Need a new Setup

[thcng]

I have been using a Samson C10U for about a year now, I hated it since I got it but I couldn't afford anything else because I was still in school.

I am a rapper and I have a deep voice.

After researching for a while I think I'm gonna go with:

R0de NT2-A Microphone, my friend has it at his house and it sounds really good, Is there a better mic in the same price range ($400)?

M-Audio Delta 1010 LT, read it was one of the best soundcards, and I want to use Pro Tools.

sE Electronics SERF Reflexion Filter 3.5, have heard nothing but good things about them, except for the weight. What mic stands are strong enough to hold it?

Also I am looking for a cheap mixer, I was looking at a Yamaha MG102C, or one of the cheap Behringer ones, what are some good cheap mixers?

 

[dgatwood]

For a mic, I'd suggest either a CAD M179 or M9. The NT2-A is a bit on the bright/harsh side, as I understand it, and you'll probably eventually find that it grates on you. The M9 is particularly sweet, IMHO.

I wouldn't suggest the reflection filter, either. Speaking as somebody who used to deal with a recording studio setting in which the mic was backed up against a glass window, it sounds like absolute crap having a reflective surface behind a microphone like that. It can't possibly not sound horrible. That is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing to cut down room noise. Foam absorbers, bass traps, etc. all make the sound quality less live by reducing the reflections, not adding really fast reflections.

In the absence of proper room treatment, the best thing you could do is use an omnidirectional mic at a closer distance (e.g. the M179 in omni mode) or a cardioid mic with a bass roll-off (e.g. the M9) at a closer distance. Reduce the distance to the mic. Adding reflection filters is one of those things that might make it seem better at first, but you'll quickly discover that the recordings no longer sit well in the mix, sound harsh, sound weird on sibilant sounds (sss, fff, shhh, etc.), and generally sound awful.

Take the money you save on those two purchases and buy something a heck of a lot better than a 1010LT. The difference in sound quality between that and pretty much any of the modern audio interfaces (e.g. FireWire interfaces) is night and day. If you find your room reflections are still too bad, buy a few of these and fasten them to the wall with tacks.

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/299956.html

Also, to reduce reflections, place the mic in such a way that you are standing just a bit away from a wall so that you have almost as much distance as possible behind the mic before you get to the far wall. Don't stand too close to the wall, though. Changing placement of the mic within a room often makes a big difference in the sound of recordings. Experiment.

 

[thcng]

ok thanks for the help.The Cad M9 looks like it might be the one, anywhere where I can hear a song with somebody using it? What are some good firewire interfaces?

 

[gecko zzed]

For a mic, I'd suggest either a CAD M179 or M9. The NT2-A is a bit on the bright/harsh side, as I understand it.

Are you sure you meant the NT2A and not the NT1A? I know the latter is often regarded as being overbright, but I've not heard that criticism levelled at the NT2A. The NT2A is highly configurable, and the reports I've had of it, including my sometime recording partner who has one and has no complaints, have been favourable.

 

[thcng]

What is a FireWire Recording Interface, that I can use with Pro Tools

 

[dgatwood]

Are you sure you meant the NT2A and not the NT1A? I know the latter is often regarded as being overbright, but I've not heard that criticism levelled at the NT2A. The NT2A is highly configurable, and the reports I've had of it, including my sometime recording partner who has one and has no complaints, have been favourable.

I could well be wrong on that. I'm going by memory on what people like; I've never used any of the Røde mics personally. The NT1-A has seen a lot more people screaming about its hyped top end, but I've seen several people describe the NT2-A as being overly bright/harsh as well. As always, with these sorts of things, the difference between bright and harsh often depends on who or what you're recording.

 

[dgatwood]

What is a FireWire Recording Interface, that I can use with Pro Tools

If you're really dead set on Pro Tools... M-Audio FW410 or FW1814, depending on how many channels you need.

FW410
http://www.audiolines.com/product.php?productid=12647

FW1814
http://www.calsound.com/m-audio-fw-18-14-computer-firewire-audio-interface-pr-999917647.html