Check my gear/suggested set-ups for my workstation

earwhig

New member
Hi, I've been around here for awhile and find this place to be quite a valuable source of information. I've been recording for a couple of years. All low-fi 4- track stuff ect. Lately I've been saving to upgrade my gear for more possibilities/better sound and have been doing some studying.
Here's a list of the gear that I've collected over the years. I might sell some. I might not. In June I will have a basement living space as opposed to a crowded bedroom.

1.) Peavey XR 800c 8 channel Stereo Powered Mixer. 4 ohm/150 watts
(-this thing has a noisy ass fan inside that is a pain while recording with my
condensers)

2.) Yorkville Audiopro Micromix SP 12 12 channel mixer. 4ohm/200or250watts
(pretty beat up piece of equipment) (mainly for live use)

3.) My P.C.- Windows 2000, standard soundcard. Acid Music 4.0/Soundforge
7.0

4.) Tascam 424 MKII 4-Track Recorder

5.) Yorkville YSMi 1 Studio Monitors( passive pair) 6ohm/70watts

6.) M-Audio Audio Buddy pre amp

7.) MXL 603s matched pair of sm-diaphram condenser mics

8.) low grade audio technica dynamic mics (2)

9.) JVC quartzlock Turntable and shitty cd player for my listening pleasure

10.) various off brand guitars/basses/amps/stereo receivers/speakers(PA and house)


If anyone's still with me, I would like to set up a workstation that allows me to record my stuff, listen to music, burn my LPs, capture improvisations..ect.....an all-in-one deal.


My questions:

----What are some suggestions for effective/hassle free ways that I could set all this up so all I have to do is flip a few switches and I'll be ready to play around?----

My main focus right now (sound wise) is mics, quality cables, the monitoring section of my chain.

I've been using one of those new-age type of 3-disc changer cd player and receiver all in one home stereo things to power my monitors. All my other receivers are crap.

----Should I invest in a dedicated power amp for my monitoring or can I use any of the above listed pieces of equipment? (mixers?)----

I'm on the hunt for some quality mics right now and of course decent cables.

Every piece of music that I have has different recording medium requirements.
For example: One section of a song might have to be recorded on a boombox while the rest of it would be "hi-fi" Some songs I have might need to be solely analog while others are recorded only to P.C. I'm experienced with both mediums, but still quite the amateur when it comes to micing techniques and room accoustics. My goal is to get the most out of what I have to work with.

I know that there could be many different answers to these questions. I'd just like to hear some thoughts, that's all. So, are there any friendly folks around here to give me some heart felt advice?
 
well first of all, you will need to upgrade your power amps for thsoe monitors. Looks at the Hafler brand

then, get rid of those powered mixers, You need a good unpowerd mixer, like the yamaha mg series.

now, depending on how much you want to spend, you will need a better soundcard. Quality cables wont do crap if you dont have a quality soundcard. Get at least 6 or 8 analog inputs, so that you can have everthing always hooked up. (record player, mixer, cd player, etc). This way, you can just record whatever you want, whenever you want, just choose the channel to record in your software.
 
I definitely agree that the first, and ultimate, place to start is with a good quality recording soundcard with enough inputs to handle everything you need. There are tons on the market, take a look at the M-Audio brand they have quite a bit of selection.
 
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