Do you mix low-end with high-end in your studio, and how do you feel about it?

[Lunatique]

The guys with money can afford to have their entire studio consist of only high-end gears, but for the rest of us, we may splurge on a high-end piece here and there, but the rest of the studio would be glaringly low-end or maybe up to middle of the road.

How do you guys feel about mixing all these different tiers of products together in a studio? Are we compromising the signal chain with the weaker links?

[Keire]

I think you answered your own question...its called low end for a reason, of course you are!

[gearaddict]

I think it depends on what low end piece of gear...Im happy to tell you that alot of low end gear has the exact same insides as some of the high end gear.... SOMETIMES you only pay for the name...and yes it has been seen and proven..
Start here AudioProz - Welcome to Audioproz.com

Dont shoot the messenger!!

[anteupaudio]

Originally Posted by Keire

I think you answered your own question...its called low end for a reason, of course you are!

I think this is pretty misleading...

Use your ears. Don't worry about if a mic costs $6,000.00 or $60.00. Use what's right for the track. Sometimes the "expensive" gear just doesn't sound right on a source. Don't ever let a price tag or a brand name make the decision for you. Do what sounds right.

[qsblues]

Ask Trent Reznor. He's made more than a few tracks with Garage Band!

[fooman]

I'm pretty much the studio you are speaking of... I own an API 3124+, Lynx Aurora 16, UAD-2, and a really good guitar amp. That's pretty much it in terms of what I would consider gear that your lower-end studio can't afford. I can get my hands on better instruments if needed, but I don't own anything that would be considered amazing by anyone here.

I also own the standard mics. 421, 57s, 58s, KSM44s, D112, D6 etc etc. Nothing over the $1k mark. Simply not affordable right now.

My take is that you are more limited by your ability than any piece of gear... but if you want to look at it then yes you are right for the most part. If you have a really nice mic but the preamp is cheapo, then you will be limited by this preamp. Perhaps your ability to pick a really good mic location will help a lot tho!

It depends a lot of what piece of gear you are talking about I guess as well. My monitors are not excellent, and they definitely hinder me. That's an example of something that I would consider very important.

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by anteupaudio

I think this is pretty misleading...

Use your ears. Don't worry about if a mic costs $6,000.00 or $60.00. Use what's right for the track. Sometimes the "expensive" gear just doesn't sound right on a source. Don't ever let a price tag or a brand name make the decision for you. Do what sounds right.

In a nutshell! thumbsupthumbsupthumbsup

If I had a £ for every time a pricey box was beat by a cheap one for a specific task in a mix I'd be very rich.......if anything the expensive gear is more likely to work in more situations, but sometimes a cheap thing just sounds 'right' for the job. They're all just flavours. Of course, if you use ONLY cheap flavours, the whole thing will likely be blurrier, but mixing them up is just part of the course....I don't want saffron on everything myself....although I love the stuff.

[smoke]

Originally Posted by Karloff70

I don't want saffron on everything myself....although I love the stuff.

Saffron has very subtle flavor, but a nice color. For a lot cheaper, you can use achiote seed and have the similar result.

[Karloff70]

And now and again cheap, dirty, banging capers are the shit!

[matskull]

I just bought a matched pair of kel hm-1 mics and I think they're really good for my drum overhead.
Cost me 320$ CAD.
They will perfectly do the job until I have 3000$ to spend on a high en pair of microphones.
On the other side, I only have a behringer mixer as my pre which I can't wait to put in the trash...

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by matskull

I just bought a matched pair of kel hm-1 mics and I think they're really good for my drum overhead.
Cost me 320$ CAD.
They will perfectly do the job until I have 3000$ to spend on a high en pair of microphones.
On the other side, I only have a behringer mixer as my pre which I can't wait to put in the trash...

So that'll be like mixing 'nice but low end' (apparently) with bellend.....

[Jim Williams]

I find that a $39 Marshall mic works real good into my Bricasti M7. These are all tools. Use them as you wish. No one will ever know... some will wonder how you got such a sound. Tell them it was a $7000 mic instead.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

I find that a $39 Marshall mic works real good into my Bricasti M7. These are all tools. Use them as you wish. No one will ever know... some will wonder how you got such a sound. Tell them it was a $7000 mic instead.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

lol.....thumbsup

[matskull]

Originally Posted by Karloff70

So that'll be like mixing 'nice but low end' (apparently) with bellend.....

Yes I was just pointing out that some low end gear can be good on different applications , some others can't...
I'd still use these mics with higher end preamps.

[Weasel9992]

Originally Posted by fooman

I'm pretty much the studio you are speaking of... I own an API 3124+, Lynx Aurora 16, UAD-2, and a really good guitar amp. That's pretty much it in terms of what I would consider gear that your lower-end studio can't afford. I can get my hands on better instruments if needed, but I don't own anything that would be considered amazing by anyone here.

I also own the standard mics. 421, 57s, 58s, KSM44s, D112, D6 etc etc. Nothing over the $1k mark. Simply not affordable right now.

My take is that you are more limited by your ability than any piece of gear... but if you want to look at it then yes you are right for the most part. If you have a really nice mic but the preamp is cheapo, then you will be limited by this preamp. Perhaps your ability to pick a really good mic location will help a lot tho!

It depends a lot of what piece of gear you are talking about I guess as well. My monitors are not excellent, and they definitely hinder me. That's an example of something that I would consider very important.

That's exactly how it is for me...I have a couple of nice preamps, a couple of nice mics, then a bunch of sub $600 stuff. There are a few times when I get frustrated because I don't have what I need to get such-and-such, but those times are pretty rare. Haven't had a client complain yet!

Frank

[Benmrx]

gear is gear is gear.

It's all good for something......at least most of it. One of my favorite pieces that gets used on just about every mix is a Boss EH-50. $100 on ebay. Sits proudly next to the Manley Elop, 2 Distressors, Quad Eights, 2" machine, etc.

[dbjp]

Here's a quote from the brilliant Mr Pensado:

Even the cheapest EQ has a use. Don't judge gear by its cost or inherent quality; judge it on its uniqueness. One of my favorite pieces of gear is the Ibanez SRV1000, which was a little reverb unit made for guitars. I get them for $50 at eBay and they're all over the percussion on lots of things I do, as well as on vocals — I use them on everything. There's a little Boss unit called the EH50 [stereo enhancer]. It has four buttons on it: just punch button four and throw it on the background vocals, and it makes them come alive. I also get those for $50.

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by matskull

Yes I was just pointing out that some low end gear can be good on different applications , some others can't...
I'd still use these mics with higher end preamps.

Couldn't agree more.....just thought it a little tricky to see the Behringer mixer in any mix of qualities......someone gave me one once a good few years ago....tried it once and passed the karma on........can't think of any mic, high or low end, that I'd want to do that to.....

[Benmrx]

Originally Posted by Karloff70

......someone gave me one once a good few years ago....tried it once and passed the karma on........can't think of any mic, high or low end, that I'd want to do that to.....

I've givin away both an Oktava MK319 and an AKG C1000S. Just gave a friend of mine an Epiphone Casino as well. That Karma has come back 10 fold.......thinking about it, it's probably time to do a little studio house-cleaning....which means more stuff I'd rather give away then sell on craigslist.

[matskull]

Originally Posted by Karloff70

Couldn't agree more.....just thought it a little tricky to see the Behringer mixer in any mix of qualities......someone gave me one once a good few years ago....tried it once and passed the karma on........can't think of any mic, high or low end, that I'd want to do that to.....

lol, to work with a behringer pre requires a lot more work to achive great results but it's feasable, you don't have the magic nor the good mids of a quality pre but it still can be good if you know how to do everything else perfectly.
Professional result, I mean real professional result are probably impossible though but, because I'm good like that lol (just kinddind ) I'm able to do good recordings.
It doesn't hurt that I have an ok room and some really nice amp and a good tuned drum with fresh heads and good cymbals on it.

[Sunim Koria]

The way I see it, most high-end gear only maximizes the potential of a quality that is very rarely acheived in the first place.

Make of that what you will...

SK

[basho]

Originally Posted by Sunim Koria

The way I see it, most high-end gear only maximizes the potential of a quality that is very rarely acheived in the first place.

Make of that what you will...

SK

Ding! Winner.

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by matskull

lol, to work with a behringer pre requires a lot more work to achive great results but it's feasable, you don't have the magic nor the good mids of a quality pre but it still can be good if you know how to do everything else perfectly.
Professional result, I mean real professional result are probably impossible though but, because I'm good like that lol (just kinddind ) I'm able to do good recordings.
It doesn't hurt that I have an ok room and some really nice amp and a good tuned drum with fresh heads and good cymbals on it.

Get in!thumbsup

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by Benmrx

I've givin away both an Oktava MK319 and an AKG C1000S. Just gave a friend of mine an Epiphone Casino as well. That Karma has come back 10 fold.......thinking about it, it's probably time to do a little studio house-cleaning....which means more stuff I'd rather give away then sell on craigslist.

Dig! Get yourself on RawBeanZen's giveaway thread....there's explosive karma passing going on there 24/7 just now......thumbsupthumbsupthumbsup