What Kind Of Mixer????

[malcolm123]

Re: Whatever They said, GREAT!

No play, I really need help, now if all of u want to argue, FINE! please don't write, i came on this board to learn not fight. Now, if this helps please let me know. I've been looking at alot of equipment so if it's bad, Tell me. If i had all this equipment do you think i could get a good sound out of it, meaning for my voice??????????????????

Mixer: Mackie 1604vlz Pro Professional (16x4x2) Compact mixer
Mix: Shure Ksm32
Mic Preamp: Focusrite Platinum Voice Master Pro
Signal Processor: Bellari Vp129 Tube Phone Preamp
Mastering Processor: TC Electronic Finalizer Express
Compressor: Presonus Bluemax Stereo Compressor/Limiter

Plus, i want a hook it up to my computer.

So will i be able to get good sound off of all of this equipment, or is there something else i need or what? Please try and answer, I am new, And i would like anybodys help on this, Thanks

Your sound quality would be determined by how well you track and mix. I have heard Good sound from a 4-track and sh@t from a SSL. Sm57s on the 4-track and Neumans etc on the SSL. About 6 years ago I local guy kept telling me to read and I wouldn't. Ijsut kept on trying to figure it out. I knew nothing about fighting Freqs etc.

So he came to my house and mix my same stuff on my 4-track tascam and let me go to his Studio and mix my same stuff on his $$$ gear. The 4-track sounded way better. Then I started asking and reading.

Malcolm

 

[cstockdale]

Re: Whatever They said, GREAT!

So will i be able to get good sound off of all of this equipment, or is there something else i need or what? Please try and answer, I am new, And i would like anybodys help on this, Thanks

with all this gear can you get good sound? YES

but..you have to know what you are doing ....mic technique, placement, gain-staging, testing the various audio paths, editing, knowing how to use a compressor, panning, stereo imaging, mastering.

Yup, you've got the tools, now do you have the kahunas to admit that you don't know how to use them? That sounds like you have spent a whole shitload of money (or are about to) on stuff you don't know what to do with..... you could go way simpler.

 

[jake-owa]

Simpler...like...

 

[cstockdale]

Simpler...like...

exactly what I was thinking of. Then you just have to take the tape out, play it on another deck while you record another track, and repeat, then you just play all the tracks back at the same time and record them all on the Barbie-doohicky.

 

[malcolm123]

LOL


I use one of those for Live shows.

Malcolm

 

[Son of Mixerman]

what kind of mixer do any of ya'll perfer??????? There's DIGITAL MIXERS and then there's 4-BUS Mixers, then 8-BUS MIXERS. So what do any of ya'll perfer????????????

I prefer t o have the bigest and baddest mixer I can fit in the space I have. Mo busses the mo bettah I likes lots of things on my analog mixers, 4 bands of full parametric eq, gates and compressors, as many busses as I got inputs, big old hairy psw's and long throw faders. Vu meters and bargraphs, midi mute and flying f-ing faders. I like metal knobs that are knurled and not molded, I like a center master section with a Lexi 480L LARC sitting between the monitors . I like cheap cars and hot desks! Neve or SSL depending on the day of the week.


SoMm

 

[jake-owa]

Re: Re: What Kind Of Mixer????

I prefer t o have the bigest and baddest mixer I can fit in the space I have. Mo busses the mo bettah I likes lots of things on my analog mixers, 4 bands of full parametric eq, gates and compressors, as many busses as I got inputs, big old hairy psw's and long throw faders. Vu meters and bargraphs, midi mute and flying f-ing faders. I like metal knobs that are knurled and not molded, I like a center master section with a Lexi 480L LARC sitting between the monitors . I like cheap cars and hot desks! Neve or SSL depending on the day of the week.


SoMm

Good Leary imprersonation there SOM.

 

[hottsauce_21]

ok

Alright Thanks, see now were gettin somewhere, cstockdale i'm not gonna lie, i don't know how to use this equipment, but i'm hoping to, i mean if i get the equipment and then learn to use it or read on it. Then maybe i can get better with it. So all that equipments cool right, But is there anything other piece of equipment that u recommend? And som, u said u like the big and bad mixers right, what kind of mixer r u workin with??

Thanks

 

[cstockdale]

the mixer isn't really the issue, and you seem to be ignoring the people who are asking you questions to actually help give you a recommendation.

All the mixer does is route signals. Plain and simple. SOme of them also provide preamps, but it seems you already plan on buying some external preamps.

How many instruments will you track at once? That is the BIGGEST question to ask yourself. If you play alone and just overdub, laying down one track at a time, then you DON'T EVEN NEED A MIXER depending on the soundcard you have. If you only have two or three inputs at a time, then all you need is a little mixer that will allow subgroups.

The best advice ANY of us can give is slow down just a little, and think about what you want your gear to do. If you don't understand that concept yet, I strongly recommend not buying anything yet. If you look around here you will find dozens of people who bought studio stuff on impulse and then realize 6 months down the line that they have all the wrong stuff. You are new to this, so really (this applies to EVERY newbie) YOU are the weakest link in your recording chain for at least the next year. If you are brand new, you can get away with a Shure sm58, an SB card, a Behringer 602A mixer and that is all you need to learn tracking/editing etc for a good long time. Then think about what you want to upgrade as you discover where your weakest links are. And then, you will UNDERSTAND what you weakest links are.

FIRST QUESTION: what software do you use?
SECOND: what do you play, are you solo or in a band?
3) how many simultaneous inputs do you need?
4) do you use MIDI or strictly sound-generating gear?

We actually want to help newbies here, but boy, you gotta slow down. You are rushing out to buy a shitload of gear, and it is going to cost a lot of money, and you don't sound like you have any idea how to use it. ANd once you know how to use it, you are bound to discover you made the wrong purchases.

 

[Son of Mixerman]

Re: ok

Alright Thanks, see now were gettin somewhere, cstockdale i'm not gonna lie, i don't know how to use this equipment, but i'm hoping to, i mean if i get the equipment and then learn to use it or read on it. Then maybe i can get better with it. So all that equipments cool right, But is there anything other piece of equipment that u recommend? And som, u said u like the big and bad mixers right, what kind of mixer r u workin with??

Thanks

Ramsa WR-T820B, 20 channels, 8 bus, 48 inputs on mixdown. Lots of knobs, lights and smooth faders.

SoMm

 

[hottsauce_21]

Thanks

cstockdale, you seem to be the only person really helping me, thanks. Others r helping me too, but some just choose to think they know everything and want to show it off by callin other people dumb and stuff.

But look cstockdale, i don;t know much about recording, all i have is a cheap soundcard and a $20 mic with sheets of papers with words on them. I do need help and maybe you can help.

So here i go. u asked me all those things like what i'm laying down, 1 track or how many instrumentals am i recording or am i recording solo or in a band. I don't really know what u mean. Sorry. I am new. So i am gonna provide u with all the infomation right now, Like how i want to sound and all that.

So please listen cuz i REALLY need help.

I want to learn to record becuz i want to get payed doing it, i'm 17 years old and i am still in high school. I want to go to school for this, u know so maybe i can get groups togethers and maybe get famous off them. But i do like to get on the mic every now and then. I am into hiphop/rap and even R&B. Thats what i want to record. No, alternative or rock you know. I have about 4 people in my group right now and they each got something unique to bring to the mic, a girl who sings, a guy who sings and raps, and the other 2 rap.
I want equipment thats gonna catch every word they say and brings it out, cuz 2 of them rap really fast.
I don't need equipment thats gonna record live beats.
I have someone who makes beats for me already.
I just need to know how i can get our voices on to the beat and really make it sound good. We do plan on makin an album.
You said that maybe some cheap equipment would work, well hell if it's gonna sound good enough to make an album with tell me. less money for me to spend right. I really need studio equipment, i don't plan on doing any live shows.
I really don't know what your asking from me, most of the time people ask me stuff and tell me what i need, i don't understand, maybe u could break it down to me alittle easier so i can understand. I'm sorry if i didn't tell u anything useful, but i'm just telling u what i understand. I do know i want to do it from my computer, so i can edit and cut out parts of peoples voices.
So please recommend good equipment/advice/secrets/tricks/ etc...
I need all the help i can get.

Also if this infomation wasn't good enough, becuz that's really all i can provide, I have 4G's to spend and still saving but i'm not buying all the equipment until my 18 birthday which is like 6 months from now, thats why i want to know early so u and others can help and like EVERYONE said learn as much as u can before u choose. Thanks

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Re: Thanks

cstockdale, you seem to be the only person really helping me, thanks. Others r helping me too, but some just choose to think they know everything and want to show it off by callin other people dumb and stuff.

FUCK! How many times do I have to repeat it?!?!? I gave you excellent advice!!!!!!!

Take $40 out of your savings and pick-up the fucking book I recommended......

IT'S WORTH THE $40 INVESTMENT and you WILL start gaining an understanding what's involved in the recording process so that you'll understand the gear that's required for YOUR situation.........

 

[hottsauce_21]

also

I used cool edit pro, but the effects sounded crappy, Like u can tell i added effects, so i hated that, I have a sound blaster audigy 2 platinum, Didn't really work as good as i thought. But it does give us good practice. And i've been doing that for a year. I really need new equipment. Plus a $20 mic, oh and a shure 57, but it don't work for some reason. Broke like 2 days after i got it. At least i think it is. i only edit and clean my voice up with cool edit pro, i record with creative lab. I want to know, when i do get equipment, and when i hook it up to my computer, do i have to record with the computer or the mixer? PLease can someone tell me how it works????

 

[hottsauce_21]

Situation

Blue Bear Sound, u MIGHT be right, but everything in the book, YA'LL already know, plus there's things PEOPLE on this board know that a book don't, I'm askin for your help, Not a books. I've seen ur rack, looks nice. Maybe u can take ur time and tell me or show me a clip of how it comes out. I think that would really help me. Thanks if u do

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Re: Situation

Blue Bear Sound, u MIGHT be right, but everything in the book, YA'LL already know, plus there's things PEOPLE on this board know that a book don't, I'm askin for your help, Not a books.

Congratulations - you just put yourself in the category of "People Who Just-Don't-Get-It..."

I give up........

 

[cstockdale]

save your $4K, keep using Cool Edit pro, BUY THE MANUAL if you don't already have it. Read it. Do the tutorials. Buy the book BlueBear told you about, REALLY. You need to learn the basics, like I mean the basics.

Get an Audiophile 2496 sound card ($150) which will give you two inputs, or get a Delta 66 which will give you 4, get a Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro mixing board, buy a couple of Studio Projects mics (B1), and start learning what to do. Cool Edit will do everything you need it to, you just need to learn how to use it properly. Or if you really don't like Cool Edit ( I have never used it), go buy Sonar 2.2XL, it has good effects built in, and is very flexible. You can get all of this for under $1000.

That is all you need to get started, because you have a lot to learn, and when you have learned the basics of how to actually track good vocals (by tracking I mean getting it from your mouth onto the harddrive) . Then you need to learn how to edit the tracks, then you need to learn how to mix them, then mastering.

In all honesty, this process is going to take you a couple of years REALLY. Maybe longer, because you keep ignoring good advice. You are asking for someone to tell you how to get from A-Z in one thread on a BBS, where every one of us took months-years to learn what we know, we can't teach you with one email exchange. Then, the other $3K you didn't spend will be available to make educated decisions about.

Really. I am just slightly more patient at the moment than BlueBear is, but i agree with him 100% : read a fucking book and learn the most basic stuff before coming on here expecting us to set you up with the perfect setup. There is no such thing as the perfect setup, because every one of us does things differently and has different needs. You don't even know what yours are yet. SLOW DOWN, or pay your $4K to a studio who knows what they are doing.

 

[jake-owa]

Hottsauce....save your money and start a new and preferably very dangerous hobby.

 

[malcolm123]

In all honesty, this process is going to take you a couple of years REALLY. Maybe longer, because you keep ignoring good advice.

Or maybe longer.

It reminds me of when I first really trying to get serious with this stuff. I got on R.A.P and asked some uf the dumbest questions. Back then R.A.P really wasn't that bad and true pros would answer your questions if you asked them right. But I would come back with anothe rdumb questions without really listening to what they were telling me because that wasn't what I wanted to hear. I wanted exact Threshold settings, Exact Para settings, and I kept asking for about a week waiting for some generous person to dial me in. Well after no walkthroughs, I went back to the thread, read what they were telling me, listened. I bought a book, Homerecording something from Barnes. Read it. went back and read the thread again. Then I understood. I applied it and it work and my mouth has been closed ever since. True Storey

Oh, and BTW, that was after a $1,500 dollar waste. What I bought before listening? A Tascam MKII 488 8-Track cassette recorder. I gave it away in 1999 barely used.

Malcolm

 

[nwsoundman]

Just a thought?

How can this dude take shit seriously when most of this thread is shit. I sure as hell wouldn't take advice surrounded in this much crap.

Bruce and Jake, I know you wouldn't talk this way to a client if he was in your place asking these questions.

Maybe I am missing something?

Kirk

 

[chessrock]

Look hotturd . . .

Give me $1,000 and I'll tell you exactly how to spend the other $3K and I'll even tell you how to set it up and how to use it properly.

I don't think you understand that there are people who get paid to consult folks like yourself on this. You're asking people to give you free advice and free instructions, and in that case, you get what you pay for.