What's my weakest link?

[Polarelch]

Hey people.
I'm having a small home studio, I'm no pro but I would like to develop and
have sleepless nights about which element in my recording environment should be replaced next.
Since my budget is small compared to the prices for really good devices, I can't buy everything at once but maybe 4 times a year or so :)
I'm recording just synths and vst instruments/samplers - and vocals. No guitars or other.

Okay, what's the weakest point on my gear list?

Computer: Pentium 4 (3 Ghz), 2 GB RAM, Windows XP
Software Sequencer: Cubase Studio 4
VSTis: Battery 2, Absynth 2, The Oddity, Minimonsta, ImpOSCar, M-Tron, Korg Legacy Collection
Mastering software: none, only using Steinberg Get It On CD, and for mp3-encoding
Audio-Interface: Tascam FW-1082
Synths: Korg Triton, Kurzweil PC1X, Roland Juno-D, microKorg, micron (gonna sell the latter 2 soon)
mic: Audio Technica AT2020
preamp: Presonus TubePre
Vocal room: 3 plates of foam, arranged like a semi cube, attached to shower curtain sticks between 2 narrow window walls, carpet on the floor, curtain behind is closed
speakers: Esi nEar 05
Cables: Does it matter?

Okay, the mastering software isn't that important to me, neither are the speakers. I want to improve my sound quality and the workflow.
Rightnow I'm hesitating between a new PC and a Virus TI (since it's the biggest amount of money that I will have to pay for only one item within the first 5 years of my homerecording era).

Any idea anyone what element should be replaced or improved next? :)

[manthe]

Looks like your room/mix area would be the primary culprit if your mixes suffer.

For a home studio, with no aspirations of 'going pro', your gear is not going to be an issue. Sure, there is ALWAYS a better mic/converter/preamp/compressor/etc/etc/etc.

Sounds like your just trying to have fun, be creative and learn. It also sounds like the VAST majority of your signal chain will be ITB. So, your weakness(es) will be once the sounds leaves the digital domain, ie speakers and room.

I'm not familiar with those monitors. Most low-cost monitors are very hyped. They are not accurate. As such, it is far morte difficult to mix properly because you are not hearing a true representation of the audio. If you couple that with a poorly (or non) treated room, with a lot of reflections, standing waves, bass build-up, etc, it makes for a very hostile mix environment.

You might eventually 'get used to it' and learn to work around it to a degree, but it will always haunt you.

Personal, home studio folks usually neglect those 2 VERY important factors. I did! I spent years wrestling with a crappy room and crappy monitors.

I went in a slightly different direction than you. I decided I was ready to make my services available as a 'mix engineer' and a lower-cost alternative for demos, local post production/advertisements, voice over, etc. During my move and my upgrade, the TIP TOP of my list, in terms of budget allocation and importance were room treatments and monitors.

It has made an incalculable difference!

[Polarelch]

Yeah, I agree in most points.
But....

I found out, that my songs sound diferent on every device, and the listener is most likely *not* listening with studio boxes in a treated room, is he? :)
That's what I wonder about....

my latest album - I listened to it either via my hifi or via my discounter-mp3-player's 5-Euro headphones ;)

Anyway.... my room treatment possibilities are limited, since my bed is right behind me. Hmm, maybe some white plates at the opposite wall would do?

[johnwayne]

Room treatment, room treatment, room treatment, then a nice pair of monitors. Everything you have now will sound 100% better with these two.

You're going to have to do some reading on Acoustics and it will take some time, but it will be worth it. You can have less equip but know your acoustics and your stuff will sound pretty decent. Learn about how sound travels, nulls in your room, Calibrating your speakers, measuring the frequency response of the mixing position, and how to tune your room.

Sounds really boring huh. Well, these things will be invaluable to your mixes and tracking. Anyone that doesn't do this is really trying to drive with 4 flat tires. And remember to have fun.

Look here for info RealTraps - Videos

[The Kamillion]

If you're new to recording a good starting point is to remember the laws of the signal chain. And that chain STARTS with source. source could be a numbe of things, your voice, your skills as a musician, your room (if you were doing a lot of accoustic music which you're not). Source is THE most important thing. So if you feel fairly good about your talent/the talent around you - the next step is your mic/line section. as you mentioned you do use outboard synths (so do I) so that means your DI's and your mic/pres. A good listening recording environment IS important but you CAN overcome a bad listening room - you can't overcome a presonus tube pre.

[The Kamillion]

1 other thing - cables are JUST AS IMPORTANT as anything else. its the one area most people neglect.

[melodic_disaster]

hard to say how your room and monitors translate, but my hunch would be

1) broadband absorption - corners and ceiling - mix room and both
2) monitors (not familiar with yours but flat and revealing are good)
3) mic
4) pre
5) d/a

auralex / foam has never cut it for me. the classic overlooked detail in a home studio are early reflections and frequency buildupsand nulls, both in booth and mix room. without tackling this first, it is like building a house on sand. you will be chasing your tail to try to get anything to sound good unless you're just lucky.

sure, you could go without and just upgrade your mic and pre, but the sound of your overall songs will probabaly plateau fast. from song to song you will be wondering why one sounds decent and the next like crap. especially in the low end.

[Polarelch]

Hey again, thanks for the first advices.
I think I'm gonna give my thoughts about each element and what I think is annoying me / could be better:

Computer: having massive problems with CPU. Almost no song without increasing the latency to 2048 samples. And still it's gonna do noises, especialy with my fave vsti minimonsta.

Software Sequencer: Cubase Studio 4
Missing some effects, the control room, the studio eq and some other minor things.

VSTis: Missing virtual guitarist - or a real guitarist who would do my songs without payment ;)

Tascam FW-1082: Great advice, don't wanna miss it, but sometimes the connection with the computer seems unstable. But that could be also the computer's or the fw-card's or the cable's fault, couldn't it?
BTW: Is the interface deciding about audio quality?

Synths: missing Virus and some analog one

mic: Audio Technica AT2020
and preamp: Presonus TubePre
Okay, here's the area where I'm absolutely clueless. I'm not a singer in first place, rather a songwriter who hates to sing (see my other thread in the moan zone). you can hear my singing on www.myspace.com/felixpenk if you'd like to hear some demos.

Vocal room: seems fine
mixing room: right, seems not so fine :)

speakers: Esi nEar 05
I don't like their sound. But I don't like to spend my little money on boxes either :(

[The Kamillion]

hey dude. checked your page. u got a cool quirky vibe going on. it at least shows u have an idea of what you want. your room is important. but your SOUND will dramatically improve with better di's/pres


pres = how it IS

room = how its PERCEIVED

[Polarelch]

di's for Synths you mean? So new audio interface?

For the mic preamp, I am thinking about FMR's Real Nice Preamp.

[melodic_disaster]

After listening to your songs i would say not to focus too much on your pro audio gear. Your best area of improvement would seem to lie in the production and arrangement / writing as well as your production equipment.

good luck and have fun making music

[Polarelch]

yeah well I agree about production and arrangement, disagree about songwriting - my myspace site offers some quite experimental and rather unusual examples of my songwriting work, and unlike the production quality that can be bad or good, songwriting is quite depending on taste I'd say

Well but I'm learning, I got a new german book on Cubase and already this brought me a lot further.
Oops, and to be mentioned: I recorded the myspace songs with Cubase SE.

edit: AND with a dynamic microphone. Didn't have the AT and the TubePre back then yet!

[The Kamillion]

Originally Posted by Polarelch

di's for Synths you mean? So new audio interface?

For the mic preamp, I am thinking about FMR's Real Nice Preamp.

NO.

Check your email.

[melodic_disaster]

yeah, sorry i threw in songwriting because it almost goes hand in hand with production in that genre, so the line can be blurred for many. i wasn't knocking on your songs, just offering a stream of consciousness.

[Polarelch]

well I'm coming from classic pop/rock and went all electric cos I couldn't find any guitarist on this planet to play with me ;)
Usually, I'm "writing" (in my head) with loads of guitars, just can't express these songs with my abilities - so I'm doing only these songs that can work as synthpop or piano pop rightnow.

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by johnwayne

Room treatment, room treatment, room treatment, then a nice pair of monitors. Everything you have now will sound 100% better with these two.

You're going to have to do some reading on Acoustics and it will take some time, but it will be worth it. You can have less equip but know your acoustics and your stuff will sound pretty decent. Learn about how sound travels, nulls in your room, Calibrating your speakers, measuring the frequency response of the mixing position, and how to tune your room.

Sounds really boring huh. Well, these things will be invaluable to your mixes and tracking. Anyone that doesn't do this is really trying to drive with 4 flat tires. And remember to have fun.

Look here for info RealTraps - Videos

could not be said any better. WORD!!!!!!

Glenn

[u b k]

Originally Posted by Polarelch

speakers: Esi nEar 05
I don't like their sound. But I don't like to spend my little money on boxes either :(

then you're beat, because those are your weakest link.


gregoire
del
ubk
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