M
markcoburn
New member
I should have titled this thread, "Please answer all of Mark's questions."
Thank you all. Since this is my first topic, I don't know if I'm abusing the system or not. Each time you answer my questions and add wisdom and opinion, it brings up more questions. I have some other questions but they stray a bit from "condenser mic selection." I'd start a new thread but I feel like we are going through a process together and I don't want to loose the history. So, I'll just keep asking until one of you lets me know that I'm not following proper protocol.
I bought an Antares Vocal Producer, but I’m thinking about exchanging it. I wanted compression, de-essing, and a vocal EQ. I looked at vocal strips like DBX Pro Vocal, Behringer Ultra Voice, the ones by presonus, and Focusrite. I ended up buying the Antares (most expensive one) because the guy at the store said that nothing compares to what it can do for a vocal track and the good reviews. Now that I’ve been using it… I like the display that lets you select presets that can be named in plan English and adjusted and resaved. I like how you can easily turn on and off the different sections, I really like how things like the compressor and gate show a real-time meter and a line you can move on the meter to change the thresholds (that is ultra cool). But the parts I bet I paid the most $ for, I hardly use (Mic Modeler and Auto Tune). Mostly because the both add artifacts and I don’t know if I’m to the point of manipulating my vocals to that detail yet. Now I’m thinking that I’d be better off with a cheaper channel that actually sounds better and a better mic (there, I tied it back into the topic). And the Antares doesn’t even have a preamp, it’s just an effects box. Seems like I could just get a $120 Behringer and use Auto-Tune and Mic-modeler plug-ins and I'd be at the same place sonically?
I kind of see it like this: The Behringer is the price winner, the DBX has the benefit of effects and a digital out that seems to employ a decent A/D converter, the Focusrite is probably the cleanest sound, and the PreSonus probably falls between the Behringer and the Focusrite.
I like the DBX because I don’t have any outboard effects (Roland 3100pro has some built in), but I don’t know if I will still feel like the money could have been better-spent else ware. Maybe I’d be smarter with the Behringer and a separate fx box. But that would be one more box to deal with. There is probably a good thread on this in the archives. Let me know if there was one that was particularly helpful or compaired all of these. Or maybe one of you thinks I should keep the AVP and learn how to use it?
Thank you all. Since this is my first topic, I don't know if I'm abusing the system or not. Each time you answer my questions and add wisdom and opinion, it brings up more questions. I have some other questions but they stray a bit from "condenser mic selection." I'd start a new thread but I feel like we are going through a process together and I don't want to loose the history. So, I'll just keep asking until one of you lets me know that I'm not following proper protocol.
I bought an Antares Vocal Producer, but I’m thinking about exchanging it. I wanted compression, de-essing, and a vocal EQ. I looked at vocal strips like DBX Pro Vocal, Behringer Ultra Voice, the ones by presonus, and Focusrite. I ended up buying the Antares (most expensive one) because the guy at the store said that nothing compares to what it can do for a vocal track and the good reviews. Now that I’ve been using it… I like the display that lets you select presets that can be named in plan English and adjusted and resaved. I like how you can easily turn on and off the different sections, I really like how things like the compressor and gate show a real-time meter and a line you can move on the meter to change the thresholds (that is ultra cool). But the parts I bet I paid the most $ for, I hardly use (Mic Modeler and Auto Tune). Mostly because the both add artifacts and I don’t know if I’m to the point of manipulating my vocals to that detail yet. Now I’m thinking that I’d be better off with a cheaper channel that actually sounds better and a better mic (there, I tied it back into the topic). And the Antares doesn’t even have a preamp, it’s just an effects box. Seems like I could just get a $120 Behringer and use Auto-Tune and Mic-modeler plug-ins and I'd be at the same place sonically?
I kind of see it like this: The Behringer is the price winner, the DBX has the benefit of effects and a digital out that seems to employ a decent A/D converter, the Focusrite is probably the cleanest sound, and the PreSonus probably falls between the Behringer and the Focusrite.
I like the DBX because I don’t have any outboard effects (Roland 3100pro has some built in), but I don’t know if I will still feel like the money could have been better-spent else ware. Maybe I’d be smarter with the Behringer and a separate fx box. But that would be one more box to deal with. There is probably a good thread on this in the archives. Let me know if there was one that was particularly helpful or compaired all of these. Or maybe one of you thinks I should keep the AVP and learn how to use it?