Home studio setup question.

apoczen211

apoczen211

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I did research on this a bit before I asked here, my answers kind of were just running me in circles so here goes. I'm pondering the idea of putting together a small studio in a basement. My main idea is to have enough inputs for miking drums, guitar cabs, and things of this nature. MIDI is not a huge concern, however it can be something I may need one day. I was looking at the UA Apollo quad and was very interested in it, yet it only has 4 mic inputs and the rest are TRS. This is somewhat of a turnoff to me. Does anyone recommended a good quality interface that I can mic up multiple instruments, I would prefer 16 inputs but money can be insane at that amount. A control surface is not a necessity, yet it is welcome as well. Even some variations as ideas so I can do some research. At this point Ive researched the

Presonus studiolive (pricey, no motorized faders, and preamps are said to be lifeless).

Behringer x32 (not enough info out on it yet)

UA Apollo (4 mic pres, not enough inputs overall, kinda deal breaker for me)

Any info is welcome. If I'm wrong with any of my provided information please feel free to let me know. thanks
 
Thanks for the response. I've never heard of that one. I currently have a Digi 002 with a Digimax LT hooked into it via ADAT so this device probably would be as good as, if not a step back from my current setup. Was looking to find something a little more on the high end side of what I currently have. I definitely should have included my current setup.. Sorry, but thanks for your suggestion.
 
So what your saying is to continue using my digi 002 and the digimax as the I/O, just get a good quality analog mixer? As for this idea, I considered this at first but was concerned that the quality of the preamps and circuitry of the quality mixer would be compromised by the inferior preamps and A/D converters of the digimax and 002. Is this a factor of concern, or is this me over thinking this?
 
I'd just be sticking with what you have to be honest; What's wrong with it?
I certainly wouldn't buy a mixer, just because you have 12 mic preamps already. It'd be an awful waste.


If you were going to go down the mixer road, look at flogging what you have and buying something suitable like an echo audiofire 12.
Still though, I wouldn't bother. Nout wrong with 002 and digimax.
 
The only reason I considered upgrading is that I wanted a setup with better pre's and converters, maybe not right now, but in the near future. this setup I would keep and just use for mobile recording for demos and stuff, whereas the setup I would like to have I wanted it to be a little more HiFi than this. A couple years ago I pondered the Mackie 8 bus with an apogee rosetta or protools I/O, instead I got my setup to keep me busy and learning, but now I want to remain more in the box. Just want to choose wisely when I do make the upgrade that's all.
 
Ah, ok.

That makes sense.
I think to see a worth while difference, you'd probably need to be sinking a brave bit of cash.
Tascam units etc are probably on a par with your current gear.


Anyway, take a look at the 'let me see your studio' or the gearslutz.com equivalent.
You'll get some great ideas from what other people are using.
 
True. I think I'm going to stick with what i have till I see it as being worth while to spend the extra money on something larger. It just seems like there isn't that straight cut setup that will suit my needs within a budget that is reasonable to my current setup. Plugins, mics, monitors, and acoustic treatments seem to be what I should look into more. Thanks for the responses. If anyone has any suggestions that haven't been discussed yet, I greatly welcome it!
 
apoczen211 said:
So what your saying is to continue using my digi 002 and the digimax as the I/O, just get a good quality analog mixer? As for this idea, I considered this at first but was concerned that the quality of the preamps and circuitry of the quality mixer would be compromised by the inferior preamps and A/D converters of the digimax and 002. Is this a factor of concern, or is this me over thinking this?
Click to expand...

I run an analog RAMSA 16 x 4 bus mixer through a Presonus Firepod. I group the 16 tracks into 4 and run it through the Firepod. I turn down the Preamp Gain all the way on the Firepod and use it as an A/D converter, using the Pre's from the board with no issue. There's a variety of ways I could group my tracks also, because the Firepod has 8 ins. I could group 12 into 4 and run 4 direct, I could group my 16 into 4 and use the 4 remaining Pre's on the Firepod.

The best part four me, though, is I get to be hands on and get that live mix feel.
 
I was thinking of this idea, just would rather have an 8 bus, but I can totally see how this works. As for mixing, do you even mess with it on the RAMSA or just send it straight through to your DAW?
 
If I'm tracking more than 8 tracks, I have to create the mix on the RAMSA, so I can group it down to 4 and send it through the interface. If you don't, it gets sloppy and you can't place things in your mix later. You have to have a good idea of where you want things to go in your mix before hand.

If I'm doing 8 tracks or less, I EQ each track on the board and then pass it through the interface directly and play with it more in the DAW, usually.
 
I see what your saying and have done this before with a mackie 1604 and Pro Tools. It is a good way to have all the needed inputs for sure. Thanks for the input...(pun kind of intended..lol).
 
The more groups you can put your tracks into, the better, obviously. If you got a 16 x 8 mixer, you'd only need 2 tracks per group.
 
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