My to be setup: Is it good?

[tom18222]

Alright...first things first, I'm new, my name is Tom. I am going to be building a small studio in my attic in the coming months. So heres my Setup I'm planning to have: Is it good?


Behringer UB1204FX Mixer
Behringer V-AMP 2 for guitar - I already have it, its amazing
Nady 7 Mic Drum Pack to start off with, I'm not on the highest budget
and 2 Large Diaphram Condensors for overheads and for Vocals...not sure which one im getting..Any suggestions?


I'm building a sound room so there won't be any other annoying sounds to deal with. I'm just wondering if its good. I've been editing audio for about 4 years, but not recording, however I've been reading up on it like crazy. So is this good or Bad?

Thanks. Tom

 

[Mark7]

Nafy don't have the greatest rep. A far better choice of mics might be:

• Pair of Studio Projects B1s for $158 (Overheads, acoustic guitar and vocals).
• An Audio-Technica ATM25 for $140 (Kick and Bass Cab)
• A Shure SM57 for $89 (Snare and Guitar Cabs)

Bought new that'll cost you $387.

You can then add more mics as you get the money.

 

[tom18222]

ok, thank you...I was planning on getting cheap - more expensive if people like it.

 

[DJL]

Alright...first things first, I'm new, my name is Tom. I am going to be building a small studio in my attic in the coming months. So heres my Setup I'm planning to have: Is it good?


Behringer UB1204FX Mixer
Behringer V-AMP 2 for guitar - I already have it, its amazing
Nady 7 Mic Drum Pack to start off with, I'm not on the highest budget
and 2 Large Diaphram Condensors for overheads and for Vocals...not sure which one im getting..Any suggestions?


I'm building a sound room so there won't be any other annoying sounds to deal with. I'm just wondering if its good. I've been editing audio for about 4 years, but not recording, however I've been reading up on it like crazy. So is this good or Bad?

Thanks. Tom

I guess it depends on what you call good... IMO, the gear your planning on getting is really cheap.

 

[freshmattyp]

If you can swing another $130 or so, you might want to add a budget mic pre like the M Audio DMP3 or the Studio Projects VTB1. The DMP3 is 2 channels and very clean, the VTB 1 has the option of blending in "Tube" to add color, but it's only a single channel.

 

[tom18222]

my mixer has a mic pre amp on it

 

[invisiblemute]

No offense to you by your choices but the stuff you've listed is generally considered entry level. On the up side I've heard amazing things done with little more than a crap drumbox and a no name mic. Some questions you may want to ask yourself:

- When and will you ever want to upgrade to higher quality stuff? If relatively soon then most I've talked to would say try to spend a little more now and get something that will last, sounds better and has better resale value if you decide to part with it. Don't skimp on cables though. There is a difference between good and crap cables and it's not just in price. You don't exactly need $100 a foot stuff with the gear you've listed but don't get Hosa either. It's just not worth it. I learned the hard way and some of my Hosa cables were crackly from the start.

- What's the quality of the gear? Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it has to be built like crap. Luckily the market seems flooded with more choices for the bedroom studios now than ever. You're on the right track regarding asking around for opinions on gear. Best to get real world experience than the line being fed to you by the sale guy. There is cheap like Gemini DJ mixers that I wouldn't wish on someone I hate. And then there is cheap like Mackie mixers that don't sound like a million bucks but are built like a tank and well tested on the road. BTW check out Soundcraft. I've never heard it but there have been many discussions on this board where people have mentioned it alongside the Mackie stuff.

Good luck.

 

[freshmattyp]

my mixer has a mic pre amp on it

If you can swing the money, you will notice an improvement over the mic pre's in your mixer.

 

[chessparov]

Your Behringer mixer won't provide full 48v phantom power, especially when more than one microphone is plugged in=lesser frequency response/more noise. Get a dedicated mic pre.

Buy any dynamic microphones used, and save some extra $$ that way too. They are less delicate than condensers.

Chris

 

[Rev E]

... When and will you ever want to upgrade to higher quality stuff? If relatively soon then most I've talked to would say try to spend a little more now and get something that will last, sounds better and has better resale value if you decide to part with it.

I totally agree. If you got the ATM 25, SM 57, 2 B1s, you would likely not sell these, even when you upgrade. You will likely upgrade to a better vocal mic and overhead mic than the B1, BUT the B1 could be used as a tom mics later on. Very decent there.

Don't skimp on cables though. There is a difference between good and crap cables and it's not just in price. You don't exactly need $100 a foot stuff with the gear you've listed but don't get Hosa either. It's just not worth it. I learned the hard way and some of my Hosa cables were crackly from the start.

Spoken by a man after my own heart. Personally, I use Mogami. It's good quality that does not break the bank. I've bought Mogami from www.fullcompass.com . I also recently bought a couple of Mogami snakes from a seller on eBay for a great price. Here's his auction list. He lists stuff every week so don't overpay, because the products will be back up the following week. http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...itenoisetek&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=50

DON'T buy Hosa, ProCo or any cheap cable. I repeat, DON'T BUY cheap cable. You will be sorry when you DO buy some better quality stuff and you realize what you were missing and the damage you did to your recordings with the cheap stuff. In fact, I would consider Mogami, Belden, Canare (sold by www.markertek) as the standards. Don't buy anything less in quality. Monster cable is great cable, also. But it is seriously overpriced, so stick with the brands I just spoke about. You'll thank us later.

 

[12bass]

Your Behringer mixer won't provide full 48v phantom power, especially when more than one microphone is plugged in=lesser frequency response/more noise. Get a dedicated mic pre.

While I don't doubt that there are better sounding preamps than those in the Behringer UB1204, I do take issue with the claim that the Behringer does not provide full 48V phantom power.

I presently have an MXL 603S, MXL 2003, and V67G plugged in to my UB1204-Pro and, according to my multimeter, the UB1204 puts out 47V when powering all three condenser microphones, which is well within spec (note that the Audio Buddy does not provide full phantom power, even to one microphone, giving at best 43V to one mic, and under 30V when two are connected).

Another point of note is that the preamps in the newer UB series mixers are much improved over those in the older MX models, so it is important to specify which Behringer preamps you are referring to. The new preamps have much more clarity and are, IMO, not far off from the Mackie VLZ-Pro preamps.

A while back I did a comparison test, listening to the Behringer UB1204 and MX802A, M-Audio Audio Buddy, and Mackie CR1604 (not VLZ). To my ears, the UB preamps sound noticeably better than both the Audio Buddy and older Mackie preamps.

Later comparisons were made between the UB preamps and Mackie's newer VLZ-Pro and the Studio Projects VTB1. I thought that both the Mackie VLZ-Pro and VTB1 sounded a bit more natural than the UB preamps. I think that the VTB1 is probably the best sounding preamp of the models I tested.

--

kevin

http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab752
(my own home page.... imagine that!)