Im new here....I NEED HELP

R

RawkpunK

New member
HELP PLEASE!
hey guys, this is my first time on here and all the info is reaaaally helpful, yet also as equally confusing. there are alot of contradictions about certain things and i guess the only true answers are obtained by trial and error. having said that i WOULD like some advise on a major purchase im about to make. im looking at the adat studio pack and its looking real good to me, though ive heard otherwise. basically im in a pop punk band that im going to be recording(doesnt involve over elaborate effects or anything like that)all im looking for in this setup is good high quality sound(not like major studio eric clapton quality)that will produce good demo cd's and stuff like that. also the adat edit card cause ill be doing most mixing and editing on pc(cubase). over time ill probably add an xt as the master and use the lx as the slave(is that ok to do?)I NEED HELP...oh my..haha im so confused. im gonna also put up a help me in the recording technique section about mics...a whole other headache...but please give some advise if ya could THanX -RawkpunK-

[This message has been edited by RawkpunK (edited 12-27-1999).]
 
RawPunk,

I've been looking at the Studio Pack for a year! Just waiting to get the money together. Here is what you will hear from a lot of people:

The LX doesn't compare to the XT--actually, in a lot of ways it does. Inside, the units are almost identical. Biggest difference: the LX doesn't have +4, balanced inputs. For home recording that isn't a huge problem. My 4 track doesn't have those types of inputs but with a little mixing magic I get plenty of input and output from my 4 track. When I am ready to make the leap from home recording to studio recording I will go to a studio until I get enough money back in royalties to build my own studio. The digital output of the LX and XT are the same, so if you ever go to the all digital domain in the future, you are set.

The Studio 24 mixer: this board is matched for the LX and is great for 8 track recording. What if you need to go to 16 track recording? Sell the Studio 24 and get the studio 32. You would probably get a decent trade in, too.

The effects (nanoverb and nanocomp): hey, these are basically freebies. They may not be the greatest, no true editing capabilities on the 'verb, but they will be better than nothing until you raise another $1000-1500 fo a good compressor and multi-effects unit. But until that extra grand pops up, isn't free slightly adequate better than nothing.

And you get all the cables for free, too. And a video to show you how to set up a home studio and get that studio working.

Personally, I believe you are getting a more than decent recorder out of this a great live sound board that works well as a recording mixer until you can afford better. Now, if you can afford better right now, think about it. I know Musician's Friend has a special for 2 XT-20s PLUS the BRC Remote for $4000. But you still have to get the mixer and effects (another $1500-2000, easily). If you have the money go for it. Otherwise the Studio Pack is looking pretty good and the only real complaint I've heard on this board about the Pack's content has been about the Nanocomp. People have been saying a few things about the Studio 24, but the mixer controversy is more a personal opinion poll anyway. Bottom line, mixers under 10 grand will never compare with the mixers over 10 grand--none of them. But hey, we are talking about home recording on this BBS, right?

Peace, Jim
 
Actually Jim, there are some significant differences between the LX and the XT that can really influence your decision to buy a LX.

I recently took one of old Black Face ADAT's into the local repair shop for a 1500 hour service on it. I got to talking to the owner about the XT and LX. He repairs them, he doesn't sell them. So anyway, I expressed some concern about the head stacks on the XT because a friend of mine has one and he has had a few problems with the most expensive part of the unit (the headstacks). Anyway, out of this conversation I learned two things. 1- The XT models (either the original or the XT-20) are top notch machines. Very dependable, sound great (I already knew that from my experiences with them) and very affordable.

2- The LX-20 is about as cheap of a machine as is available on the market!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It would appear that on the LX model that you can actually "twist" the outer casing with your hands!!! The quality of the case is not anywhere as good as any ADAT that has ever been made!!! Holy cow!!! Also, the transport parts are appearantly not up to snuff with the more professional model ADAT's!!!!!!!!!!! Jeez, I think I will just pop in my tape here and let the machine eat it up!!! :)

It is really just a matter of quality. If you think that saving a few hundred bucks is worth chancing your tapes to a low quality machine, well, have at it. I will recommend the XT, or for that matter buying a used Type 1 ADAT any day of the week. Also, I am still a big believer in +4 recording levels. That is the only way to start making your recordings sound somewhat "pro".

As far as the Alesis mixer, reverb, and compressor, my opinion is that they are ALL just freebie throw in's!!!! I just don't think that you can get quality mic pre amps on a mixer that cost's $350 bucks. If you think they will serve you well, well, you will just spend more money down the road buying a mixer that will deliver some kind of quality sound as well as buying outboard mic pre's.

Rawkpunk. Don't let a nifty advertising and price tag influence your decision to buy equipment. Going with the Studio Pack will just mean that the day that you would like to step up a bit in recording, and trust me, if you stay at it long you will step up very soon......you will need to buy some real recording gear. At best, the Studio Pack offers a package that will serve for rehersal tapes for new band members.

Personally if I was working on that kind of budget and was serious about purchasing gear, I would look used. There is plenty of great used gear available to a person that doesn't have that "itch" to buy something now. A little patience can produce you a nice little home recording setup where the component could actually be used in a "for hire" recording studio if you ever find yourself in one for a more serious recording project.

Don't think that a all in one deal that is cheap is going to serve you well for more than a few months. If you are not looking to record some pretty good sounding demo's for a long time to come, and also upgrade when you get to that point, I would recommend just getting a cheapy 4 track and leave the serious recording for a studio to do for you.

That is my 2 cents worth.

Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com
 
hey thanx,
ok...i found a used (52 hrs,in box, manuls) xt for 1400.
should i go for it?
my price range for that and the mixer is around 2000 or so. i dont know that much about good quality mixers either so any info you could give about getting a used one for around 6-800 would help alot. thanx for the help -RawkpunK-
 
If it is a XT 20 than it is an okay deal. If it is just a regular XT (18 bit D/A converters, 16 bit A/D) I would offer about $1000 and really no more.

With a $1000 left over I would seriously look into the Allen and Heath Mix Wizard console. Compared to Mackies, Alesis, Studiomasters, and all the other low end consoles, the A&H has the best overall package. It has nice warm eq's, smooth sounding preamps, and alot of versatility for the money.

Then look into at least one of each 1- ART Dual MP 2- Behringer Composer. The two of these together will set you back about $500 for new units, but it is money well spent.

Good luck.

Ed
 
Hi Ed,

Wow, I never heard anything about the chasis of the LX20 being so cheap. That is quite disconcerting because i was thinking of possibly getting one to use with a digital mixer with ADAT optical ins/outs and bypassing the whole +4 vs -10db connections altogether. I was considering the Fostex VM200 which is their digital mixer, 32 bit converter and DSP processing. Have you heard if these are worth anything or not? In light of what you say, I am also considering the Fostex D-108 hard disc recorder--it runs about $1100, quite a bit lower than the XT20 and it is also a 20 bit recorder. Do you have any opinions?

Peace, Jim
 
awesome thanx for the mixer info. the allen&heaths' sound good and ive found some used ones that i dont know too much about:
allen&heath 1821 - $600
" " mix wizard 16:2 - $600
i dunno what retail is for those or if their good models but whatever. im also looking into the mackie vlz series. they seem like good reliable clean sounding boards but i havent played with 'em.
haha you guys know way too much about this stuff...i feel like a jackass ;)
 
I just have to throw my 2 cents in here!

I recently purchased an ADAT LX 20, and it is working fine..... I know the casing is just sheet metal and not cast metal as in the older ADAT's but all of my equipment is in the rack and fairly well protected!

The LX 20 seems to be built just as strong as any other amp, effects unit, or tape deck I have used! I am on my 7th ADAT tape and have had no problems (All different brands. AMPEX, JVC. TDK, ). I have rewound and re-recorded overdubs and many takes on the same part of the tape...you know trying to get it right..
NO Problems. Just my oppinion, but
I will keep you all posted on my results.

Sincerely;

Dom Franco

[This message has been edited by Dom Franco (edited 12-29-1999).]
 
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