Equipment Ideas!

[kormaniac]

ok...this may be waaaay to broad of a question...but since it is the season of gifts...i thought I would try to find some ideas. I'm wondering if there is any hardware (rack equipment) that could supplement my home studio. Currently I'm using the gadget labs soundcard recording 8 simultaneous tracks into my computer. I use Sonic Foundry's Vegas Audio for all of my mixing and mastering. The musical genre I play tends to be heavier rock. I have a marshal 4x12 stack and often record my drum set as well. I'm wondering if there are compressors....limiters...vocal enhancers...that anyone has experience with while recording....or if there is a way to use them in the mixing stage. Are there benefits to these hardware units over your typical direct-X plug in compressors...limiters...etc...etc. Hopefully people are getting some clue as to what I'm looking for...if anyone can help...it would be great....

 

[geekgurl]

Yes, it's quite a broad question. How are you for mics, a reference amp, and reference monitors? Mic pres? These "gift ideas" range from cheap (under $100) to very expensive.

Also, someone who's actually used it is probably going to suggest to you FMR's RNC (Really Nice Compressor) for about $170. But then, you'd have to be sure you WANT to use an outboard compressor, which most people do. I'm just a freak (or clueless) for not having to do so yet.

Sounds like maybe you need to figure out your needs, research what will fulfill them, and then prioritize?

 

[ebeam]

Hey Korm-

I too use a Gadget Labs 824 and Vegas. Its been a pretty effective setup for myself. My weakest link for a long time was mic pres - I was almost exclusively using the ones in my Alesis Studio 24. But I just got my RNP (Really Nice Preamp as if you didn't know) and while I haven't had a chance to really break it in I did a quick A/B on a couple sources and all I can say is WOW. I really didn't see the big differences with the quick tests I did with a sm57 like I thought I would from other people's comments (although I have yet to try it on a electric guitar). But what it did for my vocals through an AT4033 was just incredible - great clarity in the midrange, tight bottom and airy top end. I can't wait to try it on stereo pairs for acoustic guitar with my 603's or ECM8000's.