Setting up the garage for the kids

  • Thread starter Thread starter wheelema
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wheelema

wheelema

Boner-obo
Working through the issues in my mind. Gear only, no instruments, no treatment. Approximately $5K including stands and cabling but excluding the computer. Analog inputs are voice, guitar, violin, saxophone, and clarinet.

  • DAW. Intel i5, 8GB, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, Akai APC40 Abelton Controller
  • Software. Abelton LIVE.
  • Soundcard. Zoom R24. Note to the n00bies... in my universe the soundcard is whatever sits between the DAW and the music and performs the A/D/A conversion. The R24 of course doesn't ONLY do that.
  • In-ear monitoring. x4 A-T ANC23.
  • Headphone. x4 MoreMe.
  • Headphone distribution. x2 Behringer HA4700.
  • Monitors. Adam A8X (ouch).
  • Small condenser mics. Probably Naiant.
  • Dynamic mics. x3 Shure SM57.
  • Gold channel. Shure KSM44 into GA Pre73 (ouch).

Still super tentative. Feel free to tell me where I'm screwing up but don't go past $5K.
 
All I have to say is that I wish you were my dad.... :D So how did this all come about? Are you buying all this stuff new for them? They planning on carrying on the legacy and doing some recording too?
 
guitaristic said:
All I have to say is that I wish you were my dad.... :D So how did this all come about? Are you buying all this stuff new for them? They planning on carrying on the legacy and doing some recording too?
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It's all new. I don't play music, or sing. Hell... I don't even beat drums. My recording is limited to voice overs. But the girls all read music, one plays clarinet, and violin, another saxophone, and guitar, and a third wants to be a drummer (poor kid). They all sing. I try to encourage them.

The twenty-one year old and the fourteen year old are awesome together. Give you a serious case of goosebumps.

Not too sure if I'm going to follow through with those Adam monitors and I'm thinking of ditching the KSM44/GA combo for two SM7Bs into a RNP.
 
wheelema said:
the girls all read music, play clarinet, violin, saxophone, guitar, and one wants to be a drummer (poor kid), and they all sing. I try to encourage them.

The twenty-one year old and the fourteen year old are awesome together. Give you a serious case of goosebumps.
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That's a neat assortment of instruments there. Are they pretty serious about their music ?
 
Lots of gear! If you are serious about recording (and it really is a garage), you need to set aside some money for sound treatment. read the Studio Building part of these forums. Wlll you consider adopting a 55-year old?
 
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I'm only 42 and in need of a new daddy! Guitaristic may be a better choice for adoption tho. Just look at his cute avatar.

Room treatment will help to make everything you intend on purchasing, actually sound good. It is the most overlooked, and most important necessity of a studio. That is not my opinion. It is fact.
 
jimmys69 said:
Guitaristic may be a better choice for adoption tho. Just look at his cute avatar.
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Don't let the avatar fool you... he's 7'6" and 350lbs - far too big to be adopted. The food bill alone would send you broke...

Instead of 3 SM57s, I'd get one and a couple of other options... depending upon what's being recorded.
 
That seems like a nice setup. If the kids are new to this, though, I'd think about setting them up with just the basics first. If/when they develop an interest, they'll develop their own taste too. That way they can choose what they want.
 
On one level I hate this exercise, on another it just causes apprehension.

For those who asked, yes. The kids are serious. So anyway...

Same DAW w/Akai APC40 Abelton Controller
Abelton LIVE
Zoom R24 Digital Multitrack Recorder
Sound Devices USBPre 2 w/two FMR PBC-6A Mono Compressors - I'm favoring the USBPre 2 as it's clean, and gives me field recording functionality. Incidentally the I/O is... impressive.
SeElectronics SE2200A Microphone x2 - from all of the reviews these should work well for the girl's vocal style but when all is said and done you roll the dice and take your chances.
Adam Audio A3X Pair 4.5 inch Monitors
Adam Audio Sub7 Subwoofer

Approximately $4,200 so there's still some wiggle room for some small condensers, headphones, etc.

On the treatment issue I'll be 'drywalling' the garage in fiberglass and rockwool. Hopefully we won't annoy the neighbors.

Edit... and here's a question I'm not too sure how to answer. The FMR compressors tack $1K onto the tab, and I don't question their value. But for maximum bang for the buck I'm toying with the idea of dropping the hardware compression in favor of a copy of the Waves Broadcast and Production Native Bundle (educational discount) which would provide a whole lot more then just compression. Any constructive feedback appreciated.
 
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I work in Ableton mainly so if you run into any hitches PM





someone else




lol
 
As saads mentioned, if the kids are just starting out, go with the basics first. Outboard compressors are totally unnecessary at this stage. As we've already said, do some room treatment (you said 'no treatment') - you can put $10,000 worth of equipment into a crappy sounding garage and any recording will still have the basic crappy garage sound!
 
kcearl said:
Up yours wheelie ;)
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I've sent you a bottle of Tanqueray and a green chicklet for the holidays. Happy Hanukkah. I'd avoid the mic forum were I you.


mjbphotos said:
As saads mentioned, if the kids are just starting out, go with the basics first. Outboard compressors are totally unnecessary at this stage. As we've already said, do some room treatment (you said 'no treatment') - you can put $10,000 worth of equipment into a crappy sounding garage and any recording will still have the basic crappy garage sound!
Click to expand...

Oh, the 'no treatment' comment meant only that it wasn't included in the stated budget... I'm not going to leave all those nasty reflective surfaces 'au natural', I assure you.
 
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