Upgrading some gear, need advice!

m.n.bn

New member
Hey! So I'm planning on recording my band again soon I'd like to upgrade some of my gear before doing so.

I'm currently using decent budget gear; it all works and sounds great and I don't have any problems with any of it. But I'd like to get some opinions on what I can upgrade first to make the biggest difference in my recordings / mixes.

I have about $1000 that I'm willing to spend. Below you'll find what gear / mics I use to record the different instruments in my band, which will give you an idea of what I currently own. I'm open to any suggestions, whether you think I should spend it all on one thing, or on multiple items totalling $1000. If you'd like to know, I'm really leaning towards upgrading my interface (I'm interested in the Focusrite Clarett 8pre), but I also think I could shell out for better drum mics. This is where I need some input or discussion on what's most important.

Thanks so much for anyone that offers their input! If you have any questions let me know.

DAW: Logic Pro X
Audio interface : Zoom R16

Guitar recording: SM57 , Blue Spark to capture the Cab in the room

Bass Recording: Tube MP studio as a DI

Drum recording:
-CAD CM217 (pair) pencil condensers as overheads
-SM57 Snare (top)
-DRI 100 's on Toms
-DRKX1 kick drum mic
-Spark to capture the room / as a mono room mic.

Vocals : Blue Spark
 
Hello and welcome m.n.bn......as you say....you're pretty happy with your results now, but having $1000 to spend can be tempting. Beware of GAS.....gear acquisition syndrome. The Focusrite does look like it could be an upgrade to your Zoom R16 in that it may have slightly better pre's and a bit more I/O flexibility with an effect or two. That being said..........it's not likely that it will drastically or even noticeably affect your sound result. The Zoom (if you're using the latest drivers) should be fine for latency and remember......it's also a useful control surface.

I think you'd be better served to invest in some mic upgrades. Your current mic stock seems "ok" but $1000 can go a long way towards improved sound from better mics. That....of course....is just my opinion.

The guys and gals here will be willing and certainly able to advise you.....know matter what you decide to do.
 
Do you have some recordings of what you’ve done with your current setup?

What’s the recording space like? I think I’d want to hear how you’re getting along with what you have.

Kind of saying what [MENTION=160917]Mickster[/MENTION] did, most of us put interface upgrades at the end of our lists.
 
Hey! Thanks [MENTION=160917]Mickster[/MENTION] for the reply and thanks for the welcome to this forum.

I luckily don't suffer greatly from GAS, I simply have a bit of cash to spend and think that some aspects of the gear I'm currently using could probably use an upgrade. Thanks for your input re: upgrading mic's, the more I think about it the more I feel like this is probably the area to spend some cash.
 
[MENTION=196982]keith.rogers[/MENTION] You can hear some of the recordings I have done here: bloodynarcissists.bandcamp.com/

I don't have a really well designed recording space and I won't for a while, but I make due. I own a primacoustic studio paneling kit and some thick studio foam that helps to make the space more manageable. Thanks for your input re: the interface, this is really helpful so far actually.
 
[MENTION=196982]keith.rogers[/MENTION] You can hear some of the recordings I have done here: bloodynarcissists.bandcamp.com/

I don't have a really well designed recording space and I won't for a while, but I make due. I own a primacoustic studio paneling kit and some thick studio foam that helps to make the space more manageable. Thanks for your input re: the interface, this is really helpful so far actually.
With the drums being such a big part of your songs I'd wait and see if you get any input on that. Some of it might be mix decisions, of course, and it never hurts to post up early mixes in the MP3 subforum.

Without derailing this, did you try other mics in your kit on the vocals to test how they worked, or not, or did you just pick the Blue because it's maybe the one you just decided to use? I have a tendency to think dynamic mic when I hear harder edge vocals, and, then, of course, that often means a preamp with some color to go with it, and there goes a bunch of money :).

But, I guess maybe the questions I'd ask is, what, specifically, would you like to improve? That might help.
 
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[MENTION=196982]keith.rogers[/MENTION] I just went with the spark, it sounded nice and full and I figured why overthink it. I'll probably try an SM7B for vocals this time around to see how that sounds though; it's a mic I've been overlooking for a while.

Recording drums is an area I've been working on improving, those recordings were done 2 years ago and I've been practicing a lot. There are so many factors in getting great drum recordings though.
 
For me now days, recording my band and others, I use a digital mixer. I picked the Midas MR16 because it has very good preamps, decent effects( if I need them) I can record multitrack easily. I can link other input boxes for more mic inputs. The down side of this mixer, you need a tablet, iPad, or computer. The upside is also you can use the iPad/tablet right there where you stand, ready to play. This little mixer has made life so much easier. Plus it’s a very nice live mixer too. It’s under $1000.00 catch it on sale tomorrow, you might save enough for an SM7b too.
 
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