What would you change first ?

[squeeks555]

my first step would be to mod the 1814 -

http://www.blacklionaudio.com/maudio_FW1814.html

then a good pre.

[gainstages]

you can make great recordings with humble gear. with that said.. I'd still suggest a couple of things. I'd suggest beefing up your front end a bit - you have great mics, they deserve the option of a better preamp once in a while... Something like a vintech x73i that has a killer preamp and some nice eq would be one way to go, another way to go would be a more complete channel strip like an avalon 737 or somethign that has eq and dynamics controls.

A good set of converters would help.

finally, a nice analog stereo compressor or eq to run your digital mix through at the finishing stage would be great as well.

but don't let the gear determine your quality of work - you determine the quality with your skills and then use the gear to compliment it. if you are really happy with things, don't waste your money with a mediocre upgrade, save for something that will really make a nice difference.

[5down1up]

Nice collection ! improving the ADs will help a lot, the maudio sounds really boring compared to some of the " big boys "

[bass man]

So first thing to change for the better results are the converters and then the pre-amps right ?

my list of most important improvements would be:

1.Room
2.Mics
3.&4 pres and converters ( not sure what to think)
5 Monitoring

[bass man]

My opinion is that the real thing-sonic-sound difference between the mid range and hi end converters is not that big as for ex. mid range and hi end sdc or ldc mics . Almost the same with the pre amps ...What do you think ?
Difference between plug in EQ and Reverb and the real hardware is something else , like really a huge difference . But thats just my opinion . I did a lot of a-b on pre amps and mics and some on the sound cards but not that much .

[Jimbo]

On the other end of the transducer spectrum, what are you using for your monitor chain while you mix?

[bass man]

Monitor Chain ??
I have Yamaha hs50 monitors , akg 240 df and 240 studio phones .. thats it and ofcourse mid range and upper mid range stereo for double check . Thats it

[David Rick]

I think you've got a very fine mic locker for someone whose main gig is as a player.

The main problem here is that you can't really hear what you're doing.

If you have a little money. Get your monitors off the table and onto floor stands positioned to avoid a desk reflection. Then treat the first order reflection points with homemade 703 panels or cost-effective products from Real Traps or GIK Acoustics.

If you have more money, do the above and replace your monitors with something more neutral. (ADAM and Dynaudio would both be high on my list, but there are other good choices, too.)

Once you can hear, it's back to working on the recording chain. Traditional jazz doesn't need much in the way of compression, but in modern jazz it's part of the sound. If you are going to using software compressors, then your A/D conversion needs to be really excellent. OTOH, if you are willing to commit to a sound when tracking, you could write your next check for a great compressor. Your A/D converters may end up sounding a lot better if you're not pushing them to the wall. Trouble is, you're probably looking at upwards of $1500 for seriously good compression. At that point, you might be better off spending the money on a good A/D/A box like the Lynx Aurora or Apogee Ensemble. That would improve your monitoring chain as well.

David L. Rick
Seventh String Recording