need help setting up home studio...

G

girlthatdrums

New member
after much research on what to buy and the sound i was trying to acheive, i've decided to set up a "mostly analog" studio. i need some help and suggestions as to what you think i'm overlooking, suggestions, tips, etc.

the gear i'll be using is the following:

fostex g-16 1/2" reel to reel
dod dimension 3 effects system
behringer ulragraph pro eq
crown 402 power amp
yorkville ap4040 power amp
yamaha 12" club series monitors
shure sm57 on the guitar cab (crate blue voodoo)
shure sm57 on the snare
akg d112 on the kick
sennheiser e604's on the toms
akg d112 combined with the line-out on the bass cab (ampeg svtIII pro)
sennheiser e635 for vocals (don't have the budget to purchase a nicer studio mic at the moment)
mackie 1402 (again, don't have the budget for a larger board at the moment. we're tracking everything seperately and the mac 6 outs is actually all i need for my drums anyhow)

a couple questions i have right off the bat are as follows:

1) can i by-pass the onboard pre-amps on the mackie for something a little better?

2) does the fostex have noise reduction built in, or should i invest in something? there are some used dbx 150s going for around $40 now.

3) should i seriously think about investing in some compression for use during recording, or will i be able to cover my bases post production? (which we probably won't due ourselves)

FYI - this is a three piece indie rock act.

Thanks for any input!
 
Do you already have the monitors and power amps? If not, and you aren't doing the mixing, you could skip that. If you are doing mixing, you can't do that on stage monitors.

Unless I missed it, you have no mics for drum overheads. That's more important than miking toms.

Not sure if the Behri EQ is better than the Mackie onboard EQ. Yes, you can use external pres, but the Mackies will get you started. I started with much worse :eek:

I'll leave the compression Q for the analog experts, but tape does provide some natural compression, and is far more flexible than digital as far as headroom, so let's hope so!

Look up a poster named kiira--she's a big analog fan and probably has lots of good hints. Ronan likes analog a lot too. And of course, check out the Analog Only board!
 
I would seriously consider nearfield monitors over club monitors. They are not only important in mixing, but very useful in getting the sounds you are looking for initially to tape. Check into Tannoy Proto-J's or Yorkevilles, along with a decent amp, such as Hafler, to drive them.

As far as compression, you really should stay away from using it during recording, especially if you don't know how to use it.
 
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