With A $6,000 budget...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Manuwack
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Manuwack

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how would u guys go about puttin a small home studio together? i don't know which route to go..i will only be recording vocals..don't know if i sould get a audio interface..or a good preamp str8 into the computer or mixer?? need opinions
 
Vocals only? Say $2,000 for the box, LCD, interface (might as well get the MBox & run ProTools), software & plugs, $2,500 for the two channel Avalon, $1,000 for a Neumann TLM103 (or the BCM104, that looks cool and nobody ever talks about it). Then spend the rest on headphones, cables, stands, and some insulation to treat your room. I presume you're leaving the mixing to somebody else, so I didn't leave any money for monitors. Sorry, I just had to have that Avalon and it kind of blew the budget :o
 
How about a Lynx 1 ($400), The Avalon ($2500), and a U87 (Assuming that fits your voice)(~$2500) , some $100 software, and Wharfedale 8.2A Monitors ($340), and a little 703 for room treatment? You'd probably get better audio with that than I do with $18k in gear. Any particular reason you want to spend $6,000 on just a vocal setup? Seems like a bit much to me.
 
The major magazines like "Electronic Musician" and "Recording" etc. run articles like this every year, showing several $$points and their picks of equipment.

Why don't you go to the library and look them up???

Search bars on these recording sites work, too....
 
Manuwack said:
Nope I had my eye on the avalon 737 anyway...
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Well that makes more sense since I only budgeted for one mic ;) And it saves enough money for monitors.

It seems that everybody that comes in here wanting to do hip-hop wants serious high-end gear. I suppose I can respect that, if your clientele is brand-conscious, give 'em what they want--Avalon, Neumann, ProTools. If it doesn't work out, you can always resell this gear and get most of your money out.

Do read up on building a proper booth. Go to the Studio Building board, there are a dozens of threads on vocal booth construction. This one will require some planning and work, since it's not like buying a mic out of a catalog, but it will make a big difference in how professional your studio looks AND sounds.
 
If you're gonna do nothing more than record vocal, I would go for as much different colors as you can get. I wouldn't buy a high end PC or mac just for vocal recording. Even a decently big vocal arrangement should be very doable on a Pentium 3 1ghz I would say (provided you go easy on the plugs or do all that in the mixing stage somewhere else). Lets say you buy the fastest computer you can for 500 bucks. That leaves you with 5.5k to spend on mics and press. I don't have much experience with hi end pres but you ought to be able to get some really nice stuff for 5.5k. I wouldn't get the avalon. I'm sure it's a nice pre but for that money you can buy 3 other similarly nice pres IMHO.

As far as mics go, same thing, there's so much to choose from that I couldn't help you much with that, but I'd keep it deverse. Keep a couple of hundred bucks appart for room treatment and helpfull gear (AD convertor, headphone amp, mic/music stand etc.)
 
Lynx Two-B $819
Mackie HR824 $1,299
Avalon 737SP $1,995
Soundelux iFET7 $1,800
 
Well The Avalon Has A Pre/comp/and Eq All In 1..so I Thought I Would Knock That All Out In 1 Piece Of Equip..and I'm Not Sure If The Lynx Has A Headphone Jack..i'll Look Into It..but Thanx For The Help Guys
 
mshilarious said:
Vocals only? Say $2,000 for the box, LCD, interface (might as well get the MBox & run ProTools), software & plugs, $2,500 for the two channel Avalon, $1,000 for a Neumann TLM103 (or the BCM104, that looks cool and nobody ever talks about it). Then spend the rest on headphones, cables, stands, and some insulation to treat your room. I presume you're leaving the mixing to somebody else, so I didn't leave any money for monitors. Sorry, I just had to have that Avalon and it kind of blew the budget :o
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i agree on the mbox, anything else would be overkill, you can always spice that up with all the plug ins, stellar mics, etc. like he said
 
Manuwack said:
i will only be recording vocals..
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Are you setting up a studio for voiceover work or recording vocals with loops, samples, etc.?

This will impact your choice of mics, the need for computer power, room treatments, and outboard gear like a compressor.
 
dwillis45 said:
Are you setting up a studio for voiceover work or recording vocals with loops, samples, etc.?

This will impact your choice of mics, the need for computer power, room treatments, and outboard gear like a compressor.
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voiceover's..for the most part
 
Manuwack said:
Well The Avalon Has A Pre/comp/and Eq All In 1..so I Thought I Would Knock That All Out In 1 Piece Of Equip..and I'm Not Sure If The Lynx Has A Headphone Jack..i'll Look Into It..but Thanx For The Help Guys
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No headphone jack on the Lynx2's. Just the best converters you can put on a PCI buss.
 
Manuwack said:
voiceover's..for the most part
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I would search this forum and google using the terms "voiceover studio." I would start with a good mic--probably the EV RE20 or the Shure SM7. They are designed specifically for this type of work and favored by radio stations and voiceover artists. I would also find a quiet well treated room or vocal booth.
 
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