Is outboard gear worth it??

J

jbenishek

New member
For example, in my case. I have built in compression, effects and eq's on my consule. Is it worth getting rack compression, effects and eq's? Is there a big difference in sound? If so, what do you guys recomend for a good compresser, etc? Thanks, J
 
Depends.

What kind of console you working with? If the answer is SSL, neotek, Trident, etc., then chances are you'll do just fine with what you have and any advantages gained by outboard boxes would simply be for variety and tonal options.
 
I have a yamaha Aw16G. There are built in effects, dynamics and eq's for every channel, so its pretty nice. So far its a good unit for the price. I'm just wondering if there is a huge difference between the eq's/dynamics/etc on my consule or rack mount eq's/dynamics. So far, i am pretty happy with the eq's/dynamics that are built in.
 
Well, you will have to try it, that's the problem. :)

But in general, one can say, that if you don't feel limited by your gear, buying more will not be worth it. :)
 
The answer is that there are a lot of outboard mic preamps, compressors, EQs, reverbs and effects that will make a huge improvement over the sound of your built-in stuff. The answer is also that the things that will give you the most improvement will cost you thousands of dollars. There are a lot of 'budget' pieces out there that may or may not be better than what you have - so make sure you can "try before you buy" (in your own recording space, not at the store), and use your own ears to decide what is really "better". The best single upgrade you can make (aside from controlling acoustics to make your room sound better) is a good mic preamp for vocals and acoustic instruments. Take a look at www.mercenary.com and www.atlasproaudio.com - pretty much anything they sell will probably be better than your built-in preamps, and they will let you demo the units at home and return with no re-stocking fee.
Welcome to the world of GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome)!

Scott
 
To my knowlege, the Yamaha is pretty good for live applications. Very good, actually. And probably just fine for rough demos and whatnot. Not sure, though, if I'd want to be doing a lot of critical recording with it.

An RNC would be a substantial step up in quality, and much more transparent than your Yamaha's built-in dynamics. I don't even have to think about that one.

I'd also be willing to bet a Spek EQ would put almost any board's built in EQ to shame in terms of accuracy, phase linearity, and overall sound. Hell, even a used dbx 242 for $100 off ebay would likely be a step up from that on most lower-end consoles.

Not to mention the kinds of killer reverbs you can get these days for $500 from Lexicon and TC.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that, YES, ABSOLUTELY, decent outboard gear will be a noticeable, if not significant, step up from what comes stock with most entry and mid-level mixers.
 
chessrock said:

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that, YES, ABSOLUTELY, decent outboard gear will be a noticeable, if not significant, step up from what comes stock with most entry and mid-level mixers.
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Very true!
And there is a lot of WAY cool cheap old(80`s) stuff for sale, if you know what to look for....

Amund
 
chessrock said:
Not to mention the kinds of killer reverbs you can get these days for $500 from Lexicon and TC.
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Which in turn are outclassed by a $200-250 2nd handed Sony DPS-V55M... occasionally ones pops up on Ebay. I got one, and it sure as hell sounds better than a Lexicon MPX-500... It's been too long since I've heard the TC M-One in action, but I can remember that one DID sound nice.
Anyway, I got the Sony (next to my Korg D16 recorder, which is pretty much alike the AW16G, save the parametric EQ and dynamics per channel, but it DOES have a cool and useful touchscreen.), and a nice little Boss SE-50, and in the future I might add a TC M-One XL (before I hit the really big league (M3000, PCM91, Eventide...)
 
The Yammy is a fine piece of equipment with good efx and processing and U will do well using it's on-board efx. Having additional outboard gear affords you the opportunity to add diff "colors" & "flavors" to your tracks & mixes where otherwise
your DAW's sig processing format might not provide.
 
Talking about effects processors, I know the price difference here is way different but I think the kurzweil mp8 would blow both of those out of the water. What about the eventide eclipse? Or the tc electronic's fireworx. If someone could compare these babies for me I would enjoy it. Is the tc electronic's m one even compare at all to the fireworx?
 
fluxburn said:
Talking about effects processors, I know the price difference here is way different but I think the kurzweil mp8 would blow both of those out of the water. What about the eventide eclipse? Or the tc electronic's fireworx. If someone could compare these babies for me I would enjoy it. Is the tc electronic's m one even compare at all to the fireworx?
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It's all a matter of common sense and courtesy, flux. If someone asks you about the relative merits of a Honda Civic vs. a Toyota Tercel, it's kind of insensitive to respond with "you should really be looking at an Infinity or a Lexus. After all, they're much better cars, and blow those other two out of the water..."

If you'd like to see a discussion about the Kurzweil vs. the Eventide, consider starting a new thread. I'm sure others would enjoy it as well.
 
I've got a Yammy AW4416 which is like the big brother of the 16G. I've had it about 8 months or so.

As mentioned previously they are good units - I'm happy with the dynamics although I'm no expert, not entirely sold on the EQ however and I'm presuming it's the same as on your machine.

One thing I'd definitely recommend with these machines is outboard preamps as someone else said further up. I've got a Mindprint Envoice and Presonus MP20 and although these are firmly in the prosumer range, you can absolutely hear the improvement in quality. Hard to explain exactly, but it's there. As well, the Yammy preamps don't have a hell of a lot of gain.

My 2 external pres are useful because the 4416 has a couple of insert points on Ch 1/2 to bypass the inbuilt pres - again, I presume the 16G has the same.

The thing you have to think about with external dynamic and EQ units like this is how you get the signal in and out. Once it's digital it's probably best to stay that way, and the 4416 has ways of getting the signal in and out so it stays that way. If you go out and back in via analogue means then you've added two conversions to your signal which may or may not override any benefits of a better compressor etc. A digital interface on any devices you're considering is a definite plus as it solves this problem.

If you think that buying a Behringer compressor, sending the signal out an Omni out and back in through an insert will give you a better result then you may be disappointed. Hop on over to one of the Yammie boards (www.socialentropy.com/aw4416/ is the main one I hang out on) and you'll get advice based on your particular machine on things like this - they're very helpful over there (not that you guys aren't here, of course!)

Cheers

David
 
Thanks for the info guys. What would you recomend for my first piece of outboard gear??? A compresser, equalizer, mic pre-amp, effects processor. I was thinking an equalizer or compresser. Let me know what you guys think and please give me some more links to gear that you have and like. Thanks a lot, J
 
Yamaha's next console after the 16G, the 4416G has an expansion board for Native Instruments Plug-ins.


Does the AW16G have that too? Would that be way too much to ask of a thousand dollar HD recorder?
 
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