Project Studio Upgrade(need help on mic/pre-amp choices)(Instrumentals/Rock/Pop))

[teraslasch]

Hi guys ,

I'm new to the forums! (please be gentle ). I currently own a small bedroom home studio setup consisting of (Maudio firewire 410, Maudio bx5as - yea i know they suck big , m-audio lunar condensor (yet again) , a powerful DAW) , I am in the process of upgrading my stuff to have a decent project studio quality . I will be rennovating my room (hacking down the inbuilt cabinets etc.) , as well as going for acoustic treatment.


First and foremost, let me tell you my goals and genre. This project studio that i'm about to upgrade to will firstly cater to music for the media (games,jingles,etc.), secondly my own instrumental music, and thirdly for rock/pop recording (minus the drums). I will be getting Sonar 6, and my soft samplers (ewql plat bundle/ ew colussus/symphonicchoirs/ra ) have already arrived.

I am in a dilemma now, as i need something versatile yet high quality to be able to record acoustic instruments for instumental (Flutes/violins/saxes/a.guitars) , as well as pop rock stuff. Therefore , im having a situation where im confused as to which microphone or preamp to get. I can only have a choice of ONE preamp, and after surfin thru' here quite a bit, i came to a conclusion the A-designs pacifica would do much good for me. (any comments? ) Another decision is yet, which microhphone(s) , should i get? I'm really clueless on this, my inital decision was to just get the neumann u87 just alone, but it looks like i SHOULD NOT be doing this as the money could be spent in a much more effective manner to suit my needs.

I've pretty much settled on a few equipments :

Audio Interface : Tascam FW 1884
Monitors : JBL 4328P
Pre-amp : ?
Microphone(S) : ?
Sonar 6
My soft samplers
*Already have KORG Ms2000R analogue synth modellor/ Roland MDC dance rack*

My buget for the microhpone(S) is about 3k USD +/-, and for the one and only preamp, about the price of the Pacifica , 2K USD +/-

Here is a link of a sample of the kind of instrumental i do :

Prologue ~The Awakening~
http://www.sympheramusic.com/Prologu...ening_Demo.mp3

A Hero's Tale
http://www.sympheramusic.com/a_heros_tale_ver101.mp3

As you can hear, those are samples now and i really do wanna replace the violin / flute /shakahuchi sounds with real ones and i really need the "warmth" . Player wise, i will be hiring proffesionals to do the playing , so it should not be a problem.

I will also be doing pop rock recordings for my friend's band (another very important factor for me), as well as offering decent voice-overs for demos etc. (and my work related to music for any form of media).

Thank you for reading my ultra-long first post , would kindly appreciate suggestions! .

*i forgot to add that i have a shure 57*

Tera,
www.sympheramusic,com

[teraslasch]

any help,? thanks

[filltrate]

I would suggest the new Mojave MA-200 large diaphragm tube condenser mic. Its designed by David Royer (i.e. Royer 121,122 Ribbon mics to name a few). I was fortunate enough to have the guys at Royer let me test out a pair and they sound GREAT!!! and the price is just right(Im going to buy a pair for myself). I used them on Overheads for drums, on horns, vocals all with great results. Havent tried acoustic gtr yet but Im sure they would sound good on that as well.
As for a mic pre i would say a Chandler LTD-1 it might be expensive but its worth it. If not that, maybe something without the EQ section like an API or Brent Averill 1272. The only problem w/ the 1272 is there is no phase switch on them (not on the ones ive worked w/)
I just checked out the A-Designs mic pre(never heard them) they look good, and for that price they go for im sure they will suffice.

[teraslasch]

hi filltrate, thanks for your suggestions, anyone else can help out?

[mojo1]

Another big thumbs up for a pair of the Mojave Ma 200's. You may also want to get a pair of small diaphragm condensers for acoustic guitar.

Another pre that is quite interesting is made by Fred Forssell. Check him out at www.forsselltech.com.

Those are ultra clean, but VERY big sounding....

By the way, I have the Tascam 1884 and have been quite happy with it!
just my .02!

[teraslasch]

hey guys, thanks i'll definitely chck out the Mojave MA200! everyone, plz get yer suggestions comin! . btw, how u guys find my music?

[teraslasch]

bumpz,. anyone one?

[teraslasch]

bump!