Match #1 Producers Out

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Bloodbought

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A website (http://www.recording-engineer.net/hiphop.html) makes this claim: You can record rap as "as good as the top producers" with this equipment:

1. Digidesign Focusrite Mbox USB Interface
2. Digidesign Digi 001 Factory
3. Mackie M-800 Power Amp
4. Mackie HR-824 Studio Monitor
5. Shure SM57 Instrument/Vocal Mic
6. SM58
7. Behringer Ultra-VoiceÇ Pro VX2000
8. Antares Automatic & Graphical Pitch Correction for Cubase VST
9. TC Works TC Native Bundle 2.0 VST/DirectX

How much validity do yall find in this? Is it a worthy guide to follow?
 
Well, considering that rap typically requires very little recording of real instruments using mics, sure, you can probably do as well as anyone with anything. Higher-end systems and real studios excel at capturing subtleties of sounds reverberating in real rooms; this is just not very important in rap. The beats and such are generated electronically or are made up from samples, so the fidelity is already a given based on the source material.
 
I don't know who David Mellor is, but...

This is a pitch to sell music gear. It gives pointers to some good gear, but these items alone will not let you record "as good as #1 producers". (I should qualify this with the fact that I am not a hip-hop producer, but I do enjoy a few artists in the genre, I am an amateur pop/rock singer/songwriter/engineer/producer)

From your list:
1. Digidesign Focusrite Mbox USB Interface
2. Digidesign Digi 001 Factory
Cannot be used together

3. Mackie M-800 Power Amp
4. Mackie HR-824 Studio Monitor
HR824's are powered monitors, so you don't need a power amp to run them

5. Shure SM57 Instrument/Vocal Mic
6. SM58
Great mics, for some vocals and micing drums/guitar amps, but I would say most hip-hop is recorded using large diaphragm condensors or large diaphragm dynamics, and these are neither.

7. Behringer Ultra-VoiceÇ Pro VX2000
Hmmm... This is about the cheapest channel strip out there, and while it has some merit, you need to realise that there are much better ones out there, and that spending more on your input chain will have a huge effect on your vocal sound. Other (cheapish) options would include (in no particular order) Focusrite Voicemaster Pro, Studio Projects VTB1 + FMR audio RNC, Mindprint Envoice, any of the Joemeek channel strips, etc etc and the list and debate goes on and on and on and on... Do a search for the words "channel strip" and you'll see what I mean

8. Antares Automatic & Graphical Pitch Correction for Cubase VST
9. TC Works TC Native Bundle 2.0 VST/DirectX
Both of these sets of plugins are probably very good... But you cannot use VST or directx effects in Protools. You need RTAS format plugins.

That doesn't mean that you can't produce great stuff with this gear, but it does mean that this guy is not interested in informing you of how to go about getting set up to produce great hiphop tracks. This guy wants to get the percentage he gets from sales at musiciansfriend for sales referred through his web-site. You are a hell of a lot better off hanging out here in the mic, rack, hip-hop/beats, computer/soundcard and recording techniques forums, doing searches to read up, because most of the basic questions have been covered time and time again. You'll get good advice (and maybe a little bad), but not this blatant and ill-informed sales pitch!

Good luck,
Steve
 
Steve you just hit some points that i was about to.. and i am a hiphop/r&b producer...

1. Digidesign Focusrite Mbox USB Interface
2. Digidesign Digi 001 Factory
3. Mackie M-800 Power Amp
4. Mackie HR-824 Studio Monitor
5. Shure SM57 Instrument/Vocal Mic
6. SM58
7. Behringer Ultra-VoiceÇ Pro VX2000
8. Antares Automatic & Graphical Pitch Correction for Cubase VST
9. TC Works TC Native Bundle 2.0 VST/DirectX

How much validity do yall find in this? Is it a worthy guide to follow
1:as steve said the mbox and digi001 don't work together, let alown WHY would someone buy a mbox if they had a Digi001...
can the digi001 give you the quality of alot of stuff out right now.. yes..

2:as steve pointed out.. the mackies are powered and great monitors.. why the hell would you need a amp...??? this is just stupid to write...

3:shure sm57/58.. industry workhorses.. and real nice for rock..but hiphop/r&b.. no.. i would never track any of my artist with a sm57.. i have when i was broke and i never will again...
i'd look into getting atleast a Studio projetcs C1....

4:the behringer... true it a cloan of the voicemaster.. but it doesn't sound like the voice master,and a lot of good mics don't sound good with it.. as steve pointed out, the studio projetcs vtb1 is a great pre at only $129 and it can hold its own vs pres that are $800+

5:the 2 sets of plugins.. yea they're good plugins, but as it was pointed out.. you can't use dx/vst with PT...

if your looking to get some cost effective stuff thats gonna give you a very nice quality(Not dre quality, but hey.. its dre) ask us on the forum...
i for one do use some live instruments.. flutes, guitars,violins, and some live drums.. other than that, Korg triton studio with drum machines...
 
PURE BULLSHIT if u have the know how you can get close..but it won't just sound quite right.. call it digititus which occurs from cheap converters and abuse of plug-ins
 
What's wrong with plugins...

Nothing, but in general they won't get you that nice shiny pro studio sound, because they're not actually LA2A's, 1176's, Neve modules, nice lexicons/TC verbs, real plate verbs, SSL channels etc...

Steve
 
but the powercore and uad-1 can almost match the quality.. i've made better/cleaner sounding music in my home studio vs some major studios in atlanta that have all the rack gear and ssl's
its the man behind the equipment not 100% the equipment
 
C9 if u don't mind...i would love to hear your joints...post one in the mp3 clinic or something...cuz i've made some decent sounding tracks but nothing that i would say sounds as good or better then a commercial recording..i would like to think my ears are decent....i've made tracks that fool the avg. listener but not me
 
C9, I agree that plugins can do wonders, but as you say - almost all the way there, but not there yet! Doesn't mean they're not extremely useful tools and can make things sound better!

Steve
 
at this point and time i can't post anything.. but i will be able to in a little while..
and like i said its the man behind the equipment..
i've watched ppl that claim to be good producers just mess up songs in commercial studios...
everyone i work with loves the quality i render for them.. via it be at my home studio..or my partners studio with a HD3 and a nuendo rig with a d8b.. we have real nicestuff over there.. a akg c12,lawson l47, 2 u87's.. and some other real nice mics with manley,avalon, and focusrite pres
 
c9-2001 said:
at this point and time i can't post anything.. but i will be able to in a little while..
and like i said its the man behind the equipment..
i've watched ppl that claim to be good producers just mess up songs in commercial studios...
everyone i work with loves the quality i render for them.. via it be at my home studio..or my partners studio with a HD3 and a nuendo rig with a d8b.. we have real nicestuff over there.. a akg c12,lawson l47, 2 u87's.. and some other real nice mics with manley,avalon, and focusrite pres
Click to expand...

ooo...see i thought you just had delta 1010 cubase and cheap mackie mixer...ok...u do have the gear that supports sonic fidelity as well
 
Well, let’s see. Sergeant Pepper was recorded on four-track analog, so with the superiority of today’s wonderful digital technology one should be able to produce a superior recording to any made by John, Paul, George, Ringo, George and the Abbey Road engineers (or at least “as good as…” RIGHT?).
 
Teacher said:
ooo...see i thought you just had delta 1010 cubase and cheap mackie mixer...ok...u do have the gear that supports sonic fidelity as well
Click to expand...
my stuff at my home studio.. i have a nice tascam console m2600(i think) ,Nuendo,valley audio 401 mic pre, neumann tlm193 mic and some decent monitors.. bottom line if someone doesn't sound good in my home studio.. i have no need to take them to the big studio...
 
lol..trial and error..yo check out the mp3 mix clinic and check my post give me some feed back...theres just something about my vocal tracking but i attribute it to sucky converters...i dunno if thats the case though maybe you can help..

peace
 
Plugins

People keep knocking down software plugins. How about Waves plugins? How do they compare to professional studio hardware?
 
waves is nice but i've used other plugins that beat waves easy.. not to mention the uad-1 and powercore.. they top waves too
 
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