Okay,
I haven't bought this stuff yet as escrow won''t close until the end of the month, and even then I need to build out a space to house it, so this is all speculative still.
My whole focus is vocals, mostly female.
The first thing I did was set out a budget. Then I had to cut the budget. Then I had to cut it again. Right now I am down to $3K. When you have champagne taste $3K doesn't go very far. As I was specing out these studios, throwing gear (virtual gear) away, adding cheaper gear, cutting corners, I really really had to work out how all of the stuff was going to work together. For example, at one point I was going to use a Abit motherboard with a S/PDIF in port (not many mobos have S/PDIF in... most it is just out), and then have
a M-Audio Tampa (which as a S/PDIF out and decent converters) feed directly into the mobo.... trouble was, I wasn't all too sure that was going to work so I decided to keep looking. When you have cash or go the all-in-one route (I would have loved to get
the Tascam FW-1884 for example... also looked at
the Yamaha 01X, but that digital mixer/control surface has too many
issues right now) you don't need to worry so much how it all plugs in.
Part of my problem is that I wanted all of these effects and MIDI capability. I wanted a de-esser, reverb, compression, yada yada yada. I may not be able to use it all yet, but I wanted it there when I did need it as I would not, most likely, be able to go back to the well. My wife is already none too happy.
So it was learn, add, toss, learn, add, toss, etc. etc. etc..
So right now, unless I win the lottery, this is the shopping list. I'll explain my choices as I go along.
I started with the DAW as it was the biggest bite of funds. I am building this myself.
I chose an Asus motherboard with integrated video. I'm not playing Quake here. It doesn't have Firewire, but add on Firewire adapters cost less than $50 if you need one. I held back on the processor, stopping at a Intel 800Mhz FSB P4 running at 2.6Ghz. The price really took off around 3Ghz and I wanted to spend the money elsewhere. Likewise I stopped at 512MB. I wanted to go with 1GB, but.....
I only have one 80GB HDD, a CD-RW/DVD drive, and a 19" display. I really wanted a LCD, but at $150 more for a 17" the cost was too dear. I chose to spend an extra $20 on a wireless keyboard/mouse bundle however. The DAW came out to $776. I may still spring for a 40GB HDD to keep the apps off of the 80GB. It's another $50.
Let me pause here to explain that EVERY EXTRA DOLLAR really adds up. You toss this on and that on and before you know it your wife is saying 'no' to the whole damn thing.
I then looked at how I was going to get the noise into the box. Right now Steinberg (remember that functionality I wanted?) bundles Cubase SE with 5 VST instruments (SE versions also), along with
a Steinberg VSL2020 sound card into one package deal that you can buy for $450. So there's the sequencer, VST instruments, and sound card into one really reasonable package. The VSL2020 provides 4 ADAT, 2 MIDI, 2 S/PDIF, 4 analog in, and 4 analog out, and it is supposed to provide a processor boost when using VST instruments. It's not perfect, but remember the budget.
I needed a preamp, and boy was this part fun. I went all over the map. From a DMP3 to a Great River, whereupon I ran into the wife and went back to the DMP3. Finally settled on
a Roland MMP-2. The two channel MMP-2 is really interesting. It appears to be on the brink of being discontinued... initially about $650, it's down to $250 (maybe less when I buy it). The reviews all liked it, they just didn't like it's price, and now, the price is not an issue. The MMP-2 brought ALL KINDS of effects to the table, along with compression and a de-esser.
The MMP-2 wants an AKG 3000B microphone for input to exploit the microphone modeling, but everything I have read about the MMP-2 doesn't have much good to say for that feature, so I decided to ignore that and go with a Audio-Technica 4050. I also want
an Electro-Voice RE-20 but I may not be able to sneak that past the warden.... we'll see.
One of the areas where I did not want to budge was, for me, a budget buster. I wanted
a Kurzweil Rumour. Well, actually, I wanted
a KSP8, but let's not go there.... The Rumour brings the top reverb that I wanted, along with top quality converters.
Let me digress here and point out that, unintentionally, I am going to have three A/D paths in to the DAW.... the MMP-2 outputs digital, the Rumour outputs digital (and highly regarded digital at that) and of course the VSL2020 inputs analog and converts to digital.
I needed a MIDI keyboard and settled on
the Roland A-37, which will also serve as the kids piano.
I wanted great monitors. So the ADAM quickly hit the bone pile, then the Dynaudio, then the Event, and finally the Yorkvilles. I had to choose between the Rumour and monitors. The Rumour won. I am going to be listening and judging on a pair of Klipsch Promedia GMX A-2.1 computer speakers.
The total cost, without tax and shipping (which hopefully I can avoid) is $2,998.13.
Is it perfect? Heck no. This is a bundle of compromise, but it is also a bundle of functionality...
- Microphone modeling
- Preamp modeling
- 4 bands parametric EQ
- modeled tube compression
- enhancer
- de-esser
- reverb
- gated reverb
- reverse reverb
- reverb/compression combinations
- LaserVerb(tm)
- chorus/flange+delay+reverb combinations
- Groove Agent SE
- HALion SE
- The Grand SE
- D'Cota SE
- Virtual Guitarist Electric SE
I am sure of one thing... the learning curve is bending up again.
