Another "New Setup" Thread

F

funkdrmr

New member
Well, I've read & read, and I'll continue reading after this thread has been answered by people that know more about this stuff than my newbie self (everyone start replying!).

Situation: Rock band starting a home studio. I'm the drummer, & pretty much footing the bill as I've always wanted to have a studio, & I'm really the only one with the $$$ right now. I have a good amount of experience running live sound, but the recording world is completely new to me. I'd really like a setup that will record directly into the computer.

What I have currently:
SONAR 4 + computer capable of running it
MXL V69 Tube Mogami Edition
Rode NT1A
Other various mics (Sennheisser, SM57's, 58's)
Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Pro

Other stuff to get?:
Mackie HR824's
Mackie Control Universal w/ Extender & C4 Effects section
2 Firepods OR 2 Mackie Onyx 800R Preamps to give me 16 channels of simultaneous recording.
Soundcard?

Any suggestions on this stuff would be greatly appreciated. I'm in a pickle with the Firepod / 800R pre's, as I'm not sure which one will work best for me, or the connectivity options to my computer. More research needed, but if I could get some info on this thread it would be great.

I know I need to get a good sound card to at least monitor through, but I haven't seen the info on the pre's to know how they connect up. Any guidance here would be great as well.
 
I think the most important things for you to focus on here is, 1: A decent soundcard and 2: Decent microphones.

Soundcards.. I would definately go with the firepod, and if you can afford 2, go for it!
Theyre amazing cards and im sure many people in here will back me up.

Microphones.. I see you already have SM57 and a NT1A which are good mics. how many vocalists do you have in your band? Also, i think youll need some decent mics for the drums, if your a rock band youll want a nice clean drum sound to play around with. Microphones arent my strong point unfortunately, but i think once youve worked out your budget, you could possibly ask in the 'microphones' section.

You will also need some decent monitors. I have had no experience with the HR824s but ive just had a look at them and they look damn good, so i think you have no problem there.

Again, its all really based on your budget, I think if you let us know how much roughly you have to spend then we can help you work out which parts need more investment than others.
 
Upgrading is a tough decision

I recently upgraded my gear from a Delta 44 audio interface and a Behringer mixer to a Presonus Firepod. I bought the Firepod thinking you could daisy chain two of them together, but apparently the drivers have not been released yet. I'm anxiously waiting. I considered the Mackie Onyx 1640 with a Firewire card, but I read some reviews that convinced me it was more suitable for live use than studio use. From what I understand, the EQ does not transfer via Firewire. The question you need to ask yourself is "How many inputs and outputs do I need" and "Do I even need a mixer?" I would like more than 8 ins/outs than the Firepod offers, but it sounds great and they will eventually release the drivers for up to four daisy chained units. I've heard the Firepod isn't compatible with Sonar, but it does come with Cubase LE, a very capable program. The RME Hammerfall Multiface ranks high in reviews in terms of sound quality and conversions, but it requires a matching $250 PCI card in addition to the $700+ unit. You might also consider the MOTU units, despite the Windows driver compatiblity issues I've read about. Take my advice on the Hammerfall and the MOTU with a grain of a salt though since I have no actual experience with either of them.
 
On the I/O question, I couldn't say much.

I wouldn't worry about vocal or guitar mics. Your large diaphragm condensors will do fine, and the dynamic mics will work well on guitar amps.

I'd buy some good overheads though. And a decent kick drum mic if you have none. You could use the dynamic mics for toms/snare, and the overheads could also be used for acoustical stuff.

A multi output headphone amp and some headphones are very handy when tracking aswell.
 
FattMusiek said:
The question you need to ask yourself is "How many inputs and outputs do I need" and "Do I even need a mixer?"
Click to expand...

I, too, would like at least 16 channels. I'd definitely rather have too many than not enough. My drums take up 9 of those at a minimum, the way I've been micing them recently, so that leaves 7 for 2 guitars and bass. I think it's also a way of keeping me from the hassles we go through every day we record right now....plug in, set levels, unplug....plugin other stuff, set levels, etc... It would be nice to just have everything set up & plugged in all the time.

Halion said:
I'd buy some good overheads though. And a decent kick drum mic if you have none. You could use the dynamic mics for toms/snare, and the overheads could also be used for acoustical stuff.

A multi output headphone amp and some headphones are very handy when tracking aswell.
Click to expand...

New overheads will be about the last thing I buy, just because I'd like to get this other stuff out of the way first. I know it's needed, though.

For the kick, I have the AKG D112. I just recorded last night using the AKG inside the kick, with the V69 about 1 1/2 feet in front and off center, and got a REALLY fat tone.

For headphones, the Furman system is definitely in the plans.
 
Since you're stuck on 16 (like I was), the whole upgrading process becomes a lot harder. There are so many 8 in/out interfaces now. Unfortunately, I ended up settling for less. Let us know what you decide on!
 
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