Where's the weak link in my chain?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tillamook
  • Start date Start date
Thanks Wade. The 1010 costs more than I want to spend right now. I may pick up a Delta44 and run it with my 2496 just to give me the extra in/outs.

Here's an interesting tidbit, I just got off the phone with a guy at Sweetwater who informed me that my Mackie pres are better than the DMP-3 and MZXL603s are Chinese mics made with Sennheiser's reject capsules! Hmmm, maybe I should start a new thread.:)

He was also of the opinion that there would be a significant improvement in fidelity with the upgrade from HS2004 to Sonor 4, gave me a long technical explanation but it went way over my head.

Bill
 
Tillamook said:
Here's an interesting tidbit, I just got off the phone with a guy at Sweetwater who informed me that my Mackie pres are better than the DMP-3 and MZXL603s are Chinese mics made with Sennheiser's reject capsules!
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I think he's full of bull. What was his name?
 
<<The 1010 costs more than I want to spend right now>>

they're going pretty cheap these days if you buy used. i've seen em as low as $250. you just have to look and be patient and wait for the deals.

<<I think he's full of bull>>

i would tend to agree.


i've never had too terribly much of a *complaint* with my mackie pre's, but i tap the inserts and bypass the rest of the board entirely......they're usable but they're certainly not transparent or deep. i've heard some tracks recorded with DMP3's that certainly smoke some mackie-made tracks. after christmas i plan on adding a pair of DMP3's to my setup. i've been delaying b/c i don't have a rack--all 14U of my rack gear is stacked on a table, and i don't want to add any more 1/2-space units until i've got something stable to put it all in. :D talk about ghetto.....


cheers,
wade
 
instead of spending the money now, why dont you wait and save and by a good pre amp, a great river or grace or something.
 
$250 for a 1010 would be mighty fine, thanks for the tip.

I think the guy's name was Aaron but it might be Arend, something like that. I'm not dissin' him, who am I to say what's what in the wacky subjective world of audio nitpicking, I just mentioned it because it seems to be pretty much opposite of the opinions expressed on this forum.

Bill
 
I ran across the 1010, used at guitar center last week. Price was $250 and I think they would have gone down.
 
A pair of 603s and a DMP3 is right up your ally. Find a store that accepts mic returns and order from them incase it isn't what you are looking for.
 
Yeah that's kool Tillamook, it's just I don't really like rumors and when someone says something like "Marshall MXL603s are Chinese mics made with Sennheiser's reject capsules!" it isn't an opinion... it's a statement, and requires some sort of supporting proof. Next time someone tells you something like that you should ask them where they got the info from. Anyways........... thanks Bill. :)
 
chessrock said:
What you've got, basically, is some decent budget recording gear. There really isn't any one area that stands out as being any weaker than the others. You've got enough right now to make decent-sounding demos. Unless you're trying to be Joe Chicarelli or Steve Albini, you should do fine with what you've got.

What I'd do is just keep my eyes pealed for something that really sticks out to you as a "must-have." If nothing really comes around and knocks your socks off, then wait for something. Don't just upgrade for the sake of upgrading.
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Good point.

The other thing I don't see mentioned often enough is to make sure you have exhausted all of the other possibilities before buying new gear.

How much have you played with mic position? If your guitars sound good to your ear, experiment by putting a mic near your ear. Try multiple mic, etc.

How much of the sound you're hearing is a result of the room and not the mic? Can you try recording in a different room and/or space? Use more close micing to reduce the room's contribution. Try using some cheap acoustic materials; blankets for absorption, plywood for reflection. Search Harvey's threads for more info.

Tillamook - my apologies if you've already done the things I've suggested. I don't know what your experience level is. It's just that I see people on this board repeatedly suggest that gear is the problem without exhausting more fundamental possibilities.

I've been playing with my Oktava MC-12s recording my Taylor for more than a year now and still don't feel I've mastered them.
 
Tillamook said:
If you were going to upgrade one item in this chain, with recording acoustic guitar in mind, and wanted to keep the cost in the $200-$350 range, what would you purchase?

sm57
at3035
mackie 1202vlzpro
audiophile 2496
cakewalk hs2004xl
wharfedale 8.2 diamond pro actives

Possibilities I'm considering (but I'm open to any suggestions):
Sonar 4 producer
mxl 603 (pair) or maybe those octava's that get mentioned a lot
dmp-3
delta 1010 or audiophile 192, not for sound quality but for the fun of more inputs and effect send and return capability.

Thanks,
Bill
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I would definitely kick the Mackie out. It would be the most limititing factor here.
 
Thanks, everyone:

Phyl: I agree with you and chessrock. I'll bet that out of all the factors considered, improving my recording technique would probably make as much or more difference than upgrading any equipment. I'm working on it. However, it's Christmas and I'm making a list for Mrs. Claus, and it certainly won't hurt to upgrade my gear.

I have played pretty extensively with mic placement. I'm running direct out of the Mackie inserts, bypassing everything but the pre's. I'm working with eq, but I don't like what that does with the overall tone of the guitar. I haven't really worked with room tuning, I appreciate the reminder. I just moved my studio from a small room (wasn't happy with the ac guitar sound there, either) to a fairly large room over our garage. I think the acoustics are pretty nice there, lots of window area with curtains over them, a 9x12 rug that I pretty much keep my studio stuff confined to.

I'm kind of surprised nobody has suggested upgrading to Sonar 4, from talking to the guy at sweetwater, there's a pretty significant difference in how HomeStudio and Sonar handle audio.

Bill
 
Bill - I understand the Ms Claus thing cause I'm in the same boat. I wouldn't turn down an opportunity to get some new gear either.

I'm running SONAR 3 and have considered upgrading to SONAR 4.0. I never know what to make of the claims that one audio engine is better than another, especially since I suspect that the algorithms used to process digital audio are pretty mature - that is - everybody is probably doing it pretty much the same way, and the only real improvements might come from using more resolution internally (longer words). I've also heard endless debates about summing in the computer versus summing outside using a mixer; some folks claim there is a difference, but people like Martin Walker at SOS say it's bullshit and that digital summing in the computer isn't black magic and is very easy to do well.

I like to see someone smarter than me weigh in on this. In any event it seems you are using a very logical approach to the whole thing, good talking to you.
 
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