Where to upgrade my studio

[Richard Monroe]

All of the banter aside, I agree that the condenser side of your mic cabinet and your pres are begging for an upgrade. Your dynamics are better. A pair of C414's? You could do a lot worse. SD's? I like Josephson C42's for cheap, and Schoeps CM6 for sticker shock. Main vocal mic? I like B.L.U.E. Kiwi, Lawson L47, Neumann U87, and pretty much anything that says "Brauner" on it. For pres, I like Avalon AD2022 (which contains 2 of those M5's) and Pendulum MDP3 for color/tubes. I've never used the UA pres, but they are pricey, and if you are trying to get out of Prosumer stuff, that's a good sign. It's a bitch, but true. A basic piece of gear that costs a ton of money probably is better than prosumer gear. Undortunately, like in race cars, you spend 80% of the money on the last 10% of performance.

Sounds like you are ready to take the plunge. You may never make any money, but in the end, you'll own a playroom for adults that will outlast the Porsche you could've bought with all that money. Just make sure you buy the gear that will do what *you* want to do.

Oh yeah- A-D conversion. Once you get the killer pre and the killer mics- you need to send the 003 a nice digital signal, and bypass it's middle-of-the-road A-D convertor. Consider pretty much any of the following:

http://mercenary.com/addaconversion.html

or at least a Lucid. Good luck-Richie

 

[darrin_h2000]

*On their desks* (in the worst possible place to have monitors in most cases). They're not the mains - They're the "little speakers" - just like Auratones used to be.

They're great for what they are. But they're not "good sounding" speakers...
...

Ill bet you have a cool sub and some pretty colorful sounding monitors any audiophile would love to have on thier shelves...Ive got some high end $5000 speakers too (Martin Logans...the factory is 10 minutes away)...the NS10s aint pretty sounding speakers.

But thats the point...the ns10s dont have that bump in the bass you boys in the burbs like when you are grooving to your vanilla ice CDs...they have a reputation for being the most accurate...not the prettiest sounding monitors.

They are great because when you mix with them, you can take the results to any of the decent mastering houses in the country, and be confident that the mastering was done with the very same monitors too.

Sure they demand a little more work to get things right...but that shoudnt be a problem if you know them and your craft...but they have been the very best at what they do...and Ive owned a few sets of monitors.

Now you can sit there and try to tell me that all those major studios using NS10s dont have any idea that they are using something that doesnt work...well I think you will sit alone with that opinion...because Ive heard thier records...and Ive never heard any of yours.

Sorry for the lecture on how studio monitors are tools and not for entertainment so much...but Ive been to your site and noticed you are using B&Ws...and while B&W claims that Alan Parsons uses a pair...he uses them to play masters for clients...and uses real studio Monitors for mixdowns...the B&Ws are flattering and will impress clients...but wont represent what everybody else will hear who have normal stereo equipment...and that is who we are really working to please...Id hate to think that my mixes will only sound great to those with Martin Logans...or even Klipsh Bells (I have a set of those too...lol.)

 

[Massive Master]

I'm saying (again and again evidently) that the NS10's ARE NOT THE MAINS.

Now you can sit there and try to tell me that all those major studios using NS10s dont have any idea that they are using something that doesnt work...well I think you will sit alone with that opinion...because Ive heard thier records...and Ive never heard any of yours.

Sorry for the lecture on how studio monitors are tools and not for entertainment so much...but Ive been to your site and noticed you are using B&Ws...and while B&W claims that Alan Parsons uses a pair...he uses them to play masters for clients...and uses real studio Monitors for mixdowns...the B&Ws are flattering and will impress clients...but wont represent what everybody else will hear who have normal stereo equipment...and that is who we are really working to please...Id hate to think that my mixes will only sound great to those with Martin Logans...or even Klipsh Bells (I have a set of those too...lol.)

I don't use ridiculously accurate speakers to "impress the clients" -- I use them because they're ridiculously accurate. They don't represent what everyone will hear - They represent what's actually there. There's nothing "flattering" about them - If something sounds bad, they sound bad.

That said - That's exactly why I couldn't work on ML's. I found them too flattering.

And don't get me wrong here - I used to use the 'little speakers' plenty myself. But not for critical listening. I have a set of 'little speakers' (well, they're not what most people would consider 'little speakers') here now that I use when I just don't want the power and the heat from the mains. They're great for editing and sequencing. But there's not a chance in hell that I'd actually try to "work" on them... They just don't have the fidelity.

 

[darrin_h2000]

I'm saying (again and again evidently) that the NS10's ARE NOT THE MAINS.

I don't use ridiculously accurate speakers to "impress the clients" -- I use them because they're ridiculously accurate. They don't represent what everyone will hear - They represent what's actually there. There's nothing "flattering" about them - If something sounds bad, they sound bad.

That said - That's exactly why I couldn't work on ML's. I found them too flattering.

B&W are not only flattering...but are also very cute...If I didnt have the martins...and I let my wife have a vote...I might have a pair...but I also support local buisnesses...and Martin Logan is a local company here.

funny thing too...half of them are sitting behind other equipment...do you move them to use them and only have them in such a position for pictures?...because Id doubt their effectiveness as a tool if most of them are behind your desk.

 

[Farview]

I paid $50 for mine...stupid pawnbroker thought they were bookshelf speakers...lol.

They are bookshelf speakers. Pawnbroker didn't know that everyone thinks they are kick ass studio monitors.

 

[Farview]

But thats the point...the ns10s...they have a reputation for being the most accurate...not the prettiest sounding monitors.

NS10's are not in any way, shape or form accurate. They were the speakers that you checked the mix on to see what it would sound like on a cheap dorm room stereo or boombox. The same way Auratones were used to check what the mixes would sound like on transistor radios and television sets a decade before.

They are great because when you mix with them, you can take the results to any of the decent mastering houses in the country, and be confident that the mastering was done with the very same monitors too.

I don't know of any mastering house that used NS-10's. How could they, they have almost no response under 100hz. What would be the point of mastering through the same monitors that it was mixed on? How would that reveal anything different?

Now you can sit there and try to tell me that all those major studios using NS10s dont have any idea that they are using something that doesnt work...well I think you will sit alone with that opinion...

If you look behind the NS-10s, up high on the wall, you will probably see some Ausbuergers. Those are the mains, those are the primary speakers.

Sorry for the lecture on how studio monitors are tools and not for entertainment so much...but Ive been to your site and noticed you are using B&Ws...and while B&W claims that Alan Parsons uses a pair...he uses them to play masters for clients...and uses real studio Monitors for mixdowns...the B&Ws are flattering and will impress clients...

The B&W's are not flattering, they are just full range and very accurate. Unlike the NS-10's

but wont represent what everybody else will hear who have normal stereo equipment...and that is who we are really working to please...Id hate to think that my mixes will only sound great to those with Martin Logans...or even Klipsh Bells (I have a set of those too...lol.)

If you can't hear everything because your speakers don't let you, you can't effectively mix everything.

Unfortunately, the Martin Logans are designed so that just about everything sounds good through them. That would make them worthless for a studio monitor. B&W's don't suffer from that same afflitcion. (at least not the model that John has)

 

[Farview]

Here's your 'flat' frequency response...