Pieces of a beginner studio for $5K

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

How'd you get the cash for the two AKG C-12's...?

--
Steven Sena
XS Sound Recording
www.xssound.com

"Jeffontheleft" <marcel.graf@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eaf29843.0411062047.2032bd3b@posting.google.com...
> I'm a musician starting my first home studio with a friend. Between
> the two of us we have about $5K and mostly useless equipment: 3 57s, 2
> 58s, 1 Oktava 219, 2 AKG C-12s, an RNC and a decent comp with SBAudigy
> and SoundForge 7, everything else probably isn't worth mentioning. So
> we're otherwise starting from scratch. We want to avoid buying
> mediocre stuff (relatively speaking) so we'll have to prioritize and
> buy things on a must-have basis because of our limited funds. We'll
> definitely need a DAW, software, monitors, a vocal mic, and a good
> preamp. Which of those (if any) could we do without for a while? Of
> the remaining gear, what would you get with $5K? Our only stipulation
> 8 phantom-powered XLR inputs on the DAW. Thanks.....

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <eaf29843.0411062047.2032bd3b@posting.google.com> marcel.graf@gmail.com writes:

> I'm a musician starting my first home studio with a friend. Between
> the two of us we have about $5K and mostly useless equipment: 3 57s, 2
> 58s, 1 Oktava 219, 2 AKG C-12s, an RNC and a decent comp with SBAudigy
> and SoundForge 7, everything else probably isn't worth mentioning. So
> we're otherwise starting from scratch.

Clearly you're not starting from scratch. Do you really have two AKG
C-12s or was that a typo? Those are certainly good vocal mics, and
there's nothing wroing with SM57s and SM58s, and the Oktava is
probably useful for something. Your gear isn't what's going to stand
in your way. The only thing in that lot that you might consider
replacing is the Audigy. What you replace it with depends on what you
need to record and how you plan to go about it.

> definitely need a DAW, software, monitors, a vocal mic, and a good
> preamp. Which of those (if any) could we do without for a while?

You can't do without monitors, and that's where I suggest you put a
significant chunk of money. There are plenty of choices if you let
yourself get over the $1000 hump. You might consider a decent mixer
which will serve as both a mic preamp and a way to easily set up a
monitor mix while you're tracking. Don't spend all of your money at
once. There will be something you'll discover you need so it's good to
have some cash in reserve.

> Our only stipulation
> 8 phantom-powered XLR inputs on the DAW.

???? By "DAW" do you mean a stand-alone piece of hardware that serves
as a recorder and mixer all in one box? I thought you were looking at
using your computer for recording and mixing.

Clarify.

--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"Jeffontheleft" <marcel.graf@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eaf29843.0411062047.2032bd3b@posting.google.com

> I'm a musician starting my first home studio with a friend.

OK, so you're starting out. You might consider not dropping your whole wad
up front, but picking up some good servicable pieces that complement what
you have, and working out from there.

> Between
> the two of us we have about $5K and mostly useless equipment: 3 57s, 2
> 58s, 1 Oktava 219, 2 AKG C-12s, an RNC and a decent comp with SBAudigy
> and SoundForge 7, everything else probably isn't worth mentioning.

I don't know why you are badmouthing the mics. Obviously, you're a little
short in the mic preamp department. If you want to record or playback more
than 2 concurrent channels, you're kinda backed up in the audio interface
department. SoudnForge 7 is not for multitracking, so if you want to
multitrack, you need some better software. Thing is, you can get started in
mulitracking with something as cheap as Audacity, which is freeware.

> So we're otherwise starting from scratch.

Your most obvious need is for some mic preamps. If you want to go the high
road, you might want to leverage on your presumably good experience with the
RNC, and pick up one or more RNPs.

Depending on where you are in terms of concurrent multitracking, you may
want to upgrade your audio interface, but even if you went very high end
with a LynxTWO (which handles 4 channels in and out concurrently) it would
be hard to seriously dent that $5k.

Yeah, you need some monitor speakers and maybe some good headphones.
However, your need for monitor speakers could be satisfied as easily and
cheaply as a pair of Behringer B2031As.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

How about:

DAW a Roland VS2480, 16 tracks of simultaneous recording/ 24 playback ..8
XLR /16 TRS inputs, phantom powered
approx $2200 used
http://www.vsplanet.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topi...;f=16;t=014561...

a set of Mackie HR824 monitors approx $1000 new
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...

Pre-amp Focusrite Octopre, 8 channels of quality mic pre in 1 unit approx
$800 new
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...

leaves you $1000 odd to spend on mics and software...

..look at Rode microphones especially NT-2000 a great allround large
condensor great for vox $500
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...

leaving $500 ish for software of your choice


"Jeffontheleft" <marcel.graf@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eaf29843.0411062047.2032bd3b@posting.google.com...
> I'm a musician starting my first home studio with a friend. Between
> the two of us we have about $5K and mostly useless equipment: 3 57s, 2
> 58s, 1 Oktava 219, 2 AKG C-12s, an RNC and a decent comp with SBAudigy
> and SoundForge 7, everything else probably isn't worth mentioning. So
> we're otherwise starting from scratch. We want to avoid buying
> mediocre stuff (relatively speaking) so we'll have to prioritize and
> buy things on a must-have basis because of our limited funds. We'll
> definitely need a DAW, software, monitors, a vocal mic, and a good
> preamp. Which of those (if any) could we do without for a while? Of
> the remaining gear, what would you get with $5K? Our only stipulation
> 8 phantom-powered XLR inputs on the DAW. Thanks.....

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Thanks for the input. Yeah I didn't mean to badmouth my mics, my only
point was those mics are all I have and without a decent pre, for
example, I'm not getting their fullest potential. By DAW I meant a
computer-recording console, particularly something like the Tascam
1884 or MOTU 896HD. We're considering those two mostly because they
satisfy our need for 8 phantom-powered mic inputs. We're leaning
towards the 1884 because it has a control surface and to us newbies,
physical cordiality is a must. And the 4 MIDI inputs are a plus. I
like the look (and price) of the Mackie HR824 and we're probably going
to end up getting an RNP as soon as I can talk my friend down from a
Great River MP-2NV, that alone would eat up half of our budget. I've
also heard good things about the Event SP 8s....Thanks again.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

..............errrrrrrr.........could you describe your tracking and mixing
environment? You can have the best gear on earth and it will do you little
good if you can't get an accurate picture of what it's doing. Unless you
have already addressed this somehow, you will need to.

Regards,

Doug Joyce
Animix Productions
Durango, CO
"Jeffontheleft" <marcel.graf@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eaf29843.0411062047.2032bd3b@posting.google.com...
> I'm a musician starting my first home studio with a friend. Between
> the two of us we have about $5K and mostly useless equipment: 3 57s, 2
> 58s, 1 Oktava 219, 2 AKG C-12s, an RNC and a decent comp with SBAudigy
> and SoundForge 7, everything else probably isn't worth mentioning. So
> we're otherwise starting from scratch. We want to avoid buying
> mediocre stuff (relatively speaking) so we'll have to prioritize and
> buy things on a must-have basis because of our limited funds. We'll
> definitely need a DAW, software, monitors, a vocal mic, and a good
> preamp. Which of those (if any) could we do without for a while? Of
> the remaining gear, what would you get with $5K? Our only stipulation
> 8 phantom-powered XLR inputs on the DAW. Thanks.....