dj_fred_d said:
So, I was thinking that a high quality preamp and a good mic is what Im missing. Can anyone mentor me on some good mic's and preamps. I dont mind spending some money so Im not limited to budget equipment (show me the good stuff).
If you want to get to where you can get professional-caliber results and to start charging for your services, then I'll give you a few things to start concentrating on :
1) Study up on room accoustics and treatment. Get yourself comfortable with standing waves, room modes, etc. From there, I would spend some time either re-designing your tracking and mixdown spaces, or shopping around for a space that is more ideal, accoustically, for getting professional-quality sound. Read as many books on accoustics as you can, or take classes.
2) Do some monitor-shopping. Get the best you can afford. Spend a lot of time learning your monitors over the next 6 months to a year. Test your mixes out on several different sources -- cars, home stereos, etc. Learn how things translate.
3) Spend the next couple of years learning and experimenting. Set aside maybe 20 hours a week exclusively for recording yourself or friends. And speaking of friends, you might want to swear them off for a while. You don't have time for that anymore.
Girlfriends, too. Too much learning ahead of you. Take on an internship at a local studio if you can. That'll get you working on your studio tan. Or you could apply to a reputable recording school -- if there is such a thing.
4) Look at other options. Just in case the whole "studio" thing doesn't work out for ya.
Save up a boat load of money, because you'll need it for when things are slow . . . and to invest in marketing/advertising. Most new businesses fail in their first year, so have something to fall back on.
As far as mics and preams go, you have a lot of options. You could invest in a nice mixing board. You could start out with something like a Soundcraft Ghost or a Neotek. Or you could go with outboard if you prefer mixing in the box and that sort of thing. For starters, I would be looking at some Audio Technicas . . . Beyers . . . Shures . . . Senheisers. That kind of thing. You could get a great start on mic pres with a couple of Syteks . . . or if you have the $$ you can start browsing the Mercenary catalog :
www.mercenary.com
