help me upgrade my studio with $1,300

[maskedman72]

hello all! in the past i have asked you all for this kind of help and i ended up following your advise and getting a great river mp2nv. so here i am again with the same thing. right now i have $1,300 to spend and i dont know where to put it. here is my gear list:

recorder:mackie mdr.

mics:4 sm 57's.
1 at 4033
1 d112
1 audix d-1
2 octavia mc 012's

mixer-mackie 24-8

mic pre's-1 digitech vtp-1
1 great river mp2nv.

monitors-event 20/20,alesis monitor ones+ra 100 amp.

lexicon and alesis effect units.

1 dbx 262 compressor
1 dbx 242 eq.

1 alesis masterlink.

what would you do with $1300??. i have been thinking about getting a universal audio 610 and a md-421 but im not shure. also i have been looking at the summit audio tla-50. tell me what you think i need or what i am lacking. and thanks again everyone!!
-jay

 

[acorec]

Sure, send me a check and I will get started right away. I promise not to charge you anymore than the $1,300.

Do you have any money to buy equipment?

 

[Mark7]

hello all! in the past i have asked you all for this kind of help and i ended up following your advise and getting a great river mp2nv. so here i am again with the same thing. right now i have $1,300 to spend and i dont know where to put it. here is my gear list:

recorder:mackie mdr.

mics:4 sm 57's.
1 at 4033
1 d112
1 audix d-1
2 octavia mc 012's

mixer-mackie 24-8

mic pre's-1 digitech vtp-1
1 great river mp2nv.

monitors-event 20/20,alesis monitor ones+ra 100 amp.

lexicon and alesis effect units.

1 dbx 262 compressor
1 dbx 242 eq.

1 alesis masterlink.

what would you do with $1300??. i have been thinking about getting a universal audio 610 and a md-421 but im not shure. also i have been looking at the summit audio tla-50. tell me what you think i need or what i am lacking. and thanks again everyone!!
-jay

A REALLY usable Kick mic.


Which the D112 isn't.

 

[hrn]

The D112 is a great kick mic in my opinion. Guess you could get a better mixer with some nice pre's too for that money second hand. They're cheap today. Look on Ebay.

Hans,
www.hagen.nu

 

[Richard Monroe]

First, I disagree with Mark7 on the D112. Second, I don't know what you are recording, but the weakest link I see id the mic cabinet. You need a main vocal mic. You have no tube mics, and some other SD's for variety would be good.
Here's how I would spend your money-
1 RNC compressor (a better unit than the DBX) $180
1 Shure KSM44 about $600
2 Studio Projects C-4's $370
2 Studio Projects B-1's- $160-Richie

 

[Gidge]

without know WHAT you are recording its hard to see where the holes are but id guess:

1 or 2 RNC's...

1 nice LDD like the MD421....

at least 1 nice LDC like a Marshall MXLv69 or v77 or SP T3....

2 Behringer ECM8000's

1 Countryman DI

 

[Meshuggah]

Save your money until YOU know what you're missing.

 

[chessrock]

Normally, I would have to agree with Meshuggah, here.

But Richie kind of states the obvious. Your mic cabinet is lacking. What you have is a lot of good, versatile all-purpose type mics that are good on a lot of things. But nothing that really jumps out with any sort of wow factor.

I'm not all that sure that a couple of C4's are going to be any sort of earth-shattering upgrade from what you already have in the MC012s. And I have no idea what I'd do with 2 B1's . . . but I like the Shure ksm44 idea. Very much so. Why not get two of those? That would give you the best of both worlds, there. Two very versatile, very nice all-purpose-type mics with wow factor to boot.

Conclusion: 2 - ksm 44

. . . And grab an RNC or two if you have anything left over.

 

[tdukex]

One great, versatile vocal mic. What would Fletcher recommend, Soundelux FET?

 

[tubedude]

You want to have the singla chain that the Great River deserves.
Here is the word according to Tubedude.

Sell: 3 SM57's, total credit $170
Buy: Very nice used MD-421 U5 $225
Balance: $1245

Do you REALLY need the masterlink? Consider it holding back your signal chain, but if you need it, thats ok. If not:
Sell the Masterlink: Credit, umm? $450?
Balance: $169
The Tradoff: Lucid A/D 9624 converter box debit: $700
Balance: $995

Sell: dbx compressor $ ?? ($100 at least, I dunno on that one)
Lets say balance is $1,100 now...
Buy: Empirical Labs Distressor as a replacment $1200
In the hole $100.

But look at that chain now: 421--> Great River --> Distressor -->
Lucid Conversion
It really doesnt get much better than that, and THAT, my friend, is as versatile a combo as ever there was one.
So, you have a little less gear, but what you do have is the most slamming thing anyone could ask for.
Next month, buy a few more mics to replace the missing Shures. like a Sennheiser Md 609 Silver ($100) and a 3 pack of the Sennheiser 604 clip on mics for toms.
After that, all you really need is a nice Soundelux or Neumann to round out the mic cabinet and you have a setup to envy, my friend.
But thats just MY advice.
Peace.

 

[tubedude]

You want to have the singla chain that the Great River deserves.
Here is the word according to Tubedude.

Sell: 3 SM57's, total credit $170
Buy: Very nice used MD-421 U5 $225
Balance: $1245

Do you REALLY need the masterlink? Consider it holding back your signal chain, but if you need it, thats ok. If not:
Sell the Masterlink: Credit, umm? $450?
Balance: $169
The Tradoff: Lucid A/D 9624 converter box debit: $700
Balance: $995

Sell: dbx compressor $ ?? ($100 at least, I dunno on that one)
Lets say balance is $1,100 now...
Buy: Empirical Labs Distressor as a replacment $1200
In the hole $100.

But look at that chain now: 421--> Great River --> Distressor -->
Lucid Conversion
It really doesnt get much better than that, and THAT, my friend, is as versatile a combo as ever there was one.
So, you have a little less gear, but what you do have is the most slamming thing anyone could ask for.
Next month, buy a few more mics to replace the missing Shures. like a Sennheiser Md 609 Silver ($100) and a 3 pack of the Sennheiser 604 clip on mics for toms.
After that, all you really need is a nice Soundelux or Neumann to round out the mic cabinet and you have a setup to envy, my friend.
But thats just MY advice.
Peace.

 

[tubedude]

You want to have the single chain that the Great River deserves, that does it justice.
Here is the word according to Tubedude.

Sell: 3 SM57's, total credit $170
Buy: Very nice used MD-421 U5 $225
Balance: $1245

Do you REALLY need the masterlink? Consider it holding back your signal chain, but if you need it, thats ok. If not:
Sell the Masterlink: Credit, umm? $450?
Balance: $1695
The Tradoff: Lucid A/D 9624 converter box debit: $700
Balance: $995

Sell: dbx compressor $ ?? ($100 at least, I dunno on that one)
Lets say balance is $1,100 now...
Buy: Empirical Labs Distressor as a replacment $1200
In the hole $100.

But look at that chain now: 421--> Great River --> Distressor -->
Lucid Conversion
It really doesnt get much better than that, and THAT, my friend, is as versatile a combo as ever there was one.
So, you have a little less gear, but what you do have is the most slamming thing anyone could ask for.
Next month, buy a few more mics to replace the missing Shures. like a Sennheiser Md 609 Silver ($100) and a 3 pack of the Sennheiser 604 clip on mics for toms.
After that, all you really need is a nice Soundelux or Neumann to round out the mic cabinet and you have a setup to envy, my friend.
But thats just MY advice.
Peace.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Actually, I think Fletcher would recommend Soundelux ifet7 (I'm really going out on a limb here). Unfortunately, it's $1500, and it would be a *great* choice, but I'm trying to stay on budget here. I thought aboyt a TLM103, but I think the KSM44 is more versatile. Speaking as someone who uses both the Oktava's and the C-4's, the C-4's are not startlingly better than the 012's, they're startlingly *different*. Also, IMHO, much better instrument mics in general. I use both for overheads, depending on the material. The B-1's, I think, would simply add some studio workhorses that rock on *some* vocalists, and expand options for percussion, a duty where I don't usually use my main vocal mics due to risk. Actually, another option would be one Studio Projects TB-1 instaead of the B-1's, for a functional entry level tube mic. The B-1's were kind of an afterthought, playing with $150 left over, there's only so much you can do.
The one thing I'm sure about, though, is if you have a pair of Octava MC012's, a pair of C-4's is a *perfect* complement, not wasted money.-Richie

 

[darrin_h2000]

That Steven Paul mic should show up anytime.

 

[laptoppop]

It looks like from your equipment list that you are doing all your mixing in real-time from the MDR through the board to the Masterlink. Maybe not, but if so, you are limiting yourself to not have any automation. I don't know what kind of PC you have, but you might consider running a DAW program - it will give you a lot of flexibility. For $1300. you should be able to get a darn good program along with a good interface. For example, the new Sonar 3 with an Aardvark DirectPro 24/96. There are lots of good ones out there, and each of them will let you play your mix over and over and fine tune it through automation of one sort or another.

To transfer a bunch of tracks from your MDR to your computer, get a DAW program that supports Broadcast Wave files. We use a SDR at one place, and I am able to read its files directly on my home studio PC. Use a removable hard disk carrier and just pop the disk out of the MDR and into the PC -- MASSIVE transfers happening extremely quickly. The Mackie carrier is a black version of the Lian-Li RH58 carrier. Directron.com has them for $26.

Other than that, I agree with above comments that your microphone cabinet looks a bit thin. What kind of music do you record?

-lee-

 

[laptoppop]

I agree that you could use some more microphones -- what kind of music do you record?

Another option - are you using a computer? If you are playing back the MDR, mixing through the board in realtime onto the Masterlink you are missing out on the incredible automation available in even low level programs these days.

For $1300 you can get a darn nice program and audio interface. If you get something that supports broadcast wave files, you can transfer recordings directly from the MDR to the computer. To do that, get a Lian-Li RH58 removable disk drive carrier and put it in the computer. The black version is what Mackie uses. You can get it for $26. at directron.com, then fill it with an inexpensive disk (30 gigabytes and under only for the MDR).

-lee-

 

[maskedman72]

thanks for all of the input guys. you all have my brain going now!
yes i record in real time and it sucks. i record a lot of hardcore/metal music and a lot of hand percussion(djembes,congas,bongos,talking drums,bells,shakers,rattles)
so i would need a mic that would be good for all of those areas.
i thought you guys would say my mics were lacking but your advise is awesome. i was thinking of saving a little more and going to pro-tools digi 002 rack and getting rid of the 24-8/mdr setup but of course my mics would remain the same but i would have automation. and i do need to get the great river the mic it deserves. i was looking at blue mics but i wouldnt know what one to get.

 

[maskedman72]

thanks for all of the input guys. you all have my brain going now!
yes i record in real time and it sucks. i record a lot of hardcore/metal music and a lot of hand percussion(djembes,congas,bongos,talking drums,bells,shakers,rattles)
so i would need a mic that would be good for all of those areas.
i thought you guys would say my mics were lacking but your advise is awesome. i was thinking of saving a little more and going to pro-tools digi 002 rack and getting rid of the 24-8/mdr setup but of course my mics would remain the same but i would have automation. and i do need to get the great river the mic it deserves. i was looking at blue mics but i wouldnt know what one to get.

 

[maskedman72]

thanks for all of the input guys. you all have my brain going now!
yes i record in real time and it sucks. i record a lot of hardcore/metal music and a lot of hand percussion(djembes,congas,bongos,talking drums,bells,shakers,rattles)
so i would need a mic that would be good for all of those areas.
i thought you guys would say my mics were lacking but your advise is awesome. i was thinking of saving a little more and going to pro-tools digi 002 rack and getting rid of the 24-8/mdr setup but of course my mics would remain the same but i would have automation. and i do need to get the great river the mic it deserves. i was looking at blue mics but i wouldnt know what one to get.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Is there an echo in here?-Richie