Starting out - is this gear about right?!

  • Thread starter Thread starter timcclayton
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timcclayton

New member
Hello all.

My first post but I have been reading the forums here for a few days and it looks like a good place to post :D so....

I have a powerful PC with Reaper just installed on it since it comes well-recommended by many of you here. I am a guitarist so have guitars and amps a plenty, but I want to be able to compose whole songs: basslines, drums, keyboard parts etc. My shopping list for doing this is:

- PreSonus Firebox 24-bit/96k FireWire Recording Interface
- M-Audio Oxygen 49 49-Key USB MIDI Controller Keyboard
- Studio Projects B1 Condenser Microphone
- Quiklok A-300 Microphone Boom Stand

I plan to mike up the amp with the B1 for guitar, use the keyboard for bass and incidental noise (and possibly drums although Hammerhead seems nice for this too). I may even play around with basslines on the guitar, but dropped an octave!

But in essence, will this list of gear (with Reaper pulling it all together) be enough for me to create quality-sounding songs?

Thanks,
Tim.
 
do you really need the intensive features of the axiom 49 key when you could go for a much cheaper oxygen 49 or even cheaper so , the keystation 49?
 
I haven't tried the B1 on an amp, so I can't say for sure but I don't think it will be great. You might want to try an alternative in that range like a MXL V67, again I can't say for sure, but the general consensus is that it does well on amps. But yeah with all those things you can get good recordings for a good price.
 
Thanks for the replies!

@ tojo - I am going for the Oxygen 49 not the Axiom as I hope to do a lot of the work in Reaper itself

@ Ridickolas - thanks for mic info - would the MXL V67 be good for vocal recording too as I will be planning to do this as well as miking amps?

Also, does anyone know if the Firebox comes with power cable and firewire cable, whether mics generally come with the XLR cable and whether the keyboard comes with a Midi/USB cable??

Oh, and I should ask - is all this likely to be compatible with Vista?
 
Well I've heard many good vocal recordings done with the V67. Just to say, one of the SP B1's strongest points is it's acoustic guitar recording.
 
OK many thanks for the advice - just a final mic question (!) - how do you rate the SM57 and 58 mics? Are they comparable?
 
An SM57 in a nutshell - Cheap, Indestructible, Versatile.
 
i would invest in a cheap bass instead of playing an octave lower on your guitar. you can get a decent bass for cheap easily.

also look into the sm57 for miking the guitar and save the condensor for vocals.
 
Thank you all for your assistance and advice - I now have a 57 mic and the keyboard and firebox are fantastic to use. i can't believe how quick it is to start putting songs together (I am using Reaper by the way which is SO easy to use but seems very powerful too) ;) :)

PS and I promise that I'll look into a bass guitar to try and do songs more justice... :)
 
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