Inherited equipment - what to keep/get rid of?

  • Thread starter Thread starter awc380
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awc380

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Hey guys, apologies in advance for the long post.

Ok, here's the back story: I inherited a suite of recording/audio equipment about 2 years ago, and I basically haven't touched any of it since then. There's a lot of it - or it seems like a lot to me, anyway - but it's all in good condition, despite being a bit outdated I am sure. I don't know much about recording, I'll say that right up front - I know my way around audio equipment enough to maybe work a small soundboard, but that's about it.

In terms of my own music, I primarily play drums, although I dabble with other instruments too. My basement is my jam room, and as such doesn't have an infinite amount of space...however, I would like to have a decent recording setup down there - mostly just for live off-the-floor stuff like jam sessions, drum tracks, or quick songs, but also for some better recordings later on, as well. Basically, I want to be able to lay down decent quality tracks (esp. drum tracks), but am not too interested in all the production stuff like effects, mastering, overdubs, etc, etc…I'll get into that later, maybe...

Here's an inventory of what I've got:
(Pics are attached.)

- Digitech Studio V2 Quad effects processor
- 3 RCA patch bays
- Tascam CD-RW700
- Behringer Ultra Graph Pro EQ
- Behringer Ultra-Dyne Pro model DSP-9024 (I have no idea what this is)
- Tascam DA-38
- Tascam DA-30 MKII DAT recorder
- a Technics Stereo Flat Pre-amp SU-9070
- a huge box of cables and snakes
- a big steel console box (that's what they're all in)
(Note: I do realize that this is not a full set and that I will need to purchase a few things in addition to whatever might be worth keeping in this list...)

So I guess I'm looking for commentary on what is worth keeping, what is worth selling, what should be thrown/given away, etc. I know that's an arbitrary kind of thing to decide for someone else, so here are my feelings on the subject:

1) As I said above, I would like to be able to do some basic recording with my setup, but have no visions of having a complete home studio
2) It would be a bonus to have my equipment (the mixer at least, I guess) do double duty as a PA/sound system for practice and small gigs
3) I don't want a ton of stuff - I would like to keep my setup as basic as possible (I have a feeling everyone says this when they start…)

Thanks in advance for your responses.

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A question that will determine alot of your thought process... do you have or want to use a computer in your recording setup? If yes, then you can do away with a fair amount of that stuff. If you don't want to use a computer, then you have a good deal of what you'll need to record other than some monitors, mics and preamps... that is, assuming that stuff still works. :D
 
Oh right - how did I forget that?

I have a computer, yeah, and am not averse to using it, but I don't want to have to have my computer going just to record a jam session. (i.e. I won't have a dedicated computer down there all the time...)
 
The CDRW700 makes a nice player but the converters suck (S-U-C-K). Everything else is fairly old and useless (except maybe the patch bays).

The DA30's are usually going for around $15-25 if they're in decent working order and the DA38's are about the same -- Maybe $50 if it's in really nice shape.
 
I thought both converters sucked (S-U-C-K-E-D).

I mean, friggin' bad. Made the Alesis Masterlink's converters sound spectacular (S-P-E-C--- oh, you get the idea) by comparison (and I'm not so crazy about those).

Haven't had direct experience with the 2k. But if they're the same converters, I have an idea...
 
Massive Master said:
The CDRW700 makes a nice player but the converters suck (S-U-C-K). Everything else is fairly old and useless (except maybe the patch bays).
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For the OP's uses, I think it all work just fine. He's not making recordings for anyone else except himself- well, maybe for the other guys who play/jam with him- so the old-school/ not up to today's standards are gear will work for him.
Massive Master said:
The DA30's are usually going for around $15-25 if they're in decent working order and the DA38's are about the same -- Maybe $50 if it's in really nice shape.
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If they really are bringing such chump change, not worth even the time to sell 'em- so press 'em into use down in his dungeon.

Sounds like the perfect solution- no bothers with selling, no bothers with buying. Leave the computer upstairs, and record away.
 
awc380 said:
...
2) It would be a bonus to have my equipment (the mixer at least, I guess) do double duty as a PA/sound system for practice and small gigs
Click to expand...

Do you have a mixer yet? You're going to need preamps to feed that DA38. Some nicer mixers have direct outputs on the mic channels that you can send to the recorder. If not, you can use the insert jacks with the ol half click to get individual signals from each channel.
 
Alot of mixers have insert jacks right after each preamp. These are used to send and return a signal to an effects unit, compressor, etc of each individual channel. If you take an unbalanced (TS) 1/4 cable, you can click it in half way and get a signal from after the preamp without breaking the audio circuit that goes on the the eq and rest of the mixer. The only problem with this is that you can only get a pre-eq signal and its unbalanced. Before all these interfaces like the Firepod that have preamps built in, most home recording people used soundcards without preamps.... this was a relatively popular (but less than ideal) way to get discrete signals to each soundcard channel without buying a bunch of separate preamps.

So... you got a mixer yet? :)
 
No, but I am planning to...any suggestions?

Without knowing anything at all about them, I was thinking of maybe something in the 16 channel range? Is that more than adequate for general use?
 
I use a Soundcraft M8 in my setup. That mixer actually has direct ouputs on each channel in addition to the insert jack and the direct outs are switch between pre and post eq. SO, the direct outs feed each channel on a soundcard and the mixer itself serves as the mixer for my PA in our practice space.

Dumb question, but the back of that DA-38... does that have 8 separate inputs- one for each channel?

For mixers, the M8 cost me about $550 new about 8 years ago. Allen and Heath would also be a very nice selection. I think they actually do make a 16 channel version in the Mix Wizard. If you want to go a little cheaper, I'd maybe look at Yamaha stuff. Behringer is considered by most to be pretty low in teh quality scale, but lots of people still use em.

Do you have mics? Speakers?
 
Yeah, the MA-38 has 8 inputs.

I do have mics and speakers, yeah. Mostly just cheap dynamic mics, and i'm going to buy a set of drum mics pretty soon, I think.
 
awc380 said:
Yeah, the MA-38 has 8 inputs.

I do have mics and speakers, yeah. Mostly just cheap dynamic mics, and i'm going to buy a set of drum mics pretty soon, I think.
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cool. so really, all you're probably missing to actually record something with that rig is a set of preamps to go between the mic and the recorder.
 
awc380 said:
Right....but mixers usually have those?
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I don't know for certain that all mixers usually do but there's a simple way around it ~ only consider buying mixers that do.
 
I cut my studio teeth recording to a pair of DA-38s and mixing to a DA-30. You can do good work with that stuff if it's functioning properly. It's a good way to learn about the process. You will need a mixing board, preferably one aimed at the small studio market. A Mackie 1604 VLZ or Alesis Studio 32 would be appropriate. Avoid the original Mackie CR1604.

The Behringer analog eq is not really something I'd want to use, but in a pinch I suppose it could be better than nothing. Or not. If someone offers you any amount of money for it, take it.

The 9024 is old but useful. It's a digital EQ that can save settings to internal memory, but probably better suited to live use than studio. Keep it around.

The Digitech effects unit will do a lot of stuff, but I hear they're a pain to navigate. Keep it and learn to deal. Maybe add another effects unit down the road. You can find them cheap.
 
Wow, thanks for all the solid advice, there.

So that thing is an EQ, hey? Cool...

Also, where can one get DAT tapes these days? Are they still fairly accessible, or are they completely gone?
 
bouldersoundguy;34 You will need a mixing board said:
Look for an older one that is made in the USA- most people don't even notice, so you might get a great deal. The USA ones are reported more reliable, with out the rumored get-hot-stop-working problems.
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