Help me spend $5,000

[Dopamine]

Next month I will be receiving $5,000 and (like a good slut) I want to invest back into my studio. I run a small project studio and most of my clients are doing Pop, R&B and Electronica. I want to select gear that will noticeably improve my sound and attract more clients. With the exception of vocals and the occasional ac gtr, I rarely track live instruments. Most of the sounds come from my synths/samplers. I outsource live drums.

Here's my current gear list:

Digidesign Mix+
Apple G4 with 24" LCD
Apogee Rosetta (original)
Yamaha O3D (only for monitoring)
Universal Audio LA-610

TLM103 + SM57 (x 2)

Novation Supernova, Roland XV-3080, Clavia Nordlead, Yamaha TG-500, Korg Legacy Collection, Kontakt 2, Battery 2, Stylus RMX, Reason, Ableton Live, Opcode Studio 4

Mackie HR824 Monitors, AKG headphones, Tascam CD deck, APC and Tripp Lite power conditioning, Mogami cabling

Waves bundle, Eventide H3000 Factory, Amplitube, Focusrite d2 and d3, Cranesong Phoenix, Autotune.

Here's the gear I am considering which is worth about 10K:

-another farm card $800
-4 mini 'real traps' $800
-rosetta200 $1800
-u5 or tab v71 $700 (for synth DI)
-sm7 $400
-neve portico 5032 $1500
-distressor $1200
-km84 $600
-ssl bus comp $2500


Any comments or suggestions?

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by Dopamine

Any comments or suggestions?

Neve 1073-$3250 used
Tubetech CL1B-$1250 used

Total-$5K



Sell the 610 and the original Rosetta and buy a better A/D and a used Benchmark DAC-1.

Also setup a rental account with whoever rents gear in town for a better mic when you need it.

[Dopamine]

I like that idea, Thrill. And it won't depreciate like a PT HD system will.

Interesting....

[Glenn Kuras]

Great to see you are thinking about your room acoustics. I see so many people who spend a bunch of money on gear and record in crappy rooms. If you don't have any bass traps now you may want to think about a few more. Most rooms need more then 4.
IMO, I would start with the room and get that perfect. You may find that you don't need as much new gear. Take the rest of the money and put it away for a rainy day.

Glenn