Project studio - Need expert advice

[DavidKmusic]

Just want opinions on what your next purchase would be if you had my gear, and had a thousand bucks to spend. I'm thinking about a pair of overheads, but what about a better interface/converters? A Distressor? I just want to get the most pro sound possible on this budget, for recording mostly conventional rock instruments including live drums

I guess I'm unique that way :-)


DAW - G4 powerbook running DP 4.6
Interface - Motu 828 (1st generation)
Preamps/strips- Great River ME-1
Avalon 737
Bellari RP 220
Motu 828 pres
mics - Sure KSM 32
AKG D112
SM57s (4)
SM58s (4)
Samson CO2 (2)

Virtuals - BFD triggered by Roland Vdrums
- Symphonic Orchestra
- Scarbee vintage keys

Misc - FMR RNC

[TonyBelmont]

Some monitors to hear it all with?....

[JonCraig]

first of all... what are you monitoring on? the fact that you didn't mention it leads me to believe that you should spend that $1k there.

got monitors? good! what about room treatment? $1k would be a great place to start for some lumber & 703 to make some absorptive panels, gobos, & bass traps.

got a treated room? good! how about a pair of ksm44's? used they should be somewhere around $1k (maybe a touch more), and they sound great on just about anything.

stuff that makes a sonic difference goes in this order: 1) player & instrument 2) room 3) mic 4) pre 5) other gear (compressors, converters, etc. etc.). start at the top and work your way down to the bottom.

--jon

[DavidKmusic]

Sorry,
I inadvertantly left out some crucial info, The monitors are small powered Audix references... not so great? Also, since my outboard gear is all in one mobile rack with a TRS bay, and my DAW is running on a powerbook, I record/and monitor in different rooms quite a bit. Until I buy a home, and settle, I don't know if sound treating is much of an option. Also, I failed to mention that I DON'T mix stuff with this set-up. Generally I bring all my tracks as SDII files into a couple larger studios (running Pro-tools and Paris, respectivly) to utilize their plug-ins, monitors, etc.


My instruments are all high quality, I experiement with the rooms and mic placement a lot, and the musicianship is good (in my opinion) So, what I'm concerned with is gear for getting the best sounding tracks down to disk. I'd also appreciate opinions here about outboard vs. plug-in compressors, and compressing/EQing pre and post tracking.

Thanks so much guys!

[kats]

Your at reasonable entry level with your studio. $1000 is a waste of time at this point. I would make a dream list mid level studio design and begin working on that goal. IE upgrading and expanding your mic locker, adding more quality pres/eq's and dynamics etc.

1st on that list would be a really good set of monitors. This way you can use your talent and get the most out of what you have now. Start working on life time purchases (like your GR 1NV) and don't buy stuff your going to want to replace in a year.

Having said all that, I won't take my advice and suggest the UAD-1 Ultra-Pak. Work with all the good software they have so you can have some fun and create interesting mixes that are 80% there compared to OTB. It's a 50k shortcut so that your not in a "all or nothing" situation.

[kats]

Dang you beat me by 1 minute...my post is a little irrelavent.

[JonCraig]

Originally Posted by DavidKmusic

Sorry,
The monitors are small powered Audix references... So, what I'm concerned with is gear for getting the best sounding tracks down to disk.

i don't know those monitors, but a little googling later, and (while i haven't heard them) i'm guessing that they're not letting you hear all you need to hear. how about a pair of tannoy ellipse's? or dyn bm6a's? i think each of those would come in under a grand for the pair (not too sure, though... it's been a while since i went monitor shopping...)

--jon

[DavidKmusic]

Originally Posted by kats

Dang you beat me by 1 minute...my post is a little irrelavent.

Why would you say that? Do you think the monitors wouldn't be the best purchase now, having read my last post?

I appreciate your advice on life-long purchases - makes sense to me.

[DavidKmusic]

Thanks, the BM6As sound like they'd be right for me, in terms of size, portability and budget.. I'll have to hear them and compare them to the Audix, etc.

[JonCraig]

should have mentioned earlier... try out the event TR-8's also.

--jon

[Reptil]

mmm how about a controller/mixer for your software?
I do not see analogue faders on your list, so I guess you want to do ITB, so a controller? that would make mixing a lot nicer.

another thing would be a monitor controller (coleman, spl, ...) with talkback.

I like random microphone buying, my girlfriend has the same thing with shoes, and cameras. small and nice and expensive.

some small things to make life enjoyable: headphone amp, extra cables, headphones for artist/singer.

Suggested list (estimation):
beringherr fader/knobthingie BCR or bFR (barf) 2000 150 $
spl/coleman monitor control 600 $
headphones 100 $
microphone on evilbay 150 $

or just blow it all on a nice compressor or speakers? might be even better.

[DavidKmusic]

Thanks,

I have a monitor amp, good headphones, and all that other random stuff - a good thought on how to spend the 1K though, if I didn't have all that stuff.

The controller isn't a bad idea, would make tracking smoother and easier.

[Matt Hepworth]

Here's my opinion in order of how they affect your results (excluding talent!):

1. The room and/or room treatment
2. Monitors
3. Mics
4. Converters
5. Preamps (assuming you have at LEAST a Mackie)


Your free analysis:

You're weak on monitors, TERRIBLE on converters, ??? on the room, okay on the mic, and very good on the pres.

Just my opinion.

[zimv20]

Originally Posted by DavidKmusic

Until I buy a home, and settle, I don't know if sound treating is much of an option.

you can get 5 minitraps for a grand and take 'em wherever you're going, for both the control room and live room.

[DavidKmusic]

You're weak on monitors, TERRIBLE on converters, ??? on the room, okay on the mic, and very good on the pres.

Just my opinion.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, but any recommendations on the converters? - assuming that I have to stay with a firewire interface. Also, what about portable monitors and/or tracking and editing with some Grado RS1s?

[DavidKmusic]

Originally Posted by zimv20

you can get 5 minitraps for a grand and take 'em wherever you're going, for both the control room and live room.

Thanks, The room that I do the majority of tracking in consists of barnboard walls and ceilings and everything is pitched (as it's the roof line of a large 3 family home) It's not a huge room, and not very live. How would I go about assessing it for possible trap placement, etc? This is all new to me

[zimv20]

Originally Posted by DavidKmusic

How would I go about assessing it for possible trap placement, etc? This is all new to me

get ahold of ethan at http://www.realtraps.com/ and he can talk about placement.

[DavidKmusic]

You're weak on monitors, TERRIBLE on converters, ??? on the room, okay on the mic, and very good on the pres.

Just my opinion.[/QUOTE]

After a few opinions and a little more research, I'm thinking about doing the following...

Replacing Motu 828 w/ RME Fireface 800
Ordering several portable basstraps
Grado RS1s for recording and editing (I'm often tracking alone, in the live room) Is it possible to do decent editing or mixing with high quality phones as well?

[Matt Hepworth]

The RME units are nice - I use one myself. Depending on your needs, you may also want to just look at a 2 channel converter. On the inexpensinve side, I'd recommend something like SEK'D (like the ADDA 2496S) for a good, but cheap 2 channel AD and DA converter.

Again, I think it's critical to focus on the weakest links and then improve them first. I've learned that lesson the long way. And me saying the converters are TERRIBLE, doesn't mean you can't make a good record with what you have either, just that, in my opinion, that's your weakest link in gear. Your room could be the deciding factor - room first.