help out a buddy....

[bmorris]

I am currently trying to help out a friend who is getting started with homerecording. With a budget of about 2-3 thousand dollars, what types of mixers, keyboard and mic combinations would you all recommend?

Thanks for all the assistance...

 

[therage!]

What kind of music and how will he be tracking, a band, himself? Acoustic drums?

 

[Cyrokk]

A pair of nearfield monitors.

At least one dynamic mic and one condenser mic.

A mic preamp.

Those are the absolute essentials for any decent recording, aside from the recording device your friend will use to track. There are many options for recording devices, and whats best for him will largely depend on what kind of music he will record. Does he want to go through the computer or use a separate recording unit?

Although many mixers have preamps, chances are a mixer that would fit within the overall price range will not have the best preamps. If your friend is recording primarily one track at a time, then a mic preamp will be of better value.

For mixers, stay the hell away from behringer. They are cheap for a reason.

I'm not a keyboard player, so I can't help you there, sorry.

Cy

 

[HevyD47Ca]

I'd kill for that budget

 

[iwanarock]

WOW ..... There are a lot of it Depends answer to Bmorris questions but I will throw out some suggestions.
Mixer ...PC or DAW ???....Yamaha aw4416a or AW2816 or Aw16G all are really great high quality sounding machines.

Keyboards ....A Korg Triton model they are amazing and come in several different shape and price sizes.

Mics .....a Shure SM58 and SM57 ...MXL 603 And MXL V67G, Studio project B1 & C1 ...would be a great start and all for about $600.

 

[Fab4ever]

Does the person already have a decent computer? This is key, because if the answer is yes, your money will likely go a lot farther by using a software mutitracker.

Low-end, versatile mics I've had good luck with include the Studio Projects B-1 and Marshall Electronics MXL V-67G and the MXL 603s.

Fab

 

[Jblount]

Yeah that triton will eat that budget right up! ha

 

[SPINSTERWUN]

bmorris?????????????????????????????

We are waiting for your response.

spin

 

[ozzie]

Behringer

Don't take the evangelical anti Behringer comments too seriously.
I'm a recently retired pro guitarist of some 40 years. Over the last few months I've set up a small home studio to amuse myself, and the UB1832FX-PRO Behringer mixer works extremely well using my B2031 Truth nearfield monitors. They are cheap (read: great value for money) primarily because they are made under licence in China. I've read a lot of misinformation in various forums about this equipment e.g there is no USA service address - simply not true.

Frankly for anyone on a limited budget I thoroughly recommend them ....probably would if you're not financially constrained, and just appreciate good value for money.


Cheers,
Ozzie

 

[Ed Dixon]

It really boils down to what he wants to record and where he wants to record it.

PC based recording can be cost effective, but only if the PC is located where the recording is going to occur.

The next question is what gear he already has. One way or another he will need microphones, cables, some sort of mixer, CD burner, and other misc gear.

It's hard to go wrong with a good multi-track recorder. 16 track units start at about $1000.

Ed

 

[bmorris]

sorry for the delayed response...

but took a bit of a vacation. Still a student, trying to do the job thing while maintaining my creative flow and personal life. But at any rate...my friend is actually using agreat pc in his current casio to cakewalk (pc) setup. I believe he is running a 1.9 GHz, 80 gig HD Sony VAIO????

I believe in a hasty act he just purchased a zoom * track recorder with a built in cd burner. Not too familiar with these pieces myself but I am certain if I can provide valid evidence as to why...it will not be difficult to convince him to return it for something better fit.

As for keyboards, he is really interested in the Triton LE.

His style of music is heavily rooted in jazz/classical but with no particular sound. He tries to apply many of these theoretical concepts of music theory to everything from hip hop to r&b. I guess he needs something that serves as more of an all purpose type of setup. He is a true beginner so I imagine he won't need to be overwhelmed with all of the recording nuances that will complicate and prolong his learning curve development...

thanks for all of the help...

Brian