I'm in the process of setting up a home studio. It is a home studio in the sense that it's in a house, but it will be setup with a soundproof booth, etc. We're working on getting the initial equipment setup for the studio basics, and upgrades will come soon after. Yesterday we purchased a DBX 286A Mic Pre-Amp/Effects Processor because of a rave review by a professional producer friend of mine. We also purchased a monitor/microphone bundle that was offered by musicians friend (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/s=headphones/search/detail/base_pid/248148/). Can anyone share their experiences with any of this equipment? We'll also be purchasing a Behringer DDX3216 (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/s=mixers/search/detail/base_pid/631225/) mixer, a Shure SM57, MXL 2003, and an MXL 603s. Please let me know what you think about this equipment so I can make a more informed decision before the purchase. Also, we're undecided on a drum kit mic package, so if anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Thanks in advance.
New studio setup
- Thread starter kwitak
- Start date
SonicAlbert
Super-Sonic "Herb" Albert
I think the MXL mic that people seem to talk about a lot is the V69, a vocal mic.
Be real careful about those packages, as dealers sometimes just dump gear they can't get rid of that way. I would never choose those particular monitors as my main monitors, for example.
Also, as far as the drum mic package, you'll be better off with a few good drum mics than a slew of cheap mics. My brother bought a ton of cheap mics for his drums a few years ago and they weren't that useful. The most important thing is having a good stereo pair and then maybe adding something for the kick, snare and cymbals.
You should also reconsider your concept of setting up " the studio basics" and then "upgrades coming soon after". In my opinion you should skip directly to the upgrades. There is very little on your gear list, other than the SM57, that I would really consider worth the money you are spending.
What gear is on your upgrade list?
Be real careful about those packages, as dealers sometimes just dump gear they can't get rid of that way. I would never choose those particular monitors as my main monitors, for example.
Also, as far as the drum mic package, you'll be better off with a few good drum mics than a slew of cheap mics. My brother bought a ton of cheap mics for his drums a few years ago and they weren't that useful. The most important thing is having a good stereo pair and then maybe adding something for the kick, snare and cymbals.
You should also reconsider your concept of setting up " the studio basics" and then "upgrades coming soon after". In my opinion you should skip directly to the upgrades. There is very little on your gear list, other than the SM57, that I would really consider worth the money you are spending.
What gear is on your upgrade list?
apl
Stand Up Comity
kwitak said:
The pres in Behrs aren't all that great. Consider upgrading to Yamaha or Mackie. The MXLs aren't that great either. Consider RODE. You can get a great drum recording with just two overhead condensor mics. Add the SM57 on the snare and another mic on the kick and you'll be able to tweak things in the finall mix.
Good luck!
Supercreep
Lizard People
Get the room to sound good. Then monitors so you can hear what you're doing accurately. Depending on what you want to record you may want multiple input channels with pres/ADA converters. You'll need headphones and some sort of headphone monitoring setup. Then some mics - maybe a sm57 or two, some SDCs for OH, a large diaphragm dynamic for kick, and an LDC. Don't forget the cables and stands, you'll need 'em.
I'm assuming this is a DAW you're putting together and not a tape or ADAT outfit.
I would pick up quality individual pieces and gradually put together a nice outfit. That way you'll be familliar with each piece and what it does before you add another. This helps isolate issues you may encounter along the way.
In any case, people frequently forget that the best equipment in the world will sound bad in a bad room, and that it's hard to get a good mix on bad monitors.
I'm assuming this is a DAW you're putting together and not a tape or ADAT outfit.
I would pick up quality individual pieces and gradually put together a nice outfit. That way you'll be familliar with each piece and what it does before you add another. This helps isolate issues you may encounter along the way.
In any case, people frequently forget that the best equipment in the world will sound bad in a bad room, and that it's hard to get a good mix on bad monitors.