If you had $4,000...

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shAkEz_gk

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If you had $4,000, to purchase a pre-amp, and monitors, what would you choose, IF you were doing only r&b, and some rap?
 
4,000 bucks

Why not some nice Mackie 624s and the Mackie sub? That would run you a little over 2K like 2100 if you can get some of the demo monitors. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HR624d3/
I love the 624s. I have gotten some really good results on some Rap/RB stuff I've done. I have a friend who produces Rap/RB stuff and he really liked the NTK and the TLM 103. As far as pres, WHO KNOWS...sheesh. I will say though, on the different rappers I've dealt with, GOOD guys who can double themselves and come up with good and interesting vocal lines and arrangments can rock about anything. But, the one's with crappy/uninteresting voices sound bad no matter what.
 
For R&B and Rap I'd get an Avalon VT-737SP for a mic pre/channel strip.
For monitors I'd go with Dynaudio BM6A's if you're in a smaller room or BM15A's if you're in a larger room.
 
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The control room is 12' x 14', so it's not very big.

I'm feelin the Dynaudio mons, I'll look more into them.
Now for the pre...wow so many choices, I heard the Robbie by Blue sounds like the Avalon you mentioned...but what about the GT Vipre?
 
don't choose a great river as a main pre for rap vocals, the Pendulum or vipre either.. they're to colored.
you need a clean pre like dan said.. a avalon 737sp. its a unit used everyday in hiphop with a u87,414 etc..i got sick of this combo but the results speak for themselfs.
Check out the Focusrite isa220. i have this pre along with the avalon. the avalon has a rounder sound imo, but some artist just don't sound right through it.
with the isa220 i haven't had an issue of an not sounding right through it.
my main vocal tracking mics are:
Neumann u87ai
Shure KSM44
Rode K2
Blue Kiwi

Monitors, BM15a's are awesome. to hell with the mackies. not to many monitors besides adams and a few others are even coming close to dynaudio. the bm6a's are rather rather accurate monitors and for $900 they can't be beat really in a small control room. they translate very well too.


as for the robbie. i heard one last week. i haven't had a chance to run a session with it.. but remember the robbie is just a pre where the focusrite and avalon are ch.strips. they offer great compression, eq, deessers.

now with $4000 just for pre/monitors...

PRE:Focusrite isa220 $1500 new
Monitors: Dynaudio BM6A $899 new

Leaves with cash for another mic or acoustic treatments.
 
chris, its a nice setup but i guess you haven't used the mp2-nv or produce/mix hiphop.
if you did you'd know the great river is a great pre to have but not a number 1 choice for tracking hiphop vox. i produce hiphop/r&b/poetry everyday.
a mp2-nv is a great pre for rock lead vox...

"Clean and detailed" thats not a d.w Frern pre at all.

don't half ass on your room acoustics. it doesn't matter what monitors you have if your acoustics in the room suck... you'll never end up with a solid mix.

Shakes, what mic/s do you have at the moment?
What converters?
what recording medium?

As someone that produces r&b day end and day out along with hiphop artist.. get a CLEAN, DETAILED mic pre/mic
The blue kiwi through a Focusrite isa220 is a god send. if you get yourself the digital option card its even better. i track vocals through the spdif out on the focusrite
 
I would stand by the GR for R&B but I have to agree with C9-2001 that it would not be my first choice for Hip Hop. I might lean toward the Avalon 737 for that.

Actually I might slip up to the Martech for R&B but then it would be cutting into the monitor budget.
 
you like the GR for r&b vox?
male oe female artist? i know on females i don't like it for the lead vox. maybe for harmonies or background vox but not the lead.. but perhaps it depends on the mic.. all the tube mics i used with the GR sounded to colored... like a UA pre.

i'm building a new studio after income taxes.. studio b will have my Avalon,Tampa and Ahpex 1100 pres with a ksm44 and k2 as main vocal mics. my cousin will be running that studio. i'll be using the focusrite isa220, focusrite isa428, vintech x73(for color) with all my other mics and soon a blue bottle
 
True, I have never produced or mixed hip hop or R&B. Clean and detailed... I read that John Hardy M1's fit that description. Would they be a possibility? I read somewhere that Babyface uses a ton of Avalon gear so, that may be your starting point. You'll know within a month if you like it or not and so value retention isn't a problem. You could sell it without losing money. Here's an idea... Rent one and see!! That's really the best advice anyone could give you.

Best of Luck,
Chris
 
c9-2001 said:
don't choose a great river as a main pre for rap vocals, the Pendulum or vipre either.. they're to colored.
Click to expand...

Pendulum colored? Isn't it know for being clean and its wide bandwidth? I've never heard one so who knows

Engineer I know whose done BEP, KRS, Yukmouth, Missy, tweet, outlaws, sisqo etc. uses the cranesong Flamingo as his go to for RAP, but also said the A-designs MP2 is his go to for R&B vox and its more then useable for rap. So i'd say go with the A-designs MP-2(just cuz its cheaper then the flamingo) unless you really need the bells and whistle the 737 channel strip offers.
 
john hardy m1's are awesome pres imo.

the pendulum imo with tube mics is way to colored. i like to turn to tube mics for lead vox a lot these days and the pendulum just doesn't offer the sound i look for in a lead vox.
then again sometimes ppl go for some color.. like UA pres... i have a friend that swares by a 414 or kiwi >Vipre >cransong trakker.. thats colored like hell but he loves the way it sounds.. i guess thats all that matters.


shAkEz_gk, owning the mics thats you have i still say go for the Focusrite ISA220 for you main vocal strip. the K2 and isa220 sound so good with each other. i use this combo almost everyday.

Teacher, you talking about e-Cue?

As for the a-designs.. great pre.. "THICK REAL TUBE PRE" saying that.. i have to say at times it can be to rich. for hiphop artist i don't use the mp1 at all.. for female r&b singers like alicia keys, norah jones, jill scott ETC.. the a-designs would be real nice, just make sure you have yourself a decent compressor while tracking. the a-designs adds a lot of body to the voice
 
I have to disagree with you on the Pendulum, C-9. That is *not* a colored pre. I consider it quite a bit less colored than, for instance, a 737. Actually, it's rather clean, and an industry favorite for vocals and voiceovers.-Richie
 
clean pre

Although I don't think the avalon 737 is "clean" I've heard good things about it on R&B and Rap recordings.
 
You said you have a K2. I use my K2 and 737 all the time for rap. Works really well. The Focusrite ISA220 is also a great pre. I don't have one, but have used one in another studio quite a bit. (I have the ISA428, and love it on pretty much any acoustic instrument, Not relavant to the topic, but I love it that much.)
 
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