Trying to upgrade and build up my studio...What gear do I get?!

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GPLMusic

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I am a home studio (duh) producer and I record my own music that I write. As a singer songwriter I would like to continue recording on my own and eventually just have my own really nice studio. I have started off from really small (mbox with a shure sm57) and now worked my way up to a pretty descent setup. I am trying to find out though what steps I should be taking towards new gear. It would be easy if I had just 15,000 to throw down on all this stuff at one time but thats not my case. I make around 35k a year and have a life outside of recording (hard to believe).

For this post I would basically just need help in the area of upgrading new gear with use of the gear I already have.

What I have:

Computer & Programs:

-Macbook Pro 13" i7 8gb ram 1TB
-Logic Pro X (LOVE IT)

Interface:

-Apogee Ensemble

Mics:

-Shure Sm7b
-Shure Sm57 (2)
-MXL 990 & 991
-MXL Ensemble 550 & 551
-MXL R144 Ribbon (I know I liked MXL once upon a time)

Monitors & Headphones:

-M-Audio Bx5 D2 (2)
-Sennheiser HD 280 PRO Closed-Back Headphones

I am looking at getting new pre amps because I am really interested in multi track recording. Currently I only have 4 channels with my Ensemble. If anyone has any good gear to suggest thats not too much out of my price range I would love some good feedback!

Thanks!
 
You will probably get more input to your request if you post this in a different part of the forum. You posted in the classified ad section. A better choice might be the "Digital Recording and Computers" forum.

Perhaps a nice moderator will move this to that forum for you.
 
At least a quarter of your budget should go on a lava lamp.
 
fuzzsniffvoyage said:
I suggest, acoustic treatment.
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It does not even need to be expensive. A 2 inch stack of old bankets nailed to the wall would work. It would be ugly but work well enough. I've been thinking about how to make something that looks good and does not cost so much. Fabric wrapped around fiberglass insulation and a wood frame seems to be what I'll use.
 
CAlbertson said:
It does not even need to be expensive. A 2 inch stack of old bankets nailed to the wall would work. It would be ugly but work well enough. I've been thinking about how to make something that looks good and does not cost so much. Fabric wrapped around fiberglass insulation and a wood frame seems to be what I'll use.
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Not very effectively however. Suggesting minimal treatment to someone asking what the next gear purchase should be, is not really effectively giving good advice. Be careful about throwing out conceptions that easy cheap=value. Even the comment of what you are going with is vague and easily misunderstood. 'Fiberglass insulation' is a vague term that could lead someone new to this, that just putting some pink stuff in a frame might help. Please try to be more concise.

A 2" stack of blankets may reduce some reflections and flutter echo, but they will not help in the control of the rooms low end build up. This can help some issues of the room, but actually add to the problematic frequencies that should be addressed first. A common misconception is that foam or blankets will help a room to sound better. It only takes care of a small part of the issues. Blankets can be good for a bit of reflection reduction, mostly for use as gobos in a recording situation. They are pretty much worthless for a mixing environment.
 
Cheap insulation is a foam mattress topper from Walmart. I use two and they seem to work fine. I just put them up when I record and take them down when I am done.

Mic. At the least get a large diameter condenser mic and have it modified by John Bonnell or Michael Joly. They will be worth the dough. Cheap but good recording software is Mixcraft 6. Easy to use and did I mention it's easy to use. Protools is nice but you better take a few classes on recording to make it work. With Mixcraft there are factory settings you can use and then make adjustments from there. They at least get you close and you can make whatever adjustments you want. Also get a computer interface. Most are good. I would suggest one with two inputs. Lastly you should get a Midi Controller. With Mixcraft there are dozens of virtual instruments you can use if you have a midi controller. Need drums? an orchestra? Organ, piano, harmonica, saxophone and on and on. Very useful tool.
 
GPLMusic said:
I have started off from really small (mbox with a shure sm57) and now worked my way up to a pretty descent setup. I am trying to find out though what steps I should be taking towards new gear. It would be easy if I had just 15,000 to throw down on all this stuff at one time but thats not my case. I make around 35k a year and have a life outside of recording (hard to believe).

For this post I would basically just need help in the area of upgrading new gear with use of the gear I already have.

What I have:

Computer & Programs:

-Macbook Pro 13" i7 8gb ram 1TB
-Logic Pro X (LOVE IT)

Interface:

-Apogee Ensemble

Mics:

-Shure Sm7b
-Shure Sm57 (2)
-MXL 990 & 991
-MXL Ensemble 550 & 551
-MXL R144 Ribbon (I know I liked MXL once upon a time)

Monitors & Headphones:

-M-Audio Bx5 D2 (2)
-Sennheiser HD 280 PRO Closed-Back Headphones

I am looking at getting new pre amps because I am really interested in multi track recording. Currently I only have 4 channels with my Ensemble. If anyone has any good gear to suggest thats not too much out of my price range I would love some good feedback!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

That's impressive upgrading, on your budget and really a nice set of gear.

The preamps in the Apogee Ensemble should be very good. If your looking at something different, tube stuff and joe meek's will offer some incoming non-clarity vybe tones. But with plugs you should be able to nail down some good tones.

The need for more Inputs seems overkill for a singer/solo setup, unless your adding live drum sets.

I'm guessing here, but your recording gear side of things seems pretty healthy and assume its the other hat, the mixing engineering & editorial brain work, to bring it up a level.The room acoustics and monitor setup and mixing / mastering focused stuff.

another option, instead of rebuilding your room, is to send your tracks off for mixing, one song at a time wouldn't be that much cost, and allow you to focus on the creative writing and all that. let someone else do the editorial work and relieve some of the effort.
I'll bet theres some HR folk here who would mix songs off your tracks/or stems that might be cheaper than rebuilding a room. Unless you enjoy mixing and the "control room " thing... unless you want to get into that world of mixing and mastering, then the room and monitors seems to be your upgrade.

anyway...impressive gear upgrade list from a maudio and a 57 to what you have now!
 
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