Im on a budget, where should I put my money?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jsn7821
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Jsn7821

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Hey, I have a small band, and with school going on we hardley ever play. But I want to upgrade the recording setup that I have, but cant justify spending more than about $300-400.

What I have: EuroRack Mixer, SM57, 2 Shure PG48s, Delta 1010, Logitech computer speakers for monitoring.

What I want: A decent recording.

What I am thinking: AT 25ax mic for the kick drum, B-1 mic for my guitar, B-1 mic for overhead on the drums, M-Audio Studiophile DX4 monitors for my computer. Then use the sm57 that I have on the snare, and the shures for people to yell stuff into.

My delema(s): on such a tight budget should I even bother getting monitors, or should I spend it more on mics? Are the B-1's the best thing I can get for overhead and guitar mics?
 
First of all, you should put your money in my pockets & let me buy monitors.

At that point, you should take what's left & invest in more mics. I'm from the school that believes you can never have too many.

And as for the B1s - I don't know..never used one.
 
You will need some decent monitors if you want to get a decent mix out of it. On the other hand, If you want to hold off on monitors for a while, you could just worry about recording and let someone else mix it for you. If that were the case, Id buy a pair of sdc's for overheads, maybe some Joe meek JM27's. got my matched pair for around $130. then for $100 get a B1. that will pretty much do the job on everything else...vocals, guitars, bass...it may not be the best choice..but in your price range...the B1 is hard to beat. this still leaves you $170. maybe consider a DMP3.

So with the SDC's overhead and the 57 on the kick (again not the best mic for that job but it will do) maybe one of thos PG48's on snare...then use the 57 and B1 on guitars and bass.
 
Focus first on the sounds of the instruments. Ensure you have real nice guitar sounds and great drum sounds. With just about any setup you should be able to get something decent - I was able to with equipment far less than what you have. Its more about the original sound sources and placement/usage of the equipment than anything else.

As for your setup - I am not fond of the Eurodesks. The ones I have heard have bleed through and the preamps are harsh. The Delta 1010 imparts a dark cover over music (I know because I have one and use this as an effect sometimes). The SM57s are good enough for good recordings.

In time, Id suggest you get decent monitors, and definately some more mics. How can you know if the sound is good if you cant really hear the sound? In the same vein, is your room a decent sounding space?

There are so many variables in recording, however, I find the primary aspects to be the knowledge of the engineer, the skills & sound of the players, the sound of the room, and then the equipment.

Id suggest fighting the purchasing bug and learn to use what you have for now. Maximize your results while saving.
 
Monitors, Jsn, monitors. Do a bit of seacrching in this forum and you'll find that the SP B1 mic is among the most respected >$100 mics out there. I have two and they are a solid choice for a small home studio, especially for recording acoustic guitars. Decent monitors, though, are certainly one of the most critical pieces of gear for achieving good mixes. How can you put together a good mix if you can't trust the sound you hear while mixing? I haven't heard the DX4s, but I've read good things about them as a low-cost solution. There are other cheap choices, too--even the (surprisingly well reviewed) $100 Tascam 3-piece system would probably beat what you have now. Spending $300-400 on a monitoring system would give you many more and better choices. Either way, try to listen to them before buying, if possible, since listening tastes vary widely.

Good luck,
J.
 
Jsn7821 said:
Hey, I have a small band, and with school going on we hardley ever play... What I want: A decent recording.
Click to expand...

200 bucks - pair of 603's, pair of 635's (used), another 57 (used).

30 bucks - drum heads.

other 170 - beer to draw people to practice. :eek:

Mike
 
With that small of a budget you're best bet is to make sure you sound really good. Afterall, if you're music sucks it doesn't really matter how much you spend on gear. And if you're stuff is awesome, people will forgive a lack of recording quality.
You definitely could use some new monitors but you can certainly get by (assuming you're logitech's are decent) just make sure you listen to your mix on a bunch of other people's stereos. I bought a pair of BX8's recently and I like them a lot but don't expect a lot of bass out of the DX4's to deliver much bass.
I think picking up a condensor mic would help a lot, Since you need versatility I'd look into a multipattern mic. A used CAD M179 would be worth the money or something similar.
After starting to put together a studio in my basement I can also suggest doing some acoustic treatment to the room you're recording in. It can make a huge difference in how good your stuff sounds. I was amazed at how much better my $100 mics sounded. For as cheap as $100-$150 you should be able to make a difference.
 
I would concentrate on the sound of the room.
That seems to be very important.
 
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