Some questions about a (future) complete rig overhaul

[kidkage]

I tend to make really long posts, so I'll try to keep to the point.
Ok, here goes nothing:

Here's where I'm at. My current set-up:
Interface- Tascam US-1800
"Outboard(...that I use)"- PreSonus Studio Channel, M-Audio DMP-3
DAW- Cubase 6. Win. 7 64-bit, 750GB hard-drive, 16GB RAM, AMD Phenom II X4 (Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache, 2MB L2 Cache, 3.70 GHz)
Monitors- KRK Rokit 6's

Here's where I want be/ what I want to upgrade and/or add to (I'm not wanting to go more than $2k per category. Obviously I'm not a gear snob. So if the best piece of equipment between $0-$2000 is $50 that's fine. I'm just setting the cap at 2k per category):
Interface-
My main area of concern and confusion is upgrading the interface. Most of the higher priced ones look nothing like the Tascam, and seem to have a limited number of inputs. I feel since I want to improve my setup, the thing that does the A/D conversion, the most necessary part of the recording process needs to be "pristine". I don't know much about costly gear though. I've compared mixers to rack units and have came to the conclusion that the eq on a mixer would basically be useless to me. The Steinberg interfaces (I am using Cubase after all) and the RME Fireface 800 seem to stick out to me at first glance. The steinbergs seem to only have 8 inputs though . The fireface 800 in particular seems a little confusing compared to the us1800 though. It (us1800) has 8 xlr inputs and 2 line ins on the front with preamps, and the back has 4 line inputs that i have a mixer and the dmp3 outs plugged into. The fireface has 4 preamps on front, and 8 line in's on back...but the description says "56 channel"
Can someone help me understand how exactly I would work with something like that?
And if anyone has any other recommendations throw em at me
"Outboard"- I've got my eye on the UA 4-710d. I want good preamps. And 4 is perfect. I could run vox, bass, guitar, four main drum mics, whatever through it. I figure once I upgrade the interface I would set the 4 UA channel onto the line channels of the interface. I'm sure there's no need to pair them with the interface preamps.
DAW- Don't see any need to change the current setup.
Monitors- I want to add a set to A/B. And upgrade at the same time . The ADAM A7 and A8, and JBL LSR4328P seem to stick out to me. Any opinions on those? I'm obviously looking up reviews on them and am finding good and bad for all, but come on... HR opinions make the world go round.


The final question: Since buying all of this stuff at once isn't an option for me, I'd like to know what the best order to upgrade these things in is. ?

And don't worry. I know. The room, and treatment are being taken care of

 

[Hakea]

Hi,

When I do this sort of exercise the first question I usually have to answer is “Why?”..


With this sort of hobby a sort of permanent state of gear hunger seems more or less inevitable. There’s alway going to be another more desirable and better guitar, amp, sax, or set of monitors, etc.

The problem is that once you get into the mid price range the improvements can actually be pretty small for the extra money you pay. There can be a genuinely big jump between really cheap junk and a reasonable mid price equipment, but to get a similar leap up after that can cost a great deal more.

So do you know why you want better gear yet? I don’t mean in general - but specifically. Have you identified a particular weakness in your current gear that you want to fix? Poor performance at a certain frequency, lack of connectivity, missing function, or something like that? Or is “better” still a fairly vague goal?

I ask because I’m still looking for the answers myself. For instance, I have similar Rokit monitors and wonder about improving them. I’ve read good things about Yamaha HS80 and wonder if they’d be a good move up. However, I’ve just started reading Mike Senior’s very well regarded book Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio and he spends the first few pages going into great detail why all the mid priced ported monitors have problems. He mentions Rokit, Adam, Behringer, M-Audio etc and shows ‘waterfall plots’ which are a sort of 3d graph showing various spikes and areas of unreliability which he says are inherent weakness of the ported designs. In other words, ports give some advantages but also mean that what you hear in certain parts of the range isn’t actually totally accurate either. In much the same way that your room can skew what you hear.

So it seems that in some cases I could spend twice the money on a new set of monitors (or some other gear) and not really get a big improvement. Maybe just shift the pros and cons sideways a bit and only make a tiny move upwards.

So maybe that’s one way to approach it. Take each piece of gear individually and jot down what you actually know what the weakness is that you want to fix (because you can hear it or see it) . Then chase the best answer.

Shall we start with the monitors? What’s the least that we’d have to pay to make a really noticeable improvement, and what exactly would the improvement be?

Cheers,

Chris

 

[grimtraveller]

Be careful what you sign

However, I’ve just started reading Mike Senior’s very well regarded book Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio and he spends the first few pages going into great detail why all the mid priced ported monitors have problems. He mentions Rokit, Adam, Behringer, M-Audio etc and shows ‘waterfall plots’ which are a sort of 3d graph showing various spikes and areas of unreliability which he says are inherent weakness of the ported designs. In other words, ports give some advantages but also mean that what you hear in certain parts of the range isn’t actually totally accurate either.

Whenever something is new and we're caught in the initial thrust of excitement, wide eyed wonder and pliability, that's when there can be a tendency to to be at our most sponge like and take on board things that influential and knowledgable people say. I caution you to take whatever you read with a pinch of salt and fall into the mode of weighing and testing whatever seems right and impressive. Check the other side of the mountain. What you initially read may be confirmed.......or challenged. At worst, you may find yourself in a position of positive tension, or in plain English, balance.
What is Mike Senior's conclusion regarding ported monitors ? More importantly, the mixes of people that you know use some of those monitors, are they good to listen to ?

 

[miroslav]

When in doubt...buy better mics and better preamps....those things will NEVER become obsolete or a waste of money.

Speaking of overhauls...

I just spent the last couple of days rebuilding a PC, and then upgraded my main DAW software..twice, first the version I bought last year, and then the latest one that just came out.
I am just now doing the final patching, etc and getting the "new" PC fine-tuned. I still have my old PC and older DAW version up and running...will just need to find a point where I yank the A/D/A converter cards and move them to the new PC.

Fun...always lots of fun upgrading.
Though I gotta say (knock on wood)...I only hit one "speed bump" during the whole hardware/software process so far...so I'm kinda relieved, as I expected more glitches.
I must say...the newest versions of Samplitude are just kick-ass!
This is truly a complete Recording/Mixing and Mastering package. The tools they include are quite good for all three stages, and while I was ready to buy some add-on plugs a couple of weeks ago, I'm glad I just went for the DAW upgrade, as it comes with an entire pile of plugs.
I'm feelin' good.....

 

[Hakea]

I caution you to take whatever you read with a pinch of salt and fall into the mode of weighing and testing whatever seems right and impressive.

Exactly. That's what I'm both recommending and doing myself. But the difficulty faced by newcomers is that you can read and conclude as much as you like but you still lack the experience to know where the balance actually lies. Sometimes the issues turn out to be relatively minor (except to a dedicated professional) but at times the differences can be more pronounced. Newbies have to do their 'weighing' with scales that have not yet been calibrated by experience, and it's not always easy to find somebody who can give you the right perspective as well as the raw information.

What are your own thoughts on ported monitors? What do you think is a good solution for monitors of any type between, for instance $1,000 and $2,000 for a pair?

I can't personally audition all the possibilities, nor can I fully trust my own evaluations. I do know that there to be weaknesses in any rig I'll own and that my best shot is to learn to compensate for them by a process of trial and error and comparison on real world end listening equipment. But I like to get the best odds I can before I place the bets.

Chris

 

[Hakea]

When in doubt...buy better mics and better preamps....those things will NEVER become obsolete or a waste of money.

Sounds good. I just bought a better audio interface, in part because the preamps in it got good reviews and my first interface was all round pretty basic.

Fun...always lots of fun upgrading.

That is SO right!

I have so much fun upgrading that I barely have time to learn to play my instruments properly or record decently...

I just did something similar to you too. I had Pro Tools 8 LE with another bit of gear but PT 9 came with the new interface. Not just a tweak but quite a change of direction in that I now have an iLok instead of needing to alway have the hardware connected. It also came with a free upgrade to Pro Tools 10, so I'm getting stuck into the books and the experimenting with renewed enthusiasm.

Just amazing what you can do with that software and, as in your case, some incredibly plug-ins come bundled too.

If I pass my self imposed goals with learning the software up to a certain standard then I'm really going to have to reward my efforts with some sort of hardware upgrade aren't I? Clearly this is a never ending escalator that moves endlessly upwards but never arrives at the top of the mountain. It's the view that's the thing - it just keeps getting better...

Enjoy your new kit.

Cheers,

chris

 

[mixsit]

I tend to make really long posts, so I'll try to keep to the point.
Ok, here goes nothing:

Here's where I'm at. My current set-up:
Interface- Tascam US-1800
"Outboard(...that I use)"- PreSonus Studio Channel, M-Audio DMP-3
DAW- Cubase 6. Win. 7 64-bit, 750GB hard-drive, 16GB RAM, AMD Phenom II X4 (Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache, 2MB L2 Cache, 3.70 GHz)
Monitors- KRK Rokit 6's

Here's where I want be/ what I want to upgrade and/or add to (I'm not wanting to go more than $2k per category. Obviously I'm not a gear snob. So if the best piece of equipment between $0-$2000 is $50 that's fine. I'm just setting the cap at 2k per category):
Interface-
My main area of concern and confusion is upgrading the interface. Most of the higher priced ones look nothing like the Tascam, and seem to have a limited number of inputs. I feel since I want to improve my setup, the thing that does the A/D conversion, the most necessary part of the recording process needs to be "pristine". I don't know much about costly gear though. I've compared mixers to rack units and have came to the conclusion that the eq on a mixer would basically be useless to me. The Steinberg interfaces (I am using Cubase after all) and the RME Fireface 800 seem to stick out to me at first glance. The steinbergs seem to only have 8 inputs though . The fireface 800 in particular seems a little confusing compared to the us1800 though. It (us1800) has 8 xlr inputs and 2 line ins on the front with preamps, and the back has 4 line inputs that i have a mixer and the dmp3 outs plugged into. The fireface has 4 preamps on front, and 8 line in's on back...but the description says "56 channel"
Can someone help me understand how exactly I would work with something like that?
And if anyone has any other recommendations throw em at me
"Outboard"- I've got my eye on the UA 4-710d. I want good preamps. And 4 is perfect. I could run vox, bass, guitar, four main drum mics, whatever through it. I figure once I upgrade the interface I would set the 4 UA channel onto the line channels of the interface. I'm sure there's no need to pair them with the interface preamps. ...

Just to explore and question a bit..
After reading I'm not clear as to how many inputs at one time do you see needing?
I've never gone the interface' route, rather separates- basic digi sound cards (last upgrade was RME RayDat) and line level converters (built out from one to two RME ADI-8's).
During that span I've upgraded and added on mic pres, but that front end has continued.
Granted there's a lot more good interface combo unit options out there now too though.
'56 i/o is RME speak for all of them added up- 16, 24 whatever ADATs, spdif, aes, analog etc..
Could you (maybe..?) keep the Tascam in service as additional inputs via digi outs and slaved to where ever you land with the new rig?

 

[Capt Hair]

When in doubt...buy better mics and better preamps....those things will NEVER become obsolete or a waste of money.

so true ^^^


Opinions make the world go round' huh? Well...Honestly OP I don't like the idea of dropping 2k on a preamp and that's going to be your only good preamp. It'd be better to drop $6-700 for a better interface with atleast 4+ good quality preamps so you can record drums all at once (Presonus, focusrite, and I've heard good things about the Steinberg mr816x, has 8xlr inputs). And then with the $2300 or so you would have left over if you had 2k budgeted for each category, I'd buy a variety of good single channel preamps. The UA solo-610, Daking mic preamp "aka the green brick", Golden Age Project Pre-73 to name a few. You could have a great variety and options when it comes to recording vocals, guitar, and bass. And you could still run your snare or bass drum through those preamps if you wanted a particular sound and then run the overheads/toms/room mics into your interface or vice versa. Point is it would give you lots of options.

For monitors I like yamahas, HS80s, I'd take those over a lot of higher priced monitors. For the classes I'm taking when I mix in studio we have quite a variety of monitors to choose from, including some expensive adams, jbls, and I still choose those yamahas every time. Monitors can be pretty personal though, try some out if possible and get a taste for what you like.

And don't forget about microphones

 

[kidkage]

Hey guys. Thanks for all the replies. I'm on my phone at the moment. Will be able to respond in detail once I get a break from these new years duties. Don't give up on me
happy new year!

 

[tmix]

Speaking of overhauls...

I must say...the newest versions of Samplitude are just kick-ass!
This is truly a complete Recording/Mixing and Mastering package. The tools they include are quite good for all three stages, and while I was ready to buy some add-on plugs a couple of weeks ago, I'm glad I just went for the DAW upgrade, as it comes with an entire pile of plugs.
I'm feelin' good.....

Miroslav,
This is exactly where I am at too...
I am finally taking the plunge of upgrading from a Win 98se running Samplitude 6.04.
I have absolutely ADORED Samplitude over the last 10 years and was struggling on what to do about software upgrade.
I am upgrading to a modern Win 7 64 bit computer and have beena little anxious about the process.

If you would not mind talking a little off thread about the new version I'd love it.
I dont want to capture this thread.

 

[miroslav]

I just installed Pro X....so there little I can tell you about from a hands-on perspective.

I only bumped up from version 7 to Samplitude Pro 11 last year, but was still doing most everything in 7, just because I have/had a lot of projects at various levels of production. While it is possible to simply import into the newer versions, I didn't want to spend time learning new software, but I'm just now finishing up one song, and when that is done I think I will start the next project in the new DAW and use it to learn the app, then pull the rest of my unfinished project over once I am comfortable.

The decision to go to Pro X was driven a bit by a special they were running until midnight, 12/31/2011...there was some free software being thrown in...so I was going like mad upgrading my PC and installing the software in time to get it all activated before midnight, but I got it done, and now I still have version 7 on my old PC, still fully functional, and both Pro 11 and Pro X on my "new" PC.

You should hit the Samplitude website and check out the user forum if you want to hear a lot of hands-on opinions about the newsiest versions.

MAGIX Samplitude & Sequoia Board
(You have to have a registered product and login account to view the forum)

In a nutshell, the Pro X seems to still have some little bugs (nothing unusual for a new release), so some guys were still running with Pro 11 (latest patch)..but that said, Pro X (and Pro X Suite) is just so full of new stuff and functionality, that coming up from 6.4...it will blow your mind away! It is also aimed at the 64-bit machines, so it will be a perfect match for your Win 7 PC.
I would recommend you look at the Pro X Suite...as that comes with a LOT of additional apps/plugs (Analog Modeling Suite and Vandal are supposed to be top-notch tools).
The only reason I went with just Pro X is because I already had those other things in Pro 11...so I was able to upgrade to Pro X and still keep them.

Not sure if they have an upgrade price from 6.4...as the only show upgrades from versions 8 and up. Last year they still had an upgrade from the lower versions, which is why I moved up from 7 to 11.
Anyway...If you are going to do it, check it out now, as you may be able to get a straight upgrade without needing to buy a full version Pro X Suite.
If you can still find someone selling upgrades to Pro 11 (don't it) or the full Pro 11 (maybe online)...then you should do the math, as it might be cheaper to first do the Pro 11 and then the upgrade to Pro X Suite ($350 from Pro 11)...otherwise the full Pro X Suite is $1000

Overview > Samplitude > Music Production > MAGIX Pro

Florida Music Company has the best Samplitude prices:

Magix Software

Magix Samplitude Pro X Suite Full Version

 

[kidkage]

Hi,

When I do this sort of exercise the first question I usually have to answer is “Why?”..

Hmm, this question actually helps me.
I guess for me personally, it initially stemmed from just browsing magazines and noticing price differences. It got me thinking that there is obviously a reason that certain things are priced more. Now, I know that a high price doesn't always = great and low prices dont always=crap. But, I hope you guys sort of understand my reasoning.
Great advice Chris. Certainly is helping me evaluate this upgrade stuff better.

I caution you to take whatever you read with a pinch of salt and fall into the mode of weighing and testing whatever seems right and impressive. Check the other side of the mountain. What you initially read may be confirmed.......or challenged. At worst, you may find yourself in a position of positive tension, or in plain English, balance.

Yeah, I've learned to do that. I guess that's why I'm so skeptical about reviews on other sites and prefer to ask around here. Haven't got any bad advice yet.
It's frustrating for me to be in a place where testing equipment just isn't possible.

When in doubt...buy better mics and better preamps....those things will NEVER become obsolete or a waste of money.

Seems like exactly the sort of advice I'm looking for
So then would you recommend getting those pieces before I upgrade the interface?
I'm a little lost on the necessity of a interface upgrade. Especially if I'll be using external pre's and channel strips. It might sound stupid, but I don't know what it is that separates interface quality because I've only looked at the "typical" stuff (amount of inputs, xlr's, 24-bit/96kHz, stuff like that )

I just spent the last couple of days rebuilding a PC, and then upgraded my main DAW software..twice, first the version I bought last year, and then the latest one that just came out.
Fun...always lots of fun upgrading.
Though I gotta say (knock on wood)...I only hit one "speed bump" during the whole hardware/software process so far...so I'm kinda relieved, as I expected more glitches.
I must say...the newest versions of Samplitude are just kick-ass!
This is truly a complete Recording/Mixing and Mastering package. The tools they include are quite good for all three stages, and while I was ready to buy some add-on plugs a couple of weeks ago, I'm glad I just went for the DAW upgrade, as it comes with an entire pile of plugs.
I'm feelin' good.....

Awesome! Upgrading is too much fun!
I just changed out the CPU and RAM in my PC, as well as getting Cubase 6.
It feels really awesome knowing that I've got a "real" DAW now. And that my computer should be able to handle what I throw at it. Think I might need bigger hard drive eventually though. Maybe an external.
I've hit a speedbump in that I've got the blue screen crash twice while freezing in Cubase. It's hectic though that this has happened within the same time frame that I've upgraded everything so I'm not sure if it's the plugins 32/64bit thing, drivers, the new parts, Cubase itself. It's also my first project on this computer really. I had been waiting to get everything upgraded to what I wanted before I did anything. Though I never ever had the blue screen before on that computer. It's my DAW. I didn't browse on it or anything. Also scanned it and found no threats. Idk. but that's another thread over in Digital Recording and Computers .
It's got me panicked though.

After reading I'm not clear as to how many inputs at one time do you see needing?

Could you (maybe..?) keep the Tascam in service as additional inputs via digi outs and slaved to where ever you land with the new rig?

Well yeah I don't know that I would ever need more than sort of standard 8 inputs tbh.
I don't see myself getting rid of the tascam. Idk, is it possible to use two interfaces at once? As I've said before. I'm coming to this from the standalone world of the Tascam DP008.

so true ^^^


Opinions make the world go round' huh? Well...Honestly OP I don't like the idea of dropping 2k on a preamp and that's going to be your only good preamp. It'd be better to drop $6-700 for a better interface with atleast 4+ good quality preamps so you can record drums all at once (Presonus, focusrite, and I've heard good things about the Steinberg mr816x, has 8xlr inputs). And then with the $2300 or so you would have left over if you had 2k budgeted for each category, I'd buy a variety of good single channel preamps. The UA solo-610, Daking mic preamp "aka the green brick", Golden Age Project Pre-73 to name a few. You could have a great variety and options when it comes to recording vocals, guitar, and bass. And you could still run your snare or bass drum through those preamps if you wanted a particular sound and then run the overheads/toms/room mics into your interface or vice versa. Point is it would give you lots of options.

For monitors I like yamahas, HS80s, I'd take those over a lot of higher priced monitors. For the classes I'm taking when I mix in studio we have quite a variety of monitors to choose from, including some expensive adams, jbls, and I still choose those yamahas every time. Monitors can be pretty personal though, try some out if possible and get a taste for what you like.

And don't forget about microphones

The Steinberg series of interfaces seem tempting. Theyre about 700-800
The thing that intrigues about the 4-710d is that it's got four channels so I could run my snare kick and overhead mics through there and have a similar "tone". Unless of course that's not necessary.
Then I could go crazy and get some different preamps
The more the better right ?

Monitors are definitely looking to be the most challenging upgrade to make

Oh and I've got my eye on the SM7B next for vocals. Think its finally time to get a dedicated vocal mic for myself.
After that will be new overheads.


A generally related question: Is there anything wrong with running the outs of a preamp unit into the DAW preamps instead of line ins with no preamps? Like the xlr inputs on the front of my Tascam. It's just a matter of gain staging right?

 

[Elton123]

so true ^^^


Opinions make the world go round' huh? Well...Honestly OP I don't like the idea of dropping 2k on a preamp and that's going to be your only good preamp. It'd be better to drop $6-700 for a better interface with atleast 4+ good quality preamps so you can record drums all at once (Presonus, focusrite, and I've heard good things about the Steinberg mr816x, has 8xlr inputs). And then with the $2300 or so you would have left over if you had 2k budgeted for each category, I'd buy a variety of good single channel preamps. The UA solo-610, Daking mic preamp "aka the green brick", Golden Age Project Pre-73 to name a few. You could have a great variety and options when it comes to recording vocals, guitar, and bass. And you could still run your snare or bass drum through those preamps if you wanted a particular sound and then run the overheads/toms/room mics into your interface or vice versa. Point is it would give you lots of options.

For monitors I like yamahas, HS80s, I'd take those over a lot of higher priced monitors. For the classes I'm taking when I mix in studio we have quite a variety of monitors to choose from, including some expensive adams, jbls, and I still choose those yamahas every time. Monitors can be pretty personal though, try some out if possible and get a taste for what you like.

And don't forget about microphones

I'm with you. Get a killer multi input converter and vary your mic pres. That way you have options. And you can never have too many mics in the locker.

 

[grimtraveller]

The difficulty faced by newcomers is that you can read and conclude as much as you like but you still lack the experience to know where the balance actually lies. Sometimes the issues turn out to be relatively minor (except to a dedicated professional) but at times the differences can be more pronounced. Newbies have to do their 'weighing' with scales that have not yet been calibrated by experience, and it's not always easy to find somebody who can give you the right perspective as well as the raw information.

Agreed. It's a hard one. It's not a very popular notion but in all honesty, time, trial and error {literally ! }, weighing up all sides, taking the plunge etc, these become part and parcel of gaining experience. You only really get out of being a newbie by doing though, however you happen to do 'it', whatever 'it' may be !

What are your own thoughts on ported monitors? What do you think is a good solution for monitors of any type between, for instance $1,000 and $2,000 for a pair?

I'm probably the second worst person to ask about recommending monitors. I'm not sure I'd recognize a great set or a lousy set if they fell on me. Having said that, though, at the end of the day, I'm a great believer in learning on what you have, be it cheap and cheerful or higher end than the Himalayas. There seems to be something in us that starts to get restless when we hit the point where we need to move on. Unless we have G.A.S or that shopping prediliction that too many women I know have.
The reason the point about the ported monitors caught my eye {I think you'd made the same point in another thread} is that lots of people use them including many here whose music is well mixed and clear. Personal preferences are just that, notwithstanding that I wouldn't dismiss out of hand Mike Senior's points.

I can't personally audition all the possibilities, nor can I fully trust my own evaluations. I do know that there to be weaknesses in any rig I'll own and that my best shot is to learn to compensate for them by a process of trial and error and comparison on real world end listening equipment. But I like to get the best odds I can before I place the bets.

Granted. I took a chance with my monitors, preamp, mixer, DAW etc. Not every choice turned out to be a good one but I got there in the end. Sometimes, weeks of research was the key. Other times I made an on the spot decision. Sometimes it didn't work out, other times it was the bull's eye. I think that because so many companies make so many recording related products, newcomers are condemned to to being basketballs of indecision until we learn how to stop being bounced. And learn how, we do.

 

[Capt Hair]

I understand what your saying man, it's a luxury to be able to record through a good pre like that simultaneously. But is the tone your going to be after for OVHs isn't going to be the same as the snare your trying to get, it's not going to be the same for the bass drum, etc. Could you get some good sounding stuff coming out, no doubt you will. But it might not be what you need for every aspect. That's why I like the idea of having a variety. And from what I've read up on that steinberg model I posted and listening to some out takes on youtube, it's got some killer pres.

If you endless pockets full of money I'd suggest getting the 4 channel, but you don't your on a budget, and I just don't feel that dropping 2k on one preamp that (have you tried it yet?) you hope will get you the results you want for every project you have until you save up enough to get something else.

But yea $700-800 on a really good interface, with good built in pres, and then have options in pres moving forward. Have you thought about plugins as well? Maybe a starter bundle like Waves gold, I mean there are a million and one things that you could spend money on to get better results. A nice outboard compressor to send your drums, vocals, or guitar through would nice as well, and liven up the sound.

But in my mind, being on budget, means you need to get something that's not a "one trick pony" and will allow you to have and I say it again, options, for what ever project you do.

 

[kidkage]

I understand what your saying man, it's a luxury to be able to record through a good pre like that simultaneously. But is the tone your going to be after for OVHs isn't going to be the same as the snare your trying to get, it's not going to be the same for the bass drum, etc. Could you get some good sounding stuff coming out, no doubt you will. But it might not be what you need for every aspect. That's why I like the idea of having a variety. And from what I've read up on that steinberg model I posted and listening to some out takes on youtube, it's got some killer pres.

If you endless pockets full of money I'd suggest getting the 4 channel, but you don't your on a budget, and I just don't feel that dropping 2k on one preamp that (have you tried it yet?) you hope will get you the results you want for every project you have until you save up enough to get something else.

But yea $700-800 on a really good interface, with good built in pres, and then have options in pres moving forward. Have you thought about plugins as well? Maybe a starter bundle like Waves gold, I mean there are a million and one things that you could spend money on to get better results. A nice outboard compressor to send your drums, vocals, or guitar through would nice as well, and liven up the sound.

But in my mind, being on budget, means you need to get something that's not a "one trick pony" and will allow you to have and I say it again, options, for what ever project you do.

Different preamps...This actually sounds like it's the best route I can take
With the exception of the Grace m101, most of the preamps I get will probably be channel strips, so I would assume that wouldn't make a compressor as necessary.
So do you think running at least the two overheads through the same pre's is necessary?
I'm going to look into the Steinberg interfaces. Maybe they will be the best I can find.
I'm interested in learning how I could use more than one interface at the same time.

Plug-ins are the reason I'm not too worried about anything other preamps for my outboard really.
Haven't looked into many yet though. The stock ones in Cubase6 seem to be really sweet even though I don't have much experience.
I'll be getting Komplete 8 Ultimate soon, it includes some plug-ins.

 

[GuitarLegend]

This is an amazing thread. We should pay money to read this one... OOOPS!!! Sorry

I have the Yamaha HS80M monitors and can vouch for anyone who praises them. The quality of sound is incredible, especially for near-field monitoring. And they look damned impressive on your desk...

I agree that the Steinberg Audio Interface is good but is it actually worth the squillions of extra bucks you spend on it? If your PC runs an IEEE 1394 interface (firewire et al) the price, quality and performance and number of I/Os on the Focusrite Saffire PRO 40 is pretty impressive. If you got those two items (monitors and AI) I can't imagine that you would be complaining about them for a long time.

Excellent advice throughout this thread...