How close to a professional sound am I with my equipment?

A

axehead

New member
I've only been really getting into digital recording over the two years. At the moment my equipment collection is really only starting - i.e. v. small! While I am quite impressed with the quality of sounds I am getting, it still doesn't really sound like a professionaly mastered CD. Obviously, I wouldn't expect it to, because my mastering and mixing skills are amateur, but if you put a top recording engineer in charge of my equipment, what would he be able to squeeze out of it??...and what are the key things that I have yet to get in my set up? (I think my next purchases will be an multi fx rack unit - a Lexicon MPX 100 and then a decent mic - a Shure SM58)

Note that I currently record rock/instrumental rock using my guitars, bass and Drag and Drop Drummer Lite for drums + sometimes a touch of MIDI...usually some basic keyboard stuff. I think I'll wait until I get a decent mic b4 I do vocals!

My equipment:

Hardware:
PC (Win98, K6-2 500, 128MB RAM, 6GB HD)..soon to be upgraded
SB Live Player 1024 sound card
Freecom CD-Writer
Line 6 POD
Tascam Ministudio Porta02 (mainly used for mixing inputs into my soundcard - i.e. POD etc..)
Basic touch sensitive MIDI keyboard
Sony MD deck (for mixing down to MD)
Denon PMA-250SE Amp + Acoustic Energy speakers - so I can hear what I've recorded! :-)

Software:
Cakewalk Guitar Studio 2
Cool Edit Pro
Sonic Foundry Acid
Fruityloops 3
DSP FX Virtual Pack plugin
Waves Native Power Pack 1/2 + Pro-fx plus plugins (ok, so I didn't buy either of these plugin packs! - lets just say I "borrowed" them off a friend of a friend who works in the music biz)

....so, how close to a prof. sound could I get out of my kit, if I was a recording/mixing/mastering God!!?
 
You don't mention what microphones you're using, but it certainly sounds like a good place to start improving. The pre-amps in the porta aren't the most ideal choice. If you only need one or two microphones set-up at once, you could probably get a big improvement in your sound with an investment in a decent dedicated mic pre-amp.

The soundcard should be okay if you only use the line-in for recording (not "mic"). It'll be a little noiser than the better cards and a bit "fuzzy" on the nuances... but you could do worse. I think mic's and preamps should be a higher priority for ya.

The software should be fine. You'll hit the limitations of Guitar Studio if you get ambitious with your mixes, but there's no shortage of other options. Fruityloops with (and this is the key) good samples can work pretty well.

Now, how far are you from what today's pros are capable of? Forget it. The reeeeeeeally good stuff ain't cheap. But the majority of the people who listen to music don't care about that. Do the best with what ya got and when something starts holding you back, upgrade it.
 
I agree, a decent mic and preamp shoudl get you started. For under $300 you can get a reasonable combination. (I'm thinking somehting like a Rode NT1 and ART TubeMP.)

Also, you may want to really explore Acid more than you have. (If you haven't so far.) A lot of people don't appreciate how powerful it can really be for any genre of music, and they dismiss it as strictly being for techno, etc. Pick up the Drum Tools loop disc and you will have a great tool for making backing tracks.

I use Acid for everything I have recorded, and it's the best thing I have ever found.

As pglewis suggested, once you get the mic and preamp, maybe think about getting a better soundcard down the line. Still, what you have now is a fine start.
 
Sorry, you are not even close friend.

And I agree with ametth (did I spell that right dude?), you don't even have half the quality the Beatles did.

Professionally recorded CD's sound the way they do because usually, there was very expensive gear involved in the recording stage, very nice sounding well tuned rooms, and engineers with enough experience to match a sound to a style, and a producer that knew enough about all the above to pick the studio/engineer combo to help the artist realize the sound that was needed to make their tunes sound great. In addition, I haven't heard your music, and the actual song and performance has a lot to do with how well the recording come out.

It would seem that you don't really have much of that going for you right now.

I see that your soundcard is probably the weakest point in the chain, not knowing what you are using for mics as was stated earlier. Your mic pre amps are not even close to the good range, and software mixing is the pits! Your monitors are not telling you the truth about your sound, and minidisk has a certain digital sound that sounds rather digital, if you catch my drift. POD's are the modern day Rockman unit (if you have been around long enough to remember them!) but don't sound as much like a guitar preamp as the Rockman did.

You should really be asking, "What of this could I possibly salvage and use to do professional recording?". My response would be only the Waves plugin's.

I don't mean to be such a party poopper here, but your statement about not expecting great results from what you have is closer to the mark then you may know right now. Your experience level may be a detriment as well, and that can only be solved with a lot of time just recording. Don't spend too much energy trying to get a sound that compares with your favorite artist with the gear you have, it won't happen. Try to do a lot of recording, and see where the gear limitations fall, and where your experience limitations fall, then come on back and start asking some pointed questions. It would seem that there are some very good engineers in this little domain on the internet, and they could help you much better once you have a better idea WHAT to ask them. You know what I mean friend?

Good luck.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys!

As I said, I'm relatively new to the home recording scene. As I'm only 20, I've got plenty of time to slowly upgrade my gear - and hopefully become a better musician! It's my ambition one day to build my own recording studio, but I think I'll wait another 10+ or so years, when I've got a decent job and a big enough house! :-)

I don't expect to sound like the pros, until I'm using the gear that the pros use, but I just wanted to know where I stand with my current kit. I agree though that I should just upgrade as I see something holding me back.

Couple of quick extra questions though. A mic/pre-amp is something I am thinking of getting in the near future, but if I got a decent mic first, how well would the POD perform if I just used it's tube preamp setting for vocals?

Also, in response to Sound Cracker's comments, what is the problem with software mixing? - I'd quite like to get some kind of controller in the future so I can physically tweak the knobs rather than click a mouse. What are it's weaknesses? Is it my particular software, or software in general? Surely ProTools would be the business if I had a powerful enough PC to run it (and enough money to buy it!)

Lastly, what is the deal with monitor speakers? What is the difference between that and a decent pair of hi-fi separate speakers? Would there really be that much of a difference from my current speakers, as I can hear much more in the music than I ever could with the ones I've got now, compared to ones I used to own.

Thanks!

aLeX
 
Sgt. Pepper was recorded on a 4 track,but it was a Studer!And the reverb tank at Abbey Road was the size of a buick.

Tom
 
First, the Rockman was a joke. There is no way to compare that to the amp simulations today. It had it's own unique sound but it destroyed the character of the guitar.

Your keyboard must be bad if you don't even name it. You can't make a good sounding recording without good sounding instruments. Good guitars, good keys, a good singer, etc.

I wouldn't get too discouraged about not having a studio that sounds professional. I started with a four-track cassette and made decent recordings, yet I didn't have a fraction of the great gear I have now.

If I could give one bit of advice, that would be to focus on buying good microphones. Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic, AKG, Rode, Audix, Shure. Find out what you need from a good salesman and read all the info. you can find. Don't buy a large or small diaphram condenser mic until you can afford a good one.
 
And the POD doesn't?

I hear nothing but mushy, flat tone from the new amp simulators.

At least the Rockman sounded exactly like a certain bands sound! :)

Peace.
 
Re: And the POD doesn't?

Sound Cracker said:
I hear nothing but mushy, flat tone from the new amp simulators.
Click to expand...

My guess then, would be that you are listening to mushy, flat guitar players. ;)
 
The Rockman does give you that signature sound, if you want to sound like everyone else in the 80's who used it.

I use the Bass Pod and the Sansamp PSA-1 and those are used way more than the Rockman by major artists today. Geddy Lee and Flea both said in recent articles(Bass Player magazine) that they used the Sansamp exclusively on their latest albums. Yet, I think the Bass Pod is even better on bass guitar and sounds like a miced amp to me. Go to the Sansamp website http://www.tech21nyc.com and listen to the samples. It can sound a lot more like a Marshall Plexi than a Rockman.

The Rockman is a good effect more than a preamp. It does sustain in a very musical way and is a great lead boost. It just does not sound like a tube amp the way amp simulators do today. The clean sounds have that "glassy" sound that was popular but sounds kind of dated and digital to me.

In a couple of years someone will come up with an amp modeler that will blow today's units away.
 
I gotta agree that your very first upgrade purchase should be a better microphone. Personally I think the Shure SM-57 is the best all-purpose mic you can buy for < $100, and I'm assuming you are operating under a tight budget. Worry about the mic first, then the mic preamp later. The trick is to think in terms of incremental upgrades - buy stuff you can afford but decent enough that it will have a long useful lifespan.

I agree with Camn that, speaking strickly in tech terms, you have "better" hardware than the Beatles did. But knowledge, experiance, and time go a LONG way in makeing "inferior" equipment sound better. Look what Hendrix did with only a four track reel-to-reel - a lot of engineers today, if they hearing Hendrix for the first time, would probably say that it could not be done.
 
Yes! someone finally agreed with me.

I believe it, although it is just a saying of mine. That I have better equipment than the Beatles did. I say it because a person is only limited by their MINDS.
ever heard "mellow Gold" by Beck? Ill bet you have. a few choice notes regarding the album:

"Loser" was nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

and was Recorded at Karl's House and Rob's House on Beck's four track.

As far as the beatles, their equipment was SHITE. Studers are crap compared to what we have nowadays. Peopl have this nostalgia for the past, but the facts are they were geniuses recorded by geniuses. They did have nicer Mics than this guy, tho. That much is true. Add an NT-2 and the setup is Complete!!

xoxoxo
 
Nosey people!

Hey Bruce.

I was trying to find a clever, witty way of saying that I just assume stay anonymous, but that clever, witty way escaped me. While I don't think my background really matters much on a bulletin board like this, I am also aware that many might find such a "resume" useful in assessing whether what I say warrants a reading or not! So, I will share a bit, without giving out too much. Deal?

I have worked in audio in one way or another for a considerable amount of time, and have worked in a few studios. Currently, I do a little tracking on a pick and choose basis with a little mix of borrowed and my own equipment, and usually am producing the artists I track. Mixing is usually where I start charging them some real money, aside from quickie push mixes. I also do a little consulting work for selected studios, individuals, and small clubs, usually in the areas of equipment selection, a bit of acoustic treatment, and "lending an ear" on their more important projects. I have dabbled a bit in mastering but find studio rates that are a bit high for me to make any real money doing it too, even though I don't need an engineer, and the client is mine.

I have used a hell of a lot of different gear over the years. Some really good, some really bad. I have always had a decent ability to remember what something sounded like, sort of like perfect pitch but different, more like a "sound in my head" deal, and this helps when I am assessing the value of any gear I am dealing with or talking about.

I have learned from a few, and have discovered much on my own in audio. I still retain a few clients from the studio days who seem to like my attention to small details that make a difference in the finale mix. I enjoy "talking shop" with peers and hobbyist alike concerning audio. I was turned on to this site by a friend who thought I might share a bit here, so I checked it out, and here I am, dishing out opinions like a movie critic!

Pretty boring eh? Not much of a resume.

What about you?

Good day to you.
 
Sorry SC... I wasn't trying to be nosey...

...there are 2 reasons I asked.

1) You sound an awful lot like another contributor to this site (sonusman) - who had other opportunities come his way and has since left. For a moment I thought you might be him under another alias. He was a very experienced engineer with his own mobile studio and he knew his sh*t cold.

2) You sounded like you knew what you were talking about and share a similar-to-my-own, straight-up writing style; so I was curious about your background. There are a few pros that contribute here and it's interesting to hear their involvement in the recording industry.

For myself, I own and engineer a small, local facility I opened over a year ago (click my website icon below for more info). I am lucky enough to be in a position to pick and choose my clientele and never lose sight of the "fun" aspect. Other than that I've been involved in music/audio for over 20 years and in recording for about 11-12 years in various capacities.

Cheers dude,
Bruce

PS - it ain't about the resume... it's about the knowledge! ;)
 
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