so do i really need another preamp?

[postalblue]

first of all, i can't spend another dime on this, but if i decide i can't really get professional sounding stuff from this setup i'll HAVE to do something about, maybe a second mortgage, so let's go-
i just got a basic home recording setup (fast pc, aardvark direct pro 24/96 with cakewalk pro audio 9), yamaha msp5, studio projects c3 mic, pair of marshall mxl 603, akg 3700 dynamic, mackie 1202-not PRO model), but do i really need to invest more money in a preamp right now? can i record an album with this gear, and still get professional results? i did all my homework about recording techniques, soundproofing etc, but i'm afraid of the quality of the preamps i've got. note that as of this writing i still haven't done any recording with this setup, as i'm still putting it all together.
i must say that i do have some experience in recording myself and others though. the record i'll be making with this gear will be my third (although first full length). i'm just asking about the preamp. i'll be recording a 4-piece band (drums, guitars, bass, vocals, some sampled instruments, soft synths). drums will be tracked in a local studio, the rest at home.

any input would be highly appreciated.
adriano
http://www.indiepages.com/postalblue

 

[Kermit]

Do you like the sound you are getting?

 

[Cave Dweller]

I have learned alot about making gear purchases before gaining experience, most of it the hard way. practice recording alot before you do your final issue of your album...let me explain...a couple of years ago i bought some gear....8 track hard disk recorder, 14 channelk mixer, monitors, some out board stuff...then i proceeded to record some local bands, without alot of experience on the gear, or experience at recording at all... so we spent alot of time trying to do everything right, mic placement Ect. since then i have worked alot doing live sound, more recording, and alot of asking people who know about things...so one of the bands comes back a few months ago to do a 2 song demo...we just throw up the moics, everything was recorded live, not alot of fuss..sounded alot better than their first project, ant thins time we werent even tryin!! i guess the moral is before you buy alot of gear, get experience...i have heard some really killer stuff done on low end gear, and i have heard trash on high end. i think your setup is pretty good and solid. all of those things will give you good sounds, but with any gear you have to know how to manipulate it to get great sound

have fun
Matt

 

[Wide Awake]

I would concentrate more on your mics than your preamps. Make sure you have a good mic for guitars....I would try your AKG 3700 and see if you like the sound. If not consider buying an SM57 or Beta58 for instance.

 

[Gidge]

"professional" you will not get......but you can get really damn good results with what you have...check out the mp3 mixing clinic and see the awesome songs people are recording and check out what gear they are using......

 

[tubedude]

It all depends on who you ask!
The sound of your mics will increase exponentially with an excellent preamp, but theres not much in the price range of a cheap Mackie that will create any improvement. The Grace 101, maybe. The Presonus with Burrs is a decent improvement for 2 channels. The cheapest best-bet you'll find is in the $1000-1200 range, but if thats too much, you can check out the Presonus. It does have a color though, and it WILL build up on multiple layers. The Grace is more transparent and may be more what you need, for now. The Presonus may surprise you at 1st, in a good way, but you'll end up wanting something cleaner and/or better, eventually, but it IS better than the Mackie. At $500 its a good buy.
Good luck.

 

[jet-rocker]

hmm....

Tubetude...
This isn't a cut. But maybe more of a fair question. What pres do you own? And what pres do you have experience recording with?
I have a sneaking suspicion (and I hope that you can prove me wrong) that you tout a lot of gear that you haven't had your hands on. (I don't doubt that the gear you tout is good.)

Postal, try recording then buying. Once you've recorded something, you'll have a better idea of what's lacking in your sound. The pres on thet 2496 aren't the best in the world, but at this stage I doubt that they'll be holding you back.

Professional results are such an elusive goal. Try making recordings that you are happy with. The studios will always be able to outspend you.

In the end, it's the songs man, the songs. If I had to choose "proffesional" like crystal clear Brittany Spears, or "professional" like an early Ramones demo tape....

We'll you see where I'm going.

Good luck recording. My Aardvark LX6 is working out great, though Aardvark must really be chastised for moving the drivers out so slowly.

As far as mics, the 603s and the C3 should be a great place to start.

Learn how to use them, then worry about big buck preamps. In this economy a second mortgage could put you curbside when trouble rears its head.

-Jett

 

[Kelly Dueck]

You know, the preamps on your Aardvark aren't half bad and if you're careful, you should get really good results. Why use the Mackie at all if you're only running four mics? Make sure you've got some good quality plug-ins for cakewalk so the signal doesn't get mucked up once you get it on disk. Also you could do a lot worse than the mics you have.

I read in EQ Magazine a few years back that James Taylor's Hourglass album one a grammy for best eningeered recording, non-classical (in 1997, I believe) and it was recorded in James Taylor's living room, guest bedroom and hallway on a couple of Tascamm DR-78's using a Yamaha O2R digital console and it's on-board pre-amps -- hardly "professional" gear. Not sure what the mics were (Some Audio Technicas and AKG's I think) but it boiled down to: 1. Really good players; 2. Playing really good arrangements; on 3. Really good instruments.

Ultimately, it's the music that determines everything!

 

[tubedude]

Jet-Rocker... I don't know how much attention you;ve paid to some of my posts, but I've gone to great trouble and expense for months now just trying to hunt down alot of this stuff just to hear it, see it , touch it. Most of the stuff that I have heard I will comment on it, some of it I have heard and still dont feel like I heard enough. When I havent heard it, I was ususally say so, or say that I have HEARD good things about it. Of what I mentioned below, I said the Grace MAYBE, becuase I havent really had opportunity available with it. The Presonus I have. API I have. I've heard 2 different versions of Neves, a Focusrite Red (loved it), the Lucid Converters and clock, various Neumanns, some of the Motu stuff, the Delta 1010, Aardvark 2496, and much more stuff over the last 15 years, including the Mackie which isnt really bad sometimes, and I owned one for awhile. Lots of stuff I've learned in the last year have enforced things I figured out on my own, which is sometimes a reason why I make comment on some things. I wont tell you to go buy a DW Fearn becuase its great if I havent heard it, but I will tell you I've heard its great, and to check it out. So, theres your answer. I want the same honesty from everyone else when MY money is on the line, to be sure.
Peace,
Paul

 

[tubedude]

By the way... all the toms and some other pieces of the drum kit on this were recorded with the Mackie VLZ Pro preamps and good mics. I made a mistake of refering to the Focusrite red as a tube pre, at the time I didnt know better, it was the 1st time I had checked one out, and the sound seemed so tube-ish to me, very thick. You would be surprised at what people will let you take on a rampage when they think you have some money to spend, too. Try it sometimes. I ran around with a bass rig for like 6 weeks before the store called and asked for it back. It only works once or twice at any store unless you start spending money, though. Some stores would rather not sell something, though, than let you try it for 24 hours. Different strokes I guess....
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=26196

 

[jet-rocker]

now I know and knowing is half the battle....

Sorry to be the skeptic.

-Jett