The studio Setup Thread [Archive] - Harmony Central Musician Community Forums

spinman

08-20-2003, 10:22 AM

I guess I'll go myself, too.

My system is now about a year and a half old [edit: now it's nearly 2 years old!].

Main hardware:
Athlon XP 1700, 40 gig drive, 512MB Ram (running windows XP and Sonar 2.2, Buzz tracker, and goldwave for wav editing.)
M-audio delta 44
Digital Designs studio monitors
Altec lansing 300w amp
Mackie 1202 (For pre's and monitoring).

Instruments

Korg Triton rack
Korg N364
Roland Juno106
Yamaha clavinova (controller)
Pod 2.0
Washburn electric
Washburn Acoustic
Kingston (crappy) bass

Mics

AT3035
pair of Peavy SDC's
EV ND vocal mic of some sort
Old realistic dynamic mic (not one of the cheapos)

Odds and ends

Missing link active DI
Zoom Studio 1201
Zoom 505 (collecting dust)
Zoom 506 (helping the 505 collect dust)
Hendrix Octave Fuzz
Crybaby
Cables, etc.
Tons of freeware VST's

Total cost for the main recording hardware was around $1200, spread out over a couple years. The computer cost about $500 for the parts which I assembled myself. I don't know how much all the instruments cost. Too much to think about.

My setup is good for getting about 30 tracks with a fair amount of plugins. I tend to play stuff in live rather than sequence it because of the crappy MIDI interface I use, and because it's my preferred MO. I can't really track drums with this setup, though I probably could do an ok job of it if I had good mics and the space to do it in. I guess the gear itself is capable.

It's been a good setup for song demos and some electronica that I've sold to music libraries. I'd recommend a setup like mine if:

1. Your budget is around $1500 -$2000
2. You are doing a "one man band" or otherwise not recording a full band.
3. You don't mind putting a computer together yourself.
4. You don't need it to be portable.
5. You don't need master quality.

Alex9992001

08-20-2003, 10:41 AM

Built up my system when I was doing my music tech a-level. Added a few more bits and pieces this summer so I could take advantage of Virtual instruments.

Hardware:

Athlon roughly 1.2GHz, 256MB DDRRAM (tried to add more but the computer didn't like it :( ) 40GB 5400RPM System Drive, 80GB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM Audio drive.

Running WinXP Pro with a M-Audio Delta 410 soundcard for main audio work. SBLive used to use for soundfonts but now only use it for its MIDI port. Gdget Labs Wave 8.24 now defunct company haven't installed into my main system yet, worried about conflicts with non-XP drivers

Roland VM-3100 mixing desk, wouldn't buy it again, would like to upgrade to a Yamaha O1V

Focusrite Voicemaster

Audio Technica AT4033a
Sure SM57

Lexicon MPX-1

B&W HiFi speakers
Marantz amp

Instruments

Cubase SX
Kontakt
Trilogy
Drumkit From Hell with addon pack
POD 2
EMU Virtuoso with Xtreme Lead upgrade
Fatar studiologic 76 note controller
Ibanez RG 407 guitar
Boss GT-3 guitar multiFX
Marshall JCM2000 guitar amp (don't use since getting the POD, it's too loud and impractical)
Large collection of free soundfonts from the internet

I'm pretty happy with my setup. Still just recently got back into it, so figuring things out again, but it seems fairly geared towards my method of working (ie creating rockish stuff with "real" instuments, working mostly alone and tracking one part at a time)

I'm good to go with around 40 tracks including a fair number of plugins. RAM is the limiting factor at the moment, and it restricts my track count more than I'd like and means I can't use the huge sample libraries in real time.

It probably cost around £2200 for the stuff in the PC and around £2-3000 for the rest of the stuff.

I'm fairly happy with the production quality I can get out of it. But the limiting factor there is totally the room I'm working in, not the gear. Dedicated monitors would probably be the next thing to upgrade once I was working in a decent room.

dirtyragamuffin

08-20-2003, 10:55 AM

Here's what we've got right now...

http://cosmiccowstudios.tripod.com/index/id2.html

I'd call it "demo" quality; look at what we've got in the gear list and you'll see what I mean. We have other odds and ends right now that aren't listed.

Our sound is improving markedly as we keep inproving our gear and our rooms. We started treating our rooms with Auralex last week to get rid of some flutter echo and funny reflections, and we're looking into building some bass traps and more diffusion panels to rally hone some goodness out of the tracking and control rooms. One thing we had on our side was that there are few parallel walls in our rooms, bu they're pretty small, dimension-wise.

Hmmmm...I think we've got a bit over $10K in the recording gear right now, so that's excluding ALL instruments (I'm not even going to guess at the worth of all the cool old folk instruments my partners have plus all my stuff...thousands more...) and figure another grand in on a new mic that we'll be getting shortly...

Pros--our rates arequite reasonable; we're hobbyists who do this for fun and not for money, and we can (and have) put out a good demo or a decent "low budget" sounding LP

Cons--Not "pro" quality sound; space limitations

nutsack

08-20-2003, 11:13 AM

Basic set up for good demo quality recording.
Used for mostly live instruments, with limited editing (compared to computer based). Good flexibilty on the analog side, not that great on the digital side.

Yamaha AW2816 w/Waves effects card
Mackie 1604VLZ board
Presonus MP20
FMR RNC
Midiman Flying Cow 24 bit AD/DA
Tannoy PBM 6.5II monitors
Hafler power amp
Sure Beta 58
Sure SM57 (4)
Sure KSM27
Studio Projects B1
Sennheiser MD421
AKG D112
Oktava MC012 (2)
Cost: $6500 (mostly bought new) plus misc chords, furniture, headphones, etc

Recording equipment is in the interior of my finished basement. Only construction cost was for 12x12 tracking room (somewhat soundproof):
Soundbarrier material, wallboard, building materials, plus auralex cost: approx $1500

Instruments avail:
Gibson LP Studio Plus
Epiphone 335 Dot w/Duncans
G&L Comanche
Larrivee D03
Fender '65 Vibrochamp
Boogie Mark IV
Traynor YCV40
Yamaha Studio upright piano
Premier XPK 5 piece kit
Instrument cost: Shit, 12 grand. This stuff was not bought specifically for the studio, but it's definitely nice to have available if someone needs something.

I never added all this shit up. I just realized I'm sick! Totally whacked. What the hell is wrong with me, spending all this money on a bunch of noise making garbage? I'm throwing my life away on crap! :D

JCC

08-20-2003, 11:28 AM

A work in progress.... I haven't a clue what I've spent over the years. A rack full of "stuff", mostly junk....

When the old-lady complains about a "closet full and nothing to wear" I just say... "let me tell ya"

Hardware:
Clapped out 1GHz Celeron PC with 192MB, 10GB 5400 HD, CD burner, running Home Studio 2004 and Ultrafunk Sonitus:fx suite.

Delta 44
Audiophile 2496
Audiosport 2x2

Mackie 1202

Earthworks Lab 102
JoeMeek VC6Q
Audiobuddy

FMR RNC
DBX 160A
Alesis 3630
Ashly Parametric 3-band
Microverb IV
Nanoverb
Patchbay

KRK 7000b
Hafler TA1600

MXL V67
Shure BG 5.0
Sennheiser e825
Radio Shack 3032 (x3)

Instruments:
Roland XV3080 module
49 Key MIDI Controller
Fender Strat
Fender Jazzmaster
Fender Precision
Martin EM18 (electric)
Guild D50 (acoustic)
Mesa Boogie Heartbreaker
Ampeg AX70
Peavey CS400
(2) EV T22
Roland KC 550 keyboard amp

Pros: Functional and cheap, and items can be upgraded easily as budget permits.
Cons: Cheap. I have expensive tastes without the funds to support it.

I can get some decent quality from the equipment, the biggest hindrance is my talent level.

My setup is for my entertainment/enjoyment only. I record what I like when I have the desire. The only "asshole" musician I have to deal with is myself.

:D

EfromO4D

08-20-2003, 04:26 PM

nice!

STIXXS

08-20-2003, 06:34 PM

Here goes:

Cost:
Est. 5-8K range

Pros:
"Relatively" inexpensive, quick tracking/editing, ample HD storage for demo quality recordings.

Cons:
demo quality, limited space 10"x12" (three's a crowd!)

Quality:
demo quality (do I hear an echo? )

Genre/Methods:

Currently light Contemporary Christian, with upcoming heaver rock and folk styles.

Methods: strictly overdubbing

Peace,
Stixxs

sami_rautio

08-21-2003, 02:11 AM

Check my setup from http://www.geocities.com/dimlight_studio/

Cons: Not good enough!!! Khrm... at the moment the problem is headphone mix... Have to buy a separate headphone amp to be able to listen to aux bus and use talkback. At the moment lacking patchbay, will fixed in few months.

Pros: stable system, great sounding desk.

I use this stuff mainly for my oneman band, not so much synths though...

PrimarySpecies

08-21-2003, 03:03 PM

I have the crappiest setup evr: works good for recordin sessions.
But now my band is going to a studio.

Behringer MX802A
4 radio shack mics
Tascam MF-P01

Various trial versions of cakewalk, cool edit pro, sound studio, etc.

Pros: Easy to use
Cons: Sounds like shit

Total Cost all together (including cords and stuff) 300 dollars.

Now since a lot of peopel wer listing instruments and stuff ill put mine.
Charvel (dont know what model)
Jackson Dk-2 (with new emgs)
Marshall Valvestate 30

psycho chemist

08-21-2003, 03:07 PM

Originally posted by spinman
beginners need to speak up too. Let's hear from the <$1000 crowd some.

how about this:

Duron 700MHz 128MB RAM
SBLive
Karaoke mic
Peavey Envoy 110 gtr amp
Aria Pro II LP gtr
cheap bass (actually some wood w/ strings)
Cooledit 96
Acid XPress
cheap headphones

(this was added later)
it suits my needs: record ideas so that they don't get lost until our next rehearsal.
pros: this setup is soooo cheap... it can be enhanced a lot with anything I ever purchase.
cons: not even at demo level, not portable. and it can be enhanced a lot with anything I ever purchase.

MarkGifford-1

08-21-2003, 09:50 PM

Here goes:

Lower mid-level "pro" studio...

A Room

MCI 636 Console
MCI 2" 24-track
ADAT XT20 x 3
Sonar
Sound Forge
MOTU 2408
Dynaudio BM15a monitors
dBX 165VU
ART Pro VLA
ART ProMPA
Lexicon 200
Lexicon PCM70
Lexicon PCM60 x 2
TC M3000

B Room

Mackie D8B
Sonar
Sound Forge
MOTU 2408 MkII
Tannoy SRM (?) 12" monitors
Event 20/20 active monitors
ART Pro MPA
TC M300XL
Lexi PCM60

Common Mics and Gear

Rode Classic
AKG 451 x 3
Senn 421
Senn 441
Shure SM57 x dozens
EV RE-20
AKG D112 (stolen recently)
Gobs of Chines and Russian mics
Dozens of guitars, Gibson and Fender, mainly.
Marshall Superlead 100 W head w/a few basketweave cabs
SF Twin Reverb
SVT Pro w/4x10 cab

Sound Quality - from great to crappy, depending upon the artist. <vbg> In the past 6 months we've done projects with Lou Gramm, Greg Howe w/Vic Wooten and Dennis Chambers, Russell Tompkins from the Stylistics, Danny and The Juniors, and several dozen other bands, from straight ahead jazz to emo to nu-metal to folk to blues to Celtic to country to contemporary Christian to whatever... No rap, tho - we're really not set up for it.

In MY producer's tub:

Soundelux U195
Royer R-121
AKG 460
AT ATM-25
Senn 421 x 2
Oktava MC-012 x 2
SM-57s
Great River MP-1NV
Gaines Mic Pre
RNC
Kurzweil MicroPiano module
Lexi MPX100
Lexi MPX500

1957 Telecaster
Gibson LP Special RI
PRS CE24
Dano 12 String
Dano Longhorn
Taylor 410
many others...

BF Bassman head
Marshall JCM 800
Marshall JCM 2000
Fender Pro Jr.
SF Vibrolux
Vintage Orange 4x12 cab
other stuff...

A dozen or so cool pedals...

I also have a small basement project studio w/a buddy: Mackie 24/8, 2 BF ADATS, Tannoy Reveals, ART Pro MPA and VLA, Lexi MPX500, Sonar, Reason, and SF. Don't really use it anymore, tho. We made some really nice sounding records there, tho.

I also have Sonar, SF and Reason on my home computer and do some editing, assembling and a little VO work here.

I have no idea what all this cost, but all MY gear has been paid for with gig/recording income.

MG

Greenshoe

08-22-2003, 12:41 AM

Demo-quality setup for singer-songwriter. Cost figures as if brand new (though I did buy a few of the stuff below used).

Room
10' x 10' (yuck)
Tracking and mixing in same room
Carpeted, drywall, speckle ceiling
Auralex studio foam ($150)

Mics - $1,200
Neumann TLM103
Rode NT5 matched pair
Shure Beta58

Preamps - $350
Studio Projects VTB1
M-Audio DMP3

Outboard Effects and DIs - $700
RNC
Pod 2.0
Bass Pod

DAW & Software Plugins - $2,800
Digi001 & Protools LE
Reason 2.0
McDSP Compressor Bank, Analog Channel, Filterbank
Waves Gold Bundle

Monitors and headphones - $500
Event PS5s active monitors
Sennheiser HD280 headphones

Peripherals & Accessories - $800
Cables, boom stands, etc. - they all add up

Computer Setup for recording and general use
Mac G4 450, OS 9.1, 21" monitor
1.25 Gb RAM
2x 80Gig firewire harddrives (one for backup)

Instruments
Martin DM
Fender US '62 reissue strat
Les Paul Studio
Ibanez RG560
Takamine cutaway nylon string
Yamaha RBX-270 bass
Korg 01/w proX keyboard workstation
Cello

Pros
Good prosumer setup with more than enough tools to:
1) Flush out song ideas, arrangements, and experiment on your own in an apartment where noise and space are an issue (hence no megawatt amps).

2) Learn how to track and mix and realizing that the quality of the recording is dependent on the following (in order of importance):

People -> Material -> Quality of Instruments -> Room acoustics -> Monitors -> Mics -> Preamps -> Recording Medium (analog tape or computer) -> special effects

Cons
Square boxy room sucks.
Computer is too loud, even in the closet.
80 year old crabby lady living below me.
Prosumer setup makes it easy for me to blame everything on the gear.

Recording quality of setup
Crap at worst, very good demo quality at best - depending on the skills of the musician and engineer.

Kinds of music it suits
Singer-songwriter that can track one part at a time, or
R&B producer making beats and scratch vocals

Rimmer

08-22-2003, 03:02 PM

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.
2. How much it cost to put together.
3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)

Okay. I'll give it a go..

1. Audio and midi recording through a Powermac G4/400 running a legacy version of Logic audio. Various mediocre to decent mic preamps and mic's from Studio projects, Akg, EV, Realistic, Rode, Shure, Peavey (
:eek: ) etc... Korg 1212 run from a Fostex VC-8 ADAT interface (consumer level at best for the Coverter). Various Guitars and Basses from TangleWood to Fender. Mellatron, Clavinets, Bluthner Upright Grand, Many leslie speakers c/w six Hammond organs. W30's to Novation to Yamaha Ex5r's. Ex-BBC OB monitors designed by Rogers for the BBC and run from two quad 303 amps. (Verry retro.. :D )

2. Too hard to say. With all the instruments which probably make up the bulk of the cost, £15,000-£20,000.

3. Con's = Poor A/D Adat convertor. Legacy audio card that wont support my new OS. Legacy audio OS. OSX is soo much better. Weak headphone monitoring. Weak sound proofing.

Pro's = Great instrument choice (variety is the spice of life.. ;) ) Great computer recording system and software. Good cabling. Some nice mic's to experiment with. Good recording space in terms of size and musical vibe (essential).

4. The production quality for me is more to do with engineering skills, present musicians and fellow creators. The potential is pretty high unless someone is expecting the pristine results you would receive from Abbey road. It's easy to get too 'gear tart' about these things. I have enough tools to do record a meaningful and listenable experience.

5. Anything audio to midi. I'll have a stab at recording anything. The system usually records hand played musical instruments.

Kestral

08-22-2003, 07:54 PM

Computer
Apple 12" 867 mhz Powerbook
LaCie 7200 rpm 120 gig Firewire HD

Software
Emagic Logic Audio Platnium 6
Emagic EXS24
Emagic EVP88
Emagic ES1

Preamp
Summit Audio MPC-100A Tube Preamp/Compressor

Synths
Roland Juno 106
Oberheim Matrix 1000
ARP 2600 (on loan to friend)
Emu SP 1200 (borrowed from same friend)

Guitar Stuff
Fender 70's Strat reissue
Vox AC15TBX Amp
Boss FA-1 FET Amplifier
MXR Distortion II
MXR Dyna Comp Script/Bud
MXR Phase 90 Script/Bud
Ampeg Scrambler clone
Digitech WH-1 Whammy
Digitech XP-300 Space Station
Korg A2
Digitech DHP33
Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay
Guyatone TO-2 Tube Overdrive

Speakers
Altec Lansing ATP3

Mixer
Behringer Eurorack UB1202

Mics
Shure SM-57
Oktava MK219

Ok, so the speakers are cheap home speakers. But I used to work at a music store that sold gear and I was used to Genelecs and Mackie HR824's. At some point I'll end up with either the Mackies or Genelecs, but first on the list is a new digital audio interface. Trying to decide between the MOTU 828 mk2 or Digi 002.

Next on the list is to upgrade my preamp. Looking at a Neve 1073 strip and then maybe a Urei 1176 to go with it. THEN it's speaker time.

I have access to at least three fully loaded Pro Tools TDM rigs anytime for mixing so I'm fine there. The little mixer I just use to mix line signals - it does not get used at any point in the actual recording chain. The chain goes from mic/instrument to Summit to DAW.

Ok, so my mics suck (I do like the SM57), but keep in mind I have access to borrow at least one Neumann U87 and one Neumann U47.

Amperd

08-23-2003, 08:41 AM

This is my home studio:

Instruments
Electric guitars
- Fender Telecaster USA Standard
- Squier Stratocaster
Bass guitars:
- Squier Jazz Bass
- OLP Music Man Sting Ray
Semi-acoustic guitars:
- Yamaha APX-6A
- Sigma ST35
Synthesizers/modules:
- Roland RolandPiano 800 electric piano
- E-mu Emax HD sampler
- Yamaha TG77 wavetable synthesizer
- Yamaha TX802 fm synthesizer
- Yamaha PSR-330 keyboard
- Yamaha Portasound PSS-20 mini-keyboard
- Yamaha RY30 drum computer
- Roland TB303 (selfmade)
- Casio Casiotone MT-86
- Bontempi 109 electric chord organ
- Eminent Solina K150 organ

Microphones & D.I.
Condenser microphones:
- Røde NT-1 (cardioid)
- Telefunken CMT-541 (cardioid) (2x)
- Sony ECM-959V (stereo)
Dynamic microphones:
- Sennheiser MD-421N (cardioid, 3-pin tuchel/tonader) (2x)
- Shure SM57 (cardioid)
- Sennheiser MD-21U (omni)
- ElectroVoice RE-10
D.I. boxes:
- IMQ Stage Line DIB-100 (passive)

Main computer (acting as the recorder)
- AMD Athlon XP 2600+ @ 2,31 GHz
- Asus A7N8X nForce2 mainboard
- 1024 MB TwinMOS PC3200 DDR SDRAM
- Ati Radeon 9000 Pro on two 17” monitors
- Logitech MouseMan Dual Optical
- Echo Layla multitrack soundcard (10 in, 12 out)
- IBM DTLA 30 GB 7200 RPM UDMA-100
- Maxtor DiamondMax9 80 GB 7200 RPM UDMA-133
- LiteOn 16x10x40x IDE CD-rewriter

Slave computer (acting as a sampler)
- Intel Celeron 464 MHz
- Abit BH6 mainboard
- 384 MB PC133 SDRAM
- Asus V6800 Deluxe (GeForce256) on a 15” monitor
- Creative SoundBlaster Live 1024 Value soundcard

Amplification & listening
- 80’s Vox AC30 Top Boost tube guitar combo (2 x 12”)
- 70’s Fender Champ 6W silverface tube guitar combo (1 x 8”)
- Eko EVC10 tube guitar combo (1 x 12”)
- Frontier Merit 24-4-2 mixer (for monitoring)
- Hill Audio MULTImix 16:4:2 (for mic pre-amps)
- Sharp System 7700 power amplifier
- Jamo Studio 180 hifi speakers
- Sennheiser HD500 circumaural headphones
- Sennheiser HD490 supra-aural headphones
- Philips SBC HP140 closed headphones

Effects
- Boss GT-5 guitar multi effects processor
- ProCo TurboRAT distortion pedal (TB)
- Tech21 NYC SansAmp GT2 (TB)
- Pearl OD-05 Overdrive
- Guyatone PS-103 Driving Compressor Box (TB)
- Morley PWV Pro Series Wah/Volume
- Marshall GV2 Guv’nor Plus (PB)
- Ibanez TS10 Tubescreamer Classic
- Boss CH1 Super Chorus
- Boss DD5 Digital Delay
- Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb
- George Dennis Super Phaser Volume (TB)
- Hughes & Kettner Tubefactor (TB)
- Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Black Russian)
- Carl Martin Combinator
- Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
- MXR Preamp (Commande)
- MXR Distortion + (script logo)

Miscellaneous
- XRI Systems XR300 SMPTE synchronizer
- Sony MZ-R70 MiniDisc recorder
- Philips Xtreme 45ESA discman
- Technics SL-XP290 discman
- Yamaha YT-250 chromatic tuner

I have collected this stuff in about 10 years I guess. Don't know the costs. I can record pretty much everything at home, except drums.

J6P

08-23-2003, 08:21 PM

Here's our set up. Off the top of my head. Acquired over time.

Haven't setup the M-520 yet, but now that the DA-88s are linked for 16 track, that day is fast approaching. Patchbays are finally getting close to completion. That will save a lot of time and frustration, and wear & tear on jacks. Blah, blah.....The short of it is that it's coming together nicely. I may find a seperate home for it soon. It's taken over most of an apartement.
This set up has been being used for Singer/Songwriter and rock stuff mostly. Some gear seldom gets used, due to newer stuff being acquired. ( ie: old 8-tracks ) But you keep it to play the old stuff. Right?

Boards
1 Tascam M-30
1 Tascam M-512
1 Tascam M-520
1 Behringer MX2642a

Microphones
2 Sennheiser MD-421
2 Shure KSM-27
2 Shure SM-57
2 Shure SM-58
1 Shure 315
1 tfpro TF27
2 Oktava MK-012
2 Audio-Technica AT-811
1 Electrovoice EV-611
1 Electrovoice EV-911
1 Electrovoice EV-664
1 Stromberg Carlson 7cs

Tape Decks
2 Tascam DA-88 8track DTRS ( linked )
1 Tascam syncaset 238 8track cassette
1 tascam cdrw 700 cd recorder
1 Sony W-33 cd recorder
1 Aiwa Ad-wx-808 cassette deck

Rack Gear
1 Intersound PRV-1 reverb
2 Yamaha SPX-90 reverb
1 Alesis Microverb 3 reverb
1 Korg SRV-3000 reverb
1 Roland SRV-2000 reverb
2 FMR RNC compressor
1 Behringer T1952 compressor
1 ART Dual leveller compressor
1 Symetrix 522 compressor
1 Rane GE27 graphic eq
1 Rane PE15 parametric eq
1 Joemeek V5C Semi-parametric eq
1 FMR RNP preamp
1 ART DUAL MP preamp
1 Altec 1598B Preamp/mixer
1 tfpro P3 pre-amp/op-compressor/eq
1 Aphex D103 aural exciter
1 UREI 562 feedback suppressor

Monitors
2 Alesis active monitors M1

Instruments and stuff I have to put off 'til another time.

Cost? Um....6 grand? More? :eek: Again, purchased over time. A number of bargains. Like the SPX-90s, I got 1 for $250 (not a bargain) and 1 for $125 (bargain). I will sometimes put in a low bid on something I like, or wanna try out. If I win, great. If I don't, oh well. I'd say if you can be patient, you will save money. I only wish I could be more patient. Never pay what they're asking at Guitar Center. Ever. Just a rule of mine.
(Side note: I have also been contacted when an Ebay seller hasn't reached their reserve but I've had the highest bid.)

The Pros and Cons....
Pros, It's fun, It's paid for, It sounds good, It's always available, It's pretty versitile, Lots of lights and meters :D,
Cons. It's a lot of stuff. It takes up a lot of room. It draws a lot of electricity. Alot of it is used, so.....who knows. The collection contains a mix of balanced and unbalanced gear. Hasn't been an issue, but it's being addressed. Largest problem is that the big boards are RCA friendlier.

Quality? No complaints. Very positive responses, from people who should know better. ;) Very pleased. People want to make Radiohead records at home,and get frustrated. That seems like being mad that no matter how much you trick your car out, it won't break a 12 second 1/4 mile. Use the tools you have to get the best you can. Appreciate what you can do.
There are a number of pieces, that some folks claim suck. Hey they work for me. Mostly. ( guess which board I don't use. Yet the compressor from the same co. I like ) :rolleyes:

As I said above, mostly folk and rock. Other bands/people are getting recorded too. I like that. The friend who's in on this with me has more time to use it than I do. Real excited about the 16 tracks. My time will come. Tonight is actually my first night off in 6 weeks. Gotta make hay when the sun shines. When this job ends....Oh Baby!

What was the question again?

Gutter Pup

08-26-2003, 04:56 PM

Oh, what the heck . . .

Ultimate Goal: develop a hybrid digital/analog system to get the best (that I can afford) of both worlds. Currently looking into finding a way to hook up the M20 ADATS with
my TASCAM analog recorders, and with a computer for editing purposes.

BTW: I think computer based editing (e.g. Pro-Tools) is fantastic for editing. For purposes of mixing, however, I don't personally like the sound of most digital compression or EQ plug-ins I've heard, and I don't like the sound of the Pro Tools mixes I've heard that haven't been run through some analog equipment or tape. I prefer the sound of tracks recorded on the M20's run through my analog board.

Current Stuff:

System 1:
Three Alesis M20 ADAT (24 bit ad/da, 20 bit to tape), eight track digital tape recorders (no longer made, list was $4,999 each; got them for about $850 each, with tax, brand new), into a Soundtracs Topaz Project 8 British Board (warm, musical EQ) (list was, I was told, $4,999 - got a new one, on a sort of closeout, for $1,499 plus tax).
I operate the M20 ADATS via a "CADI" (like a BRC) remote (used, about $300), and via a rack-mount meter bridge made for ADATS (used $400 or less). If I want analog tracks, I have a 16-track, TASCAM MSR-16 reel-to-reel deck (used $1,000 or less), and a TASCAM 388 (used, $400 or less) eight track deck. I can then dump to the M20 ADATS if I want.

System 2 (my first):
Two, eight track TASCAM DA38, eight track digital tape recorders (used, about $450 or so) into a simple, inexpensive Alesis Studio 32 analog board (16 track studio board - great to learn on, has lots of features of larger/more expensive boards and takes up very little space) )(used, about $350 or so)

System 3:
TASCAM 388, Reel-to-Reel, eight track analog recorder, with built in mixer.

System 4: for writing/quick demos:
TASCAM 688, 8 track cassette recorder (lots of inputs, takes XLR's, can record all eight tracks at once, lots of midi capability ((though I don't use MIDI too much)). (used, about $400)
TASCAM 488, 8 track cassette recorder (used, about $225)

Additional recorder:
TEAC 2230SX (?) reel-to-reel, 1/4" mastering deck. (used, about $250)

Patchbays: seven (7) balanced + tons of balanced cables and snakes (are you sitting
down for this ? about $2,700, new)

Monitors: eventual upgrade
- Event 20/20, 8" driver monitors (used, $225 for pair) into a Hafler power amp ($125)
- MAudio, powered, 6" driver monitors,(new, about $225) and I augment these little monitors with a touch of bass from a very inexpensive $100 subwoofer

Microphones: (looking to upgrade)
- Rode NTV large diaphragm tube mic (used, about $400)
- AKG C3000b large diaphragm (new, $275)
- AKG C1000 small diaphragm (new, $125)
- Shure KSM 27 large diaphragm (used, $200)
- Oktava M319 large diaphragm (used, $100)
- (2) Oktava M012 small diaphragm mics (great for acoustic guitars, cello . . .) ($125 each, new)
- Shure Beta 58 ($130, new)
- Shure 58 ($60 ? used)
- (2) Shure SM 57's (each, new, about $89)
- Sennheiser 421 (about $125, used)

Mic Pre-Amps: looking to upgrade
- MAudio DMP, dual channel, mic pre (about $225 new)
- PreSonus Blue Tube, dual channel, mic pre (about $150 new)
- Joe Meek 6VCQ - mic pre, compressor, EQ (used, about $225)
- Joe Meek 6VCQcs - mic pre, compressor, EQ (new, about $239)
- Joe Meek 6VC - mic pre, compressor, enhancer (used, about $200)
- Antares Vocal Producer (pre/de-esser/mic-modeler/auto-tuner/EQ) (so-so . . .)
$399 new

Compressors: looking to upgrade
FMR RNC (new, $175)
Joe Meek SC2.2 stereo compressor (used, about $350)
Joe Meek 6VCQ
Joe Meek 6VC
JBL (1172 ?) (used, about $120)
DBX 166A (new, about $125)

EQ: (?)
Furman parametric (used, about $100)
Loft parametric (used, about $125)
BBE 482 stereo sonic maximizer (used, about $125)
BBE 462 mono sonic maximizer (used, about $100)
Aphex Aural Exciter (YUCK !) (new, $99)
DBX 296 Sonic Enhancer ($125, used)

EFFECTS (e.g. reverbs, delays, chorus, ect . . .)
Lexicon PCM 60 (used, about $375)
Lexicon MPX 100 (new, about $150)
Lexicon Alex (used, about $125)
Alesis Quadraverb (used, about $125)
Alesis Quadraverb 2 (used, about $200)
Alesis MidiVerb 4 (used, about $150)

Alesis SR-16 Drum Machine - great sounding machine w/some practice (about $199 new,
$125 used)

GUITARS:
Fender Synth-Ready Strat (w/ GR-33 guitar synth + runs Juno One analog synth + Korg + Proteus Orchestrator modules)
Fender Strat Plu
Fender Squire Tele
Gibson ES 335
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
Ibanez Bass (model ?)
Guild D-55 acoustic
Gibson (1970's) Acoustic
Ibanez Concord Acoustic
Takamine classical
Yamaha, acoustic-electric, 12 string

AMPS:
Fender 1965 Pro Reverb
Fender Twin ("Twin Amp")
Fender 1970's Vibro-Champ
Gibson 1961 Blonde Skylark (?), 5 watt amp
Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket
Crate - older, Blonde, all tube amp
Lexicon Signature 284, 3 watt, stereo, pre and power amp rack recording module
ADA MicroCab speaker Simulator
Red Box direct box/speaker simulator
Line 6 POD (YUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
------------------------------------------
Gutter (too much junk) Pup :eek:

The Audacity Works

08-28-2003, 05:00 PM

THE AUDACITY WORKS
MUSIC PRODUCTION AND SOUND DESIGN

1. BASIC STUDIO GEAR/SETUP

Rooms / Acoustic Treatment:
Control Room: 12' x 12'
Recording Room: 11' x 10'
Argosy Dual 15K furniture
Omnirax Coda D8 console housing
Auralex absorbers, diffusers, and bass traps

Mixers:
Mackie Digital 8•Bus (56 input) with 20.1" flat panel display
Rane SM 82 line mixer (used live)

Monitors / Headphones:
Mackie HR824
Roland MA-8 (checking for multimedia use)
Fostex T40 (for vocalists)
Sennheiser HD414
Sennheiser HD580
Sony MDR-7506 (for travel)

Computers / DAW Hardware:
Mac G3/333 256MB RAM (G5 Dual 2GHz 2.5GB RAM and 23" Cinema Display on order)
Digidesign ProTools MIXplus
Apogee AD-8000 (Digi AMBUS card) converter acting as ProTools interface
Digidesign ADAT Bridge|24
Aardvark Aardsync II clock generator
Emagic Unitor8 MIDI interface
[x2] Glyph 9GB UW SCSI hard drives
Glyph SCSI CD burner
Mac G4 667MHz Powerbook 768MB RAM (used live)
MOTU 828MkII (used live)
Athlon 1700 rackmount Gigastudio PC 1GB RAM with 20.1" flat panel display
Echo Gina 24
MOTU MicroExpress (serial) MIDI interface
Micron Pentium II 450 PC (for internet)

Software Apps (all legal!):
Emagic Logic Audio Platinum
Digidesign ProTools 6.1
Bias Peak TDM
Emagic WaveBurner Pro
U&I MetaSynth
Gallery Tools Barba Batch
Ableton Live (used live)
Tascam Gigastudio 160
Sonic Foundry ACID

Software Synths (all legal!):
Access Virus TDM
Emagic EXS24 sampler (60GB of samples)
Emagic ES1 synth
Emagic ES2 synth
Emagic EVP88 digital piano
Emagic EVB3 organ
Emagic EVD6 clavinet
Emagic EVOC20 vocoder
Native Instruments Absynth
Native Instruments Battery
Native Instruments FM7
Native Instruments Pro 53
Spectrasonics Atmosphere
Spectrasonics Stylus
Spectrasonics Trilogy
Ultimate SoundBank PlugSound
Waldorf PPG

Keyboards / Samplers:
Access Virus B
Akai S5000 (256MB RAM, 4GB SCSI HD, SCSI CD-ROM)
Generalmusic S2 Turbo
Korg MS2000R
M-Audio Ozone
Roland JP-8080
Roland SH-32 (B-stock snagged for $99!)
Roland V-Synth
Roland XV-5080 (fully loaded)

Microphones:
AKG C414TLII
Audio Technica 4050
[x2] Audio Technica 4051a
Audio Technica AE2500
Røde NT4
Marshall Electronics V69 Tube Mogami Edition
[x2] Shure Beta 57
Shure SM58

Preamps / Outboard:
Joemeek VC1 v2
dbx 166XL compressor (used live)
Line6 Pod Pro with floorboard (used live)
Manley VoxBox
Marshall JMP-1 guitar preamp
True Systems Precision 8
Universal Audio 6176 preamp/compressor
Universal Audio LA-2A compressor/limiter

Effects / Pedals:
Alesis airFX
Dunlop Crybaby Wah
Ensoniq DP/2
Korg KAOSS Pad 2
Lexicon MPX 1
Lexicon PCM 91
Line6 DL4 delay pedal
[x2] Line6 Echo Pro
Line6 Filter Pro

Instruments:
Music Man Stingray bass
Parker Fly Deluxe guitar
Parker MIDI Fly guitar
Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 Guitar
Taylor acoustic guitar

Miscellaneous:
Sony DTC-A7 DAT
Sony CDP-D11 rackmount CD player
Tascam CD-D4000MkII CD duplicator
Oz Audio HR-4 headphone amplifier
[x3] Furman PL-8 power conditioners
Furman PS-Pro power sequencer
Furman PL-Pro power conditioner
Furman PL-Plus power conditioner (used live)

2. HOW MUCH IT ALL COST
Who knows? The only reason I work at a store anymore is to get all this stuff at employee pricing (less than dealer cost, sometimes much less) and software licences are typically NFRs. I'm guessing it's all worth around $80,000, though I've probably spent closer to $40g.

3. BASIC PROS/CONS OF THE SETUP

Pros: Any signal can go anywhere with the press of a button or two. Full perfect recall even from projects years old. No patchbays anywhere. The ability to produce music with few limitations at the speed of thought, which has always been our ultimate goal.

Cons: It all gets really damn hot, especially during Arizona summers. Electricity bills (running the gear and the air conditioning to cool it all down) are ridiculous. Everything has to be turned on in a certain order, though with the power sequencer, it's not as big a deal, unless there are storms in the vicinity. Next month's transition to OSX on the new G5 is gonna' be a complete bitch.

4. PRODUCTION QUALITY

Excellent to professional, depending on the genre and timeframe we're alotted for the project.

5. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC AND METHODS IT SUITS

Works great for pretty much everything but large orchestral groups. We aren't really set up to record bands live-- our recording room's a small bedroom-- but for multitracking, it's a breeze. Hip Hop, rock, electronica, scoring to film (via SMPTE or Quicktime), sound design, remixes, and post-production.

EfromO4D

08-29-2003, 08:47 PM

How do you like that True 8?

The Audacity Works

08-30-2003, 10:24 AM

The Precision8 is fantastic-- really, really transparent. I use it for drums and for bass DI (a lot of people have bought this thing just for the DIs, which were added later almost as an afterthought).

They're designed and built here in Tucson by audio guru extraordinaire, Tim Spencer, who's worked on the analog section of the Tascam MX-2424 and some of the better microphones from Marshall Electronics.

Lazy_Q

09-01-2003, 02:44 PM

Here's my go. Know that it's a preliminary setup since I'm getting a space to record with in November. I'm already planning on how to treat the space, but that's later

1. Their basic studio gear/setup
Semi-portable computer based project studio setup. Can record 8 tracks at once straight to digitial with some submixing.

Core gear: 1.7 GHZ Laptop, firewire to large HD and MOTU 896. The laptop doubles as my personal machine, and will probably be replaced with a studio machine after the space is prepared, with the laptop still available for mobile recording as need be.

Room: a basement that is being worked on. Right now, it's pretty dead without adding the sound-foam that I bought. I think that by adding that, taking out the ceiling tiles, and adding some thin sheets of hardwood for the floor it should be fairly good when done. Hopefully.

Mixers - 2 different smaller behringer mixers (used only for quickie straight-to-2-track recordings and submixing stuff like toms down to two channels). In effect virtually all of the mixing is done through the MOTU and the computer.

Monitors: Need to buy some proper ones, but for the time being I'm using Grado SR325s for mixing, which is great by headphone standards, but everything has to be triple checked to see if the mixes are accurate. It seemed like a good thing for a portable setup, which this is becoming less of as time goes along.

Software Apps: Cubase SL. If I wanted scoring software, I'll buy it seperately. Really need to buy wavelab and one batch of waves plugins or other. Maybe someday I'll be rich enough to use pro-tools.

Instruments: It's a personal collection, so it's not in the price writeup, but it's available to the people I record. A P-Bass, J-Bass, a 60's hollowbody electric and a solidbody generic non-fender guitar. Also a tiny keyboard and a f-nasty fm synth (for which I have an undying love of). Also a bunch of misc stuff, but all in all, not a huge selection. It's pretty much bring your own damn instruments, and will remain like that until I have more money.

Microphones: 3 x SM-57, Beta-52, SM-58, Beta-57, Shure Elvis-mic (new one unfortunately), Sony PA-mic (for that sh!tty sound you can't get any other way), Studio Projects C1, CAD E-300 (used, seems a bit dull), matched pair of MK-012s, AT-825 (that I deeply regret buying and wish I could sell anywhere near what I paid), and a Behringer ECM-800 (to match with the DSP 8024 that I bought). Not including the couple of mics I got with my minidisc recnently, though I wouldn't hesitate to use them in a pinch. Minimal for close-recording a rock band IMHO.

Misc: Afformentioned DSP 8024, A bunch of semi-cheap headphones (cheap by normal studio standards), Headphone Amp, Cable tester, V-Amp, bunches of stands and cables.

2. How much it cost to put together.

$5,321.82 in recepits, not including the computer (~2700$, proving that laptops and external devices = expensive), personal gear, minidisc setup and mics, and studio foam. The full-time studio computer will probably only run about $1000 (hopefuly).

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup

Pro: Can record 8 tracks at once (with some sub-mixes into that), all the associated joys of a computer based recording setup. Relativly compact (no outboard gear) and can be moved around in a pinch. Can be upgraded relatively easily.

Con: Could have spent my money more wisely. Bloody hard to record more than four people at once. The setup is sort of goofy since my original plan was a portable setup. I could have bought much better gear by removing the portability and doing more research.

4. A rough estimate of the production quality.

Pretty Close to standard for project studio. Low noise, but the MOTU tends to give everything a bit of a dead sound. One has to produce the products to compensate for the MOTU sound. It has been said that syncing to a better word clock can help quite a bit, and I'm looking into that.

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)

Pretty much anyone looking for very low cost and has their own gear. I'm building towards rock/pop/small ensemble, but I think it's pretty flexable for the cost. Groups with live drummers will be advised to overdub parts, but recording the whole ensemble is quite doable.

6. Addenum
I'm still in the building phase, and I'm seriously considering adding an Apogee Mini-Me (for additional simultaneous channels and the built in word clock), mackie mini-hui (or similar), more mics, and of course monitors (probably event TR5's or TR8's). I could also really use some better plugins than the Cubase defaults (and I've tried the free ones, which are fun, but few are useful).

LZQ

Lazy_Q

09-01-2003, 04:02 PM

spinman

09-02-2003, 06:17 AM

This thread is going great; I hope people will find it useful.

If anyone feels up to it, maybe we could recommend some "beginner setups" for people. What's your take on say, a $2000 or $1500 studio?

strat0tele

09-04-2003, 03:01 PM

I really couldn't consider this a studio but it's what I record with

Computer - 800mhz PIII, 512mb sdram, 5.1 SB live value card. It is also my personal computer so I do everything on it. Cost $600 back in 2001.

Room - My small bedroom with no studio accomodations.

Mixers- None

Monitors- None (headphones and PC sound system)

Software - Sonar XL for recording, Fruity loops for realistic drum tracks

Instruments - bad casio 80's cheapo keyboard, MIJ tele, MIA strat, MIM P bass

Mics- Audio Technica best buy cheapo special

pros - Barely cost me anything to record, since basically I had everything already except the software, and a few cables/adapters

cons - bad quality, better than 4 track, but you can tell my recordings are amatuer. No possiblilities to make more than one track at a time.

What it suits- it's great for making demo quality tracks, with one track at a time. I basically only record, so I don't really need more than that.

Once again, I do not call this a studio, but you people wanted "beginner setups" and this is what you got
:D

J6P

09-04-2003, 05:01 PM

Added a RNP today.....Come on layoff!!!!!:D

Tenguzero

09-05-2003, 10:30 PM

Mine's kinda ghetto too, but it gets the job done :D I think my biggest hinderance is the soundcard I'm using, but I can't even afford something like an Audiophile 2496 right now (hopefully soon.) Damn college keeping me poor :rolleyes:

---Computer
=Athlon XP 1500+
=256 mb RAM
=GeForce2 Ti
=40 GB master, 10 GB slave HD's
=CD-r/rw recorder
=*Philips Rhythmic Edge soundcard* ugh. Pretty basic, latency with the WDM driver isn't too bad though:cool:
=A basic Altec Lansing 4 speaker and sub setup

---Software
=FL Studio 4: Where I do all my midi recording, soundfont, and sound manipulation (I LOVE the assignable knobs and real-time effects)
=Sonar 2.0 XL: Sadly, I don't use this program to anywhere NEAR its potential, but there is just SO MUCH to it, that I simply don't have the time to sit down and learn it all. Basically, I use it for recording audio (since FL Studio is rather uncooperative in that department) and chopping/clipping all my samples before they are sequenced, because I like the interface.
=ACID Pro 4.0: Where I do all my final sequencing. This program is just so damn intuitive, I can't see using anything else to compose my tracks! FL Studio's sequencing is too confusing, Sonar's is to involved. The only downside,is that ACID doesn't exactly produce the best quality recording after all is said and done...but that might be due largely to my simple 16-bit soundcard.
=A couple different drum machine apps (LeafDrums, HammerHead): Where I assemble my beats, then export them as .wavs for addition into my tracks.

---Instruments
=Alesis QS6.1 synth, a.k.a "The Workhorse": Works pretty well when using its preset patches through audio-in, and works EXCELLENT as a very full featured midi controller.
=Mixman DM2 turntable: I'm kind of disappointed with it so far- I know most serious musicians consider it a toy, but I figured that I could at least use it as a basic mixer/sample controller etc. BUT it has its own HORRIBLE way of trying to beatmatch ANY sample put into it as a loop- so the samples get all hacked up. Works pretty well for Traktor though- now, if I could only DJ :rolleyes:
=Basic crappy computer mic: Does the job for vocoding. That's it.

Despite my setbacks, I think I've produced some pretty demo worthy stuff. Of course, the tracks aren't exactly STUDIO quality (my current soundcard and ACID Pro don't exactly produce a great quality sound come mixdown time.) But I've come to understand (in my research on producing demos for actual attempts at being taken seriously) that labels and whatnot aren't so much interested in the quality of the recording (that's what they have professional studios for) but really the talent behind the song. Makes sense.:)

varakeef

09-08-2003, 06:41 AM

Here's a contribution from the lower price range.

1. Basic studio gear/setup

Microphones:
- Shure 58
- Shure M16 pair (cheap condensers for overheads, not produced anymore)
- T-bone BD 300 bass drum mic (Shure copy I guess)
- Acces to numerous 57's, Rode NT 1's (acoustic guitars, vocals, drums)
- T-Bone SC 450 (large diagram condencer mic)
- Behringer ECM 8000 (small diagram condencer, metering mic)
- Oktava ML 52 (ribbon microphone)
- Rode NTK (large diagram condencer mic with a tube)

Preamps etc:
- Presonus Blue Tube (older version)
- RME QuadMic: 4 Kanal Mikrofonpreamp
- cheapo di-box (very good investment, cost me 10 €)

Recording apparatus:
- HP Compaq nx 8220 (Pentium M750, 1,86 Ghz, 1 Gb DDrIISDRAM 400 Mhz, 60 Gb hard disk 5400 rpm...)
- Lacie 200 Gb external hard disk (usb2/fw... I use usb2)
- M-Audio 1814 (8 analog in/out, ADAT, spdif)
- N'Track 4
- Fostex R8 (reel to reel 8-track), two pieces... another one without remote control
- Yamaha MD8 (not mine, free to use - now I can return it, and actually I have returned it)
- Philips hifi vcr, portable Sony Minidisk, Kenwood KX-530 cassette deck 70's

Mixing consoles:
- Mackie CR1604
- Behringer Eurorack MX802A

Monitoring:
- Behringer B2031A pair
- NAD 3020 amp
- JPW minimonitors
- Tivoli Audio One (mono radio)
- AKG K171 Studio headphones
- AKG K270 headphones

Efects and processors:
- FMR RNC
- Yamaha Reverb REV 500 (not mine, free to use,now returned)
- Alto Pro CLE 4.0 4-channel compressor (obsolite)
- Alesis Nanocompressor (obsolite)
- Alesis Microverb II (obsolite)

Guitar gear:
- Vox AC 30 '64 (non top boost)
- Fender Pro Reverb '74
- Roland Space Echo RE 150 (I use it also as a delay when recording or mixing)
- lots of guitars, (different types including a baritone, acoustic and a 12-string)
- guitar effects (Ibanez Phase Tone 70's, Coron octaver, funk box, Vox and Locobox distortions etc)
- POD
- some more smaller amps

Acces to drums, basses, bass gear etc.

Room:
- My studio is a mobile one. I record at almost any room available. Access to for example a monitoring room of what used to be a professional studio. It's treated and bass trapped, no nasty reflections. By opening the door I'll get some real reverb.
- I've moved my mixing to the control room.

1 B. Ditched Gear (obsoleted or found not useful)
- Presonus Firepod (firewire interface, 8 mic pres etc.)
- Yamaha MD8
- I don't use vcr as a master recorder anymore
- all hardware effects except Space Echo and FMR RNC
- Fujitsu-Siemens laptop (is just for internet nowadays, it was a crappy one... 60 Gb, 512 Mb, Pentium3 1,3 Mhz)

2. How much it cost to put together

I don't really know. I do not dare to make calculations. Mics, effects, consoles and the reel-to-reel about 3 000 euros. Some of the stuff is owned by a few fellow musicians which lowers the cost. Some of the stuff is used also as my home stereo, some of the things I borrow.

EDIT: After new computer and interface it's about 2200 euros more. On the other hand I would have bought the laptop anyway...

And yet another laptop bought, 1200 euros, 200 euros for hd... new preamp 400 euros.

So 'till today I've spent at least 7000 euros in recording, little by little (without instrument, amps etc.). If I had to buy the stuff I use right now without the ditched stuff I could get away with:
- a laptop 1000 €
- 8 channel interface 500 €
- additional preamps 400 €
- mics for 8 channels (some 57/58's a few condencers) 1000 €
- RNC 200 €
- n-track 50 €
- wires 150 €
-----------------
3300 € .. Oh, forgot the monitoring, now 500, I could use a thousand for a pair of active Genelecs. So let's say 4 500 €. And now the band got me a pair of Behringer 2031A's. They seem to be quite good actually.

EDIT: Some additions to mic locker, 450 for Rode NTK.

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup

- Ok for recording (althou I could use a few more mics), mixing facilities are lacking. If the band is good, songs are good and old school type of sound is preferable, the mixing is also possible.
- Affordable, nice to work with.
- No decent eq's in consoles, just fixed ones.
- Mackie's preamps beat the bluetube, which hisses. I'd like to have a clean one as well.
(- Sometimes I need more tracks.)
- I seem to be buing more and more stuff, but youall know what kind of a disease this is.

EDIT: Damn, I wouldn't believe it a year ago, but it seems I'm in the lap top based computer system. Now I've got enough tracks, effects, eq's etc. Room is good and now I mix in the box. On the other hand I'm tempted by the idea of analog summing and some nice analog compressors in mixing..

Firepod was however a major dissappointment. Couldn't get it work... Now I'm giving M-Audio Firewire 1814 a shot. Edt: 1814 rocks.

- the system is very mobile. Lap top, a few mics and pre goes well in case. Just jump into train and find some musicians to do overdubbing.

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives

- Good enough for my purposes. Released records, unpolished no nonsense production. I learn more everyday to maximize it's potential.
- After all, Stones albums from 68 - 72 sound great, they're not too polished or fancy.
- Not hifi I guess. EDIT: actually it could be hifi if that really was my main concern

5. What kind of music and methods it suits

- Usually drums and guitars or bass together to make a base track. Overdubbing later on. (Sometimes there's a need for pingpong operations or overdubbing in real studio.)
- Outlaw country&western. Rock'n'roll. Acoustic folk, blues. Music from the Big Pink, Exile on Main Street, Beggars Banquet type of things...
- Experimenting with songwriting ideas, good vibe get together... a few beers and laughs. (except for the engineer who's starts to erase tracks after one...)

karlos

09-12-2003, 02:10 PM

ryant

09-16-2003, 04:57 AM

hey, this is my setup

Computer: P4 1.6ghz, 714mb SDRAM, 30gb+80gb harddrive, sonar 2 xl

Hardware:
Pod XT (for easy guitar recording)
Edirol UA-3D (i dont reccomed this pain in the ass 16bit unit)

then i go from my behringer mixer to my edirol card

to the mixer i have my Ultragain Pro Tube mic Preamp, which has an akg D880 for dynamic mic needs and a studio projects B1 for condenser needs.

i alslo have a evolution midi controller (uc-16) which i use for automation which is kinda cool, a few big bucks tho.

i also have some other stuff i cant think of right now

this whole setup cost me more then i should ever have at my age(15)....... $1.5G without the computer

koore

09-18-2003, 01:50 PM

yeah, well i'm new to this forum but i've been recording mostly hip-hop and experimental electronic music over the past few years... Anyway the set up i'm using seems to be competent enough for doing hip-hop and electronic demo mixing (all depending on who is mastering it).

-Powerbook G4 867 512Mb RAM (Digital Performer 4)
-Yamaha RS7000 sampler (zip drive storage)
-Korg MS2kR
-EMU Esi2k
-MOTU 828 interface
-Behringer Virtualizer pro
-Samson PL1602 Mixer (piece o'shat)
-KRK ST6 Near Field Monitors
-Studio Projects B1
-Audio technica MB1000L

Pros: not much money in this set-up, works good for getting ideas programmed...

Cons: still need a midi interface, heh. the mixer i have sucks, so i don't really use it all, just do all mixing with the MOTU 828...

despite still lacking some important stuff i'm able to bang out some fairly impressive hip-hop tracks with this simple set-up.

JCC

09-19-2003, 07:13 AM

Originally posted by koore
yeah, well i'm new to this forum but i've been recording mostly hip-hop and experimental electronic music over the past few years... Anyway the set up i'm using seems to be competent enough for doing hip-hop and electronic demo mixing (all depending on who is mastering it).

-Powerbook G4 867 512Mb RAM (Digital Performer 4)
-Yamaha RS7000 sampler (zip drive storage)
-Korg MS2kR
-EMU Esi2k
-MOTU 828 interface
-Behringer Virtualizer pro
-Samson PL1602 Mixer (piece o'shat)
-KRK ST6 Near Field Monitors
-Studio Projects B1
-Audio technica MB1000L

Pros: not much money in this set-up, works good for getting ideas programmed...

Cons: still need a midi interface, heh. the mixer i have sucks, so i don't really use it all, just do all mixing with the MOTU 828...

despite still lacking some important stuff i'm able to bang out some fairly impressive hip-hop tracks with this simple set-up.

Welcome to the forum. :)

I notice you have the KRK ST6 monitors, how do you like them? How do they compare to some of the others on the market? What are you using for an Amp? I've been thinking about the ST8s and posted here looking for info.... must be not many have them, I think they're fairly new.

Boogs

09-22-2003, 01:09 PM

Here's a cheaper one...

DAW - PowerMac 7500 (:eek: ) -w- Sonnet G4 450mhz processor, 512Mb RAM, OS9, additional 7200rpm audio drive

Logic Audio 6, N.I. Battery drum sampler, N.I. Pro 52-53, Emagic ES1-EVD6-EVP73-EXSP24, Greenoak Crystal (free), built-in Logic synths

Steinberg Mastering Edition (no comments! ;) ), Blockfish compressor (free), Logic built-in effects, Pluggo 2, and each and every freeware effect I could find and I use'em too

Monitors: Tannoy Reveals, Yamaha consumer amp -w- eq-bypass

Interface: Emagic EMI 6/2 USB audio interface, AudioBuddy pre, Audio-Technica 3035 LDC, Marshall Electronics MXL603s SDC

Esteve nylon-string, Seagull S6+Cedar steel-string, handmade-by-my-friend electric with seymour duncan p/u's kramer neck and floyd rose bridge, Yamaha fretless bass, Yamaha GS 115 solid-state guitar amp

Quality - no good engineer would be intimidated, music can come through though - only track released was recorded on worse!

Pros - with logic 6's "freeze" function (a quick and transparent form of bouncing VSTi tracks), I am getting a good amount going here with an ancient pooter

Cons - no band could record here, hmmmm....maybe a pro

AeroB1033

09-25-2003, 10:34 AM

Here's an uber-cheap one.

Rig:

1.2GHz Athlon
768mb SDRAM

M-Audio Delta 44

Mixer/Preamp:

Mackie 1604-VLZ Mixer

Instruments/Amp:

Hohner Acoustic Electric
Fender USA Strat
Gibson Sonex 180
Mesa Boogie Nomad 55 2x12 Combo

Microphones:

4 x Shure SM58s
1 x Shure SM57
1 x Peavey PVM 22
1 x Studio Projects B1

Misc:

Alesis SR-16 Drum Machine
Alesis Multiverb4 multieffects processor

Software:

Goldwave
Cool Edit Pro 2.0
Steinberg Wavelab 4

---

Told you it was cheap. No real studio monitors or headphones yet, getting those and a drum set in a month.

Pros: Not many. I still haven't been able to get useable sound, but that's because of crappy acoustics (which I'm working on) and the MR-8 I used to have. I suppose having a decent 16-channel mixer is a pro, as is my decent selection of dynamic mics (for drum, guitar, and bass recording).

Cons: Poor acoustics, not enough mics or enough of a variety of mics to get the job done, no real monitoring so I can't mix properly.

Rock Austin

09-25-2003, 10:50 PM

PLATFORM
PC-based system: Pentium 4 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM, 2 60GB hard drives (1 for audio), Windows 2K Professional

SOFTWARE
Cubase VST 5.1

INTERFACE
M-Audio Delta 1010 (8 analog in, 1 stereo digtal in)

MONITORING
Rolls 6-channel headphone amp
Sony MDR-7506 headphones
Tannoy Reveal Active monitors

PREAMPS
Sytek MPX-4A (4-channels)
(2) Audiobuddys (:eek: )
ART Studio 'TOOB' MP (:o ...but actually works well with the kick mic for some reason...must be the extra 'WARMTH' ;))

MICROPHONES
(2) Shure SM-57
(2) Behringer ECM-8000
(1) Sennheiser MD-421
(2) AKG 451
(1) Blue Baby Bottle

....I also rent mics locally, usually AT 4050 and GT (tube condenser, can't remember the model)

EFFECTS
All VST plugins, either the one that came with Cubase or free ones I downloaded.

PROS: I have been getting some good, clean sounds...especially since I've been getting a lot more practice. My setup is SOMEWHAT portable, which is good since I don't have a good room to record in....

which brings us to...

CONS: Having to always lug my stuff somewhere for a tracking session. I think the weakest link of my setup right now is some quality effects and compressions, either VST or outboard gear. I'm thinking about going strictly with plugins since I'm in the digital domain to begin with...

Any thoughts?

burak

09-29-2003, 10:43 PM

DAW
Recorder PC, Pentium IV 2 Ghz Laptop running Sonar 2.2 (ordered Sonar 3 and waiting) and FL Studio 4.1
Soundcard: MOTU 828 firewire audio unit, Echo Indigo
Sampler PC, Pentium III 800 Mhz running DXis, VSTi's, cubasis and Soundfonts.
Soundcard: SB Audigy, Echo Audio Gina

Outboard Gear& Effects
Soundcraft Spirit Folio Board
Alesis M1 Studio Monitors
API 48 Patchbay
Alesis Midiverb
Alesis Nanocompressor
Art Tube MP preamp
Ibanez Elephant Compressor
Line 6 PODE II amp modeller
SansAmp GT2 amp modeller
Rockman X100
Zoom 505
Ibanez Tube screamer
Ibanez Flanger

Instruments, Mics and Amps
Roland V Drums
Roland W30 Sampler keyboard
Roland DR5 Rhytm composer
Yamaha DX7 FM Synth
Fatar Studio Logic MIDI controller
Peavey Patriot Bass
GnL ASAT Special eguitar
Squire Telecaster eguitar
Gibson Les Paul Standard eguitar
Picador 12 string acoustic
Seagull S6-CW acoustic-electric
Ovation Legend Ltd acoustic-electric
Takamine EN40C acoustic-electric
Crate Vintage 50 tube amp
Vox Pathfinder amp
Rode NT1 condenser mic
Shure SM58
Shure SM57

Everything is in my penthouse. I did treat the room acoustically to a certain degree. I do tracking and monitoring in the same room so I can't afford to have a live room. Vdrums allow me to take some live recordings without too much hassle. I run everything (guitar and bass) direct in, using amp modellers. Sonar is a great software, very userfriendly. Their new version comes with lexicon reverb and sonitus FX pack, so it will be a good upgrade for my project studio. Some of my recordings (http://www.mp3.com/burak) are here .

dkitts2002

10-01-2003, 07:52 AM

Here is my setup right now...from the looks of things I'm at the way low end of this group, but I am constantly evolving the system to something better. I listed items with where I bought them.

Boss BR-8 (used - eBay)

Behringer MX1604a mixer (b stock bought 'new')

A JVC CD Recorder (eBay)

A Shure mic (Mars closeout)

Behringer DSP2024 (the only out and out new item)

I'm currently selling a Digitech Vocalist Workstation EX that was cool, but I don't use enough.

I also have two keyboard amps; one Peavey KB/a 300 and a Behringer KX1200.

Instrumentation is:

Parker Fly (used from G.C.)
Boss GT-6 (new)
Roland XP-50 keyboard. (used eBay)
Korg X5DR module (eBay)

Except for the GT-6, and Beheringer stuff, everything is purchased used, but I still have around $3000 in the setup, most of it in the guitar. It's not a cheap hobby, but look at it this way, I could probably exist on the BR-8, the guitar and some monitors...and have a reasonable setup for $1000. But, I play out so I have money invested in the guitar gear.

I'm currently in the hunt for a set of Event TR8N monitors. I'm finding that getting the final mix down well is elusive when I monitor it through keyboard amps :-). After that, the next step will be to replace the BR-8 (along with maybe the Behringer mixer) with a higher end recorder/mixer, but I'm happy with what I have now.

I use the studio stuff and keyboard it to compose on and make demos. It actually works pretty well for that. Despite it being kind of hodge podge, I can get pretty good results.

I will say that I steered away from computer based anything, mainly due to the fact that my day job is in IT field, so I want my hobbies to be away from computers.

WARangel

10-04-2003, 01:55 PM

DAW
Ensoniq PARIS system - 2 cards, 32 tracks - w/ controller and 8 input MEC on Pentium 4 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM, 120 gb hard drive, Windows XP

PREAMPS
DACS Clarity Micamp Preamp
Focusrite Voicemaster
Peavey Tube Preamp

EFFECTS
Ensoniq PARIS native effects (compression, EQ, reverb)
Sony Multieffect
DBX 166

MICROPHONES
?????
AT 4050
Shure SM-57

MONITORING
Audix STudio 1As
Alesis M1s
Audio TEchnica Headphones
Behringer Headphone Amp

curtiswyant

10-05-2003, 10:31 AM

Computer:
AMD Thunderbird 1Ghz/266
256MB PC2100 DDR-RAM
2x 100GB IBM Deskstar HD's
M-Audio Delta 44
Dual Monitors (real nice)
Midiman 4x4 USB

Software:
Nuendo 2
Reason 2.5
Pretty much all of the Native Instruments software

Hardware:
Mackie 1202 (not vlz)
3x Shure SM57's
Various crappy vocal mics that I don't use
Good quality cables!

Instruments:
Kawai MIDI controller
DeArmond M-72
Egnater TOL 50
Mojotone 12/10 cabinet
VL Pedal Power 2
FXDoctor Booster
Boss TU-2
Teese RMC-1
Ludwig Rocker 5pc w/Zildjians and Remo pinstripe heads
Takamine G-Series electric/acoustic
Warmoth P-Bass
Sansamp Bass Driver DI
ADA MP-1

The computer has been about $2000 if you include the non-musical stuff. I would say that between drums/bass/guitar/keys that I've got about $3000 or more but it has all been acquired a piece at a time.

Pros: Simple, reliable, "tuned"
Cons: Relatively low quality...I think the mics and the room itself is holding me back at this point

I can get demo-quality recordings very easily and I would be confident tracking instruments for an actual album in my studio. Of course, I would take them to a real studio to mix them.

The other drawback of my studio is that I'm limited to 4 tracks at a time, so tracking live is out of the question.

Future upgrades:
DeArmond M-77T
Guitar pedals
Conaway drumset
Computer upgrade (it's that time again...)
More mics...probably go with Studio Projects

tucktronix

10-08-2003, 06:14 PM

Nothing really:

No guitars to speak of-

Synths:

Yamaha S80
Korg microKorg
Korg X2
Korg Wavestation EX
Moog Micromoog(borrowing from a friend)
Korg DW8000(missing power chord)
Hammond XB-2(mostly for gigs)
E-mu ESI-2000 sampler

Softsynths:

Reason 1.0(hardly ever used)
ACIDpro 4.0

Drum machines:

Boss DR-770
Alesis HR-16

Recording equipment:

Fostex DMT-8vL 8-track HD recorder
Digitech Studio effects processor
Monitors: Fostex SW-1

Computer:

PII 350mhz 128MB PC running Cakewalk Pro Audio 8
Midiman DMan2044 pci 4 ins, 4 outs
8GB UDMA HD
Ricoh 4X8 CD-R

Cost: about $8,700 total. Of course, that is money spent over a period of 10 years. A basic setup would be a small fraction of that total.

Pros: CWPA8 is very easy to use and powerful. Everything is in close proximity to each other. Love my S80.

Cons: Several. Have to connect the pc and drum machine at both the MIDI IN and OUT in order to record the drum tracks(a patchbay would probably fix this problem). My HD recorder connects to pc via patch cables which often can lead to noise(hadn't really experienced that problem yet). My PC is extremely slow! I can't control any softsynths via MIDI because of the crazy latency.

The production quality is OK for such a primitive setup. The Fostex puts out such a warm sound for a digital unit(analog mixing).

I write and compose a lot of contemporary jazz. Lately, I've been composing a lot of jazz/rock fusion. This setup could be ideal for rock, techno and r&b, I guess.

Peace,

Tuck

thom

10-10-2003, 06:43 AM

Originally posted by spinman
bump...

beginners need to speak up too. Let's hear from the <$1000 crowd some.

K, here goes...

1.I'm sorta still starting out m'kay...

-Akai dsp16 hd recorder/mixer & scsi-cd-writer
-Maudio Audiobuddy
-Mics: SM57(2), SM58, cheap AKG C1000s copy, AT pro25, Sennheiser E845, 2 Behringer ECM8000's
-Guitars: '77 fender tele deluxe, old squire strat, fender mim '50s tele, shitty pawn shop guitar, martin dx-1 accoustic, neck-theu alembic copy(active), '80s mij fender J-bass.
-Truck load of guitar fx, some bootique stuff, some vintage stuff, some new stuff, really too much to list
-Amps(gtr/bass): Apeg svt 200T head & 410Hfecab, '74 fender tiwn reverb, marshall jcm 800 2204 & old 4x12 cab loaded w/ '70s greenbacks.
-synths nshit: Nordlead1, alesis sr16.

2. Dunno, 2000€ maybe.

3. More cons then pros I guess, but since my set-up is so simple and basic, there's not much that can go wrong, and it's just fun and easy to work with. Can't record much more with it then very lo-fi home demos though. And I'm shopping for some monitors, a preamp, somekind of processor, and a condenser mic.

4&5. I can record anything that doesnt require a em...hi-fi sound I guess. I'm very limited when it coms to procsessors, and mixing usually takes a while 'cause I don't have any real monitors yet. Also, on top of my wish list: a good mic to track vocals with, and maybe a quality preamp to go with it. I do pretty good work for friends who come over and wanna make a demo for their family and friends, but then I'm talking about minimalistic singer/songwriter stuff or trashy punk/noise shit.

Kapp

10-15-2003, 02:11 PM

OK...

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.
Mac G4
ProTools digi001
Audio Technica AT3035 Mic
good old used SM57
Tascam CD Burner
Mic stands, pop screen, cables, etc etc

2. How much it cost to put together.
Took out a loan, spent 2,500.00 but sold off around $400.00 worth of gear that ProTools made irrelevant (Mackie mixer, sampler, etc)

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
PROs- Can record and edit...basically before I bought ProTools I got a LOT of experience with it, so I knew the software pretty wel before I bought it...also I can create a CD (took me years to get to that level, was making "mix tapes" with MIDI and a Mackie VLZ for a few years

CONS- Cant really record a live band with the digi001...you could but you'd need to make another thread about how to record live drums with the digi001

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.

demo quality, but not mastered...
I would have to fork out more $$$ if someone wanted something "Master Quality"...but for Hip Hop demos, no prob

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)

Hip Hop- for sampling/editing, ProTOols is all that...people may mention Frooty loops, but I mean I play my own bass guitar, percussion, and mix that in with the samples, and scratch with a turntable, so I mean it aint just sampling CD's and cutting/pasting...ProTools goes beyond Frooty Loops

twentyseven

10-15-2003, 08:29 PM

Ok, I am sure that this takes top marks for cheap ass recording studio.

Total demo cost so far is 300 dollars which is the cost to go to a studio and record 4 songs, 8 tracks drums, 1 guitar bed, and 1 bass bed:

The studio gave me 48k WAV filies for all songs

My home studio consists of the following:

an AMD Duron 900 with 512 ram, and a midiman card with 2 rca in and 2 rca out.

Loaded on it is Protools LE Free 5.0.1 with the ZONE hack to give me 32 tracks to mix. Before the hack, I would keep bouncing submixes of the drums and add them to another session.

I rented an SM57 and a direct box for recording the bass and guitars (we are an instrumental 'stoner rock' band, so no need for a good vocal mic) total cost 16 dollars for 2 weeks

I use a Tascam 688 midistudio for the Mic Pres and the meter bridge, and then track right to my protools. I have latency so I use a samson mixpad4 to listen back to the playback tracks and to a feed from the tascam of the source. I then output the recording track to a bus that I am not using. Punchins can be a bitch. The mixpad cost me a hundo, and i got the tascam for free.

The computer I built myself with spare parts, and probably cost me a few hundred along the way.

I mix through a set of Design Accoustics PS-66 speakers. They are the flattest speakers I could find for cheap. They actually aren't that bad at all.

Instruments:

91 PRS
Trace elliot Speed Twin H100
Marshall 4x12 with Greenback celestions (100W and kicks ass)
Trace elliot 4x12 300W (Not as nice soundin)

and the rest of the band has thier own stuff.

Pretty cheap, but the recording sounds GREAT!
I will post the tunes when they are mixed and mastered.

Now, before I get ripped on for using a hack of pro-tools (I am probably not the only one with hack software, but I guess I am the only one who would admit it) I had no problem using the 8 track free one, and but found it hard to mix. I actually went out and ordered a DIGI002 rack, but it hasn't come in yet. So, i guess although I am recording in a cheap studio, I am on the brink of spending some major bling.

I am going to rent mic's as I need them, and eventually buy a good pre to get me past the 4 pre limit on the DIGI 002 rack.

That's it for now.

AreJayBee

10-20-2003, 12:09 AM

My REALLY basic setup is....

Boss BR-8---------------------------->$60
Shure SM-58------------------------->$90
Roland MA-8-------------------------->$50

Late 60's Semi-Hollowbody-------->Free!
Cheapie Casio MIDI Keyboard----->Free!
SX J-Bass copy------------------------>$150

And thats it!

So far this setup suits me well because its so simple, mobile, and easy. Being that I am a beginner in Recording and pretty much broke. My stuff records pretty well for the price maybe even demo quality if your pretty good. But it does have some really whacked out effects that I don't think anybody would ever use. It also records only two tracks at a time so probably wouldn't be useful for bands that want to track each instrument individually. but might be perfect for singer/songwriters/one-person bands who want to record spontaneous music parts without firing up a dozen components.

RJB

bowisc

10-21-2003, 06:46 AM

http://www.sonrisen.com/setup2s.jpg

blue halo

10-27-2003, 03:27 PM

Equipment:

Computer system:
P2 333/256MB/20GB AudDrive
Yamaha DS2416
Steinberg Nuendo
Steinberg Cubase VST/32 5.1

Hardware:
Peavey ID4 Quad DI box
Behringer Truth monitors
Behringer MX802 mixer
Steinberg Midex8
Tascam PB-32 Patchbay
Mackie UAD-1
Alesis NanoVerb
Alesis NanoCompressor
DOD Classic Fuzz distortion pedal
DOD Stereo Flanger pedal
Dunlop Crybaby Wah pedal
Moog MF-101 LowPass Filter
Fender Champ 25/SE tube/state combo amp

The Instruments:
F.A.T. FreeBass FB-383
Waldorf MicroWave 2
Alesis QS6
Yamaha PSR-12
Yamaha RBX360 Bass
Epiphone Les Paul copy
Washburn Strat copy (well, sorta...)
Clavia Nord Micromodular
Steinberg Model-E
Steinberg LM-4mkII
Waldorf Attack
Waldorf PPG Wave
NI Kontakt

Mics:
Apex 420 condenser mic
2x Shure SM58

Approximate cost:
$20k CAD

Pros:
I get to work whenever I want
Cons:
Not enough $$ for new toys

Quality:
Songwriting/Demo/Mixing

Kinds of Music:
Any. Not a lot of live tracking done there, however.

mitchdoggMDR

11-02-2003, 11:47 AM

Computer
Hand me down PII Gateway

Software
CoolEdit Pro

Mixer
Wimpy Phonic 2 preamp 6 channel

Microphones
AT Vocal Mic
B******* MX8500 (SM58 Clone)

Preamps
None

Outboard Gear/FX
None

Monitoring
Poineer Speakers
Maranatz Home Stereo Amp (Really Old)

Controllers
Roland PC100

Pros:
Cheap (very)
Halfway decent sound comes out

Cons:
No pres or sound shaping
Not good mics

For:
Me and my guitar in my basement

dix0r

11-19-2003, 07:02 PM

gear
soundcraft ghost 24LE

rme multiface (and PCI card)

dell dimension 8300
2.8 ghz pentium 4 processor w/800 mhz FSB
2 x 80 gig drives (7200 RPM)
1024 MB DDR SDRAM (400 mhz)
17" monitor
48x CDR drive

n-track studio (24 bit)
drumagog
amplitube
antares auto-tune
(lots of free VST stuff)

shure sm57 x 2
oktava mk012 x 2
audio technica atm25
studio projects B1
sennheiser e609 silver
AKG D112

yorkville ysm1p powered monitors
direct sound extreme isolation headphones x 2
presonus hp4 headphone amp

stands, pop filter, cables, shock mount, x/y mic holder, xlr cables, patch cable snake, mopads, etc

total cost
too lazy to figure it out. probably between $5-10K...or if you include instruments/amps/accessories, definitely over $10K...i really have no clue right now.

production quality
IMO, its good demo quality. definitely a lot better than most of the demos i hear around here. i'm happy with the progress i'm making, and i don't feel like the equipment is limiting me at all yet. of course i'd like to get more stuff, but at this point, my knowledge/experience is holding me back more than having better preamps/whatever else.

limitations
i would like more tracks
i would like more mics
i would like more outboard gear
i would like a mac and protools
etc etc etc.

none of these have been a huge problem, but of course it would be nice :]

price
i'm just now starting to record for money... and i'm gonna charge $15 an hour for now. the first band is coming in within the next couple weeks. i'm not trying to sound cocky, but i honestly already feel like i should be getting more than that (all the demos i've heard around here that cost that much were horrible, and lots of more expensive ones (like $40 an hour) were really bad too.

but, i know i'm still learning a lot, and i don't expect to start charging more than that immediately. i'd rather have them be happy and tell their friends anyways.

other junk
i'll continue to edit/update this post (when i remember) as i get more stuff. hopefully coming soon - outboard limiters, compressors, etc...

and hopefully some clips for samples of the quality too...

came2play

11-20-2003, 06:57 AM

I'm on a very tight budget, but here goes.

Yamaha AW16G

Studio Projects C1 condenser mic
Samson Q-1 condenser mic
Sony stereo condenser mic
Audio Technica cheapo dynamic mic
Behringer 58 knockoff

a couple guitars

Sony DPS V-55 effects processor

Behringer MX1604 mixer

Roland XP-30 Keyboard with "Vintage Synth" & "60s & 70's" expansion boards.

Drag & Drop Dummer
Acid Loops
Big Fish drum loops
Various other Drum Samples

Quality: Good Demo

Pros: It's not computer based.

Cons: I need a few more things & tracks

Cost: ?

Archie

12-09-2003, 02:49 PM

Wow, looking over the posts it's easy to see why the PC & Mac have opened up all sorts of recording possibilities. Just great for getting into this without spending a fortune. I'm probably too old fashioned for you guys................I still sometimes mix to 1/2" with or without Dolby SR, depending on the project. Other times the Masterlink does just fine. I like vintage stuff-have 7 Telefunken tube pre's along with Avalon 737's, although the Trident mic pres are pretty decent.

1) Setup/Platform: Trident 80B console with automation. RADAR II and RADAR 1 primary recorders, iMac/Digital Performer outboard processing, FX etc., Lucid WordClock. Otari 1/2"MTR-12h with SR, Masterlink, Otari DAT and CD burner. Avalon, Tube Tech, Valley People, DBX compressors plus plug ins. Lots of different oddball mics. Favorite still is Mylab DC-96 for anything acoustic. Clear smooth and not brittle like a 414 can be. Still use basically one mic, AKG "The Tube", for vocals with Avalon 737. Did a shoot out with some pretty expensive mics recently (Tel 251, 87, 47 67, C-12) and producer still picked the custom AKG.

2) Cost: with the 1100 square foot room (16 x 24 control room) + equipment, I'm sure it's over $4xx,xxx. Lost track(s)

3) Pros & Cons: Only con is not sufficient "real estate" for large sessions............ie; more than 8 people at a time. Other than that it's perfect.

4) Production/audio quality: Pro level. Tannoy SGM 15B large monitors; Tannoy PBM 6.5, Tannoy SuperTweeters, Tannoy 600 (powered) and Kef 101 III (still my favorite for accuracy).

5) Kinds of music: anything tasty. Not real big on hip-hop, but hey, shoot me--I grew up with Zep, Beatles, Stones etc.

Also have a lot of keyboards including my treasured blond Hammond C-3. Synths for days including many older ones I've used on sessions over the years.

frayd_static

12-11-2003, 01:56 AM

Tascam M-1600 16x8 board
Tascam TSR-8 8 track reel-to-reel
2-Tascam 414 cassette 4 tracks =)
JoeMeek MC2 compressor
Lexicon MPX-110
80's Onkyo receiver and cheap Jensen bookshelf speakers for monitoring.
Sony 700 cans
6- SM-57's (to cover the live stuff)
1- AKG D112
1-Realistic PZM (always our drum overhead)
1- AT (hell, I forget the model but similar to a 58)
1- cheap AT mic when going for the cheap sounding mic effect. ;)

Tama Starclassic maple kit
Pearl Export series kit
Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbacker guitars.
Piles of pedal effects-old, new, boutique... theremin, synth, and a few other noisemakers to round it out.

Amps:
'64 Ampeg Jet-12
'72 Ampeg V-4 head
'73 Ampeg VT-22
'75 Ampeg V-4B head
'69 Laney LBO (supergroup) head
Marshall 1959SL plexi RI
Cabs:
Ampeg V-4 4x12
Hiwatt 4123 4x12
Marshall '68 repro 4x12
4 more 4x12's looking for a good home. =)

Maybe $3,000.00 in mainly all used recording gear. Qualitywise, probably quite dirty compared to what most of you are used to these days. We mainly record pretty stripped down rock music. Big, fat, loud drums and guitars.

Pro's- all at our own pace... decent quality recordings using our preferred methods and tools within our budget. Hobby !! Any recording we've done for anyone other than ourselves has been at no charge. Very relaxed atmosphere in my tiny, unfinished, and difficult to work in basement.

Con's- restricted (# of tracks, noise, quality) by some of our gear but that's part of the fun. :D The "room" is cinder block and cement... carpet on the floor, most walls as well as some fiberboard built walls. Open ceiling with insulation fully visible. Quite interesting to walk into.

I like to call it "The Bunker"

jstouder

12-16-2003, 08:47 AM

My delimma: I have a bunch of licks that I want to store and send to family/friends/possible bandmates. I want to get them on my PC!!!

I've got a Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS audio card on my PC. After much thought, I'm going with Cakewalk Guitar Pro software.
My computer:

AMD 1.6
1.5GB Ram
200GB HD
XP Pro
(It runs like a champ, just reformatted)

Sound card: Audigy 2zs

3 Stereo outs
1 Mic in
1 Line in (I presume I use this)
1 Digital out

I don't want to sacrifice quality, so I will spend some dough, within reason!
I should have a PODxt within 2wks.

How do I record my music?

Use the POD and connect it to the PC via USB?

Use a mixer and run it through the line-in on the soundcard?

Use the POD and run it into the mixer, then into the soundcard?

Buy an expensive Microphone and set it near the amp?

I'm looking for simplicity, my wife uses the PC a lot so I don't want to disrupt too much. I want to be able to send that snazzy hook I just came up with to the PC and save it. The Boss RC-20 pedal has served me well, but I can't send or keep licks (permanently) with it.

Any suggestions would really help me out.

Thanks!
__________________

simonrex22

12-20-2003, 08:59 PM

Can someone give me a quick explanation on how to set up a home recording studio on the computer. Like this:

You have the recording program on your computer. You plug the mic into the ?. You plug the ? into the mixing board. You plug the mixing board into the ?. You plug the ? into the computer.

Just give it to me quick and simple like that. Tell me exactly what i need to buy and what plugs into what. My computer does not have usb. Please help me and thanks in advance. Merry Xmas.

Im getting a very simple setup. And inexpensive. This is what i thought was all i had to do. Get a program such as Cakewalk. Plug the mic into the computer with some kind of adapter. Now im being told i need a mixing board and an interface. Im confused.

thom

12-22-2003, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by simonrex22
Can someone give me a quick explanation on how to set up a home recording studio on the computer. Like this:

You have the recording program on your computer. You plug the mic into the ?. You plug the ? into the mixing board. You plug the mixing board into the ?. You plug the ? into the computer.

Just give it to me quick and simple like that. Tell me exactly what i need to buy and what plugs into what. My computer does not have usb. Please help me and thanks in advance. Merry Xmas.

Im getting a very simple setup. And inexpensive. This is what i thought was all i had to do. Get a program such as Cakewalk. Plug the mic into the computer with some kind of adapter. Now im being told i need a mixing board and an interface. Im confused.

Sorta ot, so maybe you won't get much help here. I'm not an expert btw, but I do know this:

Plugging the mic straight into yer comp using an adapter for the plug/jack WILL work, no matter what anyone here will tell you. Just give it a try, for all you know it'll sound good enough for your needs and taste. So don't go out and blow yer savings on a piece of high-end recording equipment just because it has a good reputation on this forum. Besides, a $2k preamp won't even sound remotely impressing if you put it between a $20 mic and a sound blaster card.

That being said, using a decent mixer or mic pre will get you better results. And maybe you know this, but a recording card with 24/96 resolution and decent a/d converters also makes a difference. If you think you do need a mixer/preamp and/or a good card, just do search or read thru the stickies here at the forum.

So...
Plug yer mic into yer mixer and run yer mixer to yer computer

Good luck.

pippyman

12-24-2003, 08:36 AM

1.
-Fostex VFO8 8-track 16-bit recorder. I paid about $400 bucks for it new a few years ago, I wouldn't recommend it because it's 16 bit.
-Audiobuddy Preamp. $70. Can't go wrong.
-Marshall MXL603s. Highly recommended acoustic guitar mic, especially at $80, you can't go wrong.
-Two Sony electret condenser microphones I bought before I knew much. They work okay when combined with a better mic. About 40 bucks a piece.
-Behringer MX-802A mixer for submixing my drumset, before I knew anything about Behringer. About $100.
-Home made computer, has cost about 1100, but could have been made for much cheaper if I had only built it for audio work. Athlon 2000+, win xp, 768 ram, 160 gigs, sound blaster audigy platinum. I do not recommend any sound blaster products for serious recording.

2.
-Including cables and instruments, the whole setup has been only a few thousand.

3.
-It's portable, I can take the Fostex to gigs and record bands for money.
-Sound quality is only so-so, demo quality stuff.

I encourage everyone to do their research before diving into recording--There are several things I would not have bought had I known then what I know know. Listen to what people have to say on this forum, especially some of the senior members with more posts.

-Pipes

pippyman

12-24-2003, 08:37 AM

And with that last post, I'm no longer a junior member! Woo hoo!

detunedman

12-25-2003, 02:30 AM

Tascam 788
tascam 788 cd burner
boss vf-1
sure sm 57
m-audio bx-5's

jackson RR
ada mp-1
ada microcab
rocktron velocity 300
carvin 4x12 w/v-30's

I upgraded from a Yamaha mt-120, and got to dive into it a little bit before I got orders to Korea..it's all at home. But from what little time I spent with it...I think effortless editing is by far worth every penny. I brought the manual with me to do a little homework. I havent noticed any digital coldness really, but I didn't have the best analog gear in the world either!

LesPL25870

12-29-2003, 10:58 PM

i have a very cheap recording setup:

radioshack 5 channel mixer
custom made computer
many, stereo RCA->Stereo 1/8" cables
Cool Edit Pro 2.0
Steinburg Wavelab
1 cheap mic ( very rarely used, i almost always run direct)
Tabit ( i tab out my drums and transfer to Cool Edit Pro)

however my guitar setup aint so cheap:
Gibson Les Paul Classic
Gibson Les Pau Standard
Gibson 1967 SG Special
Marshall JCM2000 TSL100 Full Stack
extra MARSHALL JCM2000 TSL100 Head
fender Stage 112SE
Vox Pacemaker 45
2 DOD Deathmetal's
Boss Super Chorus
Boss Flanger
Ibanez Delay/echo

i have actually made some great prodocutions from my setup. my lack of of recording equpiment is made up by my guitars. However, i must spend extra time mastering to make up for the cheap recording equipment

noisestudios

01-04-2004, 09:24 AM

Homemade PC:
Pentium 4 2.4B Ghz
512 MB DDR
80GB 7200RPM UltraATA Hard Drive
20GB SCSI Hard Drive
Terratec Phase 28 Sound Card
Windows XP Professional
Sound Forge 6.0
Acid 4
Cakewalk SONAR

Mixer:
Behringer MX1604A

Amps:
Alesis Monitor Amp (not sure model number)
Sherwood Amp sending feed to client booth

Signal Processing:
BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer
Behringer Ultramizer Pro
Propellerhead Reason

No acoustic treatment. Hopefully getting some soon!

Keyboards:
Emu PK6
Yamaha DGX202
Casio CTK511

Drums:
Roland VDrums

Stanton CD Players
Event TR5N monitors (coming soon!, curently using Klipsch monitors)
Sony sampler

Mics:
1 of Oktava MK319
2 of AKG D 8000 S
1 of Nady SP8 (do not buy, ever...)

Total List Price: roughly 12,000
Amount I actually Paid: somewhere between 7500 and 9000

Plus a couple odds and ends
I calculated the list price and actual price about 6 months ago, some things might have grown a bit by now

Recorder

01-06-2004, 12:58 PM

2 tascam 38,s Reel to Reel with dbx
1 tascam m-312b mixer
1 tascam 388 recorder
1 teac 2340 recorder
1 teac 3340 recorder
Alesis microverb
1 Fostex 3180 reverb
1 Fostex 3030 eq
Gadget labs wave 824 sound card
Compaq 600 meg computer

Microphones
1 Ntk
1 v67g
2 audiotechnica 25
1 audiotechnica 25pro
4 sm57,s
2 oktava mc012
2 mxl 603,s
2 ev 636

Preimer fusion drum kit
1 fender cheap p bass
1 fender cheap fat strat
1 l122 hammond organ
Sun 2 12 combo amp
peavey tko 65 bass amp

Selsaral

01-07-2004, 12:43 PM

First I have to say :eek: :eek: at some of the setups listed here. You guys are insane. My setup is one of the ultra low budget systems which I use to help me practice. It isn't meant for demos or recording band practice, it's entirely intended to allow me to create backing tracks with which to practice to, and to replicate a band when I can't find one to practice with.

Computer
Athlon classic 700, 512 megs of ram, 2 40 gig drives
SB live
WinXP PRO
Creative 4.1 speakers.

Mic
a single SM57

PreAmps
None :eek: (yet)

Software
Sonar

Other Stuff
Yamaha DD55 drum machine (hilariously effective for what it is)
Ancient keyboard (no midi) for basic piano sounds
Bunch of acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and amps.

Pros
Uneblievably cheap. My cheap drum machine is so far the most expensive piece. I have computers and computer EQ strewn all over my house so I don't even figure that into the calculation of price. The microphone and drum machine were about 200$ total. Incredible I can do (low quality) multi track recording in my spare bedroom for practically nothing. Despite all the cons, the final product is acceptable for my needs. Each track comes through vaguely clearly, I can record all the parts of each song myself, etc. No doubt I will be improving things in the future. I am hooked.

Cons
As expected, very poor quality. No portability. Only a single track at a time. Very little mixing and post-production ability.

curtiswyant

01-07-2004, 05:25 PM

Maybe it's just me, but I find it funny when people are using Radio Shack mixers and stuff when they have a wall full of vintage guitars and amps. :confused:

Windy_City_Hawk

01-21-2004, 03:31 PM

Here's my setup:

[PRODUCTION]
* Akai MPC2000xl - sequencer, secondary sampler, drum pads
* Ensoniq ASR-X Pro - main sampler, effects
* E-Mu Mo-Phatt w/ XL1 ROM - bass, weird sounds, arps
* Roland XV-5050 - real instrument sounds
* Kaysound MK-4902 - keyboard controller

[RECORDING/MIXING]
* Akai DSP24 - main HD recorder
* Akai DPS16 - secondary HD recorder
* Event PS-5 (2) - main monitors
* Rode NT-3 - only mic
* Behringer HA4700 Powerplay - 4 ch. headphone amp

I also have a few sets of headphones, a cheap patch bay, an external cd burner, a zip drive, some sample cd's, sound disks, and TONS of cables. In total I have probably spent a bit over $10,000 (don't tell my fiancee)! I use my setup to produce/record Hip-Hop and R&B music, but I am sure any type of music could be created with what I have.

The reason I went with all-in-one recorders as opposed to a PC/Mac and software setup is because I like having an intuitive, integrated user interface without having OS issues, driver conflicts, and the other head-aches that CAN be associated with computers. Here are some other reasons I really like my recording setup:

- record 30 tracks simultaniously (16 at 96 kHz)
- playback 40 tracks simultaniously (20 at 96 kHz)
- 8 stereo effects simultaniously
- automation on all 40 tracks, and 12 inputs
- crystal clear sound
- VERY easy to use

I also enjoy my production setup because it is flexible, provides all the tracks I could possible want, and all the sounds that I need. It's also pretty simple to use (except for the ASR). I know right now that I am barely tapping the limits of my production gear, but it's good to know that I really don't need any other gear soon.

Peace...

noisestudios

01-25-2004, 06:05 AM

My setup has changed quite a bit in the last 2 months or so.....
Now I have the following:

PC:
Homemade (cost around 2500 with software)
Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
512 MB DDR
Delta 1010LT
Windows XP Professional
Recording Software:
Ableton Live
Cakewalk Sonar
Acid
Sound Forge
Cakewalk Professional 8
Propellerhead Reason
Fruity Loops
Hardware:
Yamaha MG 16/6FX
Alesis Monitor One Active MKII
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Behringer Ultramizer Pro
Stanton & Sony CD Players
Stanton DJ Equipment
Alesis, Bash, & Sherwood amps to power client speakers

Instruments:
EMU Pk6
Yamaha DGX202
Casio CTK511
Gibson guitar (don't know model number)
Roland V-Drums

Microphones:
(2) AKG D 8000
Oktava MK319
(2) Shure SM57
Nady SP9

Miscellaneous:
Mogami & Conquest cables exclusively
Mini Refrigerator
Microwave
Coffeemaker
Futon
Very comfortable mixing chair

Pros: Very good setup. Good sound quality, if only my music was better!
Cons: It's a little cramped, but that doesn't have to do with the gear. The SP9 and the Ultramizer are shit. They make the value of my setup much less.

I feel that the production quality is very good.

I produce jazz, pop, r&b, and funk music.

How much did it cost: $10,000 - $15,000

marcellis

01-25-2004, 08:35 PM

Music Computers:
1.6 Ghz Laptop Toshiba Cel. w/M-Audio Audiophile USB 256Meg

Old Dell 500 mhz Celeron 512 Meg Delta 44 soundcard.

2 Midiman 2x2 Midi Interfaces

2 glorious 1x4 Midiman Midi thru Boxes
(traded my ex wife for them. She had latency problems.
They don't.)
---
Mic's

Big black CAD Condensor.
Shure SM58
Mic Pre: JoeMeek VC3
--
Mixers Old Audio Centron 12 Channel POS.
Alesis 4 channel w/Microverb FX onboard
(Good piece of gear for $99). I've dropped it
on concrete twice. Dropped it on hardwood
2 or 3 other times. Built very solid.
--
Dynamics
JoeMeek C-2
--
FX
Lexicon 110
Alesis MidiverbIV
BBE Sonic Maximizer 482
--
Synths/Modules

Roland RS-9
Korg Triton Le
Yamaha MU90R
Kawai K-1 (For string pads)
Kawai K-1m (For stereo string pads)
Roland SC-33 module.
(I use it for midi trouble shooting
outside the studio. It's very portable.)
--
Guitars

Ovation Elite acou/elec (US Made 1988)
Yamaha APX6NA nylon string acou/elec
Guild D-25 (32 years old. Strung for Nashville tuning).

--
Bass
Old Mosrite 350 Serial No. AB0083
I almost never use it. But it's beautiful
to look at. Synth basses are more versatile.
--
Software:
For pure midi: Digital Orchestrator Pro.
It's the easiest and most stable I've ever used.

Multi-track digital Audio:
Adobe Audition (I think I will upgrade to it from CoolEdit Pro, which I used for Multi-track before. I'm impressed with it.)
Mixdown: Sound Forge 5.0 & SoundForge XP 4.5

Other software I own:
Cubase VST 5.0
Cakewalk HomeStudio 2004
(WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP MAKEWORK HS 2004 IS! Digital Orch. Pro picks up my midi interface -- every time! Makework Home Studio 2004 can't find it! DOPro was made in 1997. Makework in 2003. Cakewalk is ****ed! )

Band-in-a-Box. (Never used it).

Wavelab - Never used it.

Dudealicious

01-30-2004, 07:03 PM

--Computer:

XP 1700+
512 mb DDR 2100
Asus Motherboard
80gb seagate hd
lite-on burner 52x

--Soundcard:

SBLIve!

--Preamp:

Audio Buddy

--Monitors:

Kenwood mini-system stereo

--Mics

Radio shack dynamic
Sm58
MXL 1006

--Software

Cool Edit Pro (tracking and mixing)
Sound Forge (cleaning up)
hotstepper (drums )

.....

such a low budget setup. looking to upgrade soundcard, and get a better guitar recording solution, maybe V-amp2 or Tri-A.C. the radio shack mic gets the most use, don't know why... lol

Bentup

02-18-2004, 10:05 AM

Another cheap set up...all to say it can be done. All I wanted was to be able to record some riffs to play over them. I think I have the bug now, so I will be looking for better stuff in the near future. My goal is to learn about the equipment, understand how it works and so it can assist me in learning the guitar.

PII - 350, 286 ram, 6 and 13 (slave) meg drives
Sound Blaster Live,
Win 98E
Great American Sound mixer (?)
Yamaha CD burner
ACID X-press, Sound Forge 4
Speakers and headphones
Beyerdynamics opus 59 mic
cables, stand

Mexican fat strat, yamaha acoustic, peavey amp, harps

Pros - very cheap and gets the job done. Only thing I bought
was the mic and guitars/amp. The rest was free... I'm able to record live jams with friends, solo stuff and learn how to use the software, plug-ins etc.

Cons - sounds like the investment I put in. A little frustrating at times because of lack of experience. Gave me the recording bug. I can't stop coming to this forum....

To the newbs, keep at it, its so much fun....I'm 35 and just getting into this, will be doing it for a long time now.....

To the forum. thanks for the great info, learn something new everyday, sometimes two things a day...ouch

Benoit

thwackless

02-19-2004, 03:39 PM

Originally posted by spinman
...1. Their basic studio gear/setup.
2. How much it cost to put together.
3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)

I think a thread like this could be helpful for people wanting to get into recording and trying to put together something that suits their budget and needs.

Anyone want to start?

O.K., "Newbie", here. Here's the story so far:

1) PC: Custom-built... 2Ghz Celeron; 266MB DDR RAM; 40 GB Hard Drive, at 7200 rpm's (rpm's, right?). Also 2 CD drives, though I'm not sure why two got put in there! Machine came installed with Veritas RecordNow, which is handy.
TEAC 3340s ree-to-reel 4-track, but need a 4-channel amp to record on 4 tracks. Hmmm...
Using a Tascam US-428 USB controller/interface supported by Cool Edit Pro 2.0.
Also have Soundforge 5.0 and Acid 3.0. Still getting familiar with it all.

2) So far I'm looking at being $600 over budget, accounting for a computer upgrade (see above, we finally got it right), a DVD burner (installed in case) and some Fostex PM-05 powered monitors. Talking about $1600. Not including what I've spent on learning curve (read: "Dammit, Jim, I'm a carpenter, not a computer tech!")

3) Pros are it's powerful enough to do what I believe I'll need to do for happy results. I'll probably never run more than 8, maybe 12-16 tracks at best. It's very compact: The room is effectively 6'x8'! ...that's a con, I suppose... but a good-sized room for band set-up, et al is adjoining. Pro: Also CEP seems quite easy to get with, and I don't mind staring at it for a long time. I probably should stop doing that, though. But I think I'd get bummed out with Cubase...looks arduous!
Another Pro is the surface control; I don't have to run a mouse around in the thing all the time, which is great. Almost like using a regular board.
The only Cons are: It's computer based, so it's a whole new ballgame, and then I'm sharing the room with our household laundry chores...

4) So far I think I'll get solid demo-quality work out of it. Stuff coming out of it sounds real good. I'd like to incorporate the TEAC ree-to-reel into this and that. Something of my deeper person stirs in alarm at recording completely digitally! But I'm not fighting with bad sound, so I just need to learn my system and what it can do, then work with it. Like getting a new pedal for my bass...

5) I think it'll be very good for mixing and editing our library of raw 4-track stuff (the editing thing is great- looping, all that business). The Tascam interface, though USB, is affordable and will do the gig: It'll get 4 ins at a time, so I can also do live rough tracks w/ drums (mixed to stereo- I need a mixer...), bass, guitars, any 4x track combo. I am pleased enough with it.

For instruments I have:
An old Royce drum set which looks like heck, but sounds great to tape (sorry);
A nice Fender Jazz Bass (stock U.S.);
Sigma Dreadnought 6-string;
A student fiddle;
Xylophone;
Upright piano (upstairs);
Danelectro Nifty-Fifty amp;
Acoustic 370 bass amp & Ampeg 1x15 cab;
other odds ands ends.

Gonna need DI's, some headphones (not for mixing!), a tube pre or two, ... yeah, THAT list...

Rog.

CommissarX

02-19-2004, 10:59 PM

Hello all,

I have the uber cheapest recorder.

Computer.

A mic from radio shack

Windows Sound recorder

Some speakers from my stereo.

And of course my instruments....Gibson Sg, Ibanez GRX40 (sh-tty)
with a Behringer AC112...and some random steel drum.

PS, I want to buy a real cheap 4 track recorder for around 160. What would you suggest? Would it even be worth while?

thwackless

02-20-2004, 10:29 AM

Yeah, the Tascam stuff is great for tape. Even a Porta-02 sounds pretty good, and you can get one new for $150. You might find a used one, a model up from the p-02 with EQ and busses for around the same. Trade in that guitar you don't like...

A friend of mine has an old Aria Sountech R504 (no one's ever heard of it) that has individual line-outs for each track, though I don't know where to find another one. Sounds great- but you might make sure that you use the same machine for playback (running into the 'puter) that you recorded with- sometimes transport motors run at slightly different speeds!

Lurk around your used gear stores and pawn-shops. Nothing replaces tape. I'm still new at digital, but I'm sure that different media act differently...

Rog.

JFG

03-09-2004, 12:48 AM

Recording:
Cubase (older version)
Cakewalk HS2004 (on laptop)
Tascam US122 interface
Cool Edit Pro
SeaSound Solo ex interface
Akai DPS16 w/ MESA software (for automating mix)
Tascam 112
Nakamichi 480z
Tascam CDRW4U
Mackie 1402vlz

Monitors:
Mackie HR824s
Soon-to-be-bought Yamaha MSP5s

Mics:
AT4033a (x2)
AKG C3000
Rode NT2
"Wendy's" mic (like sm57 except is dead ringer for mics you see
at Wendy's McDs, etc.)

FX:
Lexicon reverb
various plugins

Instruments:

SCI Prophet 5 rev 3.2
Korg N1R
Alesis QS6.1 w/ vintage synth Q-Card
Generalmusic Promega 3 digital piano
Kawai MP9000 digital piano
Magnus chord organ
Kawai KG3C grand piano
Selmer Mark VI alto sax 147xxx
Selmer Model 53 soprano sax
Chadash Clarinet
Kalimba

Misc:
Acid Pro, Band-in-a-box, Behringer Powerplay Pro 4 channel headphone amp
Senn hps, akg hps, sony hp, ricoh CD burner

Cons: could use better mixer and pres, tube electronics, patchbay

Pros: Great for recording my own demos & albums (mics were for sax) Also good for MIDI preproduction.

Room is a larger bedroom, but sounds surprisingly good (probably because of where large furniture is placed) and mixes translate well. Vocal booth doubles as an adjoining bathroom.
Kawai grand is in living room w/ 12 foot ceilings, and sounds great although Kawais tend to be a little brighter than Yamahas.

Built over a period of 10 years, all through gigging and recording $$$ so total cost (not counting grand piano or saxes) is around 15-17 K

Had to go through a "trial by fire" back in '96 when I first got into computer recording (I miss my Tascam 238 and Akai DR4s!) by using Metalithic Systems "Digital Wings for Audio" which claimed to be a 128 track DAW but was really the glitchiest piece o' crap I ever used. They went bankrupt and the tech support guy that I dealt with at Metalithic went on to SeaSound (now also bankrupt)

The best-sounding recordings from this setup are pretty darned good, (the worst so-so) and are inevitably the result of an UNHURRIED approach coupled with building mutual trust with the client and the expectation that every session brings with it its own lesson(s).

HomeAtLast

03-15-2004, 10:42 PM

Ok I'll post
Dell 2400 P4 2.2g, 768 ram, 80g OS drive 40g audio drive
Pro Tools 6.1.1
Digi001
VTB1 Preamp
MXLV67g
2 Audio Technica ATM11r
SM57
Bombfactory free plugs
AKG K240 head phones
I need some good monitors real bad
Acid Music 3
studio drum hits that I sample into drums, its ok for now

guitars;
93 Gibson Les Paul Standard
78 Music Man Stingray Guitar
Epiphone ES335

amp:
76 Music Man HD130 w/ tesla's
Soldano SP77 preamp
Korg DTR2 tuner
Rackrider power conditioner
Morley wah/volume
DOD tuner
Boss CE2
cheaep flanger
acoustics;
Washburn w/ cedar top
Fender Blues Jr.

bass:
Fender Precision w/ EMG active pickups

I can get a good sound at 24/44.1. Somethings turn out better than others. High quality sound. I'm the good room big time, my computer is too loud. and my room is 10'x12' and I have a room mate.

thwackless

03-16-2004, 12:11 AM

A loud computer! Now that's fun! Like having a loud toaster! :D

Rog.

HomeAtLast

03-16-2004, 08:12 PM

its not really loud its just I record within 4 feet of it always, and my monitor which is noisey in my pickups I need a flat panel.

When I lay 15 tracks that little hum really adds up. I cut the entry and exit to every thing but when I hold a note out it is very faint in the background, it bugs me anyway,

thwackless

03-16-2004, 10:38 PM

Guess it would be moot to suggest finding a way to "get away" from it- put it sort of half-in a closet, or maybe build a little baffle situation around it? What if you had a plywood box lined with carpet or acoustic foam to put your 'tower' into? Or build something around your monitor- whatever the noisy part is- leave some airspace around it, and maybe that would eat up some of the hum?...try everything! Seek and you shall find.

Rog.

I don't know, but could you generate some "noise" (white, pink, etc.) in your sessions to phase-cancel out the noise from your computer?

If you had a 4-trk tape recorder, you could record to tape first, then import your tracks into your software and mix, edit, etc. Nice tape sound, and no noise! Got noise reduc in your software? Knock out tape hiss. Just a thought. Maybe you don't like the trade-off..

Keep on, man! :D

thwackless

03-16-2004, 10:42 PM

Originally posted by HomeAtLast
its not really loud its just I record within 4 feet of it always, and my monitor which is noisey in my pickups I need a flat panel.

When I lay 15 tracks that little hum really adds up. I cut the entry and exit to every thing but when I hold a note out it is very faint in the background, it bugs me anyway,

The Pickups! Sorry- it's late.
Get new pickups, or have the ground checked on 'em. Maybe it's a simpler fix than you think?
Are you miking an amp? Got a ground lift? Try running from the same circuit as your computer is on?

I'm working at this, man! There's an answer...

Rog.

HomeAtLast

03-16-2004, 11:27 PM

don't get me wrong. My rig sounds great. My pickups are good, I do have grounding issues, I dont even have a ground in the wall socket. This is very bad....now that i think about it i should really get that fixed. the house is pretty old.

When I point my guitar towards the monitor I get a hum, I htink thats normal though. Also my amp is 28 years old and has never been serviced except for tubes. Im getting a cap job in a couple weeks though.

thwackless

03-17-2004, 07:32 AM

I would definitely do something about the electric in your house- maybe you just need to have your service overhauled. Do you have fuses, or breakers? If you have a fusebox, that's a sign you need your electric service brought up to speed! Also you should have sockets with three-prong receptacles for ground plugs installed. Might solve the problem... I'll bet that's the pickup/monitor issue right there (also could stave off a potential fire hazard!). ;)

If your rig is good, then it's maybe just a question of what you're plugged into. Hope you get it worked out!

Rog.

Michael Mage

03-27-2004, 07:24 AM

12" 1GHZ ABook
768mb RAM
10.3.3

External 250 GB Firewire Drive

Tascam US-122 I/O

Radium 49 USB Keyboard

(2) Shure SM-57's

(2) Mogami Silver Series Mic Cables

1 pair Yorkville YSM1P's
(Active Nearfields-got last night!)

Mogami Gold Series calbe for YSM1P's

Logic Express 6.4

Peak LE

20 Gig iPod

MM

Rock Austin

03-31-2004, 09:02 AM

Originally posted by thwackless
I don't know, but could you generate some "noise" (white, pink, etc.) in your sessions to phase-cancel out the noise from your computer?

If you had a 4-trk tape recorder, you could record to tape first, then import your tracks into your software and mix, edit, etc. Nice tape sound, and no noise! Got noise reduc in your software? Knock out tape hiss. Just a thought. Maybe you don't like the trade-off..

Keep on, man! :D

Easiest solution is to have the computer in a different room... I have extension cables for monitor, mouse, and keyboard, and run those and mics to another room (with no computer!).

I guess you could record your track, then with the mic in the same place record the empty room (with no playing) for the same amount of time. You could then reverse the phase of this "room" track, and maybe that would reduce the computer sound from the first track.

monoxide77

03-31-2004, 05:18 PM

i'm a complete beginner. is there any sites or books for recording for the complete newbie? i've been playing guitar for a few years and would like to start recording, any suggestions?

thwackless

03-31-2004, 08:13 PM

Hey Austin, that's a good, no-tech idea! Better than being in the machine, if it works. Physics. It's all about physics, I always (read: never) say... Try it, dude!

Hey, Monoixide, get yourself a nice 4-track tape recorder, like a Tascam 414 or 428, and do it, do it, do it! Read the manual, and record! Buy a bunch of junk blanks and waste 'em, and learn by doing it. No better sure way to learn something. Might be fun to have a good amp, and an SM-57 or something to go through. Good fundamental sound is your standard.
Go cheap whenever possible- esp at the beginning...

Rog, Dispenser of Lesser Wisdom.:p

The Green Man

04-02-2004, 03:47 PM

My Setup: The best cheap but quality I've heard. This is a good one for people just starting out like or w/little to no budget.

The Computer
Compaq Rz3000 Series
AMD 64 3400
1 Gig DDR RAM
60 Gig Interal HD (not used for recording)
15" Widescreen UXGA Monitor
External USB/FireWire 7200rpm 250 Gig 16MB Cache Maxtor DiamondMax 10 Series
CD/DVD Burner

Total Coast @ time of purchase (Sept. 2004) $1,600

Mics
(2) AKG D850 (better than 57 in some applications) (2 for $80 sale)
Sure SM57 ($80)
Sure SM58 ($90)
Octava MK219 ($80)
Octava MK319 (suprisingly good) ($100 sale)
Sennhieser MD421 ($347)

Recording Interface
PreSonus Firepod (8 mic preamps - 10 in 10 out)

Preamps
(2) Presonus TubePre (great units!) ($100 each)

Monitors
M-Audio BX-8 (excellent for price) ($479)

Mixers
Tascam 4-Track (don't remember price)
Mackie 1604 (old version) ($300 used)

Software
Sonar (love it)
Wavelab
Reason
Drum Kit From Hell (also great)

Instruments
ESP Explorer (original)
Mesa/Boogie Mark IV 1x12 Combo
Mesa/Boogie Triaxis
Mesa/Boogie 2x12 Celestion v30's closed cab
THD Hotplate 8 ohm

Quality of production: shockingly good (to my ears). A lot of that is due to everyone on this site *bows low* Can definitly do 'demo' quality recordings, and when doing paired down instruments/one man band stuff it really suprises me. Part of the key to this is not trying to make 'pro' quality recordings but to make the best that I can do, as pro as I want to make. I hope this is helpful to those just getting started.

dejacky

04-11-2004, 01:55 PM

DAW:
Shuttle XPC SN45G amd AthlonXP system w/ 30db Panaflo fan
--> 1.47Ghz @ 2.17Ghz on 200mhz fsb
--> 1GB Kingston HyperX pc3500 cas memory
--> 160GB Maxtor + 120GB Maxtor 8mb cache hard drives
--> RME Multiface PCI card with 8 channel I/O box
--> Geforce4 Ti4200 128mb Leatek ViVo video card
--> Samsung 352-B DVD/cdrw combo drive

Input Chain:
SMPro Audio PR8 8 channel preamp
RME Multiface I/O box
Shure SM48
Shrue SM58
Shure SM57
Okatava MK012 (2)
Sennheiser e835
AT3035

Output:
Radio Shack SC-155 Integrated amp (drives bookshelf speakers)
Direct Sound Extreme Isolation Headphones (THESE ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR DRUM TRACKING = WAAAY too much BLEED since they do not have EXTREME islolation)
Koss UR-155 Heaphones
Pickering no-brand Headphones (from the 80's!)

Instruments:
Pacific FS (birch) drumset w/ vintage Zildjian platinum new beats
--> has Aquarian Superkick I prepack for kick drum
--> Remo dot top (VERY sturdy) snare batter side head
Park G-10R Guitar Amp (not bad sounding w/ my strat clone :))
Johnson JS-800 Electric Guitar (THIS GUITAR IS FANTASTIC!)
G&L L-2000 1980's Electric Bass Guitar w/ Bartolini pickups
Washburn D-10 Acoustic Guitar

Next Purchases:
Tube Guitar Amp
16in & 18in crash cymbal and 20-22in ride cymbal + 2 stands
Acoustic Wall treatment
Bass Guitar Amp
Mackie HR824's or Dynaudio bm6a's :)

Heavy Weight

04-15-2004, 05:08 PM

Just starting out making hip hop beats... Never done this before. Ive dj'ed for about 3 years and have a grip load of old records.

Equip
======

ASR-X Pro

2 Vestax Turntables

Vestax PMC 07 Pro Mixer

Computer
=======
Alienware 3.2GHZ Pent 3
1G Ram
CDR
Ati 128mb Vid Card

Not sure what software i should use with my setup. Or even how the heck i should run this. I guess i just Do basic drum loops and export them to the sequencer . Along with samples and just start choping it up from there.. Well im stuck well see..

Stbean

04-22-2004, 01:46 PM

Intel P4 2.66 GHZ
1 GB DDR
60 GB HDD

M-audio firewire 410
tons of software
virus kb....yada yada yada
...yada.......Im tired of listing this for the 100000000th time...

stainless

04-22-2004, 05:58 PM

Well, I'm currently remodeling what used to be a garage. All exterior walls are 6"+ thick with the usual soundboard and insulation. The studio area is 22 X 13 with an 8 x 5 isolation/drum booth with 2 dual pane panels at opposing slopes and a smaller dual laminated pane window on the short side. Bottom 4 feet of the "front" wall has a carpet "wainscoat". 48 in-wall XLR inputs spaced more or less evenly around the room with 15 possible palces to plug in headphones. The control room used to be the den/family (I have a very understanding wife) with a 4 x 2 dual laminated window into the studio.

Cost for the remodel (which is just about done) will be ~ $2000 in material ($800 of which is XLR jacks, cable, etc) and 100+ hours of labor (I have a construction background)

Equipment is a mixed bag and with some continued luck I'll be upgrading. I'm using Pro-Tools LE on a WinXP 2.0 GHz, 1024 MB RAM, with 3 drives (30 GB system, and 2 160 GH drives for storage). Input is through a Mackie 32x8 board and a Presonus DigiMax (mainly for the drums, so 16 simultaneous tracks. The usual assortment of EQ and FX. Mic are presently a weak point- Shure SM57, Sennheiser dynamic, AKG dynamica nad condenser, and an Octavia condenser.

Equipment-

PRS guitars- CE24, McCarty, and Hollowbody 1
Guild D-25
Mesa Boogie Rocket 4-40's and Studio 22 (old)
Cheap Yamaha bass
Pearl import with additional cymbals
Roland and Yamaha keyboards (they belong to my keyboard player

Pros-
Started out as a "rehearsal space. I own the house, so it makes my life easier. Get really good quality "live" recordings equal to several local commercial studios we went to in the past.

Cons-
I need to win the Lottery. I had to itemize equipment for an insurance poliocy and I've spent over $30K (so far) I recognize that I need better microphones and eventually an automated board would be cool, but for now this needs to generate some $$$ either by producing a marketable CD for my current band or recording 2 -3 sessions a month. In the past it was recording folks for free (so I could gain some experience) or for minimal fees. I'm hoping to get at least $30/hour in 8 hour blocks to start and then 4 hour blocks thereafter.

I done more live tracking of modern/folk, blues, country, and baroque/renassaince (that was interesting). Maybe 25% of the recording so far has involved overdubbing.

BTW, I've got a 16 x 8 Tascam and the PRS McCarty if anyone's looking for either.

Stainless
Sacramento, CA

ZenFly

04-24-2004, 10:36 AM

Studio set up:

Room: one 10X12 bedroom (shared w/ a storage desk)

Computer:
Apple G3 b&w upgraded to G4 500 w 640 mg ram; 9 gig ultra scci 7200 rpm system drive, 60 gig scci 7200 music drive. Couple of crt’s;
Motu 2408 MkI sound card

Hardware:
Mackie 24/8 mixer
ADAT XL
Beringher vertulizer verb.
DBX compressor/limiter
Midiverb

Mic:
EV 857 dynamic ( large diaphragm vocal mic I bought about 10 years ago…works for my voice. I have rented high-end stuff in the past if needed)

Software:
Digital Performer 3

Monitors:
KRK V6
Sony headphones

Instruments:
Parker Fly Classic w/RMC p/u
Yamaha SG2000
Yamaha APX 7 acoustic
Taylor Baby
Conklin Groove tools 5 string bass
Roland SPD-8 drum pad
Roland GR-33 guitar synth
Roland VG-8 modeler
Hughes & Kettner zenTera combo w/ board
Johnson Marquis JM 60

Cost: about 20 - 25K over 10 years or so
Pros: sounds good to my ears… I used to have Teac 3340 then a Akai 1214 (did a CD on that) so this is pretty nice stuff. Very versatile, though not at all portable. I can do demo quality stuff, but not master quality.

Cons:
Thinking of ditching the 24/8, to buy some room in the place, but the board is so sweet and I only paid $1500 for it 6 years ago! I’d like to get a control surface and V Drums.

It is really fascinating to see how people choose their gear for recording, with all of the options available (so cheep!) out there. It’s easy to forget how cool it was “just” to have a 4 track!

Music: Whatever I’m in the mood for…most anything rock, blues, celtic, electronic etc.

dejacky

04-25-2004, 10:35 PM

Anyone care to comment or make suggestions on my setup? :)

marcellis

06-14-2004, 04:53 PM

Bedroom Studio:

Roland RS-9 synth.
Korg Triton Le synth.
Yamaha MU90 Synth Module
Kawai K-1 Synth Kawai K-1M module.
(I use only K-1's for strings.
I've never heard a better string pad than the
dirty-old 8 bit Kawai K-1 circa 1989.

Guitars:

Ovation Elite acou/elec guitar
Yamaha APX6na nylon strg acou/elec
1972-73 Guild D-25 w/Nashville Tuning

Mic's
A big black CAD. (Don't know the model.
But it sounds great. Used to cost around $179.
SM58

Mixer
Yamaha MG16/6FX
Amp Onkyo
Monitors: Alesis M1
Roland powered monitors

FX
Lexicon 110
MIDIVERB IV
BBE 486
*Very nice reverbs on the Yamaha mixer

Dynamics
JoeMeek C-2
JoeMeek VC-3 pre-amp/compressor.

Digital Audio
M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 external
Delta 44 (sound card)
Toshiba 1.6 ghz notebook w/512 meg RAM

MIDI
MIDIMAN 2X2 USB (2)
MIDIMAN MIDI thru boxes (1x3) (2)
I traded my ex-wife for those two MIDI thru boxes.
Best deal I ever made. She had serious latency issues.
Once I swapped her out for the MIDI Thru boxes, I haven't
had any problems with latency.

Software

DOPro
Cubase 5.0 VST
Wavelab
SoundForge XP
Makework Homestudio 2004

And here is what I did with all that stuff.
Just finished the instrumental mix last week.
haven't finished the vocal yet.

"Good Morning, It's Valentine's Day." (http://music.marcellis.net/Valentines_Day_by_Marc_Ellis.mp3)

Jimmyzegg

06-23-2004, 11:23 AM

My "studio" is meant for small hobby projects only. The band I'm in records in a very nice studio Pro Tools HD3, etc. Anyways, here's mine:

1. Studio Setup

Recording Hardware
Apple 12" 1GHz G4 Powerbook
Digidesign Mbox
Behringer B2031 Truth Monitors

Recording Software
Digital Performer 4.1
Pro Tools LE 6.4
Waves Diamond Bundle

Instruments
Alesis A6 Andromeda
Clavia Nord Micromodular
Korg MS2000-R
Takamine S-35 (I think that's it) with Seymour Duncan Woody
acoustic soundhole pickup

2. Cost
Ummmmm, a little over $8,500. All over the course of about 2 years though, so not too bad...

3. Pros/Cons

Pros

Mobility...can take laptop and Mbox anywhere

Cons

Quality obviously isn't the best, but not bad either. Also, no mics or space for recording anything acoustically. The focus is electronic music so it doesn't matter to me, but obviously is limiting.

4. Production Quality

Not really sure yet. I've been using the builtin sound with DP for a few weeks now while I was saving up for the monitors and mbox and never really had a finished product then to judge by. Just got the Mbox and Truths yesterday so I have yet to see what the final product will sound like. I'm fairly confident given that the hardest things in recording quality seem to be dealing with mics, drums and not with keyboards, synths, etc.

5. Suitable Music and Methods

Well, see above. I'm doing my own thing, which happens to be experimental electronic with some aspects of rock and industrial.

u6crash

06-27-2004, 02:01 PM

Studio Gear
Tascam Porta 02 Mk II 4-track
2 Behringer XM8500 mics
AKG K-66 Headphones

Cost
Esitmated cost is maybe $300 total. Give or take after extra cords, stands, etc.

Pros and Cons
Pros: Cheap! Good to learn or get some practice with. Portable. A significant step up from shoebox cassette recorders.
Cons: Sound leaves something to be desired.

Production Quality
This might be suitable for making really rough demos, but mostly I use it for myself for reference and to pass onto friends and family that wouldn't notice the audio quality.

Suitability
I like this mostly for acoustic guitar and vocals. On occaision I add electric guitar to the mix.

Other Notes
Often the final step is dumping the 4-track recording into a computer with Sound Forge 5 just to do some clean up of the line signal, etc. Sometimes I'll use it to record back out to the 4-track and record additional tracks, but I don't like to.

To hear a sample of this small set up, check out this sample (http://threechordme.com/sounds/01daisy.mp3) closing in on 2.6 Mb. This song consists of exactly two vocal tracks and two acoustic guitar tracks, recorded in a kitchen.

chugheshc

07-21-2004, 09:53 AM

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.

gear

piece meal P4/2.4ghz/512MB Sonar
80gb 7200 rpm maxtor
m-audio duo (USB + 2 preamps)
soundcraft spirit notepad 4 channel mixer
crappy ( decent) realistic headphones
crappy (shure sm-58 non-branded) realistic microphone
marantz 7t preamp/ marantz 15 amp / dcm cx-17 monitors

epihone bass
peavey exp (finally got an electric guitar)
yamaha dd55 drum toy-thing
carlos steel string guitar
soup can w/rice
salt container (rains it pours) w/lentils
yamaha pos toy keyboard from 1991 (miniature keys an all)
half broken 18" crash
snare drum with only top head

2. How much it cost to put together.
purposely spent money - $1500
over time/other purposes - $500

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
pro

it's so cheap it bleeds
takes up minimal space 6' X 6'
fits in one small bedroom

cons

it is cramped and moving the mic around to do different things
is inconvenient
live drums are an improvisational nightmare
only one person at a time

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
horrible, but getting better, given my lack of skill and impatience + shoddy equipment.

5. What kind of music and methods it suits

building random type songs and having a lot fun..
C.

harmonicat

08-11-2004, 02:22 PM

Planning to Buy Real Soon:

Korg D1200 mkII $850
Roland EXR-3 Keyboard $496

http://www.ke-musik.dk/Upload/HtmlArticles/Article1284/RolandEXRKE_musik.mp3

Art Studio V3 Mic Pre $100
Presonus COMP16 Compressor $100
Audio Technica ATHM40 Monitor Headphones $98

_______________________________________________

Sweetwater Prices $1644

I may pick up a few more things later on but this is it for now....

PRO-Songwriter friendly,no frills gear.The performance/cost ratio
is excellent because I have done my research instead of just bouncing out and picking up the first thing that looked "sexy".

CON-I'll find out when I bump into one.

PRODUCTION QUALITY-From the list,it looks basically "Demo" but I just may cut my album on this motorscooter(Or at the least,an EP)

MUSIC/METHODS-Just songs and instrumentals and any other use I may find in the future.Just something for me that I can use without a degree from MIT

__________________________________________________

"One time I read that drinking was bad for you so I gave up reading"

W.C. Fields

Ayum

08-17-2004, 09:58 PM

Another perspective...

If u were to start compiling a sh*t-hot dream studio...
...and if money were no object...
...what would be ur absolute must-haves. If u were to strip it down to the bare essentials. What would u consider the least amount of equipment anyone could possibly have and still be able to produce something that would not sound out of place on commercial radio!

PC:-
Soundcard:-
HD:-
Editing suite:-
ONE Synth:-
ONE Mic:-
ONE set of Headphones:-
Mixing/Mastering:-
Other vitals?:-

I reckon I'd go for...

PC:- Carillon AC-1X+
Soundcard:- E-MU 1820m
HD:- Seagate 200GB.
Editing suite:- Cubase SX 2.1
ONE Synth:- Waldorf Microwave XT (or maybe A6?)
ONE Mic:- AT4040
ONE set of Headphones:- Sennheiser HD280pro
Mixing/Mastering:- Not sure!
Other vitals?:- Dunno mate! (I'm new at this!!! )

What've u been coveting lately...?

-Ayum*

Big Steve

09-15-2004, 03:57 AM

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!! The question.........

Studio: Big Sound Productions
Check the gear list at http://www.bigsoundproductions.net[/URL]

Cost:eek: If you have to ask.................................;)

One of the first questions to ask yourself is whether it will be a commercial studio or a personal workshop studio.
The latter should focus squarely on your work style and needs, while the former places certain expectations of standard equipment plus goodies.(Then will it be a tracking studio/mixing/demo/full production?)

Focus in on your niche and search for gear accordingly.
I'll be back.
Good luck.

bowisc

10-05-2004, 11:23 AM

Some updated photos of my setup...

Top Rack
http://www.sonrisen.com/toprack1.jpg

Bottom Rack
http://www.sonrisen.com/bottomrack1.jpg

Photos
http://www.sonrisen.com/miscpics.jpg

Full-View of Rack
http://www.sonrisen.com/rack1.jpg

converge

11-05-2004, 02:48 PM

Wow, I've never used this site before, but it was reccommended to me by a kid who works for me. Just as a prequalifier. I must say that I used to be a recording engineer in New York. However, I was downsized by the internet downloading craze, pre-royalties colletion algorithms/Mechanisms. Now I'm just another television broadcast engineer. I specialize in audio and Rf. Both cameras and audio/comms. Well, it pays the bills. I also have a small dongeon of a repair shop for gtr amps and the like, and to top it all off I play and sing in a country band. One of our members, the most affluent one of the group, has a ProToolsHD system hooked up to a Yamaha DM-2000 console in a purpose built wing of his home whose sole purpose is to act as a studio. Mind you these are pretty humble diggs for me considering on any given day of the week I would usually be working on a 9k(SolidStateLogicSL9000)with a 48 track ProTools rig or two Studers and a full complement of in house and rented outboard gear from Dreamhire or Jim Flynn rentals. Yes, I was a spoiled bratt, but I paid a high price for membership. You try working 110 hours a week at a studio for 10 dollars an hour for several years. That's right! I slept at home usually only 2 or three times a weeK.
Well, I guess that humble pie doesn't really taste THAT bad. Actually this experience , I believe, has made me a better engineer, producer, and musician, but I digress...

Anyway, What to consider when building a studio. Well, first one must have a budget. You won't get far if you blow your wadd on a few expensive pieces of gear before you acquire all of the necessary tools.

The main categories are:

Power conditioning and distrobution

Signal Routing(Patch Bays, Routers, Tie lines, etc)

Microphones(Condensers, Ribbons, Electret, or others)

Storage Media(tape, hard-drives, or other media)

Control platform(console, computer(Mac or PC),Hybrid, or workstation)

Dynamics(Compression, MicPres, Limiting, or combinations)

Equalisation(usually coupled with dynamics but not always)

Monitoring(control room and sometimes live room monitoring)

Delay(Digital Delay fx units and the like or analog(tape delays, chambers and such)

Reverb(Digital Reverb fx units and the like or analog(chambers and spring units )

Mind you that this speaks nothing to the task of the physical plant
,accoustical considerations, and other factors which need SERIOUS consideration when endeavoring to undertake a project of this magnitude.

Here is the central question that I must ask a potential client or even myself when considering a buildout/project.

What are we trying to accomplish here? What are we going to be recording most of the time? Hip hop, Rock, Singer Songwriters, Demos for copywrite purposes, Instructional tapes, voice overs for radio, electronic music, Basicly what are we doing here?

Yea, you can buy a cake walk program and run it on your PC, but how important is your music to you? A Pro Tools rig with the right combination of outboard gear set up in a small well treated space can produce some astonishingly suprising results, if the time is taken to consider and deal with particular issues. For instance: If you don't have the money to buy expensive mic pre units ART makes a pretty nice unit that will be great for frequencies up to about 6KHz. The rack unit is about $250, as I remember. Maybe it's more now. It's a sterio unit too. Mind you, I use an Avalon 737 myself and I think that it's worth it's weight in gold. No, the Avalon is only one of the many Micpres that I like to use. Each one is a little different and way be akin to a painters choice of colors on her/his palate. One learns this through trial and error and internship/apprenticeship/AsssistingRember, recording engineering is a technical discipline, but it truly is an ART. One MUST remember this throughout the entire process. Rember People, this is supposed to be fun. Otherwise, hell, just go work for Halliburton in Iraq or something. Anyway, I've gone on entirely too long as it is. I'll shut up now...

rich

mmmiddle

11-10-2004, 11:57 AM

Updated 04/05/05

The following is my recording gear (and rough costs for each item) for tracking basic demo material for my band and for capturing songwriting ideas. I plan to eventually upgrade all of this and make it a more serious project studio.

The first part of that is purchasing good mic preamps and I just purchased two Old School Audio MP1-Cs - total $1400 from Atlas Pro Audio.

Microphones: 2 Shure SM57s ($80/ea), Pair of Oktava Mks ($100/ea), Shure Beta 52 ($200), Studio Projects B3 ($165).

Mixer: Behringer UB2222 for now ($250).

I have a pair of Event TR-8 monitors ($500).

Pretty much I run all the mics into the mixer, then out the inserts into the Delta 1010LT ($250) and the PC picks it up.

The big con to the whole set up is I can only track eight things at once without submixing on the mixer. Although the Delta 1010LT has more inputs, they are a MIDI input and a SPDIF input.

The other con with this card is that the inputs are unbalanced RCA jacks.

Next upgrades are a good vocal mic, an RNC or an API compressor for my OSA Trackpack, and possibly some other general microphones.

yawn

11-11-2004, 06:12 PM

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.
Hardware:
Apple G4 DP 867 gig of ram
Digi 002r
Joe Meek VC1
Waldorf miqro Q
Neutrik 1/4 trs patchbay
mackie 1202vlz
Event PS6
Oxygen 8
Studio Projects VTB-1
RNC
Boss DR770
Motu fastlane usb midi interface

Pro Tools LE 6.4
Logic 7
Digital Performer 4 (don't use this anymore)
NI Reaktor
NI FM7
NI Kontakt
Moog Modular V
Reason 2.5
Peak Le 4
Soon I'll have Max/MSP

Mics:
Neumann U87
AKG D112
Shure Sm57 x2
AKG C1000 x2
Octava 012 x2
Shure sm58
Studio Projects B1
Sennheiser HD280 & HD500 headphones

2. How much it cost to put together.
too much. now i'm broke but has been over the coarse of 5 years.

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
It's just my small setup in my little apartment. Cons - I can't record drums or anything loud, bad monitoring
Pros - It's a good sequencing setup and doing sound design

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
I can get pretty good results, I like to do my pre-production here which my setup is great for and then take my stuff to the studio I intern/engineer at and I can do drums, gtr, whatever else.

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)
I can do acoustic guitars, vocals, maybe a guitar amp in my closet during the day. It's a pretty good sequencing setup with all my softsynths and waldorf with Logic 7 and using pro tools for audio editing. I've recording bands at the studio I work at (Pro tools HD, 2", daking, manely, calrec, V72s, distressors, good mic collection, awesome rooms), then mixing/editing in my apartment on pro tools le, this has worked out well and I go back to the studio for my final mix on their good speakers. I'm learning Max/MSP right now with their demo so hopefully in the next couple months i'll be making my own basic plugins and synths.

pouxhawk

11-21-2004, 03:41 AM

RECORDING EQUIPMENT in use 10-24-04
D.A.W COMPUTER
XPC C2 3.0Ghz, 1Gig Ram, DVDR,
SONAR Producer 3(software),
MOTU 828mkII
ALESIS AI-3 8-channel I/O ADAT expander
THE MICROPHONE LOCKER
ELECTROVOICE DS35
ELECTROVOICE RE 15
ELECTROVOICE RE 20
OKTAVA 319 (2) Large Diaphragm Condenser
SOUNDELUX U195 Large Diaphragm Condenser
BEYER M500 (Ribbon)
ROYER R121 (Ribbon)
OKTAVA MC 012 (2) Small Diaphragm Condenser
COUNTRYMAN Isomax Hypercardioid (2)
SENNHEISER MC211(2 matched set)
SHURE SM57 (a bunch)
SHURE Beta 58
MICROPHONE PRE-AMPLIFIERS
ART Tubpac starved tube microphone preamp+ DI/compressor
FOCUSRITE TRACKMASTER solid state microphone pre-amp+ DI with EQ and compression*
JOEMEEK VC3Q mic preamp+ DI with EQ and compression*
TAPCO 6000R(1973)
GRACE MODEL 101 (2) Microphone preamplifier
UNIVERSAL AUDIO M610 Tube preamplifier
GUITAR PREAMPLIFIERS AND AMPLIFIERS
BOSS GP20 ¡§Amp Factory¡¨ FENDER BASSMAN 25 KORG AX1/ LINE-6 POD 2.0 MARSHALL AVT20 Guitar Amplifier
MONITORS
TANNOY Reveal (Active)
JBL PB10 (SUB Active)
MIXER
MOTU HARDWARE & SONAR SOFTWARE
DYNAMICS PROCESSORS*
dbx 160A dbx 266XL (2) ALESIS Nano Compressor BOSS CS-2 Pedal
EFFECTS
AUDIO CENTRON TFX-SP BOSS Blues Driver LEXICON MPX100 multi effects and emergency AD converter
INSTRUMENTS
ALESIS SR16 Drum Machine GIBSON (1958) ES225T/ GIBSON (2000) Les Paul Classic 1960 Re-issue GIBSON Classical TAKAMINE C332C YAMAHA PSR540 (Keyboard) FENDER (BORROWED) (Mexican) Precision Bass
OTHER RECORDING EQUIPMENT
TASCAM 234 Four track cassette DENNON DRM-710 2-TRK cassette
OTHERSTUFF
EBTECH Isolation transformer (3 ) WHIRLWIND IMP2 direct box (2) PALMER PLS 02 (Line level splitter)
GENERIC 100 ft snake-, 12 XLR + 4 TRS

The con's: 1) Marginal talent... 2) I don't really have a great room. I have to hang a bunch of shipping blankets and stuff to deaden things... Other than that, I can pretty much do what I need to do with this setup......poux

Kestral

11-21-2004, 09:53 AM

Well, I did what I said I was going to do - I upgraded from a Summit preamp/compressor to a Neve 1073/UA 1176 combo, and a few other improvements as well. Here's an updated list.

It was very interesting to see because I didn't realize how dramatically my setup has changed in the past 3 months.

Computer
Apple 15" 1.5 mhz Powerbook w/MBox (home)
G5 dual 1.8 ghz w/Pro Tools HD (studio downtown)
LaCie 7200 rpm 160 gig Firewire HD

Software
Pro Tools/Pro Tools LE
Emagic Logic Pro 7
Native Instruments: B4, FM7
Crystal

Preamp/Compressor
Neve 1073
Universal Audio 1176 (Silver Face Blue Stripe)

Synths
Oberheim Matrix 1000
Studio Electronics ATC-1

Guitar Stuff
Fender 70's Strat reissue
Vox AC15TBX Amp
Boss FA-1 FET Amplifier
MXR Distortion II
MXR Dyna Comp Script/Bud
MXR Phase 90 Script/Bud
Ampeg Scrambler clone
Korg A2
Digitech DHP33
Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay
Guyatone TO-2 Tube Overdrive

Speakers
Yamaha NS-10M

Mixer
Mackie 1202VLZ Pro

Mics
Neumann U-47 long body chrome top (studio downtown)
Shure SM57
Shure SM58 (x2)

bigalw1414

12-17-2004, 12:05 AM

Here's My Set-up

Computer:
Compaq
-Athlon XP3000+
-512 MB RAM
-160 GB System
-120 GB Firewire Audio
-etc.

Mics:
1x Studio Projects B1
1x Straight Mic Stand (no boom)

DAW and Software:
Digidesign Mbox
Waves Gold Native Bundle (2 week demo)
Antares Autotune (demo)
Antares Filter (demo)
Izotope Vinyl (free!!)
Sony Sound Forge 7.0
Sony ACID Pro 4.0
Sony CD Architect 5.0
Pinnacle Instant CD/DVD 8.0
Media Four MacDrive 5.0

Other:
Alesis ADAT HD24
M-Audio BX8 (pair)
Korg 61-key keyboard (don't remember name)

I need to get a mixer, mics, headphones, headphone amps, and stands.

Blue Bear Sound

12-20-2004, 09:18 PM

Just ordered this little guy to add to my gear list... should be here soon - can't wait!!!!!

http://www.bluebearsound.com/images/dmxr100.jpg
Sony DMXR100 - "Baby Oxford"

ae5

12-26-2004, 07:56 AM

iz RADAR 24 track
soundcraft ghost 24 channel analog board
dual 2.5ghz g5 running digital performer, peak, kontakt, reaktor, moog modular V, maxmsp with a motu 2408mkII interface
allen&heath mix wizard 16:dx
867mhz g4 powerbook (15") running digital performer, peak, kontakt, reaktor, moog modular V, maxmsp
athlon 64 fx-53 with an emu 1820m running emulator x, nuendo, reaktor, kontakt, buzz, maxmsp, moog modular V
2 studio projects c1's
sennheiser md421
2 shure sm58's
2 akg c1000s's
akg d112
RNC
pod xt
bass pod xt
mesa boogie tri axis
mesa boogie strategy 400
2 marshall 1960a's
fender american double fat strat
bc rich usa handmade neck thru beast
fender american standard jazz bass
DI box
m audio keystation 88 controller keyboard
novation remote 25 controller keyboard
emu e4xt ultra sampler
yamaha sy22 rompler keyboard
hart pro kick trigger
alesis dm5 trigger module
behringer headphone distribution amp
hafler amp
tannoy reveal monitors
2 technics 1200mk2's with ortofon om dj carts
vestax pmc25
hoffner acoustic guitar

my studio is good for tracking bands and for composing/recording electronic music. it is at the moment only used by me and my band (recording my bands as well as solo work and my electronic music), total it ran about $25,000-$30,000 over the past 6-7 years.

i plan to turn it into a home based commercial facility when i buy a house. the #1 thing i'm looking for in a house is it's worth as a studio space for me.

fistnbone

12-29-2004, 07:44 AM

Originally posted by spinman
This thread is going great; I hope people will find it useful.

If anyone feels up to it, maybe we could recommend some "beginner setups" for people. What's your take on say, a $2000 or $1500 studio?

We've been limited by our budgets and the fact that we're a band and not a potential pro-studio. I've found that by buying
gear that we were going to use gigging anyway, we've been
able to save a lot of money.

So for gear:
- Tascam 788 ($350-500 used): simple, easy to use, respectable
results. The effects and whatnot are so-so but we all have our
own effects anyway. (It came with a CD burner)
- Computer (we just use mine): this is more of a back-up/test item. We'll run a 1/8 line from the phone jack of the mixer to it.
It's good sometimes to see and edit stuff on a comp screen instead of on a little LCD screen. Also, it's convenient for making
mp3's, digital transport, etc.
- Berhinger mixer with 10 simultaneous inputs (200ish new?):
Definately satisfactory for now.

The mics:
Some kick drum mic (I forget the medel)
2 condenser mics (also forget)
(about 400-500 bucks for both condensers and the kick)
Shure SM 57 & beta 58 (about 300 bucks for both)

Soundproofing/baffles/etc.:
Plywood boards: 300ish.
Carpet: all dumpstered
Insulation: 200ish
Cables (XLR, etc.): 200ish

Our instruments, effects, amps, and cabs.

The two Shure's we had for gigging anyway. The soundproofing
was left over from our old practice space (we had neighbors).

So this was $2000 max. If you're not looking to make recording
your life this is a good way to go. We've gotten good, clear
recordings and we don't even know what we're doing compared
to a real studio. When we're ready to make an album that is expected to sell in large quantities, we'll go to a studio. But, for now we can make stuff that's demo/promo/local college radio quality.

Harmonic84

01-07-2005, 08:53 PM

This is as basic as you can get!

Computer:
Dell Inspiron P4 Laptop

Recording Device:
Tascam US-122

Software:
Cakewalk Homestudio 2
Propellerhead Reason 2

Mic:
Shure SM57

Instruments:
Red Fender Strat (made in Mexico)
3-tone Squier Jagmaster

Amp:
Peavey Bandit 112

Effects:
Sustain Punch Creamy Dreamer (distortion)
Boss DD-5
Boss Turbo Overdrive OD-2

Headphones:
POS (you know what I mean).... Audio-Technica ATH-M20

Estimated value: (not including laptop)
$1950

You can stop laughing...

pudan

01-13-2005, 08:08 PM

Hows that tascam working for you Harmonic84? Im think of getting one. Im mainly concerned about the preamps.

DaveBoulden

01-18-2005, 04:25 PM

WinXP Pro PC running CubaseSX3
Yamaha 01x
Yamaha 01v
Denon PMA350SE
Absolute Spirit 2 nearfields
Roand Fantom X7
Roland JV90EX
Yamaha SY85
Casio CZ-101
Roland R5
Siel EX80
Roland TD6 + Millenium MPS300 pad set
various guitars & hand percussion

www.drstudio.demon.co.uk

http://drstudio.da-media.co.uk/davestudio.jpg

Dave.

Jamplified

01-22-2005, 01:47 PM

Hey bowisc,
When's the last time a client asked you to use the Funk Logic Dynamicator?
;)
Cool setup though.

ash_101

01-27-2005, 02:08 AM

Still working on mine, but so far...

Main Hardware:

Windows XP Pro
Pentium 2.8 Ghz
Corsair 1 Gig Memory
200 Gig Hard Drive
(Cheap) Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro Samplitude Pro v7.11

No Mixer yet. Trying to decide on either the Behringer MX3282A Eurodesk, or the Behringer Eurodesk SL3242FX-PRO Mixer.
I know these are cheap mixers but for now it's all I can afford.

Instrument Gear:

Ibanez RGT42
Ibanez RG550
Electric Acoustic Takamine G Series
Rogue Bass
Randall Cyclone Head
Warhead 4X12
Warhead 2X15
Various Effect Pedals
Yamaha DP Series Drums

Mics:

4 Sure SM57s
6 Sure SM58s
2 Sure Beta 52As
Neumann TLM103

bigalw1414

01-28-2005, 11:21 PM

*update*

I just recieved the fxpansion VST-RTAS adapter for ProTools LE. It's basically 1000+ FREE VST plug-ins from the internet for $79. Definately cheaper than buying the Waves stuff (I just wait for Waves to release another version of their software so that I can use the demo CD for another 2 weeks).

BTW - Does anyone have any free VST or RTAS plug-ins that they like? No cracks, just freeware.

badgas

02-13-2005, 03:14 PM

Here's a link to my studio pics.

http://www.recordingproject.com/media/studio.php?mediaid=1067

I'd of posted the pics here but my cousin took them with her when she left.

jerbear86

02-21-2005, 09:36 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bowisc

Photos
http://www.sonrisen.com/miscpics.jpg

Hey, the eighth picture down that column of pictures, there's a picture of a microphone and 5 or so black boards surrounding it (to prevent sound issues I assume). What are those boards called, and what exactly do they do?

x.cerveau

02-22-2005, 03:54 PM

Hey, This is a great thread. I'm new at posting on this site, but browse it constantly and have learned a lot. My set up is..

Board: Yamaha mc1602 16-channel mixing board

Recorder: G3 400mhz will soon be running digital performer 3.0 running panther, I'm currently looking to upgrade my M-Audio delta 44, but it works. (hard drive just crashed.. grrrrrr DarnCombo Update (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=856146) )

Outboard: Behringer Denoiser (expander/limiter), Behringer Edison EX-1 (stereo image processor), Ross Systems Time Machine Digital Delay, Ibanez HD-1500 Harmanizer Delay.

Microphones: Superlux CM-H8D tube Condensor mic (awesome), and an old JVC stereo mic (generally useless)

Effects Pedals: Maxon Roto Phase, National Fuzzwah, Vox Tone Bender, Big Muff pi NYC Reissue, Boss Ph-2 phase shifter, Boss TR-3 tremelo, Ibanez tonelok Echo Delay.. and some random chorus and multi effects and a sweet old DIY talkbox from the 70s.

Instruments: Yamaha FB-01 (cheesy FM 80s synthtones), Epiphone Slasher FX (cheap humbucker guitar), Fender Mustang (vintage and great), I just purchased a roland sh-32 analog modeling synthesizer. Zoom Rhythm Trak 123 Drum Machine (surprisingly good) also at my disposal i have a Boss Drum Machine, a korg Electribe EA-1, and an korg MS-2000, I also have a few little kiddy keyboards, and a half bent Casio Sk-1

Amps: Peavey Classic (excellent spring reverb, trem; Tube), Danelectro DM-25 head (great vintage tube head. good trem, noisey Reverb)

Pros: It's fun to record random stuff and nice to have in my room. and i have a lot of crap(gear)

Cons: I have a lot of crap(gear and in general) all packed in my tiny bedroom, i might just get rid of the bed and move to the couch, hah. i can't track drums in here. The mixer is adequate but i'd like a more advanced one, the mc1602 is made more for live audio, but it works for preamps and mixing.

The recording quality i would like to think is a little better than Demo quality.

I can make from Electro to rock to hip hop with the stuff i have, but i'd have to go somewhere else to track drums because of my tiny space which kind of sucks, but since my band doesn't have a live drummer it's quite fine.

Do I have a good start for a 17 year old? Some input on anything would be of great help. Thanks!

Keith Seaman

cyberpunx

02-22-2005, 07:01 PM

Here's my setup:

Computer-1.0 gig celeron, 512 megs of ram, 80 gig harddrive running windows 98 (not worth a whole lot nowadays)

Soundcard- Soundblaster Audiigy platinum 1 ($200.00)

Mixer- alesis multimix fx6 ($100.00)

Software- n-track studio ($50.00); cubasis vst (got free with soundcard) : betamonkey drum loops ($50.00), hammerhead studio drum machine (free) Assorted free mda vst plugins and soundfonts

midi controller- m-audio keystation 49e ($100.00)

mic- shure sm-57 ($89.00)

This is uber cheap and effective. You may not get professional quality, but I'm rather pleased with the results. The only thing I need is a decent set of monitors and I'm set.

Nik

03-10-2005, 07:25 AM

So here is something from the budget, no-computer end. This is after a recent serious downgrade from a mid sized Cubase rig:

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.
Yamaha AW16G 16 track hard disk recorder.
Yamaha QY700 sequencer with internal sounds.
Korg Wavestation SR module.
Emu Morpheus module.
Yamaha TX16w sampler with Typhoon operating system and extensive sample library.
Milab VIP50 and Sure SM58 mics.
Genelec 1029 active monitors with 1091 sub.
Kenton Control Freak 16 fader box.

Various guitars and guitar gear.

2. How much it cost to put together.
A little over £2K.

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
Pros: It all fits in one corner of my study. Very easy to use. Annual cost of upgrades and bug fixes is Zero. I am way more productive as a self-recording composer than I ever was with Cubase, and my results are subjectively as good.

Cons: Severely limited in terma of track count and variety of FX I can use. In practise, th only live, acoustic instrument I can record is Vocal.

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
Arguabley, the equipment is at least as good in terms of sound quality as anyhting available before the early 80's.

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)
Not repetative dance music, nor live rock bands nor classical ensembles, nor anything based heavily on samples or loops. Ambient, Pop, alternative, progessive and heavy rock it can certainly do.

MrJoshua

03-17-2005, 11:45 AM

I normally post on the bass forum, but here's one for the beginner/home recording guys. :)

Athlon XP 3200+
512MB DDR333
160GB 7200RPM hard drive (8MB cache)
Windows XP Pro

Digidesign Digi001
ProTools LE 6.x (the most recent that supports the 001 - I don't recall the number offhand and it's at the practice pad)
Some free plugins - EQ, reverb, compressor, etc.

Carvin C844 8-channel 4-bus mixer

Alesis powered monitors

Shure SM-57
Shure SM-58 (2)

SansAmp BassDriver DI

Sound Quality:

Decent for recording practices and such. With some rented microphones to add to the current mics (which were bought to use for live vocals) the sound can be drastically improved, sufficient for putting out a demo. It won't sound like a $$$$$$ studio, but it didn't cost that much, either.

Pros:

Low price. Solid system - can record for literally hours on end without any bumps or glitches. Great for putting down song ideas or setting some originals down on CD to use when trying to get gigs. Able to record long practice sessions and go back later to listen for major errors, fix vocal harmonies, etc., then just delete the files when no longer needed.

Cons:

This is really a home-user quality setup. I seriously need to invest in some decent mics. That should hopefully come along in the next few months - probably a couple of overheads and a kick mic for the drums first. ProTools isn't the easiest software to use for non-computer-savvy people, and extra plugins can get expensive quick. For a hobbyist like myself, it's awesome to be able to record eight tracks at a time. For a professional, that would be quite a limitation.

Cost:

I'm not really sure. I've put this together bits and pieces at a time over years. The computer cost ~$400; say ~$250 for the mics... I probably have around $2000 invested in the entire setup, and that's including the PA amp and speakers since we just record off the PA feed for practices. Just recording gear, call it $1200. Not bad for a home setup.

88mm

03-20-2005, 05:37 AM

My Cheapo!

Win XP
HomeMade Computer
2-Maxtor 60gig 7200 ATA Drives
1.7 P4
256 sdram
M-audio Delta 66
Cakewalk Guitar Pro 3 (easy)

Maybe $500'ish

Gear

Nady SCM 950 condenser
Nady real cheap
PreSonus BlueTube pre
Cheap Zoom effects processor
Infinity rs-1 speakers

Maybe $350'ish

Instruments

Hondo Les Paul copy (Frankenstien)
Fender Deluxe Series w/singles
Custom Fender (being made as we speak)
Samick acustic
1973 Sunn Model T amp
1981 Fender 75 head amp
Sweet Sound Utra vibe
Vox Wah
Sci Fuzz Face Clone
Homemade Leslie Speaker
Harmonica
shakers and other little stupid crap.

I don't eave want to know $???

Just starting out in the recording stuff. Kind of fun and kind of a headache.

Mostly for 2 tracks at a time and recording just me. Wouls like to use in a live setup sometime. Works real well and easy to use. I think I get some decent sounds from it.

Well that is my .02

Rothman

03-20-2005, 03:58 PM

Hey BigAl, is that VST-RTAS adapter stable? I'm wary of it...

bigalw1414

03-21-2005, 11:48 AM

Originally posted by Rothman
Hey BigAl, is that VST-RTAS adapter stable? I'm wary of it...

It works great for me. You have to set the wrapper buffer and the PT buffer at the same setting for it to work. I've only seen two plug-ins that didn't work with the wrapper. They were both free plug-ins. Audio still passed through them, but the GUI was messed up. With all of the FREE VSTs out there its like gettin 1000 plug-ins for $80. Plus, you get access to less expensive pug-ins like Kjaerus and Voxengo.

BTW, the adapter has never crashed PT.

Kingtone

04-09-2005, 10:54 AM

Hey,
here is my setup. Im a producer who mainly works from home but all my gear is portable in roadcases for when i record/work in other studios.

-Mac MDD G4 DP 2 x 1GHz 1.2Gig Ram.
-2 Apple ColourSync 21' Monitors
-Protools 6.7
-Logic 6.4
-Reason
-Ableton Live
-lotsaplugins

-Protools HD2 Accel
-Digidesign 96 io
-Apogee Rosetta AD (96)

-Presonus Central Station
-Genelec 1029 Monitors
-Sony 7506 headphones
-Mackie Baby Hui Control surface

Programming/Keyboard Rig
-Roland A-90ex
-Korg MicroKorg
-Korg Triton LE
-2 x Kurzweil K2500Rs
-Roland JV1080ex
-Mac iBook G4
-Digidesign DIGI002R
-Midisport 8x8
-Samson Power conditioner/Switch Rack
-Mackie LM3204 (rack line mixer)
-Rolls 203x (rack line mixer)
-48 ch jack patchbay

-Wurlitzer EP
-Rhodes 76 MarkI and 88 MarkII
-Hammond C3
-Leslie 147
-Oberheim TVS1
-Musicman Stingray 5 Bass
-Fender Strat (USA) w/Lace Sensors
-Various fx and pedals

Sound Quality
I do a variety of different styles of music on this system. From Acoustic albums to elctronica to rock. Sound quality is broadcast. i mix in-house or take my system elsewhere. all depends.
i do everything except drums and vocals at home.

Cost.... Ummm...

Pros:
Every link is good qualtiy
never run out of tracks
can accomplish anything i need to do

cons: the only con i have is that i dont have a studio to record in.. but at the same time.. i see no point in spending lots of money to do something many people have already done better for me... ie... build a studio to record great sounding drums etc in.
I dont own mics or pre's i just get what i need for each job or/and use what i need in the studios i go to. again... there is no point spending lots of money on a mic and pre setup that will not do EVERYTHING i need to do.. so i just hire or use what will suit the job.

But i agree with the comment earlier by someone... Find what YOU do.. and buy the gear to work around that. Dont try and build a "studio" if you dont NEED a studio.

PK

Bdizzy

04-16-2005, 04:29 PM

Heres my Project-studio Set-Up....

Apple G5 2gb w/superdrive
2 Apple 19" monitors
Apple Logic 7
Motu MkIII interface
Panasonic WR-DA7 w/auomation
Presonus Digi-max pre-amp
ART pre-amp
Furman patchbay
Monster power conditioner
MICS.....
AKG D112
(2)Rode NT5
BLUE bottle
Sennheiser 421
(3)Shure sm57
Event TR-8 monitors
(3)Sony MDR V-6
Behringer HA4700 amp
Mogami cables
Auralex insolation and bass traps
Custom Omnirax producer's desk

Ember Studios....website coming soon

AunShui

04-17-2005, 03:21 PM

Hey, I'm totally completley new to recording, and i'm trying to figure out the best way to get into it. My band and I would like to make cd's to sell at gigs etc, so i would like to do a room-based recording setup with a multi-track recorder and headphones as opposed to a recording system based out of my computer. I'm looking for at least an 8 track recorder, but 16 or 24 would be ideal. Also, the ability to record directly to a CD would be nice, although if there is any major problem with this which i do not know about, please let me know. Basically, I woudl like a nice recording package for under 3000. Any suggestions/comments/concerns are immensley appreciated. If this should be in its own thread, please let me know and i will move it, although this seems like the right place to post this. Thanks in advance!

Jburn34

04-26-2005, 04:15 AM

I don't think you're going to want to record directly to CD, although you can easily find a standalone recorder like you're talking about that will burn a CD. You could get a pretty decent setup for under $3000.

If you'd like me to help you get set up with something, shoot me a pm or an email.

My bass in your face

04-28-2005, 03:11 PM

Yo, I’m a bassist with some recording gear.

PC Hardware:
- P4 2.4 Ghz.
- 512 mb RAM
- 80 gb HD for programs
- 160 gb HD for the projects
- M Audio Delta 44 soundcard

PC Software:
- Adobe Audition V1.5
- Izotope Ozone mastering plug-in
- Some VST plug-ins
- Fruity Loops Studio 4

Mics:
- Joe Meek JM47 Large condenser
- 2 x Samson C02 small condenser mics
- Audio Technica ATM25
- Shure SM57

Rack stuff:
- Joe Meek VC3 preamp + compressor
- FRM Really Nice Compressor
- Ampeg SVP-CL bass preamp
- Behringer UB1204 mixer (I only use it if I need 4 preamps)

Monitoring:
- Sennheiser EH350 headphones
- Denon generic hi-fi amp from the early 90’s :(
- JBL Northridge N26 speakers :(

Needs some improvements, but I’m happy with it now. Considering I bought most of it in the last 3 months for good prices.

Kiyoshi_Masamun

05-03-2005, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by spinman
bump...

beginners need to speak up too. Let's hear from the <$1000 crowd some.

Somebody short-changed my ideas regarding telling @ my gear so... well I guess it won't be the last time I'm on stage for flamin' Right? ...:eek:

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.
* Computer: PC-Clone, AMD Athlon XP+ 1350Mhz, 512MB RAM, Dual HD (40Gb boot, 60Gb for audio data), fitted with an horrible Creative Soundblaster "Digital Studio" soundcard (forced to 44.1kHz @>500ms latency). Software running is Cubase SX 1.1 w/several plugins and soft synths (Pro-52, Halion, FM7, Tassman, A0's DK1 drum machine, B-3, Warp VST, Waves). External mastering software: T-Racks24.
* Peripherals:
- DOD 1222 mixer for Monitoring/routing (way cheap!)
- Alesis 3660 2 channel Compressor w/gate (for tracking certain "peaky" stuff sometimes but raises noise floor noticeabily)
- Marshall JMP1 preamp (w 1-12AX7, 1-ECC83 tubes, not really different from stock units) for guitars & bass (since it has an emulated speaker out which suits needs)
- Keyboard controller: Roland XP10 (also source for some synth sounds or controlling drum input).
- Miscelaneous: Jackson Dinky2 (codename: "suspicious"), Roland GR707 synthaxe (propped up for leftie, codename: "vacuum cleaner"), Rickenbacker 4001 bass wineglo (codename: "that Paul McCartney getup..."), Ovation Celebrity CC11 (codename: "tha nifty"), Electrovoice PL80 dynamic mic (codename: "battlescar"), Audio Technica ATR25 dual-electret stereo mic (codename: "teh crosseyed stick"), AKG D112 bass-extended dynamic, Kawai XD-5 Rackmount Drum & percussion synth (really!). For amplification I use a Sony FH-7B receiver. I also own a Crown Power Base 1 and a couple of Community CS52 PA cabinets, but my neighbors may get too mad at me for the noise.
- Odds & Ends (that is: not really used, or intended to be there just-in-case): Yamaha TQ-5 polyphonic FM synth, Kawai K1r rackmount synth, Kahler Human clock Midi sinchronizer, Alesis
Datadisk SQ FD unit, Digital Music MX-8 8x8 Midi Patchbay, Roland PM-16 Pad-to-Midi interfase (in process of being incorporated as drum input instead of keyboard controller), 2 Roland PK-5 bass pedals, ART X15 & DOD FC5 midi footcontrollers. (not counting computer cheap multimedia mike to record quickies ---spur-of-the-moment ideas impossible to let go).

2. How much it cost to put together.
* Around $15K USD during a 15 year time span.

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
* Pros: It is suited to fill my need for a scratch pad where I can put demos off my songs in a listeneable fashion. Not considered as a "serious" rig for pro recording. Also it helps me learning the lingo hands-on. I consider myself a beginner in recording matters.
* Cons: One-Track-At-The-Time type recording due to lack of computer power, card input availability and lack of a SCSI array to stand the massive amount of signal input or output, lack of better mikes (battlescar is fine, but teh crosseyed stick is weak as a condenser mic, would like an AKG 414B but no $$$$!)

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
* Mmm... products sounds like you've been doing it in a syncassette with little knowledge of recording, but it might as well be my lack of ability to use all the services available to enhance the recording. But hey! -better hear the results in my music page: My Sound Click Page (http://www.soundclick.com/joeykaye) Language warning: page is bilingual (Eng-Span), songs are in Spanish.

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)
* It may suit any kind of played music you can record one instrument at a time for reasons above just for getting the song to a certain form or shape to make reference (let's call it "in pre-production stages") but some may not like live drums being recorded in stereo or played via midi and using samples instead. Even when I have some virtual synths and Cubase can support
sample-based music creation, I wouldn't recommend it for electronica, not even having Halion loaded.

Well... I guess that's it ...

Kiyoshi

avbunyan

05-18-2005, 07:45 AM

The request was for "Rookie" setups - we'll here is "bottom end"....

1. PC - Intel 2.8 - 2 WD 80 gig Serials, 512 Ram

2. M-Audiophile 24/96 PCI

3. M-Audio Audio Buddy Preamp

4. Audio Technica 2020 Mic, (2) AKG CE1

5. Old Yamaha Cassette/Mixer (used for playback only) - I record directly to AudioPhile

6. Alesis Microverb for playback only

7. Guitars - old Telecaster - fake Strat - Ephiphone acoustic

8. JV1080

9. Amp - Fender Twin

10. CakeWalk Home Studion 2002

11. VST Plugins - Right now the recommended legitimate Free ones but looking to upgrade as I experiment

12. Music type - old hymns redone

Sound quality? Well, not sure - muddy right now I guess - trying to learn to clean up and make crisper - experimenting - trying to learn to use compression more - decent acoustic sand electric guitar sounds - don't sing much - have terrible voice.

But that is what I use - it is a very basic setup for hobby only - limited time but having fun!!!

I'm open for any suggestions or recommendations!

God bless

cobrahead1030

05-19-2005, 11:30 PM

i'm a guitar player, in a band who's just getting our studio rolling (so try not to laugh too hard ;) )

homebuilt PC: 3.2 ghz P4, 2x80 gb hard drives, 1024 mb RAM; windows XP, adobe audition 1.5, drumkit from hell 2, cubase LE, guitar pro 4.0

alesis multimix 16 usb mixer

mics: sm 57
sm 58
beta 58
shure pg series kick mic
shure pg series tom mic
cheapo audio technica snare/tom mics (2)
cheapo audio technica tom/kick mics (2)
mxl 2001 vocal/room mics (2)
mxl 603s acoustic/overhed mics (2)

currently shopping for monitors (eyeballing the wharfdale 8.1)

drums: gretsch 6 piece kit; single kick, 3 (rim mounted) rack toms, 1 floor tom, wood snare, pearl rotos toms, sabian/zidjian cymbals (3 crash, china, ride, ice bell, hats, 2 splash)

bass amp: genz bezn m200 head and cab (POS) soon to add a behringer bass V amp pro

guitar amps: framus cobra, mesa dual rectifier, peavey XXL, peavey 5150 cab, spalwn 4x12 cab, ear candy 4x12 cab, vox avt15, behringer v amp...WAY too many fx and guitars to list, but mostly mahogany guitars with duncan pickups, and boss pedals (guitar gear is my baby :D )

nice room, insulated with eggcrates, soundroom to be sheeted with acoustic tile and auralex foam in spots, drum riser, hardwood spots in the ceiling (room is a work in progress but it sounds good as-is...not great...but good for what we're doing)

decent ears, and a low budget setup...sounds like...well...what we got :D main purpose is to record practice section, refine our own music (composition and performance-wise) and be able to put out acceptable quality demo material...once we get things runnin pretty smooth we plan to start recording demos for other bands CHEAP in order to fund gear upgrades

btw...we're about to start tracking drums next month, so you'll probably hear plenty of clips asking for opinions/advice on our setup here soon ;)

cobrahead1030

05-19-2005, 11:35 PM

my home recording setup :cool: :

toshiba laptop: athlon 1.3 ghz, 128mb RAM, 30 gb hard drive; windows xp, cool edit 2.0, guitar pro 4

m audio fast track USB preamp, shure sm57, my earcandy cab with either my framus or mesa head

mxl 603s condenser, for recordin my gretsch historic series mini-jumbo acoustic

nothing to write home about, but enough to keep me busy :)

wilkinswp

05-31-2005, 09:39 PM

I'm about to seriously upgrade everything below, but here goes with the current setup:

Old Fostex 4-track

Dell 2 GHz, 500 RAM
Soundscape Mixtreme 20-bit A/D converter
Soundscape PCI card
Sonar 2.0 XL and Reason
(computer and software cost about 2-3K back when bought)

Monitors Yamaha NS-10M
Random Fender Amp that seems to work all right to power the monitors.

Mics
4 SM-57s
1 beta 87--not mine, but left at my house for 4 years
various crappy vocal mics
occasionally borrow an AT 4040

ART Tube MP
2 Rolls mic pres
DBX 266XL comp
DBX patchbay--why I have this, I have no idea. . .

Instruments:
Pearl Export Drums with Zildjians
Roland electronic drum kit
Fender American Strat--not mine
Rhodes MK80--not mine
Ensoniq keys-not mine
Fender Bass--not mine
Some random Fender amps--not mine and unfortunately not a Twin

Pros: I know some people who are really talented musicians. Really fortunate in this respect. So, I'm often ready to record them. They've also left lots of fun gear in my basement.

Cons: many of them re the sound I'm getting from my recordings. I've gotten some decent stuff on tape, but haven't been satisfied yet with anything I've done. I've got some nice pres and mics in the works and perhaps a better converter. But I have much to do in terms of treating my basement and an upstairs room for tracking and mixing.

Aside from the instuments, I guess about 4K has gone into what I've got. . . I'm realizing that one of the most important things is the musicianship. While I'm not totally satisfied with my recordings, if the music's good, it makes my work sound, well, sort of good. . .

robnewton

06-28-2005, 07:23 AM

I've started building up a mobile rig.
Digi 002 - pros: industry standard, I like having a dedicated controller w/no hassle/ cons: large for mobile (but more impressive than a smaller one)

Powerbook G4- pros: stable, clean, efficient, no hassle so far/ cons: expensive, extra RAM and upgraded processor runs down battery FAST!

Rocstor firewire external HD - pros: stable so far, portable/ cons: USB woulda been easier (finding an 400/800 cable is hard).

Sennheiser HD 202 phones - pros: good sound for very cheap phones (5 for $90)/ cons: none known yet

Samson c-que 8 phones amp: just ordered

Now I need monitors, an 8 channel optical pre-amp for extra ins and some good condensers.

seaneldon

07-20-2005, 11:54 PM

well, good old sean eldon is powerful bored and this is a good timewaster. here we go:

control room is 20x18.
hand built walnut/ebony desk with overbridge racks for computer hardware only:
- custom athlon destroy-machine with 2gb ram, acoustic isolation in case by auralex, digital corporation 3U rackmount case. running on xp professional. wallmounted 32" viewsonic LCD rather than dual monitors
- 2 MOTU 896HDs interfacing into Magix Sequoia 8.2
- Dynaudio BM6As, Event ASP8s, and KRK V4II passively selected through Presonus Central Station. Auralex MoPads everywhere
- One set of Ultrasone PROLine 650 headphones for me, Beyerdynamic DT770-Pro for band, Furman 6 Channel Headphone Distribution
- Tascam US2400 controller custom built into desk
- Universal Audio UAD-1 Ultra Pack
- Dangerous 2-Bus (newest addition) summing all of the 896HD's outputs to an Otari MX5050 tape machine for pre-masters
- Glyph 250GB firewire drive, Lacie 160GB firewire drive
- M-Audio 8x8 MIDI interface

Live room is 30x25 with 9.5 foot ceiling:
- Gretsch Reknown Maple 5 piece drumkit on isolated riser with K cymbals
- 1959 Fender Bassman combo, 1965 Fender Bassman piggyback stack, Marshall JCM800 50w combo, Vox AC30 Handwired series 2x12
- Sansamp RBI bass rack, Ampeg SVT Classic tube head with 8x10 cabinet
- 1970's DooDooBrown Fender Mustang with maple neck, Gibson ES335TD Reissue, 1994 Fender Custom Shop Hardtail Stratocaster, 1972 Fender Telecaster Deluxe, 1979 Fender Jazz Bass
- Martin D-28, Martin Baritone Ukulele of unknown year or origin, random awesome instruments, pan flute, melodica, kazoos
- Roland Fantom X8

Microphones:
(2) Neumann U87
(2) Neumann U47 Tube
(1) Neumann M(2)49 Restored by BLUE
(2) Neumann KM84
(1) Neumann CMV Bottle with M7 and M8 capsules
(1) Soundelux U195
(1) Soundelux U99
(2) Microtech Gefell M930 with ORTF bar
(2) BLUE Dragonfly
(2) BLUE Kiwi
(1) BLUE Cactus
(1) BLUE Mouse
(2) BLUE Blueberry with upgraded transformers
(1) BLUE Bluebird that BLUE gave me for free
(2) AKG C414-XLII
(2) Peluso 2 251
(1) Lawson L47MP Mark II
(2) AEA R84
(2) Josephson e22S Electrical Audio Edition
(2) Groove Tubes GT67 Multipattern Tube Mic
(2) Beyerdynamic M160
(4) Sennheiser MD421U
(1) Audix D6
(3) Audix D2
(1) Shure Beta57A
(1) Shure Beta87A (for singers who can't perform without holding something)

Signal Awesomers:
(1) Manley Massive Passive
(2) Groove Tubes ViPRE
(1) Groove Tubes Glory Comp
(1) Groove Tubes The Brick (great bass DI)
(1) Universal Audio 6176
(1) Universal Audio 2-610
(1) Universal Audio 4110 FET Preamp
(2) Universal 1176LN
(2) FMR Really Nice Compressor
(1) Trident S20 Dual Preamp
(2) Trident 4T Celebration Channel Strip
(1) Trident S80 Giant Box of Incredible
(1) Martech MSS-10 (Groove Tubes The Brick after snorting 2 grams of fine cocaine)
(1) Avalon AD2022
(3) TL Audio 8 Channel Tube Patchbay

Cabling by BLUE and Mogami

And finally, lots of Furman AR-15s to make me think my equipment is never going to break.

The entire studio, including sound proofing and control, construction, electrical, cabling, lease, and all of that cost me just under the amount of money that would make most people jump out of the tallest building they could find. I certainly didn't pay all of that. I've got two partners. And we're still paying. Still. Bank loans, maxed out credit cards, ebay buying and selling, and petty theft got us to where we are. And kept us from ever going to college.

We'll be taking pictures of the newly renovated studio (just put up some new walls and built a lounge) next week. I'll put them up here.

maxmartin

07-29-2005, 01:20 AM

Ok: Here's mine:

1) Studio Setup:

console:
* Euphonix CS3000 56 faders + audio cube

computers:
2x Penium4 3Ghz, 2GB Ram, 400GB harddisk
1x server

converters:
2x Apogee DA-16X
1x RME ADI 8DD
1x RME ADI 8DS
1x Behringer
1x Friendchip Digimax
1x RME ADI 648
1x RME HDSP MADI
1x RME Hammerfall DSP
1x RME Hammerfall Multiface

synths:
* Roland XV5080
* Yamaha Motif RACK ES
* Roland Fantom XR
* Emu-Pro/cussion
* Emu-Xtreme Lead
* Emu-Vintage Keys
* Yamaha DX7
* + 2x Emagic AMT8

micophones:
* Neumann U87
* 2 x Sure SM57

recording/dynamics/fx
* Avalon VT-737
* Lexicon PCM91
* UAD-1
* TC Powercore Firewire

submixers:
* 2x Behringer RX1602
* Steinberg Houston
* Yamaha MX2000

Monitoring
* Tannoy Reveal
* Yamaha NS10
* Yamaha MSP10
* 2x Alesis RA300 Amps

Headphones:
* AKG K-100
* AKG K-271

2) How much it cost to put together.

Somewhere between 150.000$ and 200.000$ with the location

3) pros/cons

Pros:
Professional facility
2 studio (room a + room b + recording room)
Ability to work on different projects at the same time (because of the automation of the Euphonix)

Cons:
Expensive....

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.

I think i'm set :-)

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)

Live recorings with a big recording room (only some micrphones still missing...gotta buy them as soon as possible)
Mainly designed for pop-music with a lot of programming possibilities.

C JoGo

07-30-2005, 08:05 PM

Specialize in >> Simple demos for song writers...a single to a trio. Drum pads only or sequencer... {live tracking with Fat Kat kit}

ROLAND 2480
daw

KURZWEIL 2600 /2500/ K2VX
sampler-keys

TC M-ONE
TC M-300
TC G-MAJOR
LEXICON LXP-5
effects

SEK'D 2496 A/D
BEHRINGER DEQ
MASTERLINK
converters/mastering

MANLEY DVC PRE
pre

EVENT SP 8
APPLE MINI-SPKRS
ESS SUBS
monitors

RODES ~
CAD ~
ADK~
& AT
mics

Stripped down to the necessities now..
just enough to produce what our market pays for. Sold all the vintage rack & board & keys ::: we accumulated since the mid 70's...

Sure need a lot less gear (pres, etc ) when you no longer track live drum kits . Most bass performances are DI or a sampler > a combo of DI & small amps for electric guitars >

emphasis on song writers...these days

http://www.redshift.com/~cjogo/FULL_VIEW.jpg

Super Rad!

08-01-2005, 05:03 PM

Hardware:
-Dell Laptop with WinXP (pretty decent computer, very fast)
-3.06 ghz Pentium 4
-40 gig drive

-Tascam US-122

Software:
-Cakewalk
-Cubase LE (came with Tascam)

Microphones, misc, etc:
-Shure SM57, stand, cables, pop filter, etc...

Instruments:
-Fender MIM Tele
-Ibanez JTKII
-Gretsch Electromatic
-Squier Bullet
-Fender Princeton 65
-Marshall 10 watt
-Casio Keyboard
-Moog Etherwave
-CB Drums

Conclusion:
Pretty poor when I was just using Cakewalk. A huge improvement came with the Tascam and Cubase. Still not professional quality of course, but I'm satisfied. Overall it's a pretty average little setup, but good for recording on a budget and in an apartment. I don't try and make money off my music, so it's all just for fun. :)

Kestral

08-16-2005, 10:56 PM

This is what I'm in the process of putting together. Sound quality? imo Major label album release quality.

Songwriter Studio

Preamp
- AMS Neve 1073
- Radial JDI Passive Direct Box

Compressor
- Universal Audio 1176 rev B

Computer
- Apple Powerbook running Logic Pro 7.1, Pro Tools M-Powered and various softsynths
- M-Audio Audiophile Firewire

Converter
- Apogee Rosetta 200

Monitoring
- Yamaha NS10M
- Crown DC300 (vintage first edition)

Microphones
- Made in USA Shure SM57
- (still trying to decide which large diaphragm condenser to go with)

(This does not include my synth and guitar rig)

A pic of the 1073, 1176 and one of my rack synths:

http://homepage.mac.com/patricksevenlee/homesetup.jpg

GuitarPLayer61990

08-22-2005, 07:57 AM

Preamp
- Mackie 32 VLZ PRO
- Presonus Tube Pre

Computer
- Dell 4800 80 gig (with external HD) 2.4 GHZ 512 ram

Interface
- Presonus Firepod

Monitoring
- M-Audio BX5
- Yamaha PA for mastering

Microphones
- AKG D112
- Sennheiser E602
- (5) Shure SM57
- (2) Oktava MC-012
- Audio Techinca AT2020
- Studio Projects B1

Software
- Cubase 1.07

Instruments/Other
-15 guitars (USA Fenders, Ibanez, Jackson, Taylor)
- 3 basses, Ibanez SDGR350, Peavey Fretless, Ibanez
- Pearl Export 10 piece drumset
- Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and Peavey 5150 hooked up to a GMajor Effects Unit
- Line6 Flextone Combo

This is all a high school (run by high school kids) recording studio, check out www.myspace.com/frominfinity and listen to theta for the newest recording we put out.

Don Caballero

10-09-2005, 01:00 PM

Preamps/Outboard Gear
Presonus Firepod
Art Pro VLA Compressor
some furman power conditioner

Mics
Rodes nt-5 matched pair
1 SM57 (purchaing more soon)
1 Beta 52
Planning on getting an AT4033 soon

Monitors/Headphones
Pair of KRK PR-8s
1 Sony MDR-7506
Rolls 4 channel headphone amp
Planning on getting some headphones for tracking soon.

Cost
Including cables, rack, stands and such around $2100. For the cost I don't think I could of done too much better.

Pros: Enough tracks for my needs. Firepod preamps are great for my needs and the sound quality is great aswell; any bad sounding mixes is the result of me, not my equipment.

Cons: Limited expandibility. I really wish the inputs on the firepod were in the back, or atleast channels 3-8 had send/returns completely in the back.

ultravioletray

10-12-2005, 04:06 PM

This is what you would consider a "lo-fi" recording setup, largely due to the lack of funds necessary to acquire the good stuff. Surely laughable, but for those just starting out (and a bit adventurous I suppose), I think it shows that where there's a will, there's a way.

Recording:

- Tascam Portastudio 488 mkII
- Yamaha MV802 mixer (used as a preamp)

Microphones:

- Rode NT-1
- Shure SM57
- Radio Shack/Shure Omnidirectional Microphone

Instruments:

- Gibson SG (2)
- Gibson Melody Maker (custom, w/ 2 humbuckers)
- various cheap guitars
- Gretch Saxaphone
- Sitar
- Zither
- Singing Treholipe (surfer ukelele)
- Silvertone Banjo
- Casio Casiotone MT-110
- various percussion, etc.
- Tempro five piece drum kit
various effects pedals:
- Boss - tremolo, Blues Driver, DD-3...
- Ibanez Tube Screamer
- MXR Distortion +
- J.Hendrix wah, Cry Baby Wah
- Digitech Pedalverb3000

Amps:

- Marshall 50 watt Half-stack 1973
- Fender Twin Reverb 1973
- Peavy Backstage Plus
- Ampeg V4 w/ 2x12 Cabinet
- Ampeg solid state twin

Headphones/Monitors:

- Sony Headphones MDR-V300
- Powered Computer Speakers (brand undetermined)

I mix down to my HP using the stock soundcard, and a cheap program meant mostly for recording LP's to wav files.

Pros: Easy to use. Knobs to turn, faders to push. Hands on. Push the buttons, that sort of thing.

Cons: Isn't it obvious? Mostly, the lack of tracks bothers me. Eight isn't enough for what I want do, especially when lightning strikes. For simple demo purposes, it works fine.

Cost: Well, the amps alone cost more than the recording equipment. The 488 goes for about $160 on eBay. The Yamaha mixer was found on the street. For the recording "studio" part, let's just say "real cheap".

iwishyoulovedme

10-15-2005, 10:59 AM

My WIP -

Computer Hardware-

15" 1.33ghz Powerbook G4 w/ 512mb ram (for mobile tracking/gigging)
Dual 1.8ghz Powermac G5 w/ 512mb of ram (in the "studio")
20" Apple Cinema Display

Software-

Cubase Le
Reason 3.0
Live 5
aptrigga2 plugin
tons of free plugins

Audio Hardware-

Presonus Firepod
Korg MS2000br
Oxygen 8 (old model)
Homemade Rack 12u
Behringer HA8000
3 pairs of AKG k66 headphones
KRK ROKIT RP5 (pair)

Instruments-

Roland TD 3 sv (improved w/ mesh snare)
My voice (not that new, 23 years old, ex smoker)

Microphones-

Shure Beta 52
Shure SM57 (3) ((4 more coming soon)
Shure SM58
AT Overheads (picked up in a trade, will repost with model #)
MXL v93 (was replaced by 2003)

My business partner will soon be contributing 2000 and a facility to our "studio" as it only currently does mobile work. Last project that i recorded i mixed on Yorkville's powered monitors, no monitors now but the first thing we're investing in are some M-Audio's. We do "demo quality" production and are hoping to continue to upgrade untill we can make some amazing sounding recordings.

Pros- Great for tracking bands for overdubbing

Amount Invested-

So Far Around $10150

innobidova

10-20-2005, 07:22 PM

so far this is what i've looked at:

nt1000, sm57, akg c430, mxl 603s, at4041, nt5, md421 II, b3, d112, ae 2500, e602, e902, nd868

i'm thinking, as an entry-level recording engineer and full-time perfectionist, i'll go with the:

sm57, akg c430 (pair), b3 (pair), d112 or e902, and maybe nt1000

should i?

thatbobguy8

10-23-2005, 03:51 AM

Ok, I will try to tackle this.
I record using a mac g4 dual 1.25 processor with garage band for basic ideas and logic for the real deal. I go into the mac via firewire from a presonus firepod (which really is worth the money.) All editing is done in logic with it's effects and eq's ect. Now for the equipment.
Mics: Akg 430's drum overheads
E/v nd468 tom's
akg d-112 kick
shure sm57 for snare
nady cm90 for snare
rode nt1-a vocals
m-audio nova vocals
For recording the instruments I have a tama starclassic drum set. The guitars areas follows.
Gibson sg loaded with seymour duncans, 2 different fender strats loaded with lace pickups(2 different combo's)One telecaster loaded with lacesensors. One fender jazz bass with active lace pickups. My guitar amp is a crate vintage series about 10 yearsold with eurotubes in it. All in all with this equipment I get very good quality sound. Oh yeah krk rp-5 monitors. Basically it all comes down to tecnique and your ears. Good ears=good sound
Cost.....I don't even want to think about it.

guitardude24

11-07-2005, 03:42 PM

I don't think i fit in here since i have only a few basica things to get my ideas on hard disk...but i'll post me shit anyway...

Computer:
Insignia (Best Buy Brand)
512Ram, 60GB HD, 120GBHD, CD/DVD drive, etc...basic and cheap

Stuff:
Mackie DFX12 Mixer
Sm57
MXL990
Tascam US-122
KRK RP-5 Monitors
Tascam VL-s21 Flat monitors
AKG M-240 headphones
Cakewalk Home Studio 2
Loads of VST plug-ins

Instruments:
Ibanez GRX40 (C-standard)
OLP Petrucci (standard tuning)
Peavey JSX head
Avatar 2x12 cab
Yamaha DGX-300 Keyboard
Roland Cube 30

Something like $3750...some were gifts so that helps...

Ya, i basically only use this to record myself on guitar and vocals, and i use my keyboards drums for a basic beat in the background...but it works for me!

psycho chemist

11-16-2005, 03:56 AM

It's a big step up, considering my former conditions.

Computer:
PC Athlon XP 2800, 1GB RAM, 80GB HD with 17" LCD monitor

Interface:
M-Audio Audiophile 192

Softwares:
Acid XPress
Audacity (with loads of free plugins)
Finale Notepad Plus

Other stuff:
Ciclotron AMBW10 mixer
Cygnus PA1800X power amp with two 3-way speaker cabs
rack
Aiko system 3000 (used for monitoring)
Philips SBC HP195 headphones
Peavey Envoy 110
Aria Pro II LP guitar
Gianinni 18 accoustic guitar
Shelter 5-string bass
another cheap 4-string bass
Zoom 505 guitar effect
Sennheiser e835 microphone
Loads of cables
Beta Monkey Music drum loops (Double Bass Mania and Classic Backbeats Plus)

Now I'm raising funds for a mic pre, a LDC mic and a keyboard.

Pros: This is a home studio, suitable for demos. Spent little money over the past 10 years.

Cons: It's a too basic setup, where any upgrade (specially mics, mic pres, room treatment) will be very welcome.

Spent: can't really tell exactly how much, maybe something around $4-5k (things have a considerable markup here).

NashRawk

11-29-2005, 11:23 AM

hardware: dual 2.7 powermac g5 (2gb ram), a couple firewire drives (im thinking a 50gb and a 140gb), gateway 17" flat monitor, digi002r, m-audio bx5's, cheapo mackie board (used for preamps - not half bad), alesis adat

software: protools le 7.0, various free plug-ins

mics:
shure sm81
shure ksm27
shure beta 52
shure beta 57
shure sm57 [5]
shure sm58 (had it lying around, mostly used for talkback)

instruments:
american telecaster
reverend slinsghot - semi-hollow, p90s
reverend wolfman - semi-hollow, mini humbuckers
vox ac-30hw 2x12 combo
marshall dual super lead 100w halfstack
30-40 effects pedals
15" ampeg bass amp
fender jazz bass
whitney kick drum & floor tom

etc:
100' snake
audio technica headphones
rolls headphone amp
cables cables cables

used for: mostly rock bands, some acoustic/folk/solo artists

cost: i dont want to think about adding that up... a healthy investment to say the least... i already had the guitar gear from playing out so that's -$7,000 right there.

pros: it has everything i need, its fairly compact/portable, i can get nice sounds for bands that would otherwise be tracking in their garage with a tape deck. i am 19, i think its a good start.

cons: it takes time and money to accumulate all that junk, i am limited to 32 tracks and a dozen imputs, i could have a much nicer mic selection, my monitors leave a bit to be desired

lancrapper

11-29-2005, 07:14 PM

i have just bought the M Audio Firewire 410, and it will only record on the left or right channel for me, the left mic input records to the left, and the right to the right, im really gett angry, cuz i cannot fix it, if any of yall know how to help me, plzz email me a.s.a.p. at notoriouslyricistsent@hotmail.com, thanks alott!!

ct studio

12-29-2005, 12:51 PM

My studio is a home project studio (converted garage) approx. 10' x 20' which I have sound treated with Auralex 2" studio foam and lenrd bass traps. It is a 1 room tracking/mixing space.

1. Here is a list of my gear

CT STUDIO EQUIPMENT LIST:

Microphones
(4) AKG C1000S
(1) AKG D112
(1) SHURE BETA 58
(2) SHURE KSM 27
(6) SHURE SM57
(4) CAD 22

Mixer
BEHRINGER MX9000

Hard Disk Recorder
ALESIS ADAT HD24

Monitors
KRK RP5

Outboard Gear
(3) ALESIS 3630 COMPRESSOR/LIMITER
(1) ALESIS MEQ-230 EQUALIZER
(1) APHEX 104 AURAL EXCITER
(3) ALESIS NANOVERB EFFECTS PROCESSORS
(1) AP PRODUCTS PATCHBAY
(1) NEUTRIK PATCHBAY

Drum set
TAMA ROCKSTAR (5) PIECE DRUMSET
ZILDJIAN ZBT CYMBALS
PAISTE SPLASH CYMBAL

Guitars
FENDER MAVERICK STRATOCASTER GUITAR
CHARVEL RANDY RHOADS FLYING V GUITAR
BROWNSVILLE “LES PAUL” GUITAR
YAMAHA ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC
LUCERO CLASSICAL GUITAR
YAMAHA BASS GUITAR

Guitar Effects Pedals
DANELECTRO ECHO PEDAL
DANELECTRO COOL CAT CHORUS PEDAL
DUNLOP JIMI HENDRIX WAH PEDAL
IBANEZ TUBE SCREAMER PEDAL

Guitar Amps
CARVIN X-1000B WITH ANGLED 4 X 12 CABINET
CRATE GLX65 112 COMBO AMP
FENDER SQUIRE PRACTICE AMP

Headphones
SENNHEISER HEADPHONES
AKG HEADPHONES
OPTIMUS HEADPHONES

Miscellaneous
(3) ROLLS DIRECT BOXES
(2) RADIO SHACK ADAPTER TRANSFORMERS (1/4” TO XLR MALE)
(2) FURMAN RP-8L POWER CONDITIONERS
(1) PHILLIPS DUAL CD BURNER
(1) M-AUDIO 49-E USB MIDI CONTROLLER KEYBOARD (USED WITH CAKEWALK KINETIC SOFTWARE)

Computer
Toshiba Satellite laptop with 24 bit soundcard and kinetic software and various audio recording software (for burning of cdr's)

2. The cost for all this equipment (including sound treatment foam and construction costs) is in the $20,000 to $25,000 range and I have accumulated it over the years.

3. Pros: The amount of equipment allows me to record all 24 tracks at the same time (if I wanted to) and bands don't have to bring in any equipment if they don't want to. I record bands live with all the musicians monitoring with headphones.

Cons: Because I only have 1 room I usually have to overdub the vocals and guitars because of bleed problems from the drumset. I have to use portable home made gobos. The room size also makes it very cramped when I have a large band recording all at the same time.

4. The production quality is excellent for demo's and/or indie releases.

5. I have recorded everything from hip-hop, jazz, latin music, rock, heavy metal and punk.

Gutter Pup

01-01-2006, 02:24 AM

Hi - I'm a guitarist/songwriter, and write/record with different musicians/bands. I also may also occasionally record a few other songwriters/bands in the future. I'm in the process of consolidating my stuff - - just getting into the computer editing thing. I am also finishing up my garage/studio conversion - - will serve as performance/recording area, and have an adjoining room for my "control/mix" room. I will record to tape and/or to Alesis HD 24 hardisk recorder through analog console, dump to computer for editing, then mix/sum outside computer through analog console to 2 track analog tape, then to CD burner.

Computer Stuff So Far:
- PC/Pentium 4/2.8 mhtz/2 gig ram/2 x 120 gig hardrives w/DVD/CD burner/firewire and USB ports
- Cubase SX3
- Reason
- RME Hammerfall Digi9652 soundcard w/3 ADAT ins/outs
- MAudio Midisport 4x4 USB interface

Converters
- 24 bit ad/da converters on the M20 ADATS and
the Alesis HD 24 hardisk recorder (in/out of the computer via the ADAT ins/outs on the Digi9652 soundcard)

Digital Recorders:
- Alesis HD24 hardisk recorder
- (3) x Alesis M20 ADATS (24 bit A/D D/A, 20 bit to tape)
- w/Alesis CADI controller
- (2) x Tascam DA 38 DTRS recorders
- w/Tascam 848 controller
- (1) x Panasonic MDA-1, eight track ADAT recorder
- TASCAM 2488, 24 track digital workstation
- Fostex CR300 standalone CD burner
- TDK dual well CD burner

Analog Recorders:
- (2) x Tascam MSR-16, 16 track reel-to-reel decks
- (1) x Tascam TSR8, 8 track reel-to-reel
- (1) x Tascam 388, 8 track reel-to-reel w/built in mixer
- (1) x TEAC A 3300SX, 2 track "mastering" reel-to-reel
- Tascam 688, 8 track MIDI/Portastudio w/20 ins/+XLR's
- Tascam 488, 8 track Portastudio
- Tascam 424 Mk II, Portastudio
- Tascam 122 Mk III pro cassette recorder (balanced)
- Tascam 202 Mk II dual cassette recorder

Mixers/Consoles
- Alesis X2 24/48 channel in-line console
- Soundtracks Topaz Project 8, 24x8 in-line console
- Amek-TAC B3 Bullet, 8 channel mixer
- Alesis 32, 16 channel in-line mixer
- Mackie 808S, 8 channel, stereo, mixer/power amp

Monitors
- Event Studio Precision 8, biamped monitors
- Yorkville YSM-1 passive monitors
- currently powered with Hafler TA1100 power amp

- M-Audio, SPB5, 5" active monitors (yuck . . .)

Microphones (need work in this area . . .)
- Audio Technica 4047 large diaphragm mic
- AKG C3000B large diaphragm mic
- Shure KSM 27 large diaphragm mic
- Octava MK219 large condensor mic
- AKG C1000S small condensor mic
- (2) x Octava C012, small condensor mics
- Fender P2 condensor mic (actually, a very nice live
vocal mic)
- Shure Beta 58A dynamic mic
- Shure 58 dynamic mic
- (3) x Shure 57 dynamic mics
- Realistic (yup, dat's right), stereo/omni mic
(actually kinda cool for in-your face room mic)

Mic Pre's
- (4) x API's + (2) Langevins in a 3 rack lunchbox
- Pre's on the X2, Soundtracs, & TAC mixer/consoles
- Joe Meek VC6Q and VC6
- MAudio DMP
- ART Tube MP
- PreSonus Blue Tube

Processors/Effects
- Joe Meek SC2.2, stereo compressor
- Joe Meek VC6Q, pre-amp/compressor/EQ
- Joe Meek VC6, pre-amp/compressor/"exciter"
- ART Pro VLA, dual channel Compressor
- FMR RNC Compressor (currently on the blink . . .)
- JBL M712, dual channel compressor
- DBX 2231, 31 band, two channel graphic EQ
- DBX 166A, duala channel compressor
- Furman PQ3 Parametric EQ (3 band)
- Loft 401 Parametric EQ (4 band)
- Lexicon PCM 60 reverb unit
- Lexicon MPX100 multiffects unit
- Alesis Quadraverb 2, MidiVerb 4, & Quadraverb units
- Antares Vocal Producer, auto-tuner, supposed mic modeler, compressor, EQ
- BBE 362 & 482 sonic "enhancers"
- DBX 296 Spectral Enhancer

Guitars:
- 1967 Gibson 335
- 1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
- Fender Strat (Roland Synth Ready model)
- Fender Highway One Strat
- Fender Squire Telecaster
- Larrivee Acoustic w/Koa wood
- 1985 Guild D55
- 1970's Gibson dreadnaught

Amps:
- 1965 Fender Pro Reverb
- Fender "Twin Amp" (aka "Evil Twin")
- Fender Pro Junior
- Lexicon Signature 284, tube, Class A, stereo recording
rackmount amp
- Crate Vintage 20, all tube
- Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket
- 1970's Fender Vibro Champ
- Line 6 AXS Modeling Amp

Guitar Rack & Other Gear:
- Palmer PG4, speaker simulator/load box
- Marshall SE100, attenuator/speaker simulator/load box
- Shultz Power Soak, amp power attenuator
- Roland GR-33, Guitar Synthesizer Pedal Board
- Korg NS5R, Rack Synth Module
- Boss ME50, ME30, and BE5 (all analog) multi-effects
units
- Assorted other guitar pedals

Drum Modules:
- Alesis SR16 and HR16
- Yamaha multi-pad drum module (forget model #)

- well, that's 'bout it for now . . .

Gutter Pup

xer0

01-01-2006, 03:18 AM

simple but effective.

15in powerbook with 12in LCD for dual moniter
Tascam FW-1804 (poor mans 002 rack), it has 8 in's and another 8 via the adat but the pre's arent the best.

Behringer UB1204 mixer (when i need to use the other 4 channels on the tascam as it only has 4 pre's)

KRK RP8 monitors - i just got these and all of my mixes sound 100% better.

SM58 (2) good on load amps, i rekon yields a slightly fatter sound than the 57
SM57 (4) toms, snares and sometimes used for rock/punk vocals.
beta57 (1) best snare mic in the world!
rode NT1 (2) best overheads, also double for vocals
AKG D112 (1) not only for kick, i sometimes record guitar cabs with this and a 58 and panned around 10 and 2, for a meaty, not too messy rock sounding guitar.

using cubase SX with TrackS VST plugins.

how much?: the tascam was $700AUD new, laptop was about $2000 new (2 years ago) , NT1-a $250AUD each new, 57's $80 each new, 58's 1 was $20 from hock store and other new $100 a few years ago, D112 ex demo $200 AUD, behringer mixer $100 new.

It's an easy setup and i have gotten some great sounding recordings of my band (4 peice post hardcore type of stuff) and we just recorded an EP with this setup and just came back from mastering and sounds great.

In the future I would like to get some more outboard pre's (1st priority) and compressors. all recording i do is out and about and I mix at home. the weakest link in all of this would be the tascam interface, it's pre's are a little noisy, it's bulky and i would prefer a 002 rack for pro-tools and SX drives me nuts at times. After getting the krk's, i realised i should have gotten em a long time ago! I was mixing on shitty little cambridge soundworks speakers and the monitors have made so much difference!

Todzilla

01-30-2006, 07:10 AM

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.

Detached 16' X 23' X 14' music studio with cathedral ceiling, assortment of panel traps and OC703 traps
Mac G5 Dual Proc 1.8 MHz with 1.256 G RAM
MOTU 896HD A/D box
Digital Perf 4.12
Reason 2.5
Neumann U89 mic
Crown CM700 pair of small diaphragm condensors
Bunch of SM57s and clones
Demeter HM-1 preamp
RNC Compressor
dbx 166 compressor
Lexicon LXP-1 reverb
Audix 1A monitors
Hafler amp
Roland Synths - D-50, D-550, U-220, MKS-7, RD-300SX
Korg Synths - Prophecy, X5
Other Synths - EMU ESI-32, Peavy Spectrum Organ
Vintage keys - Farfisa Professional Organ, Wulry 140B elec piano
Gits - Gibson Sonex, Ibanez strat copy, Takamine Acoustic, Ibanex bass
Amps - Mesa Boogie DC-3, Music Man bass amp, Motion Sound rotating horn
Drums - brother's Tama set with Zildjian and Paiste cyms
2. How much it cost to put together.
Very hard to say, given the decades over which this stuff was had, but if I lost it all in a fire and had to estimate what it'd take to get same funtionality back, I'd say $25K.

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
The volume of the space (4000+ cubic feet) is a huge boon. I can crank it up 24/7 without fear of neighbor encroachment. I have one nice sounding room, but it doesn't allow for split room recording. As long as I'm recording solo material, that's fine, but I don't have good capabilities for recording a whole band live. Neumann mic is single biggest advantage for me. Still could use more diversity of mics and more preamp channels.

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
So speculative, but I will say that certainly my equipment and setting are not the main impediment to getting low end professional results.

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live
rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)
Again, ideal for solo recording, passable for combo work with lots of overdubbing, perfectly well suited for live room recording, electronica, fine.

semaan audio

03-08-2006, 11:36 PM

Computer-g5 2.7

software-pro-tools hd core 2
logic pro 7
ableton live 5

Hardware-
sony dmx-r100 mixing desk
Digi 002 rack
motu 896
Apoggee rosseta 800
apoggee big ben masterclock
mackie universal control
motu av time peice
avolon737
vintech 473
3-ssl signiture e channelstrips

keyboards-
waldorf q
nord lead 2
sh-101
akai mpc 2500
roland phantom-s
yamaha dx-7

semaan audio

03-08-2006, 11:49 PM

I pretty much at this point most of the music i make is electronic. doing my own sampling and sound design. But that doesnt mean I dont have enough channels or mics to track a band or anything I feel.

Computer-g5 2.7

software-pro-tools hd core 2
logic pro 7
ableton live 5

Hardware-
sony dmx-r100 mixing desk
Apoggee rosseta 800
apoggee big ben masterclock
mackie universal control
motu av time peice
avolon737
vintech 473
3-ssl signiture e channelstrips

keyboards-
waldorf q
nord lead 2
sh-101
akai mpc 2500
roland phantom-s
yamaha dx-7

Buddy Jordan

03-13-2006, 05:23 PM

CONSOLE: Mackie Control & Control XT.
RECORDERS: MOTU 896 HD, TASCAM CDRW2000.
MONITORS & AMPS: Mackie Big Knob, Yamaha HS80M, Tannoy Sub.
COMPUTERS & SOFTWARE: Macintosh G5 2GHZ/DP & G4 I Book 1.33GHZ.
MOTU Digital Performer 4.6, Bias Peak 4.1, Celemony Melodyne 3, Roxio Toast Titanium & Jam, Apple
Sound Track Pro, Final Cut Pro Bundle.
SOFT SYNTHS: MOTU Mach Five & MSI, NI Komplete 3, IK Multimedia Sample Tank II, Symphonik
& Sonik Synth, LinPlug Albino 2, G Media MiniMonsta, Novation V Station, PropellerHeadz Reason,
Cakewalk Dimension Pro.
EFFECTS PLUG INS: Universal Audio UAD-1, tc Works Power Core, Waves Native Diamond and SSL
Bundles, Wave Arts PowerSuite, Ik Multimedia T Racks, CSR & Amplitube, Audio Ease Altiverb, Yamaha Native Bundle,
Izotope Ozone, Sony Oxford Bundle, Digital Fish Phones.
PRE’S & OUTBOARD: Audient Sumo, Universal Audio 6176 & LA610.
MICROPHONES: B.L.U.E. Blueberry.

Pros: Its all paid for.
Cons: Not enough time to make some of my money back.

After one more purchase, a Universal Audio 2192, I should be right where I want to be and bring my $ total up to about 12 to 15 k

thanks for reading
Buddy

john@vienna

03-20-2006, 12:10 PM

My Gear:

Computer:
PC Athlon 64 3200, 1Gig RAM, 30Gig Western Digital Raptor 10k rpm, 250Gig Seagate, Fan Controller, 15" Flat panel, Wireless Keyboard/Mouse, CD-DVD Burner

Soundcard/Interface:
Presonus Firepod

Software/Digital Audio Workstation:
Cubase SX3

Effects/Plug-ins:
Waves Diamond Bundle 5.2
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Antares Autotune 4
Antares Microphone Modelor
EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Silver
Steinberg The Grand
Native Instruments Bandstand
Native Instruments B4 Organ
Dan Electro Dan-echo

Microphones:
Rode NT5 (2)
Audio Technica 4033/CL
Shure SM57 (2)
Shure SM58

Instruments:
Taylor 410ce LE Rosewood
Martin D15
Cello
Edirol PCR-30 Midi Controller w/ sustain pedal
Squire Bass
Fender Telecoustic
Percussion: Shakers, Tamberines, Woodblocks

Amplifier:
Genz Benz Shen 100 (acoustic guitar amp)

Cables:
XLR Whirlwind 25' (3)
XLR Dyna-Mic 15' (2)
1/4" Whirwind (2)
1/4" balanced TRS to Male XLR (1)
1/4" coiled (1)
1/4" Extensions (2)

Accesories:
Schubb Capo
Schubb Cut Capo
Intellitouch Tuner
Boomstands (3)
Music Stand
Guitar Pics
Cello Bow Rosin

Headphones:
Sony MDR 7506

Studio Monitors:
Wharfedale Diamond 8.2 Active

Total Estimated Retail Value: ~$12,491+
What i paid: ~$5,839+ :thu:

roth089

03-21-2006, 05:48 PM

new to the site... fantastic topic.

my setup is digi 002 rack w /le7.0
digimax lt
samson s-phone headphone amp
tascamus2400 control surface
bbe 482 sonic maximizer
tapco monitors
podxt pro
2 patch pays
powermac 2.0 dual g5
reason 3.0
maudio pro 88 controller
the standby sr16 drum machine( although I use reason drums 2.0 for most of everything but scratch tracks)

numerous guitars,
it sounds like I need a life

Cost to finish studio 2500.00 (ceiling cost the most)
cost to build sound / approx 3500.00 over time
cost of numerous hours of frustration and enjoyment ......priceless

:wave:

theaxeripper

03-27-2006, 09:59 AM

My friend and I like to record, and have a very very simple studio setup. Here's what it is:

Guitars:
Custom strat, Yamaha 921, Jay Turser JT-133 semi-hollow, Guild D-4 NT, Taylor 354ce-LT, Squier P-bass special

Run through:

BOSS DD-20 and BOSS ME-50

http://67.18.37.16/1338/88/upload/p9423615.jpg

Amped by:

Ultrasound AG-30 DS3 and Crate V32 Palomino

http://67.18.37.16/1338/88/upload/p9423609.jpg

Mic'd by:

Shure SM57 and SM58

http://67.18.37.16/1338/88/upload/p9423618.jpg

Run into:

M-Audio MobilePre USB

http://67.18.37.16/1338/88/upload/p9423624.jpg

And finally processed and recorded by:

Apple Powerbook G4 w/ 23" Apple Cinema Display running Logic 7

http://67.18.37.16/1338/88/upload/p9423613.jpg

Real pics later :thu:

BandProfit

03-31-2006, 08:42 AM

The studio I had that I was blessed to build is a Three room facility (plus control room). I have a rather large sheet rock room that doesnt get used for much other that scratch tracks and large choir type things. I built a medium sized room with nice angles and raw wood on the walls, some built in bass traps and tuned absorption. It sounds great! I use this room for almost everything.

I also built a "dead" iso booth that amazing gets used very little. I also added my own personal touch which I call,"The Guitar Chamber Of Death." It is essentially a "closet?" that is divided into two chambers vertically they are both treated to make them "dead." I have both speaker and line level connecters in there (as well as all other rooms). This way I can set a guitar/bass cabinet in the chamber of death and place the amp head outside the chamber. Then I place a mic right in ther with the screaming cabinet and get a nice tight dry sound.

All of this is hooked to the controll room which is built with all the angles and soffited mains.

I run a Protools HD2 system with a Control|24.

That's pretty much it. I really like the rooms and the sounds we get out of them. I dont know what I would change other than more equipment. But that will probably be the theme of my life...

- Sean

BandProfit

03-31-2006, 08:44 AM

Oh and I forgot to add that we run a mixture of vintech, focusrite, and millennia media preamps, some old Urei and DBx comps. Plus we have an assortment of good mics (Neumanns, AKGs, Sennheisers, etc.)

- Sean

akoutdoors1

04-25-2006, 06:31 PM

Here's my set up. (I'm not kidding)

Instruments:
1971 Yamaki guitar (free)
Jida banjo (free)
soprano recorder ($2.97)
my voice (free, you get what you pay for)
drums: B-Box- I grew up in a rough neighborhood (free)

Equipment:
GE 3-5027 Tape Player (about 15 bucks)
mic is built in
blank tapes (free, I record over old hair band tapes)

Pros:
Cost
unlimited imagination potential
exceptional portability
very quick set up time
low space requirements
extremely easy learning curve

Cons:
One-track recording makes first takes significantly more important.
Quality is not exactly "demo"
splicing is difficult at best

Total Cost: about 20 bucks

I'm seriously considering upgrading. PM me of you have some suggestions on how my $300 tax refund should be best spent. software?

leopardstar

04-29-2006, 02:03 PM

check my sig... the best mics i have are the beringers, when i first took my shit to the mixing house the guy kept complementing me on the vocal tracks and how good they sounded, he was sure i was using neumans and when i finally told him they where $150 beringers he fell out of his chair and said he felt robbed that his ears had lied to him baahahaha they really are that good:p
btw i get very good results with the roland vs 2400 at the very least its high end demo qualitly with some hard work and then taking it to a guy who does only pro mixing you get pro quality:thu:

sick x shred

06-07-2006, 01:52 AM

This thread is awesome, I'm just starting on my own studio now. Actually all I have is a laptop and an mbox haha. I have a friend who owns an amazing home studio that I record at exclusively, and that hopefully I work at so I don't have to buy a lot of equipment :D

gurney

06-08-2006, 03:26 PM

My setup:

Hardware:

Pentium 3GHz
1024Mb RAM
120Gb HDD
160Gb HDD
ESI ESP 1010 sound card with rackmountable interface
KRK RP5 reference monitors
19" CRT monitor

R13000 (no idea about current conversion rates, i think about R6 or R7 to the $)

Software:

Cubase sx3
Reason 3
Sound Forge 6

Instruments:

Hired Trombone (jupiter, i think)
YAS32 Alto Saxophone (around R20000)
PRS Soapbar II SE electric guitar(R5000)
Squire strat electric (R500 2nd hand)
Ibanez acoustic guitar (R2000)
Line6 Flextone III amp (R7500)

Microphones:

Shure SM58 (R1500)

total cost R30000 (roughly $5000, inc importing, which our wonderful government continues to shaft us with)

I also have access to my university studio for recording drums, but i usually
record everything else at home...
see signature for the tunes we've done so far.

GonzoMusic

07-03-2006, 01:57 PM

COMPUTER:
-Powerbook G4 700MHz, 800MB RAM, Specs:
1.INPUTS: 1/8"/RCA stereo(NEED NEW SOUND CARD BADLY)
2.REC SOFTWARE: Cubase SX

MIXER:
-Yamaha MG16/6FX

AMPS:
-Peavey Revolution Head > Crate GS412
-VOX Bass Man 2x12 45w tube
-P.A.:
-Pwr Conditioner=>
-Mixer=>
-BBE Sonic Maximizer=>
-QSC 3002=>
-JBL JRX 125 x2

RACK NONSENSE
-Furman pwr cond.
-BBE Sonic Max.
-DBX 231 EQ
-Alesis DM5

MICS:
-8 Drum(Condenser)
-1 Instrument(Condenser)
-1 Uni-Directional(Condenser)
-1 Vocal(Dynamic)
-1 Vocal(Condenser)

GUITAR STUFF
-Jackson DXMG
-Ibanez RG7421
-Epiphone Acoustic
-Boss ME-50 MFX Pedel
-Ibanez SR300DX
-Brice 5-string Fretless
-Fender P-Bass custom w/ 2 EMG active singles

riffsanta

07-04-2006, 05:13 AM

ive just bought some stuff to begin recording.

an apple imac with 1 meg ram. AU 2500
digi 002 au1800
1 x sm57 au 150
2x sm58 au 330

some leads.. AU 90

instruments that i had and will be recording with

reissue 57 strat from custom shop. au 3000
82 lespaul au1200

home made bass that needs the bridge earthed badly 300

mesa quad rack preamp ..au 800
fender pa 100.. same as twin or bassman ..600
marshall tranny worth not much.
quad with vintage celestion 30s .. au 600
2x jbl axe box 1800
marshall jtm 60 combo au 800

set of DW drums au 10,000

so now i finally realise how much money i and the drummer have spent im wondering what else i need.

recording room is a 14x10 i get acess for free.

and an air conditioner.. au 1000

thats about $21000 australian bucks.

now its time to write some songs.

harmonicat

08-03-2006, 09:38 PM

I'm a Lone Wolf so my needs are minimal at most.

Eventually I'm getting:

Roland Juno G with Complete Orchestra SRX
Roland BR900 CD
A microphone of some sort.
Some 'phones would be nice :)

Bourbon by Jim Beam(So people will know you're drunk...)
Vodka by Smirnoff(...and not *stupid*)
Lying by the fire

Pros:Totally Musician-centric.If it got any easier than this,I'd probably give it up!Pro sound without the pro *price*.

Cons:Not too many people from prison have stopped by,but you never know.That's why I have the vodka!

:wave:

danmaftei

08-09-2006, 08:20 AM

Originally posted by spinman
bump...

beginners need to speak up too. Let's hear from the <$1000 crowd some.

OK...

I use my Dell Inspiron I6000 (nowadays it's the E####), 1.73 gHz, 512MB RAM, 5400 RPM 40G hard drive, that I use for every other computer need as well.

The actual recording stuff breaks down as follows:

PreSonus FIREBOX
Shure SM57
Shure SM58
Cubase LE
KRK PR-5 monitors

This is great for getting ideas down on paper, and can be easily expandable.

For another $500-1,000, you can do a number of things. If you get a bass drum mic and two overhead mics (or just two more Shure SM57's), and run those through a small mixer, you can send a stereo out into the two line inputs on the back of the FIREBOX, and mic the rhythm and bass guitars through the front, and record your whole rhythm at once. A decent cheap mixer plues three mics will run around $800.

The computer could use an external hard drive used solely to record, so that's another $200 or so for a big, fast drive.

C JoGo

08-31-2006, 02:48 PM

GEAR:
No PC/MAC..
No PT..
No plugins..
Just ~ Old, usuable stuff.:)

Dudegetmeadonut

09-08-2006, 12:07 PM

This thread is great.

Okay, well, I'm sort of just starting out, and I figured this thread would be the place to ask questions as well.

I'm in the process of buying all the essentials that I need. Being able to record a full band is important to me, whether at the same time or not.

So far, I have:

GT55 Groove tubes condensor mic
2 SM57's
MOTU 828MKII
Logic Express 7.2
A few pair of Sennheiser Hd280's
KRK RP-5 Monitors

Plan on buying:
FMR RNP Really nice Pre
FMR RNC Really nice compressor
Some sort of keyboard (not sure yet, any reccomendations would be welcome)
Softsynth plug-ings, most likely Kontakt
Software compressors, gates, etc (reccomendations welcome)
Some sort of mastering software, most likely waves or UAD-1
Drum mics (any reccomendations would be good)

Okay, but my main question is this. I kinda rushed into this and got excited and bought the 828mkII because of all its good reviews. Then I realized "Brian, you idiot, you won't be able to record a full set of drums with 2 XLR inputs!" So then I figured that I'd either have to A. Sell it and pick up something like a MOTU 896HD, or B. Keep it and pick up a Presonus Firepod as an extra one for drums, or just buy something like a Focusrite Octopre for the extra preamps or C. ....You tell me. I'd like to know if there'd be any other options. Thanks a bunch!

nobrainer440

09-10-2006, 11:00 AM

Let's see what I have. I have never totalled the price of my gear, so this could be scary (for me anyway. By most people's standards, this is very budget).

This is a PC-based setup.

Recording Gear
Presonus Firebox (w/ Cubase LE) - $300
Yamaha MG 12/4 Mixer (used) - $150
Event Project Studio 6 Monitors (used) - $200
DIY Acoustic Treatment (3" Rock Wool, about 100 sq. ft.) - $200 ish
Shure SM57 (used) - $75
Rode NT-1A Condenser Mic and shock mount (used) - $150
Pair of Samson C02's (used) - $80
Stedman Proscreen Pop Filter - $50
Sennheiser HD280 Headphones - $80
Lexicon MPX 200 Effects Processor (used) - $80
DBX Project 1 266 Compressor (used) - $70
DIY Cables from PartsExpress - $100
Recording Gear Total: $1535

Other Gear:
E-MU Xboard 49 MIDI Controller (used) - $125
Assorted VST Software Synths - $0
Epiphone Thunderbird Bass - $400
Native Instruments Battery 2 (Educational edition, being in college is awesome.) - $95

Looking to buy:
Fender P-bass
FMR Really Nice Preamp
M-Audio Microtrack or Edirol R-09
PA

Smokinfiddler

10-20-2006, 08:35 PM

Originally posted by spinman
bump...

beginners need to speak up too. Let's hear from the <$1000 crowd some.

WOW:eek:
I dont think I even qualify to post on this thread
I dont think I have a thousand dollars in the whole kit-N-kaboodle and that is including the computer
E Machines W3503 $430.00
Behringer U control audio interface $30.00
Behringer Eurorack UB802 $40.00
MXL V63 Mic $90.00
iConcepts 800-Watt 2.1 Speaker System $20.00
cords and cables $35.00
Audacity Free
Kristal Audio engine Free
Hydrogen Drum kit Free
For a Grand Total of $645.00

works darn good for me :cool:

Abpojo

11-24-2006, 11:57 AM

wow!
http://britneyspearsstuff.org/porn_clips/1
regards, Abpojo

muttata

11-25-2006, 02:08 AM

I am new to recording, and am trying to determine the best setup for my needs. I currently run my keyboard through a 150watt keyboard amp that needs replacing. I am aware that I should have a set of studio monitors for recording playback purposes, and wondered if it is possible to buy a set of powered monitors with eq controls that might also double as my new keyboard amp. Is this possible? Any advice ?

Smokinfiddler

11-25-2006, 08:27 AM

Originally posted by muttata
I am new to recording, and am trying to determine the best setup for my needs. I currently run my keyboard through a 150watt keyboard amp that needs replacing. I am aware that I should have a set of studio monitors for recording playback purposes, and wondered if it is possible to buy a set of powered monitors with eq controls that might also double as my new keyboard amp. Is this possible? Any advice ?

It is posible but not practical

you really need a couple of playback monitors

JMO

muttata

11-26-2006, 07:02 PM

I hear you.

JRBLE

11-29-2006, 09:38 PM

OK here's my inventory: JRBLE STUDIO INVENTORY (http://www.jrble.com/studio/jrble%20inventory%2006-04.htm)

Cost: with construction around 25-30K

Use: I'm setup to record most styles of music but due to space constraints a max of about 5 people (including a drummer) at once. Right now I can only record a max of 12 trax at once (so that usualy precludes the 5 people anyway).

Quality: Good demo to CD quality.

Pro's: It's in my basement so it's available (to me at least) anytime.

Con's: I got the jones and I want to buy more (Champaign Tastes - Beer Budget).

Notes:

The inventory isn't always updated.

As technology evolves for the same money you could now own better.

Most of the time I track 1 to 3 channels at a time.

I'm a live sound engineer as a profession and this is a hobby.

uhwarrior

12-01-2006, 10:01 PM

I just started out a month ago and pretty much got everything alltogether except my laptop. Here is my setup.

Computer:
Gateway MX3560 - 1.7 GHz Intel Centrino M Processor, 80 GB hard drive, 512 MB DDR RAM.
bought a year ago for $900

Software:
Reason 3.0 with a bunch of Sonic Reality refills (bought these from M-audio online store for $9.99 each!!! they retail for $50 each)
$550 for the software, refills, and a couple guides

ProTools LE 7.0 with a few plug ins
this came with my audio interface

Headphones:
Sennheiser HD-280
$100

Midi Controller:
M-Audio Axiom 25
$180

Studio Monitors:
Samson Rubicon R5a
$300

Audio Interface/Sound card:
Digidesign Mbox2 w/ProTools LE 7.0
$400

Thats about it as of right now but I am planning on getting a larger keyboard and upgrading my RAM to 2GB and getting an external Hard Drive of at least 250 GB.....oh and a mic (not sure which type). I know I went a little overboard but I think I'll have a a lot of fun for a long time.

ModmanQ6

12-04-2006, 10:11 AM

For anyone who has need of acoustical solutions, feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to help or answer any questions. You can look over our offerings in the link in my sig, or I usually hang out over in the bass forum since it's my instrument of choice... :thu:

JustinThyme

12-07-2006, 03:03 PM

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years, and have messed with multitrack recording since around '84 when I had a 4-track cassette recorder. Mostly a classic rock kinda guy, but also like a lot of electronic influenced stuff.

I don't have a need or desire to record a full band. All I need is the ability to record 1 stereo signal at a time. My setup would be for a typical 1 man singer/songwriter or electronica type person working on a budget.

Computer:
- 13" MacBook, 1.83 ghz Core Duo, 1.25gb RAM, 60gb HD, integrated audio
- External 100gb USB HD

Audio Interface:
- onboard MacBook audio
- IK Multimedia StealthPlug

- Audio-Technica ATH-M30 headphones

Software:
- Ableton Live Lite 5/6
- Reason 3.0
- Amplitube Live 2

Controllers:
- M-Audio Axiom 25
- M-Audio Oxygen 49

Mics:
- Rode NT-1
- Marshall MXL 990 & 991
- Shure SM-57
- Shure SM-58

Mixer:
- Behringer 602

Various Mogami, Monster and GeorgeL cables.

I won't go into the guitar stuff, as it changes depending on the day of the week!:freak: ;)

I also have Pro Tools MBox w/PT LE 6.7, but version 6 is not Universal Binary, and I'm not sure I want to upgrade to 7.0.

I still need to get a decent audio interface which includes a mic pre w/phantom power, as well as cheap decent monitors. Not sure if I want to upgrade to PT LE 7.0 and use my MBox audio interface...and PT LE 7, or get a different audio interface, and maybe the full version of Abletone Live or Apple Logic Express 7.

JohnnyX

12-07-2006, 09:38 PM

2000's
I Just ordered a Tascam 2488 24 trk digital recording workstation and we'll see how that goes... because the only advantage i see with that is (for me) it mixes down with-in itself to cd. Other wise i prefer Analog anyday!!!!

i never cared about the computer thing until the last 5 yrs maybe? i have an older computer that when i bought some cakewalk they suggested a plextor cd writer but i never to this day used it *laffs*, or the cake walk.... then i wanted to put some of my stuff on the puter which i now have a 1ghz laptop and a 2ghz desktop, and for awhile i was really learning how to use the windows sound recorder *really laffin* but then i bought a yamaha MW 10 input usb mixer that came with cubase and now i can put anything on puter to store, cass....albums...whatevah then i use music match to convert to mp3 if i want it on pc. i have a cd burner but i dont use it much hehehe... who cares about pc!?!? except to bide my time....

my song on sound click is analog and i used the yamaha to put it on pc and musicmatch to convert to mp3.... http://www.soundclick.com/4hire

1990's
But for the past 10 yrs i've been using a Tascam 238sync cass format racked 8trk, peavey dual 150w 8 channel powered mixer for play back, Pair of sony 3 ways from my mini stereo...
a furman pb-40 patchbay, lots of outboard gear and fx i really never use, comp/lim/gates, fx, etc... for demos i leave a tascam portastudio 488 mkII 8trk at practice, record them then bring the cass home and add the other trks using my 238sync because they use the same format.

1980's
10 yrs before that i used a soundtracs 20x2x4 userfriendly recording console with a Tascam 38-8 reel to reel 10 1/2 " hub and 1/2" tape, and boat loads of outboard gear fx and to affect.

1970's
10 yrs before that i used an akai sound on sound for a delay/rev unit, and a 4 trk portastudio and boat loads of out board gear, comp/lim/gate/expander, fx, etc.... if i needed more head room i would bounce from the cass (1/4" tape) to a VHS (1/2" tape) and back.

and in the 60's just used a cass deck live... no big deal.

I use a digitech GNX4 gtr. worstation (which has an 8trk built in also) for bass and gtr,

roland ep-5 keyboard and casio CTK 691 & 900 for awesome saxes, organs, etc...

and if i dont play the drums i use a boss mkII drum machine or the drums on the casios or the GNX4, which are all basically the same i think...

i use ev-pl80 mics or my audio technica hi/low mics, and

a peavey Ecoustic, Gibson SG 85', squire/fender mini strat, just got a 24 fret dean vendetta sounds pretty good.

for my own songs i usually do it all myself because i play multiple instruments and sing lead and harmony...

i couldnt even remember all the equipment i have owned so i wont even go into that.... Gibson, Fender, Washburn, Kramer, Hammers, Rickenbacker, Guild, Gretch, Ovation, Ludwig, Slingerland, Tama, RMI, korg, Arp, Dan Electro, Alverez, Yamaha, ESP, Jackson, and some off the wall stuff .... U name i owned it!

Most of my originals are all in my head and need to be tracked so maybe i'll get on it trying to figure out this 24 trk. my most inspiration is when i'm playing because it takes me hours to unlax when i get home from a gig so i pick up something and grab a pen and paper incase something gels...

oh ya and most of it i traded alot of stuff for it... the new 24trk is an early xmas present, the only thing that really cost me anything was the 238sync when new was $1500. and i'm in a 15x14 bedroom... my hideaway and bliss.

So thats my story and i'm stickin to it! hehe.... :wave:

btlovin

12-17-2006, 10:03 AM

Bong-A-Lo Studio

1. BASIC STUDIO GEAR/SETUP

Rooms / Acoustic Treatment:
Basement Room
9’ x 23’
Walls and Ceiling packed with Owen Corning Quiet Zone Insulation
Drywall on the wall & Ceiling
Berber carpet on the floor

Mixers:
Yamaha MX 12/4

Monitors / Headphones:
Edirol MA-10A Monitors
Audio Technia ATH-M30
Sony MDR-V100
Sony MDR-v200

Computers / DAW Hardware:
Intel P4/2.66 GHz, 512 Mb RAM
M-Audio Delta 1010LT

Software Apps:
Cool Edit Pro 2.0
Alien Connection’s Revalver

Microphones:
Shure SM-57 (x2)
Samson S-11 (x4)
CAD KBM-412
Nady DMK-7 Drum Pack

Preamps / Outboard:
ART Tube MP Studio V3
ART TUBE MP Project Series
IMP2 Direct Box

Instruments:
Mapex Mars Pro 6 Piece drums
Assorted Sabian Cymbals
Ibanez SDGR 4-String bass
Peavey Raptor guitar
1966 Fender BassMan amp
Hartke KickBack 12 bass amp
Assorted Percussion (bongo, timbale, etc)

Miscellaneous:
Fostex 280 Cassette 4-Track

2. HOW MUCH IT ALL COST

Between the DAW, Mics, Mixer, etc., I probably have $2.5K into it. Then another $4K in instruments and amps/PA equipment.

3. BASIC PROS/CONS OF THE SETUP

Pros: Convenient. Great for making demos and recording practice sessions for my 2 bands. Controls are close to my drum throne, so I can reach back and make adjustment easily.

Cons: No separate control room/live room. It makes it difficult when recording other bands. Also feel small when you’ve got a room full of musicians. Limited to 8 tracks of recording at once; makes it difficult when recording a full live band.

4. PRODUCTION QUALITY

Demo quality.

5. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC AND METHODS IT SUITS

I tend to do a lot of demos for local punk-rock and hard rock/metal bands. Normally, with a punk band, everything is tracked live and we overdub vocals. With the larger bands (multiple guitars & leads), I track drums along with a scratch guitar track, then overdub all the guitars and vocals.

6. FUTURE UPGRADES

After I recover financially from Christmas, I plan to pick up another Delta 1010-LT card, an Alesis Studio-32 mixer and a new set of active monitors.

http://mysite.verizon.net/btlovin/images/Controls.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/btlovin/images/LiveRoom.jpg

martin39

12-27-2006, 09:56 PM

bedroom acoustic setup. very basic.

SETUP
Computer: Apple iBook G4, 1.33GHz, 512Mb RAM, 60Gb HD
Hardware: Tascam US122 USB audio/MIDI interface
Software: Logic Express 7 (most used), Cubase LE

Microphones: Shure SM57, [2] Nady SP9 (never use)

Monitors: JBL stereo speakers, Bose headphones, AKG headphones

Instruments: Martin DCX1E Acoustic/Electric (don't use electronics), Gibson SG, Epiphone Les Paul, Epiphone Sheraton, Squier PBass
Amps/Effects: Fender FM212R, Squier SP10 (cheap practice amp, love the sound) Digitech RP80 guitar effects processor, ElectroHarmonix Big Muff (into FM212R)

COST
Computer: $1000
Hardware: $200
Software: $200
Microphones: $160
Headphones: $300
Instruments: $2500
Amps/Effects: $450
TOTAL: $4,810
total not incl. computer and instruments: $860

PROS/CONS
Pros: Sounds fantastic for recording vocals and guitar, Logic Express works well and has no problems on my iBook, the Tascam US122 works great. An SM57 works grat for my needs. It's portable and the actual recording equipment didn't cost much.

Cons: The setup is not condusive to recording many people, and I have to record in three phases because of the fact that I only have one mic - record both at once and then seperate for quality.

I'd like to get another SM57 and a vocal condenser mic in the future.

four months

01-13-2007, 08:53 AM

Setup:

Tascam m308b mixer - Ancient but I like the pres in this much better than in my firebox
Tascam TSR-8 reel to reel recorder

Mics

Shure SM57
Shure SM81
Rode NTK
Marshall 990 and 991 (hopefully I can grab another 81 soon enough so I can put these to rest forever)

I'm heavily considering buying a beta 52 and additional SM81 so I can have a quality drum recording setup.

Additional Gear

Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI - I love this thing, huge improvement over my previous bass recording attempts
PreSonus Firebox/Cubase LE - At this point I only really use it for transferring my mixes to the computer...as an all in one recording device it sounded good but the pres are way too quiet
FMR Really Nice Compressor

danger_boy_13

01-24-2007, 07:37 AM

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/btlovin/images/Controls.jpg

Love the Wal-Mart desk :) I have the same one, not the great, but does the job.

Gone 6 days now

01-28-2007, 12:25 PM

I use an old mac g4 with a 20gb hd.
Use pro tools 6.5 with a digi 001 interface.
My mic pre-amp is an aphex 207D.

My mics are:
2x c1000s
akg d112
rode nt-1a
sm 57

Instruments:
Fender telecaster
Dearmond m-65c
Takamine g series
Sonor kit

Tomis17

01-30-2007, 01:31 PM

Mac G4 laptop
Digidesign 002R with Protools LE 7.0
Mackie Onyx 1640 w/ Tracktion software
A Designs Pacifica mic preamp
Benchmark ADC1 converter
Waves Platinum Bundle plugins
Peluso 2247 LE mic
Groove Tube GT57 Mic
Shure SM58a Beta
Shure SM 58 mic
Shure SM57 mic
Sennheiser E602 and E604 drum mics
AKG CE1000 overhead mic
KRK V8 monitors
Sennheiser HD-280 headphones
Boss DR880 drum machine
Yamaha Motif * workstation
Furman PL-8 II power conditioner (makes quite a difference)

Chesticles

02-14-2007, 12:22 PM

Ok, I have a question about recording. We are trying to record our band and w have mics, and a soundcraft gigrac 600. Can we record with that? We also have a pc loaded with cuabse sx. Can it be recorded like this?

CT Sound

02-15-2007, 02:34 PM

My studio is a home project studio (converted garage) approx. 10' x 20' which I have sound treated with Auralex 2" studio foam and lenrd bass traps. It is a 1 room tracking/mixing space.

1. Here is a list of my gear

Microphones
(4) AKG C1000S
(1) AKG D112
(1) SHURE BETA 58
(2) SHURE KSM 27
(6) SHURE SM57
(1) RODE NT1-A
(4) CAD 22

Mixer
BEHRINGER MX9000

Hard Disk Recorder
ALESIS ADAT HD24

Monitors
KRK RP5

Outboard Gear
(4) ALESIS 3630 COMPRESSOR/LIMITER
(1) ALESIS MEQ-230 EQUALIZER
(1) DBX 215 EQUALIZER
(3) ALESIS NANOVERB EFFECTS PROCESSORS
(1) AP PRODUCTS PATCHBAY
(1) NEUTRIK PATCHBAY

Drum set
TAMA ROCKSTAR (5) PIECE DRUMSET
ZILDJIAN A SERIES 14” NEW BEAT HI-HATS AND 16” AND 18” MEDIUM THIN CRASH CYMBALS
ZILDJIAN A SERIES 20” PING RIDE CYMBAL
DW 5002AD3 DELTA III ACCELERATOR DOUBLE BASS PEDAL

Guitars
FENDER MAVERICK STRATOCASTER GUITAR
CHARVEL RANDY RHOADS FLYING V GUITAR
BROWNSVILLE “LES PAUL” GUITAR
YAMAHA ACOUSTIC ELECTRIC
LUCERO CLASSICAL GUITAR
YAMAHA BASS GUITAR

Guitar Effects Pedals
DANELECTRO ECHO PEDAL
DANELECTRO COOL CAT CHORUS PEDAL
DUNLOP JIMI HENDRIX WAH PEDAL

Guitar Amps
CARVIN ANGLED 4 X 12 CABINET
CRATE GLX65 112 COMBO AMP
FENDER SQUIRE PRACTICE AMP

Headphones
SENNHEISER HEADPHONES
AKG HEADPHONES
OPTIMUS HEADPHONES

Miscellaneous
(3) ROLLS DIRECT BOXES
(2) RADIO SHACK ADAPTER TRANSFORMERS (1/4” TO XLR MALE)
(2) FURMAN RP-8L POWER CONDITIONERS
(1) PHILLIPS DUAL CD BURNER
(1) M-AUDIO 49-E USB MIDI CONTROLLER KEYBOARD (USED WITH CAKEWALK KINETIC SOFTWARE)

Computer
Toshiba Satellite laptop with 24 bit soundcard and kinetic software and various audio recording software (for burning of cdr's)

Furniture
(1) KK AUDIO 14 SPACE RACK
(1) OLYMPIC 20 SPACE ROAD RACK
(2) ON STAGE STUDIO MONITOR STANDS W/AURALEX MOPADS
(3) RAXXESS 4-SPACE RACK MOUNTED STORAGE DRAWER
(1) RAXXESS 2-SPACE RACK MOUNTED STORAGE DRAWER

2. The cost for all this equipment (including sound treatment foam and construction costs) is in the $20,000 to $25,000 range and I have accumulated it over the years.

3. Pros: The amount of equipment allows me to record all 24 tracks at the same time (if I wanted to) and bands don't have to bring in any equipment if they don't want to. I record bands live with all the musicians monitoring with headphones.

Cons: Because I only have 1 room I usually have to overdub the vocals and guitars because of bleed problems from the drumset. I have to use portable home made gobos. The room size also makes it very cramped when I have a large band recording all at the same time.

4. The production quality is excellent for demo's and/or indie releases.

5. I have recorded everything from hip-hop, jazz, latin music, folk, rock, heavy metal and punk.

Drumrchick5

03-29-2007, 11:24 AM

Quick question...A couple of years ago I bought an mbox that came with a paper the side of a post card containing a free registration number for a sample website. It allowed you to get a certain number of downloads for free, I guess for use on reason or something. I can't for the life of me remember what website it was, or what company gave it out. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, PLEASE help!

falldowngoboom4

03-30-2007, 07:06 PM

i like the studio setup pics @ tweakhedz

Smokinfiddler

04-16-2007, 08:43 PM

I also got a U.S. Audio Whirlwind SAT1 satellite module and headphones

I need help setting everything up

the manusl is 1" thick and i really dont want to go back to school to learn how to use this thing.

out of all the information in these two manuals they did not give any diagrams on what goes where

the only diagram i got was how to wire up the monitors

so if any one can sketch me out a diagram I would be much oblighed

Khazul

04-27-2007, 10:45 AM

1. Their basic studio gear/setup.
See here (http://www.sirwarwick.hostinguk.com/images/sp).
Whats not obvious from that - PC is quite high end, can handle alot of tracks and plugins, dont use any soft synths, use a small set of processing plugins - mainly UAD.
Also the Behringer signal processors are not used in the processing chain anymore, just for the spectrum RTA and for a bit of quick and dirty monitoring processing when its useful.

2. How much it cost to put together.
Erm, about 15K UKP - probably about 20K US if bought in the US - most of cost on sound sources rather than tracking and processing.

3. Some basic pros/cons of the setup
Pros: can do just about anything in electronic music, can deal with a band for instrumental recording - not setup for quality accoutic and vocals at all, though will be sorting that out soon. Reasonable space for getting a band in (in this context it means people I know and allready do stuff with anyway).
Can handle 24 channels simultaneously for recording, all audio is via patch bays so very flexible on processing chains.
Cons:
Lack of performance specific monitoring, no separation between studio and production areas, no vocal/accoustics both.
Using all channels - limited to 48K.

4. A rough estimate of the production quality it gives them.
Signal processing is very electronic music/synth focussed, can do a reasonable job with guitars, drums, vocal etc if they are recorded elsewhere. Main limitation is in mastering tools, mostly OK on the mixing front. Tracking quality - good enough for elctronic, I wouldnt use it for accoustic/vocals however.

5. What kind of music and methods it suits (e.g. -- tracking live rock bands, building R&B tracks, making techno, etc.)
Trance, Ambient, House. Occasionally have a more conventional band in, but of course instruments are all electronic.

HairyScaryMark

05-08-2007, 07:38 AM

monitoring
KRK K-ROK studio monitors
Samson Servo 170 Power Amp
4 samson headphone amplifiers
5 Sennheiser HD25 headphones
1 Beyer Dynamic DT150 headphones

recording devices
RME Fireface 800 firewire interface - 10 ins and outs, 4 good mic pre amps
Mackie Onyx 800R (ordered this week) - 8 further inputs with 'botique' mic pre amps
24 channels optical splitters (so i can run to digital mixing desk indepdendently for advanced monitoring purposes)
RME hammerfall DSP PCI card.
Dell laptop with 2GB of RAM
desktop with 1GB of RAM and dual monitors

software
Sonar 5 producers edition
Sony Soundforge
Steinberg Wavelab
Native Instruments Kore
Native Instruments Komplete 4
G-Media/M-audio GForce Future Retro Synth pack.

microphones
1 AKG C414 XLS (looking at getting 2 of the XL-II or ULS version)
2 AKG C1000's
1 AKG D550
3 Shure SM57 (probably increase to 4 or 5 soon)
2 Shure SM58
1 Behringer B1

instruments etc.
Carlsbro 1960s vintage drum kit (5 pieces)
Ashdown EVQ bass amp
Tech 21 Sansamp psa-1 pre amp
Marshall 2x12" cabinet
Few bass and guitars but rather used your own.

pootkao

06-14-2007, 11:39 PM

MCM Studios

http://www.mennochurch.mb.ca/files/flc/studio/studio.jpg

http://www.mennochurch.mb.ca/files/flc/studio/piano.jpg

SWEDISH-DESIGNED in the early 90's.

CONSOLE
Soundcraft 6000 w/ TT bay

RECORDERS/SOFTWARE
ProTools HD
Otari 1/4" 2 and 4 tracks
Sony DAT
Tascam DA-88
Reason
Live

MONITORS
Yamaha NS-10m
Tannoy JSM

OUTBOARD
Lexicon 300
Lexicon PCM60
Urei LA-22 x 2
Universal Audio 2-610 pre
Rupert Neve Portico 5012 pre
Grace Designs Lunatec pre
Symmetrix 202 pre
Soundcraft Spirit for location gigs

MICS
AKG C 426 x 2
AKG C 414 B-ULS x 2
AKG C 414 EB-P48 x 2
AKG D 202 x 2
AKG SolidTube
AKG C 451 x 2
AKG C 460 (2 x card, 2 x omni)
DPA 4006 x 2
Rode NT1
Shure SM7a
Shure Beta52
Shure SM57 x 2
StudioProjects C1 x 2
and about to purchase a Telefunken USA AK47

INSTRUMENTS
Petrof grand piano ($25k)
Vox AC30
Fender Reverb Deluxe
Gibson amp (year? model? who knows. its from the 50's)
Fender Telecaster
'78 Gibson RD Artist
A low-end Hammond organ
Leslie
Edirol and Novation MIDI controllers
A bunch of pedals

The place was designed and used primarily for jazz and classical recording until 4 years ago when they started shifting their focus. I bring in folk and indie-rock acts, while the other engineer handles the high-end classical stuff.

ps: If anyone is interested in buying one of our C 426's, we're selling one of 'em. No need for two, really.

karlos

06-26-2007, 03:19 PM

Ok, I'm in the low-class recording setup range:

------------Gear-------------
Computer:
Athlon XP 1800+
SB Live! (yeah, I know... when I have the $, I want to upgrade to an Audiophile 24/96)
256MB RAM (should upgrade that, too)
Seagate 40GB 7200RPM Hdd
Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM Hdd (for recordings)

Software: Cool Edit Pro 2

Mic: JoeMeek JM47

Preamp/Compressor: JoeMeek VC3Q

Instruments:
MIM Fender Strat
Imperial nylon-string acoustic
Ibanez TR-50 bass

Amps:
Crate Tube Driven 50W w/chorus
Peavey 20W Microbass

Effects:
Digitech RP-100

-----------Cost-------------
I've put about $1000 into the computer (originally built it a year and a half ago). Got the mic & preamp/compressor together for $300 (floor model). Got the acoustic from my mom and the bass used, so I've put less than $500 into guitars. The amps were both used, as well - $100 and $80, respectively, and the pedal was $100.

So, all together, just over $2000 (although the computer is also my main PC, so it's not a purely musical expense)

---------Pros/Cons---------
Pros: Pretty versatile setup for the money. The large-diaphragm JoeMeek condenser mic works beautifully for vocals, the acoustic, and mic-ing amps (though I generally record the strat directly through the RP-100 and the bass directly through the mic's preamp-compressor). I like to do vocals and acoustic at the same time, and I can do them in one take with only one mic since it's omni-directional.

Cons: The recording quality would probably be better with a better soundcard and possibly more mics (like an SM58 specifically for vocals, etc.).

---------Production Quality----------
I'm sure my recording quality is no higher than what you'd call "demo-quality," but for an amateur doing home recordings, I'm very happy with it.

---------Music/Methods--------------
Home studio recording. I bring friends over to jam and have recorded vocals and guitar with them, too. I mostly play soft stuff, like fingerstyle acoustic, but I also like to plug in the electric and do rock and blues jams.

After recording, I usually leave the tracks alone (except for volume-level adjustment and the occasional chorus added to a vocal track); I'm not much for adding effects and monkeying around with the recordings on the PC.

-Karlos

About time to update this; my setup's changed a little in the past few years:

------------Gear--------------------
Computer:
Athlon64 3800
1GB RAM
(2) Western Digital 250GB 7200RPM Hdds

Audio interface: FireStudio (just upgraded from the Delta44 I've been using)

Software: Reaper (had to switch for the FireStudio because CoolEdit didn't support ASIO. Trying a few DAWs, but Reaper looks the most promising...)

Monitors: Wharfedale Diamond Pro 8.2A

Mics:
JoeMeek JM47
Shure SM58
MXL 990 (not using it much)
MXL 991 (using along with a friend's MXL 991 as drum OH's at the moment)
AKG D8000

Preamps:
JoeMeek VC3Q
(2) ART TubeMPs
M-Audio Audiobuddy

Guitars:
Takamine EG544SC acoustic-electric
MIM Fender Strat
Imperial nylon-string acoustic
Ibanez TR-50 bass

Guitar amp: Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue

Effects:
Digitech RP-100 (still have it, don't use it much)
Dunlop Crybaby wah

My "PA":
Yamaha MG12/4 mixer
Yorkville NX25P 200W powered speaker

Drums:
70's Pearl fusion kit
Sabian AAX crash, ride, and hand-hammered sizzle hi-hats
LP Aspire congas
LP Aspire bongos
Remo 16" djembe
Mid-East Mfg 12" bass doumbek
Alexandria 10" aluminum doumbek

Keyboard: Yamaha E303

Harmonicas: a bunch of 'em - Lee Oskar as well as Hohner Pro, Blues, and Marine Band harps

-----------Cost---------------------
I think I'm up to around $8000

---------Pros/Cons------------------
My band (lead guitar, drums, and me on rhythm guitar and vox) can record practice sessions in my living room and - aside from the lead guitarist bringing his own guitar - nothing has to be moved around; just plug in guitars, hit a couple buttons, and start playing.

We were mic'ing the drums with just a single LDC (the JM47) overhead during practice sessions due to limited inputs on the Delta44, but with the new FireStudio, I've got enough inputs for better drum mic configurations.

The room isn't treated, but luckily, it isn't exactly rectangular, and with carpet, couches and various curtains, it doesn't seem to have any huge acoustic flaws.

The setup works beautifully for solo recording, as well, although I haven't been doing much of that recently.

---------Production Quality-----------
We're finally getting some recordings of the full band that sound crisp and clean, even in my car. That makes me happy. I'm sure there's a lot of room for improvement, but I think most of it would come from knowledge of room treatment, mic placement, mixing, and mastering - I'm the weak link, not my gear.

---------Music/Methods--------------
With the band, I've just been recording each jam session in its entirety in a Cool Edit project (hit "record", play for 3 hours, hit "stop"), then I adjust levels, pan, and make mixdowns of each song so we can hear ourselves and share with friends.

For solo recording, I'm a little more picky (make sure appliances are turned off for background noise, do multiple takes to get it just right), but I still don't really play with effects or EQ after recording. I'm not much of an audio engineer, and from what I've heard (and experienced, when I've gotten experimental), too much manipulation of a track is usually worse than no manipulation at all.

moguelator

07-30-2007, 07:38 AM

(I'm form México) I will call my studio set up as a musician's studio (recording ideas and demos mainly).

PC.

Intel Pentium D 2.8.
2 Gigs of RAM
2 SCSI HD 80 gigs 7200 revs.
2 17" Monitors

Software.

Pro tools m- powered
Strike Plug In
Producer Plug In
Forcusite Plug In
Reason 3.0
Fruity Loops

Hardware.

POD xt
Project Mix I/O
Omni Studio
2 M-audio monitors

Gear
1 AT 3060 Mic
1 SM58 Mic
1 Yamaha Digital Piano
1 Oxygen 8 Midi controller
1 Gibson Less Paul
1 Yamaha Bass
1 Tom Delounge Stratocaster
1 Stratacoustic

C JoGo

08-07-2007, 12:54 AM

1. BASIC STUDIO GEAR/SETUP

DAW
Roland VS 2480
SEK'd 2496 A/D
Song Vault HD & DVD backups

Keyboards / Samplers:
Kurzweil 2600
2500
K2VX
Alesis Drum Pro

Microphones:
ROde Nt3
NTK
AT 4030
Shure SM58

Preamps / Outboard:
MAnley DVC
Behringer DEQ 2496

Monitors/Phones:
Event SP8
Heil ESS
Apple Spkrs

AKG & AT phones
Dream X wireless
Behringer Phone Amp

Instruments:
DanElectro 12
Strat
Taylor acoustic guitar
Trap KAt

Miscellaneous:
Panasonic 4700 DAT
Tascam CD player/Cassette
Audio Source & Yamaha pres
[x5] Furman PL-8 power conditioners

2. HOW MUCH IT ALL COST

Today's market (I buy all my gear used )
Maybe $10k
I have to shop wisely > to keep the cost down, since that is a factor in the studio/pricing scale.

3. BASIC PROS/CONS OF THE SETUP

Pros: Easy to run --48 channels automated --no patching...no air conditioning...electronic drums only! No PC/Mac to get in the way ... We edit in the performance ~~ not the wave :-)

Cons: Cost of living in Carmel ~ > passed on to the client. Only electronic drums can be used in studio.

4. PRODUCTION QUALITY

Recording since the late 60's ....opened this studio in 86. As top notch as what you bring to the studio.

5. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC AND METHODS IT SUITS

Specialize in solo/trios. Vocals a priority. Very fast production. Mainly Midi accompaniment from Kurzweil samplers.

http://www.redshift.com/~cjogo/recording_studio.htm

E=MC²

08-07-2007, 05:49 AM

Home Studio:

Computer:
Intel MacPro 2x 2.66Ghz, 8Gb DDR2, 4x 320Gb SATA
Apple PowerMac G5 2x 2Ghz, 4Gb DDR, 2x 320Gb SATA
Intel Core2 Duo 2.40Ghz, 4Gb DDR2, 2x 320Gb SATA

Interface:
M-Audio 2496
M-Audio Firewire 1814 (With added ears for the rack)
M-Audio USB Midisport 8x8/S (Rack)
Behringer PX 2000 Patchbay (Rack) x2
Behringer Virtualizer Pro DSP2024P (Rack)

DAW:
ProTools M-Powered 7.3
Logic Pro 7
Cakewalk Sonar

Instruments:
Real:
M-Audio Keystation 88ES Keyboard
M-Audio Keystation 49e Keyboard
Fender Strat
Les Paul Standard
Ibanez Jem
Ibanez 2570 Prestige
Martin Acoustic Guitar
Yamaha RX5 Digital Rhythm Programmer
Yamaha DD-55 Digital Percussion

Virtual:
Absynth 4
Reason 3
Sonik Synth 2
Battery 3

Microphones:
Behringer B1 x2
Behringer C1
Begringer B5 x3

Amps:
AudioHead AH1000 PA Amp (550w per ch.)
Marshall DSL100
Marshall Mode 4
Line 6 Spider III
Laney TF700

Cabs:
4x12 Celestion 70 80's Slanted (Home Built)
4x12 Celestion 70 80's Straight (Home Built)
2x12 Celestion 70 80's x2 (Home Built)

Other:
Fostex D20
StudioMaster Session Mix 16-2 Gold 16 channel mixer
Citronic 8 channel Mixer
Carlsbro 8 channel mixer
and enough cables to wrap the world up!

Cost...
I have no idea of the cost and too scared to add it all up!
The gear was built up over time so it was not so bad, plus the wife don't get to see big chunks going out of the bank!!!

Pros:
It all reasonably compact, produces some very nice results, quality is excellent for using low end gear and the limits are endless

Cons:
Wiring looms are messy, but I expected that anyway, other than that not really much that I can think of

Quality:
Well I'm impressed, been working in music since the mid 80's and now tend to just help younger generations on their way into the scene

Genre:
Well it's versatile, but I tend to steer towards rock guitar classics, but also very apt to suit vocalists

cdmtech1

08-25-2007, 05:08 AM

What we have been using to create and have fun with is not very fancy but works for us. I would have not even posted this except maybe someone might find the following useful.
Some of it we purchased in Thrift Stores such as Goodwill, Salvation Army and from discount retailers such as Guitar Center. Studio on the cheap!

2-AMD Computers Networked with a Wired Router
For Mastering:
1- Athlon 750, 256 ram, 32meg video, soundblaster live value
1- Optimus STA 2170 receiver
2- Infinity 1500's for monitors ($ 5 each at Goodwill)

For Recording:
Duron 1.1 gig, 640 ram, 128meg video, Sound Blaster Live! 5.1
Sony DVD burner
1- Pre Amplifier Built out of Old Phono PreAmp (Just added 1/4" jacks):thu:
2- Shure SM 57s
1- Cheap condenser mic computer type
1- Realistic Nova 40 headphones (Goodwill)
1- 2x4 passive mixer ( Great NO NOISE for mixing line level signals...synths)
1- 2x8 passive mixer ( Easy to diy got the Plan here at HC somewhere)
Heres a link to Simple Mixer Schematics
http://www.all-electric.com/schematic/simp_mix.htm

Instruments:
1- M audio 88es controller (Guitar Center)
1- micro Korg (Guitar Center)
1- Yamaha PSR E303 (Guitar Center)
1- Translator2 Midi drum controller (homemade triggers from cheap tweeters)
2- Galveston Acoustic Electric Guitars (Music Stuff and More)
1- Galveston Acoustic Electric Bass Guitar (Music Stuff and More)

We like Chris Collins Soundfont Set for overall midi instruments.(Piano's and Drums) The file name if your looking for it is:
GUGS_v1_4_rp1.exe it is FREE

What we don't have is a high quality microphone and preamp yet!:confused:

The moneys in the Software (Vegas 6, Sound forge 8, Sonar 6):D
You can get plenty of FREE Software so ....get past the Machines and make music.....:blah:

meandi

10-27-2007, 01:12 PM

hello to all. this is my first post in the recording forum & i'm excited to be here!
i've posted mostly in the eg forum showing some guitar builds i've been doing

i've been recording most of my jams for several years now...
in the beginning it was a room mike into a cassette boom box with a mike jack

next step was a PIII with 500mb processor & 500mb ram
i used a small 2 channel behringer board through the sound card in port to a shareware cool edit program on 2000 server software

i've got 2 kids in college so things move a little slowly at times due to the $s factor, but after about 1 1/2 yrs of saving my lunch money i've finally got all the pieces (i think:freak:) to take it to the next level

i'm in the process of plugging everything in, loading software etc for phase III of the little home studio & i'm so excited i can hardly stand it

heres what i've got at this time...
i've edited this section...the amd machine went away & the one replacing it has these specs
computer:
windows xp pro sp2
intel core duo e6850 cpu 3gh
ddr2 sdram 2gb, expandable to 4gb
150gb sata 10000 hd
400gb sata 7200 hd
double tray roxio dvd rw/cd rw

mixer/interface:
phonic helix board 24 firewire 4-subgroup mixer
96khz firewire interface for streaming up to 18 channels of audio with near zero latency
asio & wdm drivers
44.1 khz s/pdif digital output
individual +48v phantom power switches

part of the reason i chose this item is that with 16 mike inputs it can also be used for running live sound which is in the plans for the near future

daw:
steinberg cubase le
this is the software that was included with the board/interface...i figgure it'll keep me busy for some time learning how to use it to it's fullest & then can be up-graded

monitors:
at this time i will be running audio out of the board into my home system which is a pioneer sx6000 reciever/amp that i've had since the "70s into a set of pioneer cs-77-a speaker sets also since the "70s
headphone monitoring will be through my old pioneer se-50 phones

mikes:
at this time i've got a collection dynamic mikes with nice boom stands & good cables
mikes are all fairly inexpensive items, i have not been unhappy with them, but realize there is room for improvement in this area
3 nady sp5
3 akg d880
3 behringer xm8500

my room is a former 1 car garage that has been upgraded...it's nice & quiet & dead, so no complaints here

i have no anticipation or desire to do this professionally it's just part of my ongoing therapy program

thanks for letting me share this with all of you...anything i've missed please feel free to comment
no pics yet but when i get it all organized will post to this thread

Zer0beaT

11-15-2007, 03:14 PM

I just started recording and was hoping to get some advice on a mic and if my interface is providing adequate pre-amp. I'm a total newbie and at this point it's all just part of the hobby of making music, nothing pro by any means.

I'm using a Presonus Inspire I bought a few years ago (and didn't use until now) and the bundled Cubase LE. I have both those working together after much temple massaging and rebooting.

Basically I'm just looking for suggestions on a microphone for recording mainly amplifier but will also record voice, acoustic guitar, harmonica, drum machine (through amp) etc etc. So basically a mic for recording electric guitar close to amp without amp having to be too loud.

I was told I need a condenser mic. I currently have a really shitty, unknown brand P.A. mic which I believe is dynamic cardoid(hey I'm broke and just bought this PC, the mic was in my closet and was a blessing for the time being)

Is there anything else I need? I'm assuming the Inspire acts as a preamp, but should I look into a seperate preamp? I'm only recording one track at a time btw. The thing is the signal seems weak going straight from guitar through pedals to the Presonus box and I have to crank the software gain for the Inspire, or with the mic I have to have the amp pretty loud to get a low level signal in Cubase.

Any suggestions or revelations?

Thanks!

I just realized my post is alot of blither so basically I'm looking for suggestions on mics for my situation (preferably under $300 retail, under $200 new street) and suggestions on if I should add a dedicated pre-amp of some sort and if so suggestions on what to add in that regard aswell.

meandi

11-16-2007, 05:24 PM

starting to come together
this is a moc-up of everything to see how i like the placement of the components in the rack system
i've still got to get some casters on it so i can roll it out of the way when not in use...my little room is kinda small & full...i also do fretwork & other guitar tech things in here
the o.s. is loaded in the computer...still have to load the cubase software...also i've discovered a page called musicxp.net that i found on the cubase forum that details how to de-activate all functions not related to the recording/playback functions of the machine for max studio effency...still have to accomplish this
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p122/meandi_photos/studio4.jpg

http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p122/meandi_photos/studio5.jpg

nifty drawer on the back side for mike cable storage
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p122/meandi_photos/studio6.jpg

peridot1

11-17-2007, 01:48 PM

Home recording setup...

Dell PC
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600
WinXP home
2GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz
PreSonus Firebox
Cubase SE3
Toontrack dfh superior

Instruments
Fender powerhouse strat w/ seymour duncan pups
Fender active jazz bass
Taylor big baby dreadnought acoustic guitar
Yamaha classical guitar
Yamaha PSR 3000 workstation

Preamps and effects
Boss : GT-8, GT-6b, RT-20, AD-8
Damage Control : Womanizer, Demonizer, Soilid Metal, Glass Nexus
Line 6 : PODxt, PODxt bass
Tech21 SansAmp bass driver DI
DigiTech VX400
EBS Valve Drive
Art Pro Channel
TC Electronic M-one XL
Lexicon MPX-1
Summit Audio TD-100

Other
Tascam 2488MKII
Shure Beta 87A

thanhkim

12-28-2007, 11:14 AM

My system?

EMU 0404
Behringer Tube Ultragain Preamp
2 Shure SM57's
1 AKG Perception 200
EMU X-Board 61 (MIDI Controller)
Borrowing my dad's speakers.
Headphones

Cubase LE
Proteus X

That's it. Cost? 750 dollars? I got the preamp used, and I'm supposed to get a rebate back from EMU, which they haven't sent yet.

DeronDaum

12-28-2007, 09:07 PM

Deron Daum's Studio Setup:

Computer
Pentium Duel Core 2.8, 2gb ram, 250gb drive
EMU 1616m
Cubase SL3
Steinberg Groove Agent 2
FXPansion BFD 1.5 & 2.0
Waves Gold Bundle
IK Multimedia Total Studio Bundle
Behringer B-Control (BCF2000)

Outboard
Great River ME-1NV
Joe Meek ProChannel
Aphex Tube-Essence 107
Behringer Ultragain Pro-8
Empirical Labs Distressor
Alesis MidiVerb 4

Microphones
Peluso 22 215
AKG C3000
Sennheiser K6 (2)
Audio Technica ATM71
MXL 992 Mogami
AKG D112
Sure SM57 (4)
Sure SM58
ElectroVoice 654A

Instruments
Roland XP-50 Keyboard
Roland TD-3SW Drum Set w/ CY-15R ride cymbal
Roland SPD-20 drum pad
Rickenbacker bass
Ibanez SDGR 5-string fretless bass
Kramer Guitar

Other
Mackie HR824 Monitors
Rolls Headphone Amp

jaaron

01-01-2008, 07:40 PM

My simple setup...

MXL 990 (vocals), Sure SM57 (instruments) >
Firestudio Project >
Apple Logic Pro

The computer is an Apple 20" iMac with 2GB of ram and a 750Gb Hard drive.

whatsaguitar

01-21-2008, 07:09 AM

Gear:
DigiDesign 002 Rack
Behringer ADA8800
Firepod
M-Audio Fast Track
Fostex PM0.5 MKII
Presonus H4 headphone amp
Behringer Eurorack Mixing Board
N-Track Studio
Pro Tools M-Powered
Pro Tools LE
T-racks Mastering Suite
izotope Ozone 3 Mastering Suite

Antares Auto-Tune
Audio Technia Headphones
Altec Lansing Monitors
Sony Viao 3.64 ghz 1.5 gig ram. 1 terrabyte of space

Mics:
2 x Shure SM57

1 x MXL 990

3 x Audix F-10

1 x Audix F-12

1 x Blue Baby Bottle

1 x AKG D112

1 x Sennheiser e609

2 x Audix F-15

4 x CAD GXL1200

1 x Shure SM58

1 x Onstage Condensor

2 x Shure PG58

2 x Audix OM8

2 x MXL 909

Jade Audio Snake

Guitar

Marhshall JCM900
Mesa Triple Rectifier
Peavey Classic 50
Red Bear Mke60
Yamaha g100-112III
Orange 30R
Marshall 1960A Cab
Mesa Oversized Cab V30s
Red Bear 2x12 Celestions
Gibson Les Paul 1960
Gibson SG 1961
G&L ASAT 1984
Ibanez Artcore 75
Gibson Workingman
Yamaha Acoustic
Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster Thinline

Bass
Hartke 200W bass head
Peavey 2x10 1x18 bass cab

Drums
Ddrum Punx drum kit
Slingerland Drum Kit
Maxx Drum Kit
Sabian cymbals
Zildjian cymbals
Pasite cymbals

Nosferius

01-21-2008, 11:08 AM

Hi everybody,

I would like to ask you all for advice on what I should do concerning what to buy for a new portable/home studio.

My plans are to have at least 16 channels on a hardware mixer that works well with Apple Logic 8 and of course I need various mic's etc.

I'm going to record my own music (dance + new wave) but also other bands in various genres so it needs to be a divers piece of equipment.

My research tells me I need to buy this:

Yamaha 01v96

4x akg perception 200 (instruments + vocals)
1x akg d112 or sennheiser E602 (kick drum)
4x sennheiser e604 (toms etc)
2x akg perception 150 or sennheiser e614 (overheads)

Perhaps a sm57 for the snare instead of sennheiser e604?

With this set up I should be able to record bands live or individually (if I would have a bigger band to record I can always hire or buy the stuff I need).

So is this a good setup or do you think I should buy something else.

Bitter Dawn

01-22-2008, 07:15 AM

Low budget "studio" in progress here.

Computer:
AMD 64 X2 Dual 4ghz
1gb ram, 150gb hd

DAW:
Reaper
Sonar 6
FL Studio 7 XXL Producer Edition

Hardware:
Line 6 TonePort GX

Programs:
Moog V
Gearbox
Guitar Rig 2
Amplitube 2
Drumkit From Hell original
ezDrummer and ezx_dfh
DFH 2
Voxengo Voxformer
lots of other VST's and an assortment of plug-ins.

Instruments:
Ibanez EX1700 electric guitar in black with dual humbuckers
Ibanez gsr190 bass in black
Tama Rockstar 6-piece plus a handful of cymbals (Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian) SOON TO OWN.

Other Equipment:
25-watt Fender practice amp
Digitech 200 pedal
Shure PG48 mic
Yamaha RH3C headphones
----------------------------------------

With the exception of the impending drumkit it's a very low budget set-up, and out of what I listed I only really make use of Reaper for guitar,bass and vocals. At the moment I have been using the ezx_dfh plug-in on FL7 for the drums, and Gearbox for my guitar and bass tones.
The mic was about $40 but for the purpose I need it, it does a good job. The headphones however can be a bit of a burden, they sound good but when I am recording and mixing it's a bit decieving since they are EQ'ed. The bass is not the best, I picked it up used for $150 and it may just be an average entry level bass but again it does what I need since bass isn't much of a focal point for my music.

Assuming the drumkit transaction goes through I'll need to pick up some proper mics and some new recording hardware, so I'll add that to the list when/if it happens. Aside from that this is a good set-up for a DIY studio on a minimal budget to create demo's, the quality is better than I had initially expected so I am content with it.
The music I write and record is black metal, so compared to the early 90's production it would seem high quality.

smallrevolution

01-22-2008, 06:40 PM

Can I use the in and out spdif to hook a Lexicon MX200 to a Mackie Onyx 400F? What advantages/disadvantages would this have over using the insert?

Bitter Dawn

01-27-2008, 04:47 PM

Upgraded a bit.

Yamaha MW12 interface/mixer

Got the Tama kit!

Update: Picked up CAD seven piece drum mic set, a couple stands for the condensors and a handful of cables.

I didn't think to mention my college's equipment, not that I can recall everything that he has. We're going to get his Berhinger bass amp taken in to get fixed since the switch broke and although I'm not sure the specs, it is a fair size. He has a few guitars as well, one of which being an Ibanez from the RG series that he plans to upgrade the pickups.

nerhal

02-11-2008, 07:34 AM

pc barely running pro tools 6.4 with digi 001 rack interface
loads of plug-ins
krk v6 studio monitors
50 ft. 16 channel snake
yamaha mg16 mixer with patch cables for interface
sony professional studio headphones
bereninger 1 channel mixer for headphone amp lol
2 50ft speaker cables
loads of 20ft mic cables stands etc.
audix d-6 kick mic
shure 56 cox mic
shure 57 mic
mxl 909 mic
nady mics (crap but somewhat ok)
hiwatt 120 watt cab
marshall 1960 a cab
orange rockerverb 50watt head
peavey 5150 I head
gibson standard sg
fender semi hollow telecaster
ebow
line 6 delay modeler
aria acoustic guitar
various other crap

soon to move up to a much better setup.

for what I have done so far with what I have go here.

www.myspace.com/thestudiohouse

boxofrocks

03-03-2008, 12:28 AM

Yamaha DTXIII electric drum kit
Ibanez bass with active pickups
Ibanez guitar LP style
Maudio interface
An assortment of microphones small and large diaphragm
Yamaha headphones
Small PA system for live playing/recording sessions
Line 6 pod 2.0 w/behringer midi pedal board
Line 6 bass pod
Yamaha acoustic drum kit
Lots of stands and cables
2ghz dual core laptop w/2gb ram 100gb HDD
500gb external HDD
Ableton 6
EZ Drummer plug
Melodyne plug
Anteres Avox plug bundle

I midi the DTXIII drum kit to EZ Drummer and use the stock drum kit with a few tweaks.
Line out of guitar pod
Line out of bass pod
Record all music live and loud through PA, over dub vox
Do a rough mix for the band and send the audio files off to mix/master studio for mix n master. Gets great results.. Took me years to put it all together, one piece at a time, did a lot of eBay.

BASSic sounds

03-25-2008, 06:40 AM

My set up:

On my desk:
Mixed Audio M24 console
3x Firepro 2626 preamps used as Firewire interfaces
Presonus Light bridge
Behringer PMP5000 mixer (not used much)
Home made patch bays (I'm a NAVY trained electronics guy)
Self built PC
-2x dual core Intel processors o`clocked to 3.8GHZ
-4G RAM
-2T HD
-24" wide screen moniter (a nice luxury if you use PT)
-Pro Tools 7.3
Ederol MA-20D monitors
SONY boom box wired as lo-fi monitors
Audio technica ATHW-1000 headphones

IN MY STUDIO
DRUMS
-dDRUM 5 piece kit
-mic'ed with CAD 7-piece drum mic kit running into an ART T-8 DI (splitting and sending XLR to Firepro 2626 and 1/4 to a Behringer RX1202FX mixer and sending the mix out to JBL JRX115 (if needed.)

BASS
-AMPEG SVT410 cabinet
-AMPEG SVT15E cabinet
-AMPEG SVT6PRO head

GUITARS
-2xMARSHALL 1960AV 4x12 cab
-2xB52 AT-100 heads
-VOX AD100VT combo

MICS
-3xSHURE SM58
-4xSHURE SM57LCE
-CAD drum mic kit (KBM412, 4 TSM411 mics, 2 ICM417 mics)
-2xSehneisser 614
-Shure 55SH Series II
RODE NT-1
SHURE KSM27

INSTRUMENTS
-FENDER 1967 MALIBU acoustic 6 string
-DEAN VENDETTA 4.0 electric 6 string
-ERGO 4 electric upright bass
-FENDER 4 string P BASS
-MUSIC MAN STINGRAY 4 string
-IBANEZ SR20TH5 5 string

MISC
More cables than I know of (most all in use)
Aurelex sound treatments
MIC stands/booms (if you are running a studio, have 2 x too many)
I am sure I am forgetting things like my hardware effects (comps/ limiters, vocal processors and the like, but you get the jist of it.)

All in all, over nearly a decade, I've spent $16K. Some things it pays to wait and buy quality and sometimes you can get quality for cheap. The trick is to find a Pro Audio shop that will let you play with everything...every day for a week without buying anything. I've had guys let me take gear home to try out. Not the norm but a lot of the music world is getting to know people and helping each other out. On to the PRO/CONS of my set up. Pros: I can record a full band, I have 24 input channels simultaneously recording and I have a small drum kit for guys who don't HAVE to use every piece of their own kit. I have a variety of mic options to get exactly the sound they are after. I rarely find a project that requires me to run out and buy something. CONS: I f I had invested every dime I spent on music gear into MICROSOFT, I could probably outright buy the moon. It's been an expensive ride. This gear takes up a lot of room! I like having guitar/bass cabinets and heads in the studio for the band to use but more guys prefer their own so my gear tends to be in the way sometimes. I have had to do major construction on my house to facilitate this, as my wife calls it, "only marginally lucrative hobby."

As far as quality, I can, in mixing or mastering (NEVER BOTH) match the source quality or better. We all know good in - good out, but you can sweeten the sound at the console. I mainly work with bands, be it rock, jazz, blues or whatever. I don't do much in the way of spoken or soloist...it's just not my passion.

I'm still learning so if you have some ideas, I'd be glad to hear them. I've been doing this for awhile so if you have questions, I'd be glad to share what I know.

alabubba

04-05-2008, 10:40 AM

I'll take a shot in the ~$1500 range, all costs include shipping:

Yamaha AW1600 off eBay (with Cubase LE): $729.99
Behringer B2031 Truth Monitors (pair) off eBay: $250
AKG Perception 200 microphone: $131.16
Nady Pop filter: $13.03
ART Tube MP Studio Preamps (2 ea): $60.00
Art Tube MP Project Series Preamp: 60.87
MoreMe headphones (2 ea) with 25' headphone extension cables: $90.52
Niaiant X-Q Omni mic: $37.00
Behringer C-2 condenser mics (2-matched pair): $49.00
Behringer XM-8500 dynamic mics (2): $40.00
Acoustica Beatcraft: $39.95

Also have an old pc from 1998 that I had anyway, it's been upgraded through the years and now carries an Athlon 1600 and 1/2 G of RAM. I'm not counting that, nor my collection of guitars, amps & pedals which I already had.

All in all, its cheap, paid for, and it works for me, lets me do demos for myself, my band and my friends. Also is easily portable, which is important to me. I've got a 250G hard drive on order ($68), and will also add an m-Audio 1010LT sound card to the computer soon for about another $150. And then the computer will take on new life as a DAW.

I really enjoy fooling around with this mess. My sons and I are renovating the basement into a decent studio room and a nice den, can't wait till thats finished!

ambys

04-14-2008, 09:20 AM

Tascam 2488 hard disk recorder
Fender Dlx American Strat
2x Fender Pro Junior amps
Martin Custom Cutaway
Cheap keyboard
Ibanez AD-9, Maxon AD999, SD SFX-03, Guyatone Tube Trem, Keeley Comp

Weathered

04-17-2008, 01:06 PM

I've been through a few setups, this was my last one:

Front End:

A&H MixWiz
M-Audio FW1814
PC running PT M-Powered
Behringer 8 channel headphone amp
Event TR-6N monitors

Mics:

2 x AT3035 (drum overheads, vocals)
3 x Sennheiser e604
1 x Audix i5
1 x Sennheiser MD421
1 x Sennheiser e602
3 x Shure SM57
1 x Shure Beta57A
3 x Sennheiser e835

Instruments:

Vox AC30CC2
Mesa Single Recto
Marshall 1960AX
Ampeg SVT4Pro
Ampeg 610 cab

Various Fender guitars and basses

Pacific drum set

All in all, I don't know how much I had invested, but the results were good. The pieces have since been moved around or sold off, and now I'm working out of a friend's prject studio.

oldnewbie

05-27-2008, 06:55 PM

I just dropped a little less than $4K. About half was the computer

computer:
Sonica Grandia GD02
Intel Core2Quad Q9300 2Gig RAM
160 Gig OS drive, 500 Gig Audio drive
Sonar 7 Studio Edition
Pyro 5
Samsung 22" monitor
Logitech desktop speakers w/ sub

Edirol FA-66 Interface
Fostex PM.5 Active Nearfield monitors
Sennheiser HD280 Headphones
Rode NT1000
Shure SM81

Adding in my year old Yairi FYM95, actually comes to about $6k.

I don't really have a pro studio though, just me in my funroom.

triumphant_gleam

05-28-2008, 09:56 AM

I've got a modest but rapidly expanding set-up consisting of the following...

Computer stuff

Digital Village Laptop (2.8 GHz Pentium IV, 768 MB Ram, broken backlight! Gonna get myself a desktop PC or Mac when I've got the dough)
Tascam US122 (got an MOTU 828mk2 on the way though - don't you just love eBay auctions where nobody else bids? :D)
Seagate external drive (250GB)
Korg MicroKontrol
Some crappy Behringer mixer that I'll be able to jettison when the MOTU comes :)

Ableton Live 6 (upgrading to 7 soon)
Battery 2
Novation Bass Station VST
KRK RP5 Monitors

Mics

Rode NT1A
Shure SM57

Instruments

Access Virus C (another eBay bargain!)
Martin 000-15 (best guitar I've ever owned in my life)
Fender Strat (mid-90s USA with upgraded pickups)
Gibson Flying V Faded
Charvel Predator
Various pedals gained from my time in metal bands

Marshall JCM800 head (want to build an isolation cab so I can use this at home)
Vox AD15VT (I mic this up with the 57 at the mo - sounds way better than my Pod 2.0)

At the moment I'm using this set-up to demo songs for my band but I'd like to get into doing some Drum n Bass and Trance stuff on my own time, just for a bit of variety :)

Total cost = not a lot really if you don't count the guitars and amps!

Drumr

06-03-2008, 01:47 PM

* Presonus Firestudio Project (8 channel) & Tube (16 channel) - daisy chained for 24 track.
* Home-built PC 1.6Ghz 2GB 500gb/7200rpm 2-burners w/lightscribe
* Presonus Blue Tube® Microphone Preamps
* Mackie HR824 Powered Monitor Speakers
* Line 6 POD bass guitar processor
* DBX compression
* Shure, Neumann, Sennheiser, AKG, A-T, & Audix microphones
* Sony Vegas 7.0 digital Audio/Video multi-tracking software
* Sony Sound Forge 8 2-track mixing/mastering software.
* Sony DVD Architect 4 DVD authoring software
* Digital noise gating, EQ., compression, Reverb and delay effects. etc.
* Some other odds & ends...assorted acoustic & V-drums.
Under $5000. (depreciated value)

* Living room - Free.

sadlytragic

06-15-2008, 08:02 PM

Currently building my first decent setup.

PC
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+
-2GB RAM
-1.3 Terabyte Storage
-Windows XP Pro
-Cakewalk Sonar Producer

Recording
-PreSonus FirePod (FP10)
-Fostex Monitors
-Sony MDR-7506 headphones
-Line 6 PODxt
-Behringer BCF2000 DAW Controller
-Shure SM57
-Shure SM58
-Samson Drum Kit
-M-Audio DMP3 Mic Pre/Direct Box
-M-Audio Delta 44

Grissom

06-23-2008, 12:37 PM

I just started putting this studio together about 8 months ago, but its finally coming around.

1. Computer- Apple Intel IMac, 2.13Ghz Dual-Core, 1 GB Ram, 320 GB HD

2. Hardware- Presonus Firebox, Presonus HP4 Headphone Amp, Line 6 Pod X3 Live, Boss Dr-880 Drum Machine, Groove Tubes ST-55, Shure SM-58

3. Software- Apple Logic Express 8, Toontracks EzDrummer, a bunch of free plug-ins.

4. Monitors & Headphones- M-Audio Bx5a's, 2 sets of Beyerdynamics Dt-770's

5. Guitars- Line 6 Variax 700 (main guitar), Breedlove Atlas AC25/SR Plus, Peavy Cropper Classic, Schecter Stiletto 5str Custom Bass

6. Cost. All in all, this has run $6000 or so

7. Pros/Cons- Pros- Being a solo artist/duo, I can get a full band sound without a full band price.
Cons- This is not top of the line equipment, so this studio is ever expanding and costing me more money.

8. This can give anywhere from a rough demo to a decent album. It all really depends on the amount of work I'm putting in and what someone paying me for.

9. Methods- This is not a setup for a full band, although with the addition of a few pieces, it very well could be. I really aim at helping solo/duo acts get a full sound when they don't have the members.

Michael Blue

07-04-2008, 12:49 AM

Dell Inspiron 9200 Laptop (being replaced, going desktop)
WinXP Pro SP2
Cubase LE4
Cakewalk
Cool Edit Pro

Keys/MIDI

Korg Triton 76 Pro
Korg X3R
Roland SH-201
E-MU Planet Earth Module
Yamha DX7
Ensoniq Mirage Rack
Yamaha DX100 (inop)
Siel DK80 (inop)
Yamaha QX7 (unused)

Other instruments

Cort B5FL 5-String Fretless Bass
Headway Riverhead Bass (being reworked)
Nikko 6-String Acoustic-Electric (eBay cheapie)
Armstrong Tenor Sax
Bundy Alto Sax
Dulcimer (incomplete)
Didgeridoo (authentic)
Honer Melodica
Recorder

Pro audio

Alesis MultiMix 16 USB 2.0 Mixer/Audio Interface
AKG Perception 220 Mic
M•Audio Studiophile BX5a Monitors
Alesis MicroVerb 4 Stereo/Dual Effects Processor
Digitech MV-5 MIDI Vocalist Vocal Harmony Processor
Digitech BP200 Bass Effects Pedal
Audio Technica MB1000H "Blue" Mic
Sony MDR-7502 Headphones
Yamaha MT100 4-Track Cassette Recorder (2, 1 inop)
M•Audio Audiophile USB Audio/MIDI PC Interface
Peavey Line Mix 8 8-Channel Rack Mixer
Peavey KB60 Keyboard Amp
Furman PL-8
Ultimate XL3000 Stand
Ultimate 3-Tier A-frame Stand
Tubecraft 2-Tier Stand

-

Unknown $ investment over decades. A lot less than many others here.

-

Pros - Very easy to scratch-in demos when inspiration hits, potential "Indie" quality production.
Cons - Still building up, have a few areas that need improvement.
-

Capable of completely mastering an Indie release.

-

Good for everything from 1-man Electronica to Alternative/Contemporary Christian, Folk, some Jazz, etc.

bassordeath

07-07-2008, 02:15 PM

Core Duo 2000 with 4G RAM
160 GIG Hard drive at 7200
E-MU PM5 monitors
Fender and Yamaha Basses
Fender and Gibson Guitars
Tascam USB interfaces
Reaper Software
Ludwig Drums / Zildjian cymbals
Yamaha Keyboards
Many more instruments and hardware in addition
Investment: $10k more or less

Currently doing soundtrack for "unscripted: the hunted" an M Alfairi production
Recording and Mastering at Indie levels

werdna

07-20-2008, 10:09 PM

Start of a bedroom studio.

MacBook Pro - 2.4 gHz, 2GB RAM, 200GB
Digidesign 003
ProTools 7.4.2
Reason 4.0
Ableton Live 7
Fostex Monitors
M-Audio Axiom 25
Shure Drum Mic Pack (3 SM57's, 1 Beta 52)
Shure SM58
Audio-Technica AT3035

Instruments and Amps
GK 1001RB-II & GK 410RBH
Ampeg BA115
Crate GLX212
Music Man Stingray 4
Peavey Milestone III
Breedlove AC25SR Plus
Epiphone Flying V
Yamaha Privia
Korg Radias

dcware

07-21-2008, 03:23 PM

My current home-studio (all very portable, might I add)

Interface / AD&DA

* Apple Mac Pro (2×2.8ghz 64bit Quad Core CPU, 8gb RAM, 4tb HDD RAID)
* Focusrite Saffire Pro 26 i/o (26 channel Digital Interface with 8 mic preamps)

Monitors

* M-Audio BX-8a (x5 for surround sound work)
* M-Audio Subwoofer (I don't have it in front of me to check the model, but it's the one meant to go along with the BX-8a monitors)

Microphones

* Shure SM57 (3x)
* Shure SM58 (1x)
* Shure Beta 52a (1x)
* Audix D2 (1x)
* Audix D4 (1x)
* Neumann TLM103 (1x)
* Neumann KM184 (3x, 2 of them are a matched pair)
* T.BONE SC300 (1x)
* Unbranded Stage-Quality Dynamic (8x)
* Wireless Lavaliere Microphone (2x)

Instruments

* Fender USA Precision Bass (with such a beautiful tone)
* Squire Stratocaster Guitar (Delicious sounding 1983 model)
* Squire Stratocaster Guitar (2002 Model)
* Yamaha Pacifica Guitar (Stratocaster clone with noiseless pick-ups)
* Unbranded Guitar (another Stratocaster clone)

Effects

* Zoom 1201 (Reverb & Misc Effects Unit, with a truly amazing vocoder)
* Korg Toneworks AX1 (Guitar Effects unit, with inbuilt tuner)

Miscellaneous

* Yamaha 4-track Cassette Recorder (practice takes, lo-fi effects, etc)
* Behringer Eurorack MX602a Mixer (mainly for headphone mixes, podcasts, live audio)
* Dozens of Balanced XLR Microphone cables, Instrument cables, patch cables, and adapters.

anathema

08-04-2008, 01:32 PM

Computers & Software:
Apple 24" C2D iMac@2.4GHz w/4GB RAM
Apple C2D MacBook@2.4GHz w/2GB RAM
Custom built Pentium D 2.8GHz w/2GB RAM (as a very last resort)
2x 320GB audio drives
PreSonus Firepod
Logic Express 8
Various freeware synths/effects

Instruments:
Cheap 61-key Casio keyboard (MIDI controller)
Peavey 6505+ head
B-52 ST-100 head
Marshall 1960BV cab
Randall XL slant cab
Various guitars, usually what I have on hand

Rack gear:
Behringer V-amp Pro
Behringer Bass V-amp Pro
BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer
Behringer Virtualizer Pro
Alesis 3630 compressor
Behringer Ultragain tube preamp (modded)
Behringer Powerplay headphone distro

Mics:
AKG D112
Shure SM57 x2
Sennheiser E609 x4
Shure PG56 x3
AKG D88S x2
Nady CM-90 condenser x2
Audio-Technical AT3035

Misc:
Korg D12 digital recorder
BOSS GT-3 guitar effects processor
Behringer Eurodesk 16-channel mixer
AKG K44 headphones x3

Cost: I've been working on building a studio with a friend and all this equipment is split between us. We've estimated the total cost over time to be around $10,000.

Pros: Fairly portable compared to a lot of set-ups. We don't have a dedicated space at this time, so it's a great advantage. It's fun too!

Cons: No dedicated space, lots of cheap Behringer shit, kind of expensive and draws a lot of power.

Quality? Pretty damn good, considering there's a lot of shit gear in there. Not quite professional quality, but doesn't sound like a cheap demo either.

Music? Rock. Metal. That kind of stuff.

Ross_Meeks

08-04-2008, 05:50 PM

Computers & Software:
NONE - I got sick of latency, distractions and hard-disk failures

Hardware:

BOSS BR-900CD digital 8-track recorder with CD burner
GT-8 Guitar effects
Edirol MA-15D monitors
Yamaha PSR-295 keyboard
Shure SM58

Instruments:

LH Dillon electric (Paul Reed Smith copy)
LH Art & Lutherie Folk Wild Cherry acoustic
LH Steinberger Spirit Bass guitar

Cost: ~$2400 studio + $1300 instruments

Pros: Quite portable. No latency. Dedicated space, so no distractions. Can do complete master+CD on one machine.
Cons: Drum machine on BR-900 is good, but it's still a drum machine. Studio is in my bedroom (need a vocal booth, soundproofing, etc).

Quality: I think it's better than Demo quality. Sample: http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ross+Meeks

Types of music: Rock/Metal/Blues/etc. Don't think I have enough electronic sounds/beats to do Trance/Electronica (but I'd like to try).

------------

85Dave

08-04-2008, 07:29 PM

DAW:
Custom Acer Aspire T180 - Stock 2.20GHz Single core AMD processor
Gforce 8600GT 512MB video card
2GB RAM
Windows Vista Business
M-Audio 2496 PCI interface
Phantom Drives 500GB Firewire interface
Cakewalk Sonar 7 Producer (not included in total cost)
Total cost - about $500

Hardware:
Yamaha MG 10/2 Analog mixer
MXL 990/991
Shure SM57
KRK RP5 Monitors
EMU X-MIDI 1x1
Behringer KX1200 120W combo style PA
Total cost - about $600

Instruments:
Custom e-drum set with Roland TD6V module
Digitech EX7
Yamaha Magicstomp
PRS SE EG electric guitar
Yamaha PSR-340 keyboard (mostly used to trigger MIDI)

Some basic pros/cons of the setup
I like the sound quality of this setup however the 2496 card doesn't have proper inputs and lacks a lot of ins and outs. I have to feed a mixer into this unit in order to get the inputs and preamps. It works for a small studio setup but I would not buy a similar setup if I was in the market.

What kind of music and methods it suits:
It works for a lot of different styles of music since you get MIDI and audio in one card. Join in some software synths and you get a very versatile setup.

Sonar 7 Producer is a great piece of software. The software synths really save me money and sound great. I trigger them using my Yamaha keyboard.

Overall the setup is nice for a small studio however I have outgrown it already and would not suggest the 2496/Mixer setup with the price of interfaces so low these days.

DVaz

08-14-2008, 07:15 AM

PC:

E6600 (contemplating a Q9450, not sold on it yet though)
4Gb 800Mhz CL-4
320Gb Boot drive
640 Gig Raid 0 media/project storage
1Tb external media/project backup
Asus Striker Extreme
Vista Premium 64

Will be getting a vaguely respectable laptop as backup system soon.

Software:
Currently none, due to vista, was SX3 about a week ago and will be sonar producer 7 in a few days (ordering tomorrow).

DFH Sup and Sup 2

Interface:
Currently Emu 1616M, will be RME fireface 800 in a few days (ordering tomorrow).

Monitors/Reference:
Adam A7s
NAD C352 -> B&W DM602 S2s
Creative 5.1 amp/sub -> JBL Control 1Gs

Heaphones:
HD25-1s
Future sonics atrios
Shure E4s
Senn RS140s

Mics:
SM57
i5
MD421
NT1A

Modellers/DI:

Vox Valvetronix LE
Pod XT
Award Session JD10

Amps:
Engl Powerball -> Bogner Ubercab
Marshal TSL602 (JJ tubes and G12Ts)
Vox Valvetronix XL -30 (suprisingly usefull)
Roland Cube 30 (it has its uses)
Will most likely be getting a peters 100W dual channel too.

Guitars:
Lots (well, 10), most are heavily modded and I cant be bothered listing them in detail.

Cost about £15,000 or so, I guess.

Mikeo

08-22-2008, 11:28 AM

Here's what I record on

an Roland 1880.I bought it when they first came out, I actually had to wait a moth till they hit the stores. It was a bitch to learn, but I pretty know it cold these days. They no longer make it and I have no plans tp up grade either. I did lose my original cd burner that goes with it and had to by another.

I tend to use it like an old reel to reel multi track recorder, I rarely cut and paste stuff and it's a pain in the ass to do so .

The room, my cellar, in a 100 year old house. There's very little reverb in that cellar cause the walls are stone and there not a straing surface to be found.

MicrophonesShure SM 57's
Beyer Dynamic
M 130 Ribbon mic
M 160 Ribbon mic
M260 ribbon mics
TGX 50
M 88 TG
M C834 Condenser
TGX 80 Dynamic mic
AKG Solid Tube mic

Pre amps DBX Tube pre amps

and tube compressors

Soundcraft MX 8 mixing board, mostly used to record the drums
http://www.dbxpro.com/discontinued/586.htm
http://www.dbxpro.com/discontinued/566.htm
http://www.soundcraft.com/products/spirit_mseries_home.htm

The gear
Amps
Fender Twin Reverb
Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue
Fender Blues Jr Limited
Marshall JCM 800 2x12 combo
Mesa Boogie Maverick (class A amp, Discountined)
Mesa Boogie Tremoverb (discontinued, but very cool)
Mesa Boogie 1x12 Nomad
Mesa Boogie 1x12 Single rectifier w/ 1x2 rectifer cab
Ashdown ABM 500 4x10 combo
SWR California Blonde
Fishman Loudbox 130
Vox AC15cc
Gibson GA 5 Les Paul amp

The Electric Guitars
Gibson
Les paul
SG
SG Classic
ES -335
ES -135
76 Fender Strat
Am. Standard Strat
57 Reissue Strat
62 Reissues Strat
52 Reissue Tele
62 Reissue Tele
Rickenbacker 330
Rickenbacker 620
Paul Reed Smith (Custom 22)

Acoustic Instruments
Gibson J 45
Gibson J 185
Martin MC28
Martin 000-16RGT
Martin 000-16RGT with cutaway and blender
Dobro DF 60
Dobro 33H
Mandolin Flatiron A model

Other stuff
Drums Premier 5 piece set

Many other guitar FX used by
Roland/ Boss
Boomerang
Dunlop
RAT
Ernie Ball
FullTone
Electro Harmonix
Peterson Strobe Tuner

MonitorsRoland D90 Digital Speakers
Headphones, Sony 7056

My philosophy.
You can record on what ever you want, but the further away you get from you as an artist and the closer you get to the final production for a cd for retail sale, the more money you can spend on stuff that goes out of day quickly or needs constant upgrade like PC's and software.

Know how to use what ever equipment you may record on, know your monitors, use your ears, protect you ears, many songs will never sound better than the day you first finsihed them on an acoustic guitar or piano, or demoed at your band rehersal .

One my Roland bits the dust, I will probably need to look at other options, it take for ever to burn cd's and archive date, but has not failed me yet. There's nothing like a pen and a piece of paper to archive a great tune you just wrote.

xistance_llot

08-29-2008, 10:00 AM

P4-3GbH, 300 Gb (system)drive / 500Gb audio drive/ 500Gb back-up drive, 2Gb Ram (running windows XP sp2)
DAW – Sonar 7 (and luvin it – I started with Cakewalk 2 many many years ago)
Behringer TRUTH B3031A monitors
Behringer MS20 monitors
Tascam FW-1804 (firewire “sound card”)

Instruments

Yamaha MU128XG
Novation Xio Synth (49key)
Roland U220
Roland TD-6 (plus various acoustic drums & cymbals)

Soft synth’s / plug-ins

Waves Diamond 5.2
Arturia minimoog
Reason 4
All the stuff Sonar 7 has…
Various VST freebies

Mic’s

Shure SM-58
Shure SM-57
Behringer C-1 (though a TUBE ULTRAGAIN MIC200)

The COST??

Well the PC was about $1200AU (with a 22’ moniter) – I put it together my self. I may "lash out" and get a dual core soon, just to help the soft synth side...
The Tascam - $500AU – 2nd hand on eBay (sounds great, but a pain to get to work – I hear MAC users have no issue every with this unit)
The B-word… (Behringer) yep, I have a lot.. even more for my live setup. But bang for buck they can’t be beaten 
The Xio was another bargin from eBay - $290AU – it rocks, phat as… and it could even handle playing 16 audio tracks with FX’s on all floorlessly – even at full retail, an ideal 1st bit of kit to get you started for an all in one solution.

End results…?

I’ve produced 3 Albums with the gear above {although the tascam is a new addition – was using a pci card called ISIS(8 in 4 out)} and looking forward to the next 2 in the works…

p.s.
my 1st music PC in 1995 was a P-I 90mH, 8Mb ram.. had 3 sound cards and cost $0 - thanks to friends in the biz giving me "left overs".

results - good enough for a CD... if I'd had the $$$

so remember....it's not what gear you have, it's how you use it
:thu:

pezman.lives

09-13-2008, 07:39 AM

I had to come to terms with the question: what's my goal in recording? Ultimately realised it's a songwriter setup. This is most definitely a basic start up setup:

DAW:
Apple Macbook 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2.5 GB RAM
Logic Pro 7.

Recording gear:
Focsurite Saffire LE audio interface
Presonus BlueTube DP Mic pre
FMR Really Nice Compressor
Edirol MA-15D Monitors
Røde NT1-A mic
Shure SM-57

Instruments/Amps:
Larrivee L-09 acoustic guitar
Fender Stratocaster (w/JB Jr. lead pickup)
M-Audio Axiom 25
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp (w/omnisonic vc & retubed - thanks Eurotubes!)

I'd obviously love a better mic pre and would love more mics but I like to keep a very simple signal path so it's mic into mic pre into compressor into audio interface. After that it's plug-in city as Logic is very generous with a good selection of plug-ins plus I've scavenged around for some freebie plug-ins and would love to get some wave plug-ins.

For recording my amp I'm always stunned at how well the 57 works aimed right at the cone. Don't underestimate it. The HRD can be an unwieldy amp for recording. It wants to be loud and it tends to shrill in the treble region so be mindful! That's why I use the Omnisonic Volume Control Box. Running it through the effects loop it becomes a master volume so you can drive your amp harder at lower volumes. Retubing it is another option that I went for to really massage the tone but I'm not the guy to talk to about tubes. I'm as much a newbie in the tube world than I am in recording. Cheers.

dr_love6977

09-14-2008, 04:29 PM

Computer/Interface
-3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4, 2 gigs ram, 200 GB OS drive, 300 GB audio drive
-Digi MBox2 (ha ha ha!)
-Pro Tools LE 7.3

Outboard
-Behringer UB802 (2 ch mic pre)
-FMR Audio 'Really Nice Compressor'
-Presonus HP4 headphone amp
-Behringer DI100 direct box
-Radial Pro RMP reamp device

Monitors
-My "nearfield"s are actually a pair of Magnavox bookshelf speaker run through a Kenwood receiver
-Ultrasone S-Logic HFI-450 headphones
-Sony MDR-V150 headphones

Mics
-Shure SM57 (x2)
-Shure SM58 (x2)
-Behringer B-1

Instruments
-Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus with a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck, and a Gibson Burstbucker 3 in the bridge. 100% upgraded wiring/jack/switch/pots
-Washburn N2 with EMG 81/85
-Takamine EG530 a/e
-2 channel Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier
-Randall Jaguar 4X12 cabinet

Kind of modest right now. I just got hired to produce/engineer a local band's EP, so my upgrades will be as follows: Digi 003 rack, Sytek MPX-4Aii preamp, and a Grace m101. I'm actually getting the Grace in October along with a Cascade Fat Head II and a modded Apex 460.

I'll be recording band I'm producing's drums at a former teacher of mine's (I went to school for recording) studio and doing overdubs at my house. I just had to let you know that before anyone decided to nay say about me recording a band with an Mbox.

randy398

10-06-2008, 02:08 AM

hi to all

jack

_______________

10 Hypnotherapy Fear of Flying (http://www.gogetterjetsetter.com/hypnotherapy-fear-of-flying.php) western boots (http://www.timsboots.com)

randy398

10-06-2008, 02:10 AM

its a secret...........

jai

_______________

10 Hypnotherapy Fear of Flying (http://www.gogetterjetsetter.com/hypnotherapy-fear-of-flying.php) western boots (http://www.timsboots.com)

randy398

10-06-2008, 02:11 AM

wat abt monitoring

jack

____________

10 fear of flying (http://GoGetterJetSetter.com) cowboy boots (http://www.timsboots.com)

2deep2112

10-09-2008, 08:07 AM

Here it goes...

Cost: about 12k (all is bought new)

Studio gear:

- Dell Inspirion 6400 laptop dual core at 1,6Khz, 60GB and 2GB of ram.
- TC Electronic Konnekt 24D sound card via firewire.
- Alesis M1 KII active monitors.
- M-Audio Axiom 49 midi keyboard.
- Joemeek Six Q pre amp.
- Focusrite Compounder compressor/limiter/noise gate.
- TC Electronic M-One XL effects rack.
- sE 2200A condensor mic.
- Behringer B1 condensor mic.
- Shure SM57.
- Samson 5kit drum mics.
- AKG K171 studio cans.
- AKG K55 cans.

Software:

- Windows XP SP3
- Calkewalk Sonar 6PE.
- Propellerhead Reason 2.5.
- Calkewalke Rapture 1.1
- Toontracks EZ Drummer.
- TC Electronic Fabrik C.
- TC Electronic Fabrik R.
- TC Electronic Assimilator.
- Native Instruments Guitar Combos.

Offboard gear:

- Parker PM20 Pro with Seymore Duncan SH6 guitar.
- OLP with Seymore Duncans guitar.
- Warwick Rock Bass.
- Tama Rockstar Custom 5 pice kit:
Starclassic snare.
Sabien HH high hat.
Zildjian 20 pin ride.
Zildjian 15 crash.
Zildjian 17 custom crash.
Zildjian 17 crash.
Pearl Eliminator doble base pedal.
Yamaha hardware.
- ENGL Screamer 50 guitar amp.
- Epiphone valve junior head amp moded.
- TC Electronic Tube Primer stompbox.
- TC Electronic Booster + Distortion stompbox.
- TC Electronic XII Phaser stompbox.
- MXR Distrotion + stompbox.

Pros and conns:

Sounds good to me. To have enough time to do things :cry:

Quality:

Depends on my state of feelings and how long aim listening to my tracks...:lol:

Good care,
Mike

moctzal

11-02-2008, 10:35 AM

Laptop:
$500 Toshiba Satellite (Pentium Core Duo 1.87Ghz, 1.86Ghz, 2 GB ram, 180 GB HD

Interface:
$450 Digidesign Mbox2

Mics:
$300 Blue Bluebird
$100 Shure SM57

Monitors:
$60 Sony MDRV300 headphones

Instruments:
$1750 Taylor GS4e-LTD (2007)
$400 Godin Radiator
$300 Squier Classic Vibe Tele
$900 Fender '65 Princeton Reverb re-issue
$340 Boss BD-2, DD-7 and TU-2
$330 Epiphone Viola Bass
$445 Roland Cube 100 Bass Amp

Total:
$5875

I'm a relative noob to recording.
I'm looking at getting a mic pre (FMR RNP) and some monitors in the near future.

piersonm

11-02-2008, 11:37 AM

Good lower middle/high low end recording set up

Sonar8
Dual 3.0 AMD (specd for ONLY recording)
10 pounds of RAM, 45 years of GB HD
RME 9652 Soundcard
2 DigimaxFS pres
2 Eureakas pres
HP60 Headphone monitoring
6 and 4 pack of Shure Drum mics
AKG perception 400
2- SM57s
Audix i5
Sen e609
Royer121
(another LOOOOONG list of mics I need to buy, seeing so these are eh)
Yamaha HS80 monitors
Monster 3500 keepin things nice and clean
Digitech 2112 (going to get replaced by the new PODpro rack when it comes out...if that ever happens)
1000 watts of PA to have another playback source
and my most used tool
Central Station...if you dont have one...get one

Instruments
3 full kits: 5 piece, 6 piece, 9 piece
Rack of snares and cymbals
Guitar....uh....bring yours.

Last but not least, a horrible sounding room that makes all my stuff sound like I am recording on a Fostex with 20 years of use. Cant wait to move and build my studio.

Coschi

01-01-2009, 04:06 PM

and another..

MacBook pro (2.4GHz/4GB/240GB)
Mackie Onyx 1200F (12 Onyx mic pre's w/firewire interface)
Mackie Onyx 800R (8 Onyx mic pre's connect to 1200F via ADAT)
SKB Studio Flyer 4U Rack case

KRK Vxt 6 active monitors
Tannoy Reveal passive monitors (powered through a Sony hi-fi amp)

3 x Shure SM57 (guitars / keyboards)
2 x Sennheiser E906 (guitars / keyboards)

2 x AKG C1000s (drum overheads)
4 x AKG C418 (snare + toms)
1 x AKG D112 (bass drum)

1 x SE z5600A II (vocals)

2 x AT 4050 (for room miking)

Bass is DI'd
Stands, leads, etc...

2 x Keyboard Cases for carrying all leads / hardware

Total RRP ~AU$15000 (price paid more like $12000)

--------------

Pros: Not overly expensive, excellent quality in a portable or fixed recording setup. 20 inputs lends itself to plenty of combined miking techniques. Yet to run out of inputs. The setup is portable in three carry cases + monitors

Cons: Not a fixed studio setup so there is little option to expand outboard hardware wise. But really, I wouldn't want to. Also, have little control over the room - but then again this lends itself to more options ie go find the room that suits the band

I suspect this setup is capable of producing recordings of quality on par with many studio recordings, but my technique is currently holding me back. Ordering some books asap :thu:

gismo recording

01-02-2009, 06:48 AM

My middle-of-the-line setup

Alesis HD24 hard disk recorder (I guess I'm in the minority here in that I don't record on a computer)

Mackie VLZ 24 channel mixer

Mics:
Rode K2
Rode NT1A
Shure Beta 87
Shure SM87A
Shure SM57
Shure SM58 (2)
Samson CO3 (2)
Samson 8-kit drum mic set
Audix D-4 (Wasn't satisfied with the kick mic in the Samson package)

Focusrite TwinTrak preamp/compressor/EQ

Alesis Midiverb 3 FX unit

Edirol UA-25 AD/DA for transferring the final mix to the computer

HairyScaryMark

01-05-2009, 03:40 AM

The home studio has been a joint effort between my father and myself who started it to use himself. I think he enjoys gadgetry a great deal also. He has bought over 50% of it but my share is increasing as I buy more stuff.

Computer:
can't remember exact specs but it has an AMD, 3 hard discs and 1 GB of RAM. Could do with being a bit faster perhaps.

Interfaces etc.
RME Fireface 800
Mackie Onyx 800r

Monitoring
KRK K-Rok II
Samson Resolv 170 power amp
1 Beyer Dynamic DT150
4 Sennheiser HD25
Samson headphone amps (these things fail at headroom)

Mics
1 AKG C414 XL-II
2 AKG C414 XLS (matched pair)
2 AKG C1000
2 Shure SM57
2 Shure SM58
1 Audix D6
1 Behringer B1
4 Sennheiser E604

Instruments
quite a few, guitars, bass guitars, fretless bass
1960s Carlosbro drum kit

Amps
Ashdown EVO 400
Sansamp psa-1
Marshall 2x12" cabinet
Fender Super Champ XD

Synths etc
Korg Triton Extreme
Native Instruments Komplete 4
M-Audio Future Retro Pack

Software
Sonar 5 producer edition
Sony Soundforge
lots of freeware I downloaded

Cost
far too much, I would guess I probably spent about £4000 GBP on my gear and my dad has bought rest

pros
good quality recording setup, relatively convienant, learnt a lot.
developed my interest me in record production and believe my ears have improved in some ways
people seem impressed with results I get from this recording setup

cons
yet to sucesfully write anything myself, finish and release it.
still many more things I will end up buying
space and other uses of house demands a level of compromise
spending far too much money

werdna

01-07-2009, 12:02 AM

MacBook Pro - 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 180GB HD
Maxtor 500GB External HD
Digidesign 003
ProTools LE 8
Reason 4
Ableton Live 7
SimpleSynth
Kore Player
Line 6 Gearbox
MBox Micro

M-Audio Axiom 25
M-Audio KeyStation 88
Korg nanoPad
Korg nanoKontrol
Ampeg BA115
Gallien-Kreuger 1001RB-II
G-K 410RBH
Crate GLX212
MusicMan Stingray 4
Home-made Bass
Epiphone Flying V
Breedlove AC25SR Plus

Audio-Technica AT3035
Shure SM58
3x Shure SM57
Shure Beta 52

Digitech BP200
Digitech RP350
Digitech HotRod
Digitech HyperPhaser
Line 6 Echo Park
Boss Bass Equilizer

All the necessary cords and cables

I pretty much just use it for recording my band and/or my solo stuff. It works very nicely and is very fun

samich1262

01-07-2009, 02:07 PM

I think I may have a solution for getting that big studio sound without going completely broke. I just recorded a solo album, and another album with my band. They are both turning out great, but I could use suggestions for next time. Check out the sounds I came up with at www.myspace.com/vandarthmusic or my website, www.vandarth.com. Here's what I did to get my sound:

1. Drums: For mics I used a Shure mic kit. An SM 57 on each tom (3) and one on the snare. I used a beta 52 mic on the kick. For overheads, I used two Bluebird condenser mics. They run about $300 apiece at Guitar Center. I run these mics through some nice mic preamps. I use Pro Tools 7 LE with the Digi 002 box (a little outdated, they have the 003 out now but it's more expensive). For the tom preamps, I just use the Digi 002 pre's. For the kick I used a Universal Audio solo 610 preamp (about $799 on musiciansfriend.com). Then for the overheads, I used two Universal Audio LA-610 preamp/compressors. They're $1500 each, but they sound great. I also use them for bass, guitar and vocals, so they work for everything. For the snare I just used a Sytek MPX-4A solid-state preamp. Then after tracking, I used Steven Slate drum samples ($300). They're perfect recordings of kicks, snares, etc. Chevelle, Paramore, Avenged Sevenfold, anything you hear on the radio these days is using them. I used about 4 kicks and 3 snare samples, and mix them with the sound of the real kick. You can use beat detective to find the beats, and then sample manually (which takes forever) or buy a keyboard that contains macro capability. I use the Logitech G11 keyboard.

2. Guitars: I double the guitar and lay each rythm track down twice. For lead stuff, I just do it once. Here's how I get the rythm sound:

I mic a Mesa Stiletto half stack with a bluebird mic and a Shure SM 57, both running through the UA LA-610 preamp that I used for the overheads. I hard pan them both hard right. Then I record the exact same part again with a stereo direct Mesa Rectifier recording preamp. I pan that hard left and it sounds terrific. Then for leads, I usually just go direct with the Mesa preamp.

Bass: This is my weak point in my mixes right now. It does the job, but isn't especially outstanding. I plug in direct to the UA LA-610 and use slight compression.

Vocals: Use the LA-610 peramp but I don't use the compressor. I use some compression and a limiter in pro tools. I use a Bluebird condenser mic. Usually I duplicate the vocal track (not double, just copy the track and make a 2nd one of the same thing) and add reverb to the 2nd one. Then I mix the two until it sounds good.

EQ: I use Pro Tools 7 Band EQ 3. I came up with some settings of my own after doing some research. Mostly, just carving out a spot on the bass track for the kick drum was the biggest problem. I did boost some of the highs on the lead guitar, but not too much.

Mastering: I downloaded AAMS (Audio Auto Mastering System). It will analyze a recording that you pick, and then compress/normalize/EQ yours until the levels match. I picked Foo Fighters: Long Road to Ruin for my tracks.

That's what I did! Check my sites, www.vandarth.com and www.myspace.com/vandarthmusic to hear how it turned out. I recorded all of the instruments and performed myself. The CD is $1 at vandarth.com if you want to download it. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

AudioArtist

01-11-2009, 09:24 PM

Hey everyone, I'm new here, so here's what I use.

Main Room- A log cabin, a-frame roof, decidedly non-flat walls and brick floor.

In house instruments- DW drum kit, Steel drum(cheap), two upright pianos, Warwick bass w/ernie ball head+ GK and Mesa cabinets, PRS-soapbar II, Fender Princeton-two ten combo, 49 Gibson L-6 archtop and 52 Harmony montclaire archtop + alot more but you get the idea.

Control Room-Allen and Heath system 8 24 channel, 8 bus. Or Studiomaster classic mixdown8. No front end preamps as of yet. Pro Tools LE 7 w/digi 002, and Mackie 624 monitors. Mac G4. 1.84Ghz processor, 1 gig ram, and about 800gigs storage.

Mics-(not very impressive)- Audio technica kit pack, 824, and one more I've had so long I can't remember it's serial#.
3-SM-58's + 3-SM-57's
Cad-large diaphram ?- the one with selectable pickup paterns
EV RE16(my baby)
and a whole lot of cheapo mics to boot

I mostly record local cover bands-(lot's of fun) seriously, but I have got about ten original groups under my belt as well.
Check Myspace for The Five L's and The Mantras for some good examples.
(I can't guarantee they still have my recent tracks up still, but it has been recent.)
edit: just checked-The Mantras tunes ,other than funky jank, are all my recordings and The Five L's Pencil and Samurai are my work as well

Anyways, It's good to be here and I hope to learn and share good info and advice with you all.