need feedback on studio set-up

[voss]

i just started a sort of studio with a buddy of mine. something to provide local musicians with quality recordings as cheap as possible. we've spent a lot of money (loans) building facilities in the basement and heres out set up:

hardware
· Mackie SR24-4 VLZ 24-Channel Mixer
· MOTU 24I/O sound card (24 in, 24 out)
· ART Pro MPA dual channel preamp
· Intel Pentium 4 2.6GHz based computer
· KRK V8 Studio Monitors
· STUDIO PROJECT C1 condenser (1)
· SHURE sm57 (1), PG56 (3), PG52 (1), PG81 (2)
· SENNHEISER e835 (1)
· AKG D3500 (1)

software
· Sony Vegas 5
· Cakewalk Sonar 2, Sonar 3 (producer edition)
· iZotope Ozone

looking for feedback on the any of the stuff, and advise on our next additions, especially mic-wise. (thinking of getting another C1 and possibly two oktava mk012's or shure ksm27s or possibly both; mostly for drums. im looking to get a consistant product with the quality on all these recordings. we're doing it pretty cheap right now. like 12 bucks an hour. any suggestions, comments would be appreciated.

 

[Track Rat]

Sounds like an adequate system to record with. It could be a pretty powerful setup with a few additions. What do you use for headphone distribution?
With 24 gozintas and gozoutas you have the option of mixing with an analog mixer and using both hardware processors and plugins side by side in real time. I work that way. Just my opinion but I think it sounds better than digital summing.

 

[voss]

we use the following:
Behringer HA4700 Powerplay Pro Headphone Amp
Audio-Technica ATH-M40f Professional Monitor Headphones
as for the second part of your reply.. im not sure i follow. granted im really new to this.

 

[Track Rat]

Just that with the setup you have, you have two options for mixing. One is to use all software (Vegas or Sonar). The advantage to that would be infinately repeatable mixes as levels would always be right where you left them. The disadvantage would be (in my opinion) the digital summing issue. Software summing (your multitrack rendered to stereo) just ain't there yet.
The other option you have is to use the MOTU and the Mackie mixer to mix on. You'd still use either Vegas or Sonar but you's assign the individual tracks you've recorded back to channels on the MOTU which would end up on faders in the Mackie. The advantges here would be the ability to use hardware (real compressors, outboard reverb units, etc) along side plugins (virtual compressors, reverbs, etc) simultainiously. VERY cool. Plus (and most important as far as I'm concerned) since you'd be summing the multitrack inside the Mackie, you side step the digtal summing issue I talked about. They sound....rounder, fatter (I hate that word but for lack of a better one) more aggressive. The downside is it's a little harder to repeat a mix as you have non automated faders, EQ settings, trim settings, mains settings of the Mackie which means you have to write things down and use your ears more criticly. Say you do a mix, burn yourself a CD and listen to it for a few days in your car and you decide that thr vocals need to come up a bit and you want to make a few more minor adjustments. You have to recreate the mix on the Mackie, remembering where EVERYTHING was plus the changes you had in mind. Not impossible, but it does make it more challenging. The big plus here in my humble opinion is the mixes always SOUND better and for me that trumps all.