What else do I need?

[Will25]

Hi, basically I'm entering a competition of sorts and I need some reasonable quality recordings as part of a portfolio...At the moment I've got a Tascam 488 mkII but I don't have a compressor or any sort of external preamp. I'll be recording drums, bass, guitar, vocals...maybe even some stringed instruments as well - is there anything else I should be buying? I'm thinking pres/compressor...my budget is around £300...ideally less if there's anything for good value...would appreciate some recommendations! Cheers )

 

[guitarguy101]

Well, you didn't list if you had mics, so definitely that is the first place to start. If not, you may need a couple phantom power boxes (48v) if your interface doesn't already have one. A compressor would be nice to get, it allows you to really dial in tone, especially for drums and vocals. Personally, I don't know much about the 488, but some guy on here will, and he'll be able to give you better advice than I can.

 

[grimtraveller]

You can actually get away with using the on board preamps on the 488 mk2 if the mk 1 is anything to go by.
That said, with £300, you could invest in this compressor and one of these two. Also if you look at the Studiospares preamp section, there are singular preamps. All cheap and cheerful. They do the job ~ on a small budget. I presume you have microphones.

 

[Will25]

Thanks, i think a compressor is really necessary as I'm getting some rubbish bass tones just going DI at the moment. Would I be right in thinking that even a *bad* preamp will be better than no preamp at all? Or is that generally not the case?

 

[JimmyS1969]

Thanks, i think a compressor is really necessary as I'm getting some rubbish bass tones just going DI at the moment. Would I be right in thinking that even a *bad* preamp will be better than no preamp at all? Or is that generally not the case?

Maybe. Maybe not. An outboard compressor wont really help much in my opinion. If bass tone is your main goal, I would invest in a good pickup first. Next, I would invest in PSP Vintage Warmer. I don't know how I ever got good bass tones without it.

 

[Will25]

Thanks Jimmy, I'm on analogue though otherwise that looks like the job!

 

[soundchaser59]

Hi, basically I'm entering a competition of sorts and I need some reasonable quality recordings as part of a portfolio...At the moment I've got a Tascam 488 mkII but I don't have a compressor or any sort of external preamp. I'll be recording drums, bass, guitar, vocals...maybe even some stringed instruments as well - is there anything else I should be buying? I'm thinking pres/compressor...my budget is around £300...ideally less if there's anything for good value...would appreciate some recommendations! Cheers )

Are you recording all this by playing each part yourself? Or are you recording a band with all these instruments playing at the same time in one room?

 

[Will25]

Are you recording all this by playing each part yourself? Or are you recording a band with all these instruments playing at the same time in one room?

All by myself (maybe the drums and bass at the same time though) but probably one at a time

 

[grimtraveller]

Would I be right in thinking that even a *bad* preamp will be better than no preamp at all? Or is that generally not the case?

I don't know. All I can say is that I have the Behringer Mic220 or whatever it's called and by the general consensus across forums, it's shitty bad.
But it's revolutionized my acoustic recording. So maybe bad is better than not at all.
Incidentally, what kind of bass tones are you looking for ? I generally struggled to get the bass tones I wanted in my 488 heyday ~ but that was more to do with me and my amp and my overly experimental bent. In the last couple of years it's gotten alot easier, mainly by doing very little ! But I guess it depends on the tones you want. There's hundreds of bass tones.

 

[Will25]

I forgot I'd posted this! Basically I'm after the bass tone on 'Parachute Woman' off Beggars Banquet by the Rolling Stones...in fact if I could get close to a fraction of that I'd be pleased!