New Setup

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zzfdvz

New member
Hello everyone, I want to expand my setup pretty extensively. I have a strict budget of $8000, and my goal to is ultimately open up a full scale studio. These purchases are a middle ground as I'm trying to build credit for the business so I can expand further down the road. Ideally, I'd like to make as many permanent purchases as possible (I view a good preamp or mic as a more lifelong investment than say a AD/DA box), but I'm going nuts with options, and I also don't want to have a great front end and shit for converters...so I need some advice on a good middle ground really. Here's my setup so far:

-Rooms are built per Rod Gervasis's book and have a good sound/acoustic treatment.

DAW:
-Apple Dual G4, 2gigs RAM 80gigHD & 120gig HD
-M-Audio BX8's
-Logic Pro
-Reason 3
-Drumagog
-Sonalksis Comp & EQ
-Izotope Ozone & Trash
-Bias Sound Soap

MICS:
-AT 4060
-AT 4050 (2)
-SM7
-AKG D112
-SM Beta 52
-SM 57 (6)
-Senn e602 Silver
-Oktava mc-012
-Groove Tubes GT55

PRES:
Brick

INSTRUMENTS:
-DW Drums w/ Zildjian K Custom Darks
-Gibson LP Studio
-Epi LP
-Spector Rebop Bass
-Sovtek MIG 100 Head
-Mesa Single Rec
-Ampeg CL Head
-Mesa 4x12
-Ampeg 6x10

I was using a Firepod for an interface, but it recently shit the bed...so I definately need an interface. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
-Nick
 
Also, I record almost only rock bands and I need between 12 and 16 inputs, and preferably at least 2 stereo outs. Thanks!
-Nick
 
fuul scale studio with that gear will not make it. mic pres good investment if you buy the right ones....vintage neve,telefunken, api. do not underestimate good converters. if you are recording in the box you must have top end, if not, all else does not matter
 
You need proper monitors :D Those are definately a weak point.
If you are expecting paying customers you need to start appealing to people with no recording knowledge: You need to be able to run protools, you should have a pair of ns10's in your studio photos.
 
jmorris said:
fuul scale studio with that gear will not make it. mic pres good investment if you buy the right ones....vintage neve,telefunken, api. do not underestimate good converters. if you are recording in the box you must have top end, if not, all else does not matter
Click to expand...


The guy said $8000 budget! How's he going to set up his "studio" buying "vintage" pres, good converters, and as you pointed out "if you are recording in the box you must have top end, if not, all else does not matter" Are you the arbitter of bad news or something? I was gonna ask if you're on drugs, but I just noticed that your location is "in your own world", so I get it.......reread his post and if you want to offer constructive advice do so, if you want to paint a "doom and gloom" response do it in "your own world".......man, this kind of sophomoric shit pisses me off.

Hopefully someone more helpful will chime in with some suggestions, I'll try to do the same after a little bit of thought.......peace....
 
zzfdvz said:
Hello everyone, I want to expand my setup pretty extensively. I have a strict budget of $8000, and my goal to is ultimately open up a full scale studio. These purchases are a middle ground as I'm trying to build credit for the business so I can expand further down the road. Ideally, I'd like to make as many permanent purchases as possible (I view a good preamp or mic as a more lifelong investment than say a AD/DA box), but I'm going nuts with options, and I also don't want to have a great front end and shit for converters...so I need some advice on a good middle ground really. Here's my setup so far:

-Rooms are built per Rod Gervasis's book and have a good sound/acoustic treatment.

DAW:
-Apple Dual G4, 2gigs RAM 80gigHD & 120gig HD
-M-Audio BX8's
-Logic Pro
-Reason 3
-Drumagog
-Sonalksis Comp & EQ
-Izotope Ozone & Trash
-Bias Sound Soap

MICS:
-AT 4060
-AT 4050 (2)
-SM7
-AKG D112
-SM Beta 52
-SM 57 (6)
-Senn e602 Silver
-Oktava mc-012
-Groove Tubes GT55

PRES:
Brick

INSTRUMENTS:
-DW Drums w/ Zildjian K Custom Darks
-Gibson LP Studio
-Epi LP
-Spector Rebop Bass
-Sovtek MIG 100 Head
-Mesa Single Rec
-Ampeg CL Head
-Mesa 4x12
-Ampeg 6x10

I was using a Firepod for an interface, but it recently shit the bed...so I definately need an interface. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
-Nick
Click to expand...

If you are gonna make a full scale studio, what are you looking at for recording space (actual building)?

If it were me, I would stick with your current equipment (it is good enough except monitors) and spend the $$$ on a damn good monitoring and recording environment. This is only if you own the space or can keep it for a long time. You can always expand on better equipment later but you will never expand at all if you can't make a good, decent recording. Bad sounding rooms and bad sounding monitoring/mixing rooms will only allow you to make bad recordings.

If you do have to rent, work on movable solutions so you can take them with you later.
 
I would definitely recommend some different monitors for starters. I think it would help to have the ones you already own and a second pair for checking the mix. I would go with the yamaha ns10 or HS-80m (which is what I use with great results).

Additionally, it probably wouldn't hurt to add a few more mics, particularly for recording the drums. Nothin too expensive, but I'd drop another 600-700 just on those to see what you can get. Variety is a good thing when it comes to mics.

I would also invest a great deal of your money into getting at least one higher-end vocal pre. Even into the 2000 range for two channels. I know that's alot of your budget, but if you are going to be serious about this, it's a neccessary evil. Also maybe having a few effects processors racked up would give some options for various vocal or instrument reocrdings. I think you definitely have the equipment for a good start, and the 8 grand should get you the rest of the way if you shop smart.
 
Ok, let's look at this logically, shall we? Break it down to the "wanna haves", and the "gotta haves" first. Vintage pre's and big name monitors are great wanna haves, but enough preamps and converters to record a full band are gotta haves that trump all else. Start there.

You stated that you have a proper recording environment already. Let's take that at face value and move on.

Most bands have at least one guy in the band who knows just enough about recording gear to be dangerous. When they look at prospective studios, they're generally playing the name game as they read your gear list, and they're expecting to see a console of some sort behind the glass (you do have the glass, right?). The image of the professional AE pushing real faders, and of mouse mixing being the realm of the home studio is pretty engrained in their brains.
You might want to consider either going with a console with good quality preamps and getting a box of converters, or go with an interface with built in preamps and then a control surface. No, the control surface doesn't really do anything you can't do with the mouse, but unless you have a reputation that transcends image, the visual is important to attracting clients. They're cool to mix on too.
Back to the name game, I hate to say it, but once the gotta haves are covered, the primary wanna haves might be a gold channel of name dropping mic into name dropping pre, like Neuman and Neve, or similar "were going to a real studio" icons. It sucks, but this is how the average unsigned band chooses a studio, and those are your clients for at least a while.
Yes, a monitor upgrade is in the cards, and getting clients in the door on image only works for a while if the recordings don't warrent word of mouth praise for the quality of your work. Image gets the ball rolling, substance keeps it rolling and makes it grow.
 
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