Should I stick with my current setup??

Chris K

New member
Hey Y'all, got a question for ya.
So, I've been learning recording for a couple years, now, and I still consider myself very much of a beginner at all this. With that said, though, I am starting to turn out some songs that I am really happy with, and I don't want to be limiting my sound quality more than I have to with my humble setup. I am currently using Cubase Pro for my DAW, but I still use the little Steinberg UR12 audio interface that I first started out with. My main mic is a Studio Projects C1 (arguably similar to a Rode NT-1A), and for my purposes, It does the job, and I am happy with it. ...but being someone who focuses on more acoustic recordings with clean, natural sounding vocals, I can't help but envy the sound quality that I hear in some other people's recordings, sometimes.
So, here's the question...
Is there a low-budget solution to significantly improve the sound quality of my recordings?
Which piece of gear is in the biggest need of an upgrade? The mic? The interface? Or does it make any sense to get a decent mic pre to use with a $300 mic and $100 interface? Should I just stick with what I have until I'm ready to upgrade the whole setup?
Any thoughts and opinions are appreciated!
 
Stick with what you have and just make music. When you actually need more inputs, then upgrade.

Edit: you never mentioned how you monitor.
Good monitors WILL make a difference.
 
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Depending on your budget, you can add a lotta life to acoustic recordings with some good FX, most notably reverb.

A very "natural" sounding acoustic recording is very often almost exactly what you're now doing, only then processed crazy deep with slap-back, reverb, compression, and a few notches of EQ here and yon. In fact, some recordings, when turned up a bit, can reveal long chain echoes that no balladeer in any auditorium could ever produce, but are routine in the studio.

Effects plug-ins can make a big change to your sounds.
 
Depending on your budget, you can add a lotta life to acoustic recordings with some good FX, most notably reverb.



Effects plug-ins can make a big change to your sounds.

I'm sure cuebase pro has effects plugins. No need to buy more, just learn how to use the ones in the DAW . :D
 
Thanks guys. Yes, reverb makes a big difference! Cubase comes with plenty of plugins...:listeningmusic:

And yes, I do have a decent pair of monitors. Should have mentioned that.
 
So, here's the question...
Is there a low-budget solution to significantly improve the sound quality of my recordings?

probably not.

what you have going for you seems to be a simple acoustic vocal demand thats working....so thats a positive as trying to record a 10 piece SKA band with 4 vocalist.

imo..
for upgrades we can cancel out the DAW as DAWs wont improve your sounds much. you can probably ignore plugins as theres so many its more about cosmetics and if you like the sound of it....but you say you like clean. so you dont need 3000 guitar sims of distortions...
the microphone could be interesting if you can test drive some. that might get you something.

the I/O interface...imo...doesnt do much, I went through a bunch to see for myself and from MOTU to TASCAM to LINE6 to MAUDIO to FOCUSRITE etc....I didnt hear a difference, it was more about functionality than hearing a converter chip difference....functionality like do I get a MONO button and 2qty headphone outs and a fiber optic out...etc... had a few DAWS no sound difference,....

Steinberg is good stuff, if 2 qty IO if good for you why upgrade? maybe get 4qty I/O?
For preamp gain I only ever had to crank it full with low sensitivity mics and that adds noise of the preamp usually...but SP C1 and LDC's from 14 and up seem to work just fine with interface preamps set at 50-70% or less..

so you seem happy but want to up it a level....I would say maybe microphones and maybe room/monitoring might lead to something.

today is pretty cool....i sent a question to a Billboard Eng with a #1 hit , and got a response to a question....I thought wow? thats pretty cool this internet stuff. So maybe the sound you like you could send them a question how they did it or something...or the artists engineer? ask them what the chain was maybe....

yeah microphones might be interesting.
you could try a expensive preamp on 30day return, maybe a Used one, I was told Guitar Center doesnt mind Used Returns nearly as bad as brand new returns....try a DAKING or GRACE or Emperical Labs....get a taste for the expensive stuff so you have an idea what they offer. Then if on budget find a cheap one that works as good like a Rane or Art MPA...

vocals always sound better with compression, LA2A lovecrunch:listeningmusic: (plugins or a tube unit stuff would be interesting testdrive)
 
Thank you for that reply! That really answered a lot of questions I had. I think the best thing for me to do right now is just... make music.
If I just buy one more piece of gear, I'll be satisfied for the rest of my life, right? :listeningmusic:
 
ignore buying plugins as the upgrade....is what I was thinking.
theres so many free ones and excellent free ones that come with the DAW and the interfaces, just my 2cents, I wouldnt spend on plugins for the big upgrade expectation. Unless theres really something that can do some function the free ones cant do. Ive dropped a little$$$ on plugins, not a regret but wasnt required really. ymmv

re-reading the OP question....

Which piece of gear is in the biggest need of an upgrade? The mic? The interface? Or does it make any sense to get a decent mic pre to use with a $300 mic and $100 interface? Should I just stick with what I have until I'm ready to upgrade the whole setup?



I still vote the mic. then maybe try some preamps with return policy... over the other choices.
 
So..... I guest the next question would be what's the next reasonable step up in mic sound quality...Neumann U87??:rolleyes:
 
thats an ocean of gear there....good luck lol

for every example of $5000 mic love theres a example of a Billboard hit with a SM57 $99....
 
Figured as much. Was mostly just messin' with ya. :-)




I agree with the mic, if the internal changes don't bear fruit.

P5

well I never know when Im jacked up on coffee. plus the fact the brain is fried when going into the rabbit hole of upgrading.

its freakin amazing though too. like today I went and tried a old pc to get going, I had a day off.
old hardrive no keyboard etrc.....I went to PAwnShop and got a i5 with large screen and keyboard for $126 (included a warranty for $6! lol)

grabbed my Line6UX8 interface i was going to sell (because its a duplicate I had bought and never used in 2yrs)....
plugged it into the $126 computer....downloaded Line6 software in 3 minutes.

then because its the obsolete UX8 theres all the PodFarm software free for life, platinum something for UX8....so I got the full PodFarm 2.52...
in about 10 minutes.
then I downloaded Reaper trial which took 5 minutes....
so in about 30 minutes a complete Repaer DAW, 8-channel interface with full realtime massive plugin system is up and running.
all thats needed is mics, instruments....headphones, active monitors.

just seems weird compared to the old days of tapes and rack mount gear and cables and limited channels, and obviously never had compressors for every track which the plugins offer and Reaper has a large set of free plugins.
its a hell of a system for what? $300..$360 total...

just weird how fast it went, there wasnt even software glitches....everythings getting so lucid and well engineered.

hell I dont really "need" Amps or any rack mounts for anything.

so with all that savings the cash saved can be spent on really good monitors, headphones, and gear like guitars and mics. :laughings:
 
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@ Chris K,
I guess the big question here is this; What are you dissatisfied with exactly that you think buying some gear will resolve??
That's what has been perplexing me in this thread.
:D
 
Good question...:rolleyes:
Honestly, I don't think I'm really dissatisfied, but just aware of the fact that my setup doesn't really allow me to capture the same degree of vocal authenticity that a more expensive one does. ...So you can say "dissatisfied" if you wish, but my reason for posting was really more for the sake of making sure I wasn't compromising a lot of sound quality that I could easily achieve with, say, a cheap little mic pre. What I think I am learning is that I'm getting no less than should be expected for where I'm at. And I'm satisfied with that.
 
Good question...:rolleyes:
Honestly, I don't think I'm really dissatisfied, but just aware of the fact that my setup doesn't really allow me to capture the same degree of vocal authenticity that a more expensive one does. ...So you can say "dissatisfied" if you wish, but my reason for posting was really more for the sake of making sure I wasn't compromising a lot of sound quality that I could easily achieve with, say, a cheap little mic pre. What I think I am learning is that I'm getting no less than should be expected for where I'm at. And I'm satisfied with that.

Hmmm. "Vocal Authenticity" That's a loaded term :) A subjective one as well

Assuming you've been singing a while, you're probably used to the sound of your voice. (Im guessing)

So it seems like you're not getting what you think you should be getting.

A better mic or pre is not always the answer.

First comes skill, mic technique, the recording environment etc.

As to the mic it's a matter of what works best for a partucular voice.

I have a nice vintage AKG C414 and it took me 10 years to figure out it wasn't the right mic for my singer.
He's a very good singer, but his vocal quality is very smooth, not enough grit. The 414 having incredible clarity, didnt impart any character to his voice. No grit. So I was always adding some processing to bring more grit out into the recording.

One day I just tried a borrowed tube mic and just a 'lowly' Sure SM57 on him and it made all the difference in the world.
As good as the AKG is, it isn't used on his vocals anymore.
:)
Point being, assuming you're good in the talent dept, you might want to borrow or rent different mics to see what best compliments your voice.
 
nothing like testdrives at the house, not easy to do with mics.
preamps for me is like the match with a mic, you could almost sell them together.

the thing is the OP mentions a "low budget solution" for the upgrade. This in my bank account eliminates 414's and u87's and the other classics...money is a elusive thing. $3000 to some is nothing. "low budget" to me is $100 or less. Low budget is what? <$500? So probably not going to significantly upgrade with "low budget" solutions at $100.

CURRENT:
Studio Projects C1 > into a Steinburg UR12.....


upgrade ? low budget? would be.... :eatpopcorn:
 
Hmmm. Good thoughts.
[MENTION=185883]RFR[/MENTION]
I guess it is true that I don't know *exactly* what my voice sounds like, because what I hear when I'm singing is a tad different than what others hear, and there isn't a mic that will sound exactly the same either. However, I've been singing as long as I can remember, have taken voice lessons, and have heard myself in everything from iPhone recordings to studio recordings...so I do feel that I am well past the "my voice sound like THAT???'' stage. ..definitely been there!https://homerecording.com/bbs/images/smilies/facepalm.gif It isn't a pitch or technique thing that I don't care for in my recordings, but more of just a subtle...fuzzyness?? I notice the same thing when I record other people. It sounds like someone singing through a good mic, rather than just someone singing (go figure). Maybe I'm too picky...
[MENTION=19723]CoolCat[/MENTION]
This testdrive thing is sounding more and more appealing. I don't really know anyone with a bunch of mics, though, and it'd feel a little weird to go buy ten mics and then return nine of them...
Alright. I really didn't intend to name a particular price, because I'm not in the market right now (I know, famous last words.). Just exploring the future options to see what's out there and have a more realistic expectation, when I am in the market. BUT...I'm gonna go ahead and talk money for the sake of not driving you guys insane.;) Let's say I had $200-$300 of "extra" money to spend on a mic. I could maybe sell the C1 for $150, so that would give me about $450 to spend. I almost never buy anything new, so I would probably end up looking at used mics that cost up to $600 new. Think I could find ''the one'' in that price bracket?
Of course, this is all just hypothetical, because I need to make more music before justifying a purchase like that...

Thanks for all of the replies! I'm really getting a lot out of this thread.
 
what i did for mics is very limited and tunnel visioned when it came to mic comparisons.
being overwhelmed with choices I first made a brand decision...then went into their rabbit hole.
i went with Shure because I had the 57,58,sm7b...so I tried their KSM stuff...and unfortunately couldnt afford to try their Ribbons.

it could have easily been Senheiser or AKG or any of the other brands...

none of the mics made me sing better or write better or taughtme how to record properly or made my room acoustics better. :p

how do you get several mics to test out at home?
1. buy them then sell the ones you dont want
2. get used ones with return policy
3. borrow from locals
4. read and choose and roll the dice...

I did 1.

one thing of shopping/selling is that brand names sell a lot easier than the less knowns, so example a AKG might sell easier than a Elvinhumpnickleschmidtvon brand.

one learning thing from the mic rabbit hole was learning the sensitivity spec numbers correlated to me turning the preamp gain on my interface. the dynamics at 1.2-1.8 mv/pa the gain knob was max'd a lot but didnt grab the room noise as much.
14mv-20mv nice and 50% gain setting with some room noise was probably best.
28mv/pa seemed to pickup the noisy poor room issues and pc fan for the most sensitive mics/ larger numbers.

I record noisy stuff mostly so I dont care about noise as the drumms hide it. You doing a acoustic / vocals it seems more care and better room acoustics would be important in addition to preamp+mic noise.

note: this info is coming from a man in a closet studio:p

youve seen this ?
Vocal Mic Shootout | Sweetwater

this test used the Millenia mic preamps into a ADC.
another large shootout of drum rooms the SOS crew chose ISA 428 mic preamps.
I think this says something for Millenia and ISA-Focusrite.

For clean though, Grace is often mentioned and Martech, but like the mic shootouts a RANE was very close to the Martech in shootouts...so down the rabbit hole we go.
 
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you're good for now with what you have.one note.. room acoustic treatments will go along way over any equipment upgrades.
 
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