What would the absolute BEST studio be for $10,000?

FattMusiek

FattMusiek

New member
My friend asked me to post this so he didn't have to sign up, so can you please recommend the absolute best equipment (excluding computer costs)? Thank you very much for your time...
 
What is the absolute best tool for $20? If you have the greatest screwdriver in the world, it is a shitty hacksaw. Before you can design the tool, you have to define the job. Are you recording books for the blind, or Earth, Wind, and Fire? You can't do everything for 10 grand, but if you're systematic, you might be able to do a few things pretty well. I've got a $10,000 studio, give or take, excluding the instruments, and it was built to do 1 thing, to track a folk album with a bunch of help from some cool overdub people. Not to mix it, or edit it, or master it, just to do the basic tracking. Every piece of equipment was chosen to do something *I* need for this project, or which one of the other musicians needs.
The other most critical thing is the room where this studio will be
installed. First, you have to plan the layout, and figure out what conditioning needs to be done to record what needs to be recorded there. No matter how it goes, you will probably need a mixer, 2-4 channels of better quality preamps, a large diaphragm condenser mic primarily for vocals, a pair of matched small diaphragm condenser mics for acoustic instruments and overheads, a couple of top of the line dynamic mics, several cheaper dynamics, A voltage regulator/power conditioner, a headphone amp, some good closed headphones, some near field monitors, an FX box (or plugins), a compressor, room conditioning materials, a couple of heavy duty boom stands, some killer cables, a good table or desk, and 2 comfortable chairs without arms that never squeak or creak.
See- if you're recording rap/hip hop, it's different. Then you need less mics, but samplers and synths become desireable. You can't do it all for $10,000, you can barely do one thing fairly well. You can check the pictures off the project page on my website, www.bardwire.com, to see *my* version of a $10,000 studio, but that's just *my* tool to do *my* job. What's your friend's mission, and why is he such a lazy bum that he can't type his one line question while I type my 2 page answer (for free)?-Richie
 
Not only should the type of music you, ahem! I mean your friend, are (is) planning to record greatly affect your decisions . . . but how many things you need to record at once, and who you will be recording will be perhaps the most significant factor.

If you can get by doing a track at a time, then you'll wind up spending a lot less to get the same or better quality. Same thing if you know you'll only be recording yourself. For example: instead of having to have a bunch of different vocal mics around to suit many different vocal types, you could instead select one mic that particularly suits your voice and style of singing. And instead of an interface with 10 or more channels/inputs, you can very likely get by with only 2-4 inputs. etc etc

Not to mention that what constitutes as "best" also has to do with what your list of priorities are. Does the "best" system, to you, have the best sound quality, or does it have the greatest convenience, speed, and/or ease of use? Because there is no such thing as having both in your price range. :D Can you adapt to a computer enviornment, or are you the type that needs to have control over real knobs and faders?

So many factors to consider . . .
 
Is he building from the ground up? Or does he allready have a nice room in mind.

I could tell you all the equipment you should spend your 10,000 on but the room needs to be right first.
 
I am the one that asked him to post this, I signed up so I don't have to keep telling him info to put on here.

I am very computer savvy, and I learn things easily, so having a complicated mixer, or working on the computer wouldn't really make a difference. I also want the best sound quailty out of the mixer and want it to be convenient, I don't care about ease of use or speed that much.

I will be recording guitar (acoustic and electric), bass guitar (acoustic and electric), drums and vocals.

The Main thing I will be focusing on is recording the drums. I like loud snares and deep tom / kick drum sound. I also want my cymbals to be heard evenly. Here is my what my setup will be

Toms: 10, 12, 13, 14, 16
Kick: 22 x 18
Cymbals: 4 crash, 2 splash, 1 hi hat, 2 china, 1 ride

For vocals, I will need mics that can do death metal (soilwork) to punk (millencolin).

I dont know about guitar and bass, hopefully you can help me with that.

Don't worry about the room. That is already planned out.

Thanks guys / girls,

Sean
 
I forgot the name of the company that had the 8 channels of neve 1076 pres for 3500.00, I would look into the digi1 with protools and the final 5 grand get good mics. the soon to come PMI steven paul ones will have promise. alot of sm57 and a beta 52 for bass drum. will get you there with enough left for a decent bass and a lead.
 
Alright then. Here's what I'd grab, given you're needs, 10K to plop down, and wanting "the best" that kind of money would get:


* Lynx 2 Sound Card; "C" Model 6 Analog In / 2 Analog Out -

$2895.00


* Mackie/Universal Audio UAD plugins:

$600


* Waves Masters Bundle plugins:

$700


* FMR Audio RNC Compressor:

$175


* 2 X Sytek MPX-4A 4-channel mic pre

$1,600 total


*Yorkville YSM Studio Monitors w/ power amp

(approx) $500-600


* Drum overhead mics: 2 X Shure ksm32

$1000 total


* Kick: Audio Technica ATM25

$150


* Toms, snare, guitar, misc : 4 X Shure sm57

$250


* Acc guitar, misc: 2 X Marshall mxl603

$140


* Vocals: 1 X Shure SM7

$300

1 X Blue Dragonfly

$800


* Bass: 1 X Tech21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI

$200


* MPX 550 Reverb/Effects

$500


And that should just about do it for chessrock's ultimate $10K studio. Happy shopping!
 
I would rather buy a mixer than buy computer software which I can probably get for free.

Whats up with the $3000 sound card?

Is DigiDesigns "PRE" any good?
 
Dude, unless you've got money just crawling out of your rectum.....

I'd say you should spend some time getting your feet wet, educate yourself. Take it gradually son...

Probably an 8 input soundcard would be a good place to start. Make sure you do your homework on drivers/software/mobos before you get started.

And stealing software when you've got $10,000 to blow. Not cool daddy.

-Jett
 
Yeah I know that I shouldn't steal the software, but wouldn't you agree about buying the mixer instead of the software? If you lose the CD and you have to re-install, then you're screwed. A mixer should come with a warranty, and I'm pretty sure none of us would lose one of those, if it breaks (under some terms), you can send it back.
 
-=My Ultimate 10k Setup=-

Tracking Essentials:

3 Aardvark q10's (I really like my Q10)
$2370 ($790 each)

1 Great River MP2NV
$1950

1 FMR RNP
$475

2 FMR RNC in a 69 Merc
$380

4 channel Behringer Gate
$120

4 Channel Behringer Comp
$120


----------- $4,515 so far!! ------------ $4,585 left ----------

Sotware:

CoolEditPro 2.0
$250

Waves Native Gold Direct X
$975

Antares Autotune Direct X
$229

---------- Only $3,131 left -------------
Mics :

2 Audio Tecnica 4033's
$560

2 Behringer ECM8000's
$80

1 ElectroVoice RE20
$400

Marshall Electronics
1 V67
2 603s
$250

2 Rode NT5
$300

2 Sennheiser 421II
$600

Shure
3 SM57
1 SM7
$540

Studio Projects C-1
$200

----------------------------------------
$201 left for cables, clips, and stands

Beezoboy

PS - This is what I am working toward my studio having in the future!!
 
why would he need 3 Aardvark Q10s?

from that he is saying I'd say 2 at the MOST but probably one...

when would he need to record more than 8 tracks at a time?

For recording your bass stuff (and even some guitar stuff), I'd scratch the Sansamp idea and go straight for an Avalon U5...which is $500...I've been down the Sansamp road and was not amused. Maybe amused..but not happy.

I agree that you should start smaller...and build up. no sense in wasting 10,000 all at once, you will have a better idea of what you need when you start doing it.

I don't know much about the soundcard Chess mentioned...but, at that price...it has to be good. Heh...but, an Aardvark Q10 is what I use, and it is fine.

I'd start with maybe, an Aardvark Q10 (has 8 pres) $750
FMR Audio RNP $500
Blue Dragonfly $800
Shure SM7 $400
Shure SM57 $80
2x Rode NT5s $300
Avalon U5 $500
FMR Audio RNC $180

that's like 3500 bucks.

I'm not sure why you want a mixer so much...you didn't really give reasons. But, check out a Soundcraft M12...

Great sounding EQ, good sounding pres, good sounding board all together....I like running tracks out of the Q10, back through a Soundcraft mixer...and back to the Q10...just makes them sound a little different to me, the EQ is very nice etc. Thats only like a 700 dollar investment...I'd reccomend it.

That would put you at like 4300 bucks...not even half way there...

and you'd have a lot of what you will need to start making good recordings.

Then you can figure out how many more inputs/mics/compressors you need..decide what aspects are really important to you..and go from there. And that will also give you 22 Preamps at your disposal...8 on the Aardvark, 12 on the Soundcraft, 2 on the RNP.

Software wise, I think you should avoid Cool Edit 2.0...it's ok...but, limited editing features in my opinion. And, for mixing...it is a bear.

Hope that helps...now, where is the "ok, great...I am planning to buy all of this stuff over the next year and a half"...

hehe, these threads always SEEM urgent ;)

-wes
 
?

If I had to spend that money at once I'd:

Mackie Monitors $1k
Great River 1NV (vox and Bass BI) $1k
2x RNP $1k
Homebrew PC w/Delta 1010 $1.2k
Sonar 2XL, Sonitus plug pack, PSP Delay Pack, NI B-4, NI Studio Drum Samples for DR 008 (Included with Sonar 2XL) $1k
Soundelux U-195 or AT4060 $1k
2x Neumann KM184 $1k
2 SM57, 1 ATM 25, 1 Senn 4?? dynamic, 2 Radshack Tom mics, Mackie 1202 (for headphone mix, monitoring, routing and 4 extra pres. $1k
2 RNC's, 3 Behringer Composers, 1 sm7, cheap midi controller, $1k
Furniture, acoustic treatment, cables $1k

Yep.

-Jett
 
To clarify my post: I said *MY* Ultimate 10k Setup

I agree that he could scrap one Aardvark for 16 total tracks.

Why 16 though??
--I could use 10 mics to mic a drum set if I end up double micing the bass drum and snare.

Why CoolEditPro 2??
--Well it is easy to use first of all. Mixing on it is a breeze and as far as editing goes...well it is one of the best out there. It is good enough to make your own samples starting from Sine waves. Not to mention it has great noise removal out of the box. Midi is lacking but there. Plus it has a great EQ and useful effects. I just wish it supported VST natively so that I could use a DSP card with it.

*OOPS* Things I forgot in my setup
Monitors - Event 20/20bas (freed by omitting one q10)
Headphone amp - Behringer (bought with the extra $200)
Headphones - 4 AudioTechnica ath40? (sorry $240 over budget)

My setup may not be the "be all/end all" of digital recording, but is very versatile and would allow you to record everything from an Orchestra to a Rock Band. In fact, there are very few things you wouldn't be able to do with that setup.

Beezoboy

PS - Wes CoolEdit rocks man!! :)
 
That's one hell of a drum kit there! (5 toms, seven cymbals...) Since it sounds like you are personally drum oriented, it seems like you will definitely need the ability to record sixteen tracks simultaneously. If you have one mic (or DI) each on the vocals, bass, and 2 guitars, that leaves 12 for the drums, which is certainly plenty even for that sized kit. (Allows for individual tom mics, room mic or mics, under snare mic, etc.) Hope you have a pretty big room for that sized kit playing those styles of music.

I definitely think you will be unhappy limiting yourself to just 8 simultaneous recorded tracks.
 
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