$400, what will improve me most?

[EdJames]

I currently have:-

Delta 44 Soundcard
Marshall MXL V67 Microphone
M-Audio Audio Buddy

I currently have $400 saved to improve my set up, I'm particularly looking to get a drier vocal with a crisper sound.

Could you perhaps recommend what I should buy to get this? Perhaps a portable booth? Or maybe an upgraded preamp (thats the current plan, to a Presonus Bluetube)? Or perhaps some form of EQ'ing hardware would do this?

I'm a complete newb, so all advice would be great. I essentially am just looking for a nice clean vocal that I can edit into studio quality with compression, eq, reverb software.

Thanks in advance.

[EdJames]

Uppin for a reply.

[SonicAlbert]

I personally don't believe in small upgrades. So while the BlueTube is an improvement over the Audio Buddy, it is not enough of an improvent to warrant spending the money. Also, I wouldn't describe the sound of the BlueTube as being dry or crisp.

My suggestion is to spend the whole $400 on a new preamp. Or, if you don't want to do that, then look at the Rane MS-1b preamp, which will cost you around $150 or so. I think that might have more of the sound you are looking for.

Or take a look at the Aphex 207D two channel preamp.

[EdJames]

Thanks Albert, just the sort of advice I was looking for.

Would you say that the current mic and soundcard are adequate?

[SonicAlbert]

Well, let me put it this way: I think the weakest link you have right now is your preamp.

So yeah, a better mic or soundcard would be an improvement as well. But I think the biggest improvement you would see with $400 is putting all or most of it toward one piece of gear, in your case the preamp.

Then after you've saved up some more money, go for another mic. Something in the $300+ street price range would probably give you a noticable improvement. Or something like an AT-4040, which sells for a little over $200.

[notbradsohner]

what monitors are you mixing on?















well theres your answer

[aaroncomp]

Yeah, I was going to suggest monitors.

[EdJames]

Also, how can I reduce room acoustics without treating the room? I don't have a closet either. Any tricks?

I was thinking of making a three sided vocal booth out of foam and bulsa wood with hinges on each section so I can fold it away. Would this do the job?

[SonicAlbert]

I'm not sure balsa wood is going to be structurally strong enough, but that's the right idea. You could build a frame out of PVC piping and hang blankets on it for some deadening.

[valverec]

I'd go for a nicer mic pre myself. I'd buy a single channel unit of some kind and spend the whole lot on it.

[EdJames]

So I guess my next question is the one you all expected...

For $300 - $400, what mic preamp (solely for recording pop/rnb vocals) would garner the greatest increase in sound quality?

[EdJames]

Originally Posted by SonicAlbert

I'm not sure balsa wood is going to be structurally strong enough, but that's the right idea. You could build a frame out of PVC piping and hang blankets on it for some deadening.

Maybe not balsa wood, but maybe some cheap 2cm thick wood with wheels on the base of each panel and foam on the inside of the panel. Almost like a dressing screen.

[scrubs]

I'll become your personal internet life coach for $400. I promise 100% improvement in 90 days or the price doubles for the next 90 days.

[seismetr0n]

i vote for some decent monitors... (wharfes for $300)... then spend the rest on a small pack of studio foam.. use it to get rid of the first reflections from your monitors... then you might be able to hear what youre mixing a bit more properly....

i recently upgraded to the 207D (mainly to add the 2 channels via s/pdif)... it sounds good but not a mega upgrade from my alesis studio 24 board....

as for isolating room reflections for vocals.... my cheap fix is hanging some thick clothes (fuzzy jackets, blankets, whatever) on a boom stand directly behind my mic stand and kinda making a wall/cavern that at least half surrounds it, so that it kinda blocks most room sound, plus when you sing into it... it stops a lot of your voice from verbin in the first place.... (this has worked quite well for me)


gl

[SonicAlbert]

For $300-400 take a look at:

ART Pro Channel

Focusrite Trakmaster Pro

M-Audio Tampa

ART MPA Gold

Aphex 207D

On that list, probably the first three would be your better options since you only seem to need only one channel. Street prices (new) on all those are in the $300-400 range if you do some shopping around. I'd suggest buying new.

[riffy]

Save a an extra hundred bucks or so on top of your 400.00 and get a Grace 101 pre.

[dgatwood]

Wait... so half the folks here are suggesting feeding a sub-$100 mic into a $500 preamp? Are you kidding?

The mic is, by far, the weakest thing I see in your signal chain. A preamp will make some improvement in the accuracy of the recording, but you're still getting a more accurate image of a relatively inexpensive mic. It's like taking an 8MP photo through a smudged lens. You'd still be better off taking a 3MP photo through a clear lens, even though there will theoretically more detail in the 8MP photo....

That said, if the vocals lack crispness, you probably have some reflection problems in your room that need to be fixed or no amount of equipment will make any real difference. There's an entire forum section on studio building. Go there, describe your room, and ask for suggestions.

[acidrock]

Originally Posted by EdJames

Also, how can I reduce room acoustics without treating the room? I don't have a closet either. Any tricks?

I was thinking of making a three sided vocal booth out of foam and bulsa wood with hinges on each section so I can fold it away. Would this do the job?

I made a two sided collapsable "sound barrier" for use in my home.I'm a hobbyist and my room has to be used for things other than recording.I hang a heavy blanket over the top and it has been working out great for me,in fact I'm thinking of building a third panel.

Here are some pics....

the frame

the finished barrier

Rough looking I know,but you'll never hear how it looks on a recording.

[chris-from-ky]

Take your $400 bucks and turn it into $800. Then take the $800 and turn it into $1600 and then you'd be able to make a substantial improvement to your recordings.

Audio Technica 4040
FMR RNP
Mackie 624 Monitors

You'd be better served putting that money to work for you in some kind of investment or money-earning opportunity than to squander it away for one piece of gear that won't make a big sonic improvement.

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by dgatwood

Wait... so half the folks here are suggesting feeding a sub-$100 mic into a $500 preamp? Are you kidding?

Well, I kind of feel the same but the other way around. As in: you are suggesting feeding a $400 mic into an $80 Audio Buddy?

What about splitting the budget, like an Audio Technica AT4040 and a Studio Projects VTB1? Or an ADK Hamburg into a Rane MS-1b?

[Creamyapples1]

Or go ahead and get the $400.00 pre and when you save some more money, get a better mic. Heaven forbid there be a gap between purchases.....

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by Creamyapples1

Or go ahead and get the $400.00 pre and when you save some more money, get a better mic. Heaven forbid there be a gap between purchases.....

This probably is the best advice. A better preamp will make the V67 sound a lot better, and then you can upgrade the mic next.

[EdJames]

So here's what I'm doing...

I have bought a ten metre mic lead to extend it to my fitted wardrobe. In here I am going to hang transit blankets on clothes hangers in a digital C shape. This should block out the sound.

Since the Mxl V67 is brand new I will relist on Ebay and use that money towards the Audio Technica AT 4040. I might buy a Shure SM-58 as a backup vocal mic too.

Preamp wise I have ordered a $300 DBX 286 A microphone preamp which I was advised on this board was good for the money.

So, have I taken on board what you all said and made a good decision?

[Creamyapples1]

If you are happy with your end result, then it was well worth it. I don't think anyone will really be able to tell you much more than that, accurately, but it's progress and a step in the right direction for sure.

[SonicAlbert]

I like your mic choice, but I'm not crazy about your preamp choice.

You'll keep that AT4040 for as long as you are recording. You may purchase additional mics later, but the AT4040 is a mic that you can keep around forever. Good choice.

The DBX 286 better than the Audio Buddy, no question, but another couple hundred dollars or so gets you into a whole different league. That's my only comment on it really.

However, you have definitely upgraded your front end. I think you will hear quite a difference in the results. Live with this setup for a while and then in a year or two think about taking it another step up.

I also think you were probably right to go with a balanced kind of approach and upgrade both the mic and the preamp. The only thing I would have suggested is maybe keep the V67 and add the AT4040 to it. Assuming you can afford to do that. I think it is a good thing to have at least a couple different mics around.