Question for Slackmaster.

D

Deen

New member
Hi there Slack,

I just wanted to ask you what setup you
used to record "Crawling with the Ants".
It's the best sounding MP3 I've ever heared
anywhere. Sounds like a Regular CD. I couldn't
believe I was actually hearing it. I've been thinking
of purchasing minimal budget studio gear to get the
pro sound. I'm intersted in the gear you use to record.
Also did you process the audio in a special way to make it sound that good? Any secrets? Thanks.
 
Well, if you're not just joking then thanks...but I'd be leary of calling the sound I got "pro".

Anyhow, it was a pretty simple recording:

Guitar: Old Kalamazoo acoustic mic'd with a Marshall V67 ($89 for the "B" version at Sam Ash) over the right shoulder and a Marshall 603s ($79) at the nut of the guitar. The V67 went into an ART Tube MP ($99) and the 603 into a Symetrix SX202 ($100). Panned them slightly to get a bit of a wider sound. Personally I think the acoustic sounds like crap on this track but oh well.

Vocals: Vocals done via the V67 into the Tube MP. The mic was still setup for acoustic guitar and I was just singing a scratch track. Turned out to be better than I had expected so I used it. I used Freeverb2 (free) for reverb.

The echoing track was done by making a clone of the original vocal track and shifting it over a couple seconds. I then used Prosoniq's northpole (free) on it to give it that cool sound.

The whispering vocals were done via an SM57 ($75) into the Art Tube MP.

Synth: The synth sound was just a single instance of the Cheese Machine VSTi (free).


Everything was recorded using a Delta 1010 ($599) soundcard. Tracked & mixed entirely in n-Track ($70) and Fruity Loops VSTi ($99). For monitors I was using Event 20/20's ($300) powered by an old NAD integrated amplifier. I've since upgraded to a hafler power amp and it's MUCH better.

Slackmaster 2000
 
He just said it guys!

Marshall sub 100 buck mic through Tube mp and
through a (gulp) 600 buck 1010. It sounds like it was
done in a studio. Maybe not at Electric Ladyland but
definitely not on a Porta Studio with Radio Shack mic.
That's minimal enough for me. Costs almost as much
as a new 424 many years ago if you change that 1010
into an Audiophile.

I never joke about sound Slack. It's clear you've done
your homework well, it's quite inspiring. You say it's not
"pro", but I guess we're all looking for something else
once we reach a certain point. It never ends.
 
Yeah I was reasonably happy with how that recording turned out. Sloppy but I like sloppy (pavement fan, hehe). It's not quite what I had in my head though...you're right, it never ends. But if you never have a higher goal, you'll never go any higher!

I can definately hear the limitations of the Delta 1010, and the V67....but I like them both and for the price, it's better than not recording!

Slackmaster 2000
 
I'll definitely be following the trail you took.He!He!
It's all clear now! "nice" mic, "nice" pre , and M-Audio.
I figured if you could make a simple guitar and voice
recording sound like it was done in a studio I could
be happy for now. Time to save.
 
You should post that setup in the newbie section (if you haven't already done so... Send them to the song and let them listen. Job well done...

Vice
 
Hey slack,

Can you post a link to the song he's referring to. I listened to a couple of your songs in the mp3 forum, but not this one.

A
 
To anyone following the last leg of this thread,

I think It's good for newbies to actually hear what a
set-up recommendation actually sounds like. I've seen
so many threads asking about the best pre for this price,
the best mic for so and so, the best of this and that,
which basically just points to what people are buying
and using. But If I were to make a purchase without
hearing a soudclip, it's taking someone's word for it.
I think it would be great to have more threads about
setup seggestions accompanied by supporting sound
clips. That would be quite inspiring for a lot of newbies like
me. People who have never heared something out of a Delta Card
or a 1202 or tube mp. At least someone can say , Hey
I like that sound, it fits the bill, I'm going for it. That's
basically why I've read so many recommendations but was
still unsure and confused until yesterday. Now I know
what I want, atleast for now. Thanks you all.
 
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