Christmas Presents...

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_mat_

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As of right now i have no clue what i'd like to get for christmas, but i know very well i want something along the lines of recording gear. I was hoping you guys could help me make my decision and maybe some future decisions with gear and what not. Right now i've got a lack of decent mics and a lack of outboard gear. I know how the saying goes, "you're only as good as your weakest link" or however it goes, so i'm fully aware i can't make crap sound better than when it was originally captured. At this moment in time, I've got a Nady drum mic kit ( i forget which model, but it's not too great), a samson C01 and C02, an SM57 and an AKG C2000. I also have a digi002 with a presonus digimax. With a pricerange of around $400, I'm not exactly sure what my next move should be. I was thinking of maybe getting a pretty decent matched pair of condensors for drum overheads (i could maybe use them for other things as well), or maybe 2 RNC's for my rack. I honestly have no clue which should be my next move and which type of each I should buy. I was looking into a pair of Studio Project C4's, but that's just an idea. What would you guys do in my situation, and please don't say "save the $400" since it's christmas and i hate asking for money and/or gift certificates from my parents. Let me hear what you think.

Mat
 
Yeah, i have a pair of yamaha msp3's that work and sound pretty darn good.
 
_mat_ said:
As of right now i have no clue what i'd like to get for christmas, but i know very well i want something along the lines of recording gear. I was hoping you guys could help me make my decision and maybe some future decisions with gear and what not. Right now i've got a lack of decent mics and a lack of outboard gear. I know how the saying goes, "you're only as good as your weakest link" or however it goes, so i'm fully aware i can't make crap sound better than when it was originally captured. At this moment in time, I've got a Nady drum mic kit ( i forget which model, but it's not too great), a samson C01 and C02, an SM57 and an AKG C2000. I also have a digi002 with a presonus digimax. With a pricerange of around $400, I'm not exactly sure what my next move should be. I was thinking of maybe getting a pretty decent matched pair of condensors for drum overheads (i could maybe use them for other things as well), or maybe 2 RNC's for my rack. I honestly have no clue which should be my next move and which type of each I should buy. I was looking into a pair of Studio Project C4's, but that's just an idea. What would you guys do in my situation, and please don't say "save the $400" since it's christmas and i hate asking for money and/or gift certificates from my parents. Let me hear what you think.

Mat
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What Id like for Christmas? How about giving your parents a break and ask for a board game or something under $20. and then save any money you have and treat them out to dinner. A bit spoiled arnt we?
 
altiris said:
What Id like for Christmas? How about giving your parents a break and ask for a board game or something under $20. and then save any money you have and treat them out to dinner. A bit spoiled arnt we?
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My thoughts exactly.
 
a bit spoiled??? actually i pay for just about everything on my own (car, college tuition, all of my recording gear up until this point). My parents asked me what i want for christmas, wtf do you want me to say. Enough with the bullshit, and maybe give actual answers that will help me out. I didn't know this forum was entitled "how to act like a cocksmoke" instead of "Microphones". Sorry guys...didn't mean to upset ya.

mat
 
What are you recording? What sources do you feel are lacking?

For example: You may want better actual gear, then recording gear per say.

If you are recording a squier bass and aren't getting the sound you want, it's probably not the direct in box, its probably the fact its a horrible bass.

Just some thoughts...
 
_mat_ said:
Sorry guys...didn't mean to upset ya.

mat
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you mean you dont mean to upset yourself right. You sound a bit upset. but since your in the asking mood (I want, I want, gemme', gemme') ask em for a Digidesign-Venue D-Show Redundant System. I'm sure they will be happy to get for you. I mean with your short fuse I'm sure they fear you and will get you what ever you want.
 
To ryanformato, I'm not getting a really bad sound, I just want some mics that have a better frequency response and maybe pick up transients a bit better. The nady drum overheads i'm using now are very very bright and when i go to edit, they tend to cut into the mix a little too much. I hear nothing but good things about the studio project c4's, but haven't actually heard any samples from that particular mic. Also, do you think I should really worry about compression before a/d conversion, or maybe just continue using plug ins (fairchild, digidesign, waves & joe meek plug ins). I've been told by students in my audio engineering class that it makes a big difference to compress at the beginning of the transducent chain, instead of waiting until the sound sample is already taken. Let me know what you think since i'm not positive about any of this, and could still use your help still.

mat
 
I would not worry about getting any outboard compression. In these days, 24 bit gives more than enough headroom. I actually own a pair of C4's and I like them a lot. You can check out my newest recordings at www.notquiterebels.com then go to songs and download the newest 3. Also, the vocal mic is the Studio Projects T3.

Can you post any samples of songs you currently have?
 
Hey ryan, Thanks for advice and what not. I figured I wouldn't really need to worry about compression right away, or not until i atleast graduate from school and open my own studio. The problem with when i record is that i usually record bands that have extremely bad equipment and/or they're extremely sloppy when they play which doesn't work for a good recording. I've got a few random samples of stuff i've recorded, but they don't really make me too proud.
Check The Pulse
Also i have another bunch of songs here, but those do not have bass or vocals.
Doomsday Device Schematic
Both of those songs were recorded in extremely bad sounding basements (their practice spots). The acoustics are part if not most of the reason why i feel the mp3's aren't too great. Also the fact that both the bands were very sloppy and used horrendous equipment (ibanez head and cab, pacific beginner drumset, etc). I really liked the mp3's you gave me links to, the drum sound has such a nice clean sound to it that it makes me want to give up my days of recording metal bands. I just wish i had a nice studio or room to record in, along with a list of decent mics to use. Anyways, keep feeding me advice on what i should look into investing in. thanks again ryan!
 
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_mat_ said:
I figured I wouldn't really need to worry about compression right away, or not until i atleast graduate from school and open my own studio.
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Hey Mat,
As one audio engineering student to another, I just wanted give you some friendly advice. I would be careful about tossing around statements like, "after I open my own studio". I have no idea how long you have been in your audio program or how extensive the program is, but at some point you will realize how silly that statement makes you look. There are a lot of people posting on this forum that would love to open their own studio. I think that's every recording-enthusiast’s dream. The problem is that in reality, opening a studio is a very difficult thing to do. Not only are you talking about buying expensive recording gear (of which you really don't have anywhere near the quantity or quality to charge for your services), but renting or buying space, paying utilities (recording gear eats a lot of electricity), potentially hiring a staff, and somehow attracting clientele. In case you haven't noticed the trends recently, it's getting harder and harder to open recording studios. So assuming that once you graduate you be able to magically open your own studio might be a bit naive.
On another note, compressing to tape (analog or digital) is usually a bad idea. Once it's done, it's done forever whether it fits in the mix or not. As far as compressing before the converters, I don't see how it would make much difference unless you have an overly dynamic source that's clipping on the input and too dynamic to turn down.
And so you can't say that I'm hi-jacking your thread: If I were you, I would get a pair of Rode NT5's. They're not quite as bright as some of the other mics you have, and the can do wonders on acoustic guitar or overheads (depending on the room of course). The stereo pair runs right around $400.

-Peter


P.S. If your comment was sarcastic, ignore the first paragraph.
 
Hey ozraves, thanks for the helpful sites...i've found that i actually need a good amount of the things on that site haha. It sucks that I'm doing traveling to do all my recording....i don't have a set place to record at so i'm really limited to what i can/can't carry with me. I'm definitely going to go down that list and either purchase most of the equipment on my own or hopefully get some for christmas from my gf or parents. That's the best thing about being 21, you still get gifts. haha

Also thanks a million for the help peter. I don't want you to think that I'm naive and oblivious to the world around by the comments i left. When i used the phrase " after i open my own studio" i was basically referring to me buying a house and having a basement studio to bring artists in and record. I still plan on having a normal job, whether it be a sound engineer, producer, broadcaster or whatever....i plan on having something of my own at my house. In the area i live in, there aren't too many good studios that cater to the "extreme" groups out there, which is why i wish i had a place of my own to use for recording. I can only dream at this point. Thanks for the help peter, i think i'm going to look into those Rode NT5's. I really hope that'll help create a clearer and less obtrusive sound when mixing. Thanks a lot guys

mat
 
_mat_ said:
I didn't know this forum was entitled "how to act like a cocksmoke" instead of "Microphones".
mat
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Hahahahaha, I really like that cocksmoke word. I may have to use that some time or other.

Last xmas I scored myself a pair of M179's that I've been pleased with on drum overheads, acoustic guitar, and vocals.... actually, they're pretty much my go-to mic for a lot of things right now. Sort of a natural, unhyped tone to them. I'll usually boost a couple db in the upper end on vocals, and sometimes on acoustic guitars, as I still find it sounds better than my mics that are already hyped, yet less nice sounding (cheaper and crappier).

I've heard some good clips of the C4, and would be interested in playing with a pair myself sometime.
 
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