now than buying the converter.

Well if he is tracking vocals the converter is crucial.

If he is tracking synths/drum machines than a nice pre/EQ and with some dynamics would be cool.

And of course you need a really good monitoring setup(speakers and D/A converter) to hear what you are doing.


Basically you need everything.

I would look into the new AMS 1073 mic pre with the A/D.

A Distressor and a Benchmark DAC-1.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

Well if he is tracking vocals the converter is crucial.

If he is tracking synths/drum machines than a nice pre/EQ and with some dynamics would be cool.

And of course you need a really good monitoring setup(speakers and D/A converter) to hear what you are doing.


Basically you need everything.

I would look into the new AMS 1073 mic pre with the A/D.

A Distressor and a Benchmark DAC-1.

Yes, as a true gearslut he needs everything.. And a converter can be important when tracking vocals, more so than with synths... But, wouldn't you want a great mic pre, rather than hooking up a Behringer to a Lavry or Apogee??

Any way, here's my theory on uprgading your signal path... It starts with the source and moves down the chain.

1st up to improving your sound is using a suitable mic with proper placement... It doesn't have to be a $3000 tube condenser. There are many mics in the $500-1500 price range that would be quite usable. Proper use of the mic and proper placement is often times even more important than the actual mic used. Good results can be achieved with a 57 when used properly.
2nd is using a really good mic preamp to give you the best results with your mic and placement, etc. I think you have a great choice in the GTQ, because it gives you 2 channels of preamp/ DI/ and EQ(which is part of step3)
3rd is outboard EQ and compression(sometimes this step can be skipped, but if you are tracking vocals, it's good to have at least 1 good compressor.. TLA-100, Distressor, 1176, 160VU, etc)
Then I would include the high quality AD/DA as the 4th step after the first 3 have been satisfied..

Of course monitors are very important, too.. Those are independent of the tracking chain and not knowing what you have, it's hard to say if you even need to upgrade them.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

Yes, as a true gearslut he needs everything.. And a converter can be important when tracking vocals, more so than with synths... But, wouldn't you want a great mic pre, rather than hooking up a Behringer to a Lavry or Apogee?? .

Personally i sometimes think that mic pre's are over rated.

For vocals the right microphone, room and conversion have always to me made the biggest impact on the sound.

Same goes for the synths.

You could easily track keys through good direct boxes.

Now having an EQ with the pre helps if you want to process the sounds upon tracking.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

Personally i sometimes think that mic pre's are over rated.

Possibly... We could probably debate that for days though...

Anyway, are you going to the Gearslutz get-together for AES?

[ghosttt]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

Yes, as a true gearslut he needs everything.. And a converter can be important when tracking vocals, more so than with synths... But, wouldn't you want a great mic pre, rather than hooking up a Behringer to a Lavry or Apogee??

Any way, here's my theory on uprgading your signal path... It starts with the source and moves down the chain.

1st up to improving your sound is using a suitable mic with proper placement... It doesn't have to be a $3000 tube condenser. There are many mics in the $500-1500 price range that would be quite usable. Proper use of the mic and proper placement is often times even more important than the actual mic used. Good results can be achieved with a 57 when used properly.
2nd is using a really good mic preamp to give you the best results with your mic and placement, etc. I think you have a great choice in the GTQ, because it gives you 2 channels of preamp/ DI/ and EQ(which is part of step3)
3rd is outboard EQ and compression(sometimes this step can be skipped, but if you are tracking vocals, it's good to have at least 1 good compressor.. TLA-100, Distressor, 1176, 160VU, etc)
Then I would include the high quality AD/DA as the 4th step after the first 3 have been satisfied..

Of course monitors are very important, too.. Those are independent of the tracking chain and not knowing what you have, it's hard to say if you even need to upgrade them.

krks we have for monitoring. which we just bought and love.
we havea a groove tubes mic that cost about 6 bills, and to be honest i love the sound. that for now isn't a bad choice. i have listen to my mans vocals thru that and a nueman and to be tottally honest the neueman sounds just a tad richer. we were actually tracking thru an analog board the mpc into the 002. recording vocals directly to the 002, which in my idea i think a good pre would really come in handy for both.

gtq is about where im at right this moment.

as far as compressors go, the 160vus are good, but is there something that can give a good color and compression thats a bit more modern later model?

i have seena a pair of 160 vus on ebay, going for 1600, which isn't too bad.

also if we are going to do the upgrade i just spoke with my partner and hes agrees fuk it we ill put ourselves in hock for a minute, i think we are going to just step up and buy everything true gearslutz fashion. i def know we need a good pre and compressor, then after that a good converter.


anyone try the rme ad2 converter?

forgive me if i am asking too many questions, i just am tired of running around like a chicken with out a head, and def am looking to wrap tackle the sales person in guitar center next time i see him. actually i am going to use them tommorow like they have used us, i am going to gc, and making this kid track our mpc thru 002 thru a annray of stuff to hear whats up, make him think everythings copastetic and we are going to spend, waste his time for like 2 hours then hit tony belmont up on email for a deal.....bahahahh they should have a rule at musics shops hire people not just hungry to make a sale but actually benificial to you as a consumer.

[halfguard]

i agree. im also waiting to see if someone has some info on the rme converters.