Ethan Winer
Acoustics Expert
My chain is microphone > Mackie mixer > mixer's preamp direct output > sound card. I defer all processing until mixdown when I can hear all the tracks in context.
--Ethan
--Ethan
J
jaynm26
New member
^ Cool chain ecc
E
ecc83
Well-known member
Thanks Jay. I just thought, since I am very lucky in these hard times to be a bit flushed, that I would upgrade to an AP 192 soundcard. Would you believe they are VERY hard to find?
Dave.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
It really depends what I'm recording !
If I'm doing vocals or harmonies/backing vocals it will be a mic {dynamic or condenser} going through a Behringer Ultragain Pro MIC2200 and then into my DAW which is an Akai DPS12i. That would tend to be the set up too if I'm recording saxophone, flute, oboe, harmonica, clarinet or any other blowing instrument although sometimes, especially with sax and harmonica, I might just use the DPS12i preamp. They have odd preamps, the signal right up until the last notch is negligible. The jump in volume between the second last and last notch is like the jump into hyperspace. This is also the set up I'll use for acoustic mandolin and double bass. I'm still experimenting with the best way to mic the double bass as I've only recently picked it up again after 9 or so years.
That's moreorless what I'd use for acoustic guitars, again depending on whether I'm using one mic or two, dynamic or condenser or one of each. Further to that, I'll often add a track of the acoustic plugged in sound straight in {on it's own, it's horrible but it sits nicely among other guitar sounds} and one from this cheap bottletop contact mic and plugged in.
For electric, once in a blue moon I'll go DI and reamp for variation but for the most part, it's a straight SM58 at the amp's face and into the DAW. Other times, I'll use a Superlux drum mic or even a headphone for rawness and I've found a condenser is quite nice and doesn't blow up ! Sometimes if I'm going for that electric jangly stereo 12 string sound, I'll 58 a line 6 amp as per and send the other signal via a Hendrix or Clapton or Ravish sitar pedal and into a Fender bassman and then mic that with whatever I feel like going with.
Bass is either DI {rarely.....usually late at night} via the Fender bassman which has a speaker out thing; you detatch the internal speaker jack and the speaker sound goes right out to the DAW via a lead. Or I'll go DI via the Behringer BD121 which is an interesting amp sim with a variety of tones if you'll take the time. Most of the time I'll mic the bass amp with the 58, the Super eagle bass drum mic or the Superlux {bass drum or one of the others}. I'll even mic the Line 6 for bass. That's what I put my fretless electro acoustic bass through and it's one of the few times I'll put effects on while tracking. Some light chorus or flanger can be effective {sorry.....
}. One of my favourite bass chains is my 3 way run ~ bass into Palmers Y box, one output to Fender bassman amp and miked, one output DI to DAW and a third from the Fender line out for a bit of growl. If I just mic and DI, I'll also use a splitter lead.
When I use VSTis, I have all the various instruments housed in Cubase 5 essentials in my Toshiba tecra laptop. The soundcard is a one in, one out Echo layla. I rigged up a lead with a ground loop isolator which kills any hum or buzz [when the computer is plugged in, I used to get this awful buzzy humming or hummy buzzing and my mate said it would go only if I used it on batteries. The annoyance of that, and a guy in a shop saying there was no solution led me to the ground loop isolator]. That then goes straight into the DAW. The various sounds are triggered by my CME MKey 'dummy' keyboard.
For sound effects and the like, my chain is as simple as simple can be ¬> point my Zoom H1 at or around whatever the sound source is.
If I'm doing vocals or harmonies/backing vocals it will be a mic {dynamic or condenser} going through a Behringer Ultragain Pro MIC2200 and then into my DAW which is an Akai DPS12i. That would tend to be the set up too if I'm recording saxophone, flute, oboe, harmonica, clarinet or any other blowing instrument although sometimes, especially with sax and harmonica, I might just use the DPS12i preamp. They have odd preamps, the signal right up until the last notch is negligible. The jump in volume between the second last and last notch is like the jump into hyperspace. This is also the set up I'll use for acoustic mandolin and double bass. I'm still experimenting with the best way to mic the double bass as I've only recently picked it up again after 9 or so years.
That's moreorless what I'd use for acoustic guitars, again depending on whether I'm using one mic or two, dynamic or condenser or one of each. Further to that, I'll often add a track of the acoustic plugged in sound straight in {on it's own, it's horrible but it sits nicely among other guitar sounds} and one from this cheap bottletop contact mic and plugged in.
For electric, once in a blue moon I'll go DI and reamp for variation but for the most part, it's a straight SM58 at the amp's face and into the DAW. Other times, I'll use a Superlux drum mic or even a headphone for rawness and I've found a condenser is quite nice and doesn't blow up ! Sometimes if I'm going for that electric jangly stereo 12 string sound, I'll 58 a line 6 amp as per and send the other signal via a Hendrix or Clapton or Ravish sitar pedal and into a Fender bassman and then mic that with whatever I feel like going with.
Bass is either DI {rarely.....usually late at night} via the Fender bassman which has a speaker out thing; you detatch the internal speaker jack and the speaker sound goes right out to the DAW via a lead. Or I'll go DI via the Behringer BD121 which is an interesting amp sim with a variety of tones if you'll take the time. Most of the time I'll mic the bass amp with the 58, the Super eagle bass drum mic or the Superlux {bass drum or one of the others}. I'll even mic the Line 6 for bass. That's what I put my fretless electro acoustic bass through and it's one of the few times I'll put effects on while tracking. Some light chorus or flanger can be effective {sorry.....
}. One of my favourite bass chains is my 3 way run ~ bass into Palmers Y box, one output to Fender bassman amp and miked, one output DI to DAW and a third from the Fender line out for a bit of growl. If I just mic and DI, I'll also use a splitter lead.When I use VSTis, I have all the various instruments housed in Cubase 5 essentials in my Toshiba tecra laptop. The soundcard is a one in, one out Echo layla. I rigged up a lead with a ground loop isolator which kills any hum or buzz [when the computer is plugged in, I used to get this awful buzzy humming or hummy buzzing and my mate said it would go only if I used it on batteries. The annoyance of that, and a guy in a shop saying there was no solution led me to the ground loop isolator]. That then goes straight into the DAW. The various sounds are triggered by my CME MKey 'dummy' keyboard.
For sound effects and the like, my chain is as simple as simple can be ¬> point my Zoom H1 at or around whatever the sound source is.
M
mixsit
Well-known member
Most used or go-to Chameleon 7602's (big plus for the eq options there) > (1)TFP P-38 (lots of comp options there- or not). 2nd in line for comp on the way in' 160xt.
General/cleaner' stuff Precisiion8 and a few others.
2- RME ADI-8's > RayDat
Mics- totally variable
General/cleaner' stuff Precisiion8 and a few others.
2- RME ADI-8's > RayDat
Mics- totally variable
wheelema
Boner-obo
You're going from a $1,000 microphone into a $1,200 boutique pre through a (I assume) $1,500 Empirical Labs distressor into a $2,500 A/D/A converter just to then run the signal into a $400 M-Audio firewire interface?
Allrighty then.
I'm using a Sennheiser MK4 large condenser or a Shure SM7B to a Sound Devices USBPre 2 to Sony SoundForge and I'm playing around with OpenLabs StageLight software.
E
ecc83
Well-known member
Just read a good report in Jan SoS on the Joe Meek Twin Q2.
Two excellent (Cinemag coupled ) mic pres, line, instrument,insert. EQ per channel, Comp' per channel and best of all, a built in 24bit converter. So even if your soundcard/AI is not of the top drawer you can bypass it.
All up for a sniff under £1200.
Another infrequently mentioned pre with converters is the Audient Mico. No comp or EQ but then a bit cheaper.
Dave.
Two excellent (Cinemag coupled ) mic pres, line, instrument,insert. EQ per channel, Comp' per channel and best of all, a built in 24bit converter. So even if your soundcard/AI is not of the top drawer you can bypass it.
All up for a sniff under £1200.
Another infrequently mentioned pre with converters is the Audient Mico. No comp or EQ but then a bit cheaper.
Dave.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
My chain for congas, bongos and tablas and other percussion is moreorless the same as acoustic guitar ¬> sometimes I use one mic, sometimes two. I find a dynamic always gets me a better sound than a condenser on congas and bongos.
For drums, I've arrived at this after a few years trial and error ¬> 9 mics but 4 inputs. Snare and kick go straight into the DAW on their own tracks. The 5 toms and 2 overheads go into a Behringer Eurorack UB1832FX mixer {with 2 of the small toms going into a small mic mixer then outputting into one of the inputs on the mixer}. I get a panning arrangement in the mixer then output to 2 tracks on the DAW for a total of 4 inputs.
I call the overheads 'overheads' but really, they're underheads as they're below the level of the cymbals and hi~hat cymbals, pointing towards the snare.
[h=1][/h]
E
ecc83
Well-known member
To get more specific, we have a limited choice of microphones...
Sontronics STC-2 LDC and unsually for a big job, fairly neutral.
Two AKG Perception 150 SDC's. The model has been replaced by the P170 but apart from an attenuator change from 10dB to 20dB (max i/p 155dBSPL!) it is essentially the same mic.
But for acoustic guitar Son like the the Shure SM57! Now that we have the ZED 10 the mic pre amps are good enough, almost maxed out but still good enough.
Jusfort: I am probably going to buy son a netbook for internet duties in France. I am hoping it will also serve as a recorder together with a Tascam 144mk 1 and a cap mic. If it can only manage 4 tracks in Reaper or Sam Silver he will be happy.
Can I also again ask if anyone knows where I can get a new M-A AP 192 in UK?
Dave.
Sontronics STC-2 LDC and unsually for a big job, fairly neutral.
Two AKG Perception 150 SDC's. The model has been replaced by the P170 but apart from an attenuator change from 10dB to 20dB (max i/p 155dBSPL!) it is essentially the same mic.
But for acoustic guitar Son like the the Shure SM57! Now that we have the ZED 10 the mic pre amps are good enough, almost maxed out but still good enough.
Jusfort: I am probably going to buy son a netbook for internet duties in France. I am hoping it will also serve as a recorder together with a Tascam 144mk 1 and a cap mic. If it can only manage 4 tracks in Reaper or Sam Silver he will be happy.
Can I also again ask if anyone knows where I can get a new M-A AP 192 in UK?
Dave.
S
Spazhands
'ere mate
Mine is very humble, used mainly used for drums and goes: 2 mics go into Emu 1820 and the rest go into my
korg 168rc then via lightpipe to the emu pci card then into Reaper.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/attachment.php?attachmentid=75798&d=1353241725
korg 168rc then via lightpipe to the emu pci card then into Reaper.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/attachment.php?attachmentid=75798&d=1353241725
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
Recording chain?
Mikes and/or instruments > firepod > PC
Mikes and/or instruments > firepod > PC
Steenamaroo
...
What's wrong with that?
pouxhawk
Member
Nothing exotic but fairly versatile.
MONO/Voice?:Bock195/Oktava319/SM7/RE20/TelefunkenM80/BeyerM500/Royer121-UAM610/TruePsolo-dbx160a-MOTU
TWOTRACK:Oktava MK012/Oktava319/RodeNT5/SennheiserMD211/Pair of Grace 101-dbx1066-MOTU/SonyD50
olduncledino
MONO/Voice?:Bock195/Oktava319/SM7/RE20/TelefunkenM80/BeyerM500/Royer121-UAM610/TruePsolo-dbx160a-MOTU
TWOTRACK:Oktava MK012/Oktava319/RodeNT5/SennheiserMD211/Pair of Grace 101-dbx1066-MOTU/SonyD50
olduncledino
wheelema
Boner-obo
Steenamaroo said:
... wait... you are kidding, right?
E
ecc83
Well-known member
... wait... you are kidding, right?
Now guys, before something gets said that peeps will regret let me point out that a very well respected magazine recently did a very well conducted test that concluded that, so long as they were operated inside their linear modes 5 very different mic amplifiers could not be told apart.
Said magazine has been asked to do the same for converters so it could well be that what we all know is "obvious" turns out to be nothing of the sort. They have already "proved" that using a master clock renders little or no benefit and might even be detrimental to using the AI's clocks!
Egg on face is SO unsightly!
Dave. Happy whatsit and goodwill to all men and all that swaddling.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
Man, I ain't worn swaddling since the early 60s !
wheelema
Boner-obo
All that is fine, well, and totally believable but why would you...could you?... stick a 2626 between your PC and a Hilo Lynx?