compressor questions for non-engineers

[rolebid]

hello,

I'm new to this forum but have learned much from previous posts. I have been slowly purchasing equipment over the last year to put together a small studio. I intend to put together a few projects ranging from extreme metal to techno/industrial. I'm hoping to get compressor advice from some readers. I just read the post from odigwal and am totally turned around on mastering/mixing.I was considering buying one of the behringer autocom pro's (compressor limiter gate expander) but remember someone making a negative remark to it in a previous post. I will list my equipment in it's entirety and am open to any suggestions as I am brand new to this game. As with odigwal, I hope to be able to record and mix this whole project myself and will shoot for that first but will undoubtably leave my options open to take the recording to a professional for final mix. okay here goes:

-fostex dmt-8vl dig.recorder
-alesis dm5 with ddrum triggers on a yamaha power-v natural drum set w/aquarian heads
-yamaha dx-?00 powered mixer w/shelving and 10 band eq
-1 cheap german "Watson" dynamic mic
-1 C1000s akg mic
-dod 512 (cheap rack multifx: delay,echo,reverb,flange,etc.)
-bbe 486 sonic maximizer
-yamaha su700 sampler (has complex effects unit inside)
-yamaha an1x synth
-korg pandora
-KRK rokit studio monitors
-mackie 1400i power amp
- sony mdr-v700dj monitor headphones
-sony minidisc recorder
-recording in a decently dampened freezer room in an old dairy

would this mic setup be good enough for recording the guitar sounds?

should I record the dm5 in unison with the c1000s as a room mic picking up the natural drum sound? that way having a triggered drum track layered with a natural one? or will that cause problems? Would I need more mics?

will the above monitors be good enough for mastering/mixing?


will the behringer autocom pro be a good compressor to buy for the novice setup stated above?

I really appreciate everyone's patience in reading through all this and thank everyone ahead of time who can help.


thanks,
rolebid

[pglewis]

For compressor advice (usage), check http://www.geocities.com/shailat2000/

As for project advice, doing this yourself from scratch is cool if you don't have any deadline to meet. You might do well if you have a natural inclination for the engineering side and pick it up really fast. But if the project has to be completed in a certain amout time, I'd say go to a decent studio instead. Watch how they deal with the process in the tracking and mixing stages. Ask pertinent questions, but don't bombard 'em. If you understand why they put the mics where they did and why the chose the mics they chose, you'll be better equipped to do the tracking yourself.

As for the compressor concern, I'd focus on a good mic preamp and mic first. SM-57's are cheap, and though it's stock advice, they do usually sound decent on guitar amps and snare drums. There's pre-amps for every taste, occasion, and budget... but you can find a lot with the search. The compressor ain't gonna make or break your recording, every piece of gear contributes to the signal. If you get the basics of tracking down and have fairly decent gear, it's pretty easy to get an acceptable signal to the 8-track. The less you do to it, the better signal the studio will have to work with-- and they'll have better outboard toys than you'll want to fork out for.