New Set Up Help

[inf tha don]

Got a couple questions

1. Should I buy a mixer and soundcard if im buying a mbox 2 pro?
2. Should I buy the big knob because I have a sound booth and im going to need to talk to whoever in the booth so is that a good buy?
3. This is what I was all going to buy first

1.Mic
2.headphones
3.monitors
4.big knob
5.mbox 2

4.how do I hook up my monitors so that I can listen to whoevers in the booth while there recording because I been having it where the persons in the booth and the tap the window when there done and you get the idea?

 

[Trell Blaze]

1. No...
2. Not necessarily. There's other talkback options. I'm sure someone will follow up with a few good ones...
3. Scratch #4 from your list...u don't really need that.
4. Exactly how is your setup hooked up? There could be a number of monitoring issues. I'd list them but I'm feeling lazy and I'm waiting till the game comes on...lol

 

[inf tha don]

2. Yea I couldnt find any other talkback ones...the guy at tha GC kept saying I should i buy that 1.
4. I think the set up is hooked up like the headphones goes in the pc and then we take those out and put the monitors back in the pc after were done recording.

 

[Dags]

Howdy i.t.d.

Just as another point of view, maybe think about whether a mixer would be useful for your setup, as there are mixers available that have talkback mics in them (or they have the ability to hook up a mic) that connects with a press of a button to the headphone output.
I have a Behringer desk that has this function and I have found it useful at times to communicate with the singer while they have headphones on (even though I don't have a separate vocal booth)

A few benefits of mixing desks:
*You can monitor keyboard MIDI playback at the same time as any audio you have recorded (just in case you work this way - I don't know your setup so just throwing some ideas around)
*Mixers with insert points allow you to hook up external gear such as compressors if you ever decide to get external gear
*Mixers with sub groups (buses) further add flexibility to your signal routing

You don't necessarily need to get a mixer with built in effects as the effects circuit can add noise to your signal and they aren't really useful in a studio with more controllable software effects.

It really depends on what you imagine yourself doing in the future. If just recording/monitoring a couple of devices, then you don't need a mixer. If you're looking at getting pretty sophisticated with a lot of external synths and stuff, then a mixer may be useful if you don't want to keep unplugging & plugging in bits of gear to the MBox.

Food for thought, anyway

Dags

 

[inf tha don]

what type of mixers are there with the talk back option?

 

[Dags]

what type of mixers are there with the talk back option?

Behringer, Mackie, Soundcraft, probably Yamaha as well.

Do a google search on 'mixer +talkback' or something like that to narrow the search.

Just in case you find a mixer that has everything you need apart from the talkback section, you can get past a mixer not having a talkback switch by plugging a mic into a spare input and keeping it muted unless needed.

Dags

 

[inf tha don]

what about this
http://www.birdlandmusic.net/product.php?productid=3063&src=froogle

could I buy that and just hook up that up to the mixer?

 

[Dags]

Hey there i.t.d.

I think you could - I'm not familiar with this unit but it certainly appears to be an option for your requirements. You may be able to use this as *the* mixer (albeit a compact unit) with your MBox, depending on how many simultaneous inputs you need to feed into the MBox.

Maybe do some searches for reviews on the unit to see what other people think of it. That's what I generally do before deciding to buy something. Sometimes it changes my mind, but most times it doesn't

Dags

 

[Trell Blaze]

I don't know man...if you're really broke (kinda like me) you can do what we did once. We bought a set of intercomms and set one in the booth...one in the control room.

However, this can intoduce feedback problems with the mics and such so placement and volume settins would be very important.

I'd recommend this ONLY if u're desperate to save money but still need to communicate...lol

 

[SRR]

I have that Behringer unit, it works pretty slick. But buy it from fullcompass if you are in the states, you will save $12~ I think. You can even hook up a normal sustain pedal made for keyboards, to use as the talkback switch. It provides feeds for headphones and three sets of monitors. You just hook up your main stereo outs of your mbox or sound card, and it will do the rest once you route the right cables to the right places. And after all its just a volume control if behringer can't get that right, which I contend it has, it's never going to get anything right.

Samson has a similar unit if not exact copy, ok B* copied the samson unit.

 

[inf tha don]

Thanks for all the feedback got another question?

I'm going to place my order and I would like to know everything I'm going to need down to the cables so I won't have to go out later and buy it.

1.mbox2
2.behringer mixer
3.headphones.
4.headphones ext.
5.behringer monitors
6.at 2020 mic w/pop filter
7.mic stand

I'm know I'm going to need some more stuff I haven't listed

And will I be able to play my monitors while the person is recording inside the booth?

 

[ssscientist]

5.behringer monitors.

And will I be able to play my monitors while the person is recording inside the booth?

If those Behringer monitors are the unpowered kind you will need to budget for a suitable power amp. If you're planning on buying the powered Behringer Truths there are plenty in their price range that blow them away. I suggest you hold off until you can listen to the others that compete before you spend your money.

Yes, if you set it up correctly you will be able to 'play (your) monitors while the person is recording inside the booth'.


.

 

[danico4not]

Well best of luck to you.

If you want a good deal, holler at my folk at www.pssl.com

Anyhow you sounded like you got a good studio setup going there. As far as value for your money you could cut a few more corners to get some good stuff if you wanted. #1 the M-Box. I know some cats consider Pro Tools an industry standard, but their are lots oi programs out there that are much simpler to use and are cheaper. One for example is cubase. There are some interfaces that come with cubase. For example the Alesis Multimix. This is available in firewire or usb. There's the Lexicon Alpha, Lambda & Omega- each of those come with a lite version of cubase as well.

Starting out if you want the most value for your money you don't want to spend extra on a name.

Also FYI...There's this mic pack that you should check out. Damn good quality mics and at a reasonable price. The CAD GXL2200 Studio Pack. You get a pop filter, shockmount and two mics!

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