Looking for some input on begining gear

  • Thread starter Thread starter Smath
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Smath

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My band is going to start recording our stuff at my, soon to be *complete*, home studio. Now, this is definitely a beginner's setup and a learning experience for us. We play all original pop/rock and are looking to make a demo cd and possibly and EP or LP to sell at our shows.

The equipment I have right now is :
P4 1.6 GHZ / 512mb RAM
n-Track Studio
SB Audigy
*Decent* headphones and speakers
Various mics (SM57, SM58, and others)
Behringer 1604A mixer
Johnson J-Station
Zoom MRS-4 Digital 4 track
Zoom MRT-3 Drum Machine

Now, we are looking to improve the soundcard, get some decent powered monitors and make sure that we have the right equipment to properly mic the drums. We don't have a whole lot of money to spend, so we are looking at the following equipment.

Sound Cards
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 - $149
Echo Mia - $179
M-Audio Delta 410 -$199
M-Audio Delta 44 - $229

Monitors
Event PS-5 - $229
Event PS-6 - $259
M-Audio SP-5B - $199
Roland DS-50A - $249

Drum Mics
Nady DMK-7 Drum Mic Kit $179.99
Nady DMK-7 Drum Mic Kit w/Condensors $219

I would appreciate it if you would give your opinions on which eq to go with and also relate any experiences you have had, positive or negative, with any of the gear in question. Also, alternative suggestions in the same price range would be helpful. Finally, if you have any used equipment that might fir the bill that you are looking to get rid of, drop me a line.

Thanks so much for your help!

Shawn
 
as far as sound cards go, all the listed are reputable and relibale from what i have heard (I own the Delta 2496- and just upgraded to the 1010LT) I would go with at least 4 inputs- if for nothing else but because of drums- probably want at least 3 mics on the kit- (2 overhead- 1 kick maybe 1 snare too)

monitor wise i hear good things about the M-Audios but youd probably be better off if your really serious about this with somethin with an 8" driver (bass responce is lacking in the 5")

I dont know anything about the mics you listed- I own a pair of Oktava 019 (or somethin like that- more to come in the mic department) if you dont get any responce hear try posting the mic wuestion in the mic forum

- My best advice: sticak around here- theres plenty to be learned and some realy smart people around here at various levels of ability and equipment- read read read

-jeff
 
I would recommend the Delta 44 because it has a breakout box with four inputs and four outputs. It's exactly 5.25" wide, so if you want to be creative, you can mount it in one of the 5.25" bays in your computer, or just let it rest wherever you want.

Of those monitors you listed, the M-audios are the only ones that come as a pair (at least that it looks like on musiciansfriend). The others are all single monitors and you need to buy two. I would go for the larger, more expensive ones because the small m-audios don't produce much bass response at all.

Do not get the Nady Drum Mics! Not only are Nadys not good, beginners will not have fun trying to set up a 7 mic kit. You only need 2 or 3 + a kick drum mic. I'm not an expert on this, so I'll let someone else take over from here.
 
in terms of drums, youre best bet is to buy two MC012 (Oktava) for overheads, a shure beta 57 for snare, and another mic for the kick, maybe a d112 or a beta 52. If this is yore first time doing this, seven Nady mics will not do much good.
 
esun127,

That's a pretty cool idea about mounting the breakout box in one of the PC's 5.25" bays, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of getting the A/D converters outside the case?

I'm just asking, because I'd much rather have mine in there if it's not going to start picking up a lot of extra noise. I never thought about putting it in the extra drive bay.
 
As far as noise go's... I'm having pretty good luck with my Echo Mia.
Probably could find something better.... but i got two kids and a tight bugdet =)
 
Chip,
I routed the cable that connects the breakout box through an unused pci card opening into the case, which then connects to the box. I didn't want to drill the box because I may sell it later and get a delta 1010, so i just used duct tape and wedged it in. I can remove it with some effort, but it won't shift or come loose by any means. I have not noticed any noise increase. Having the box in there is very convenient for me because i have a rackmount computer, which is in the same rack case as my patchbay, preamps, and processors.
 
Ya might wanna checkout the AudioTrak Inca 88 8In/8Out sound card.

http://floridamusicco.com/itm00256.htm

And here's AudioTraks Forum:

http://www.audiotrack.co.kr/spboard/board.cgi?id=USER

I just recieved a pair of M-Audio SP-5B Near Fields and I think they are great. Much more Bass than I expected them to have when placed properly. You can't beat em for the price. But if ya want a pair, they are going fast.

The Events do not come in pairs. I checked on them before getting the Studiophiles. The Roland does not either.

The Nady Drum Mics are decent but you will have to upgrade to a larger Mixer to use them all or get a line mixer. to run into one of the channels on it. I have the Berry MX2004A. Both those Nady sets come with Condensers for overheads. The more expensive set just has better Condensers.

Hope this helps...

CR ><>
 
ahh, nady, zoom, no dont make the sae mistake as me "buy cheap, buy twice" its true save and get somthing nice, some sm 57's,
 
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