What do i need now?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ice01
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Ice01

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Hi,

So ive got a GreatRiver1nv + SM7B + Tascam 122L,

What do i need to get more better sound, like a compressor (maybe RNC)?
or effect hardware (like lexicon)?
or something else you know.. budget like under 1000euro/1500usd ..

Monitors will i buy later..

its for Vocals (hiphop)..

Thanks..
 
What do you dislike about the current sound you are getting?
 
Its not to clear enough..

Plugins that i use is Waves/Ozone..

So i think i need a compressor right than ?
 
Ice,
A compressor will do nothing for clarity.
The sole purpose of a compressor is to reduce the dynamic level of the loudest to softest parts.
In other words, it will tame the loudest parts from jumping out a lot further than the softest parts.
In fact a compressor, while it will solve some volume issues, will often take away from the clarity of a track if not set perfectly.

The SM7B while a very good mic, may not be the right match for what you are recording.
I find it a little hard to believe given how many folks use it for exactly the same genre of music, but mics are like paint brushes, and don't work on all sources with equal success.
The SM7 is a dynamic mic and the diaphram and elements are by nature heavier and have a slower transient response, giving a smoother sound.

If their is any way you can borrow a decent Condensor mic and see if that type of mic is more to your liking , then you can search out a good version of that type of mic.

Another thought.
I have used the Great Rivers before and if I am not mistaken it has a variable impedance knob, having the impedance too low will choke the mic sound as well.
 
Monitors will i buy later..
Click to expand...
That's your first mistake - perhaps your biggest mistake.

Don't ignore the absolute paramount "top of the food chain" in your gear.

You have probably one of the greatest vocal microphones ever made - along with a very, very fine preamp. Your have a no-nonsense front end capable of competing with the best.

That said - I'd rather have a 58 into a Behringer with a good monitoring chain (and of course, proper and reasonable room treatment) than the greatest front end on the planet and poor monitoring.

You will only ever be as good as your monitoring chain allows you to be, period.
 
Monitors are very, very important of course, but I would think that for hip hop it would kind of depend on how much actual mixing you have to do.

If you're using well-recorded loops pretty much exclusively and one or two vocal tracks, then I think it's less critical to get monitors right away, because you may only have to balance the backing tracks with your vocals and make sure that you're not distorting your vocals unintentionally on the way into the recorded. You could check with well-recorded reference material, work out the balance and then check your mixes on a bunch of different systems-- in your and a few friends' cars, on computer speakers, on home stereos and boomboxes, through ipod earbuds, etc. and then adjust the mix until you find a good balance. Not ideal or efficient, but if you are just mixing vocals and pre-recorded beats, IMHO you could get by w/o monitors for a little while if you needed to.

If you're using a bunch of live instruments, or even a bunch of parts played with soft synths out of Reason, Ableton, etc. and mixing them together and/or lots of layered vocal tracks, then yeah-- monitors would be key.
 
try out what you've got and if it sounds alright to you then it's fine. too many people take recording too seriously and get all elitist, just write good songs and record it as well as you can with what you've got, i mean if it really seems like you need something else than go for it, bit atleast try what you've got right now
 
I don't think anyone is getting "all elitist" about anything...

From his very first post, you can tell three things:

1) He has an excellent front end.
2) He can't hear it.
3) He probably lacks the experience to know exactly what to do if he did hear it.

Not a dig - Just apparent from the post.

Obviously - He needs to learn to listen (which is the most important skill any audio engineer will ever have). And he won't *ever* learn to listen without having a decent chain to listen to.
 
Massive Master said:
Obviously - He needs to learn to listen (which is the most important skill any audio engineer will ever have). And he won't *ever* learn to listen without having a decent chain to listen to.
Click to expand...

I will second that... and add that decent monitoring doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. I don't intend to say that someone can go out and buy a cheap pair of Edirol speakers and get great sound, but there are choices from M-Audio, Fostex, and Yamaha which are perfectly acceptable monitors that won't break the bank.
 
Yeah. Get some monitors

I have several monitors but have had great success with these and they aren't too expensive. (Fostex 6301B) A pair is about $350 and they sound good for the price. ;)

I agree with those kind folks posted above who are trying to help you. You really need to accurately hear what is going on to get better results. (Or any results for that matter.) Good luck.
 
Thanks y'all..

I am gonna buy the ADAM A7 monitors.. lots of positiv reviews..:cool:
 
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