What do you think of my upgrades?

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10101

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After extensive research I have decided to make the upgrades below to my current set up. What do you think?

Current System (~$300CAN):
Mic: AT2020 Condenser
SoundCard: M-Audio Mobile PreUsb

Upgrade (~$700CAN):
Mic: Road NT1A
Preamp: M-Audio DMP3
SoundCard: E-MU 1212M

I am still within the 30-day money back guarantee at the store, so i get my 300 back from the current system :).

Worth the extra $400?
 
DMP3 is a nice preamp for the money. Most would probably agree on the board here.

E-MU "M" model interfaces sound pretty good to me. Haven't owned one though - just heard. Hopefully the drivers have matured by now. By the sound of it, plan to spend some time with the PatchMix software for routing on this one.

Haven't used the Rode mic - any of them. If I had to guess by the specs that are on paper, the Rode would be a better choice than the AT2020 (which is kind of an entry level AT mic, no?)
 
Yes, I am also condsidering the Studio Projects C1 instead of the Rode NT1A. But I havn't had first hand experience with either one, going solely on online reviews and recommendations.
 
Good upgrade and good choices as well. Actually, i would return the DMP3 and 1212m and grab an interface that has decent pre's. perhaps a motu ultralite or firepod would stand up for this..? that's just my opinion though.
 
studiomaster said:
Good upgrade and good choices as well. Actually, i would return the DMP3 and 1212m and grab an interface that has decent pre's. perhaps a motu ultralite or firepod would stand up for this..? that's just my opinion though.
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I don't think a MOTO ultralite's pre's are gonna blow away the DMP3 - Firepod doesn't really either - I used to own one. I think it boils down to the need for the extra pre's (at least if you're throwing the Firepod into the fray). If not, I think the combo of DMP3 and 1212m would be just fine - from a sonic standpoint.

The firepod is a pretty good value - eight pres that sound decent and decent conversion both A/D & D/A.
 
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10101 said:
Yes, I am also condsidering the Studio Projects C1 instead of the Rode NT1A. But I havn't had first hand experience with either one, going solely on online reviews and recommendations.
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What are you looking for in a mic? Haven't used a C1, but from reading it seems that they are pretty bright mics.
 
The C1 and NT1 are equally great mics for its price range. The AT-3035 is also great.
 
I will be recording only a vocal and acoustic guitar so I thought the DMP3 preamp would suffice. From my research, it seemed the DMP3 preamp was the best I could do in the 200 dollar price range. Also, I've read great things about the Emu 1820m and found that that the 1212m is basically the 1820m minus the preamp. So I thought the 1212m would be a good upgrade. I thougth about getting the 1820m but it comes with inputs that I don't really need. So i figured I'd save a few bucks and go with the 1212m and a separate preamp.

I'm not sure if I'm looking for a particular sound from the mic. To be honest I am gonna go with the C1 simply because it is cheaper than the Rode here in Canada. However, I've been told and read great things about both.
 
10101 said:
I will be recording only a vocal and acoustic guitar so I thought the DMP3 preamp would suffice. From my research, it seemed the DMP3 preamp was the best I could do in the 200 dollar price range. Also, I've read great things about the Emu 1820m and found that that the 1212m is basically the 1820m minus the preamp. So I thought the 1212m would be a good upgrade. I thougth about getting the 1820m but it comes with inputs that I don't really need. So i figured I'd save a few bucks and go with the 1212m and a separate preamp.

I'm not sure if I'm looking for a particular sound from the mic. To be honest I am gonna go with the C1 simply because it is cheaper than the Rode here in Canada. However, I've been told and read great things about both.
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The pre's on the 1820m are some kind of "pro" preamps, but it appears that they are nothing that special. Save your $$$ and go the 1212m route. The DMP3 should be a good little preamp for you.

Haven't heard the C1, just mentioned it was bright because that seems to be the general concenus (you probably know this because you researched it). As far as the recommended AT3035...not a fan of that one. Used one in a friends studio, and actually liked my CADM179 better for the vocals I was doing. Liked the CAD better in general. AT gets good when you're up in the 40xx range - even then, not all those mics are good for every purpose, but can shine in certain uses.
 
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