What I might buy...

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

"Handywired" <handywired@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20050124035031.23044.00000279@mb-m01.aol.com...
> I've got a hankerin' to spend some money on the studio and I have nice
big
> project starting in a month or so... a repeat customer signed to Metal
Blade
> who should get (me) a big enough advance on the recording that I could buy
a
> new choice piece of gear, maybe, to use on said project. Question is,
what?
> Let me describe my studio in general and maybe some of you will have ideas
that
> I can research etc...
>
> I have been running a mid-level analog studio for 10 years or so. It's
based
> on a 1-inch 16-track deck, an MS-16, and a Neotek Series IIIf. I hae an
Otoari
> 1/4" 2-track and of course DAT's and CD burners, etc. Anyway, I have
some
> decent gear but I have kept my focus and tried not to spend money
frivolously
> on what is franky a very hard industry to make a good living in. I have
some
> nice mics: Neumann TLM 193; 2 KM184's; a M147. Soundelux U95 and
Groove
> Tubes Md1a. 2 RCA 77DX's; 2 AKG 460b's and some other good stuff. I have
> Summit and Pultec tube EQ's, EL8 and Aphex compressors... for mic preamps
I
> have Sytek and 2 VMP2's and the Neotek and a unit I built around the
burr-Brown
> INA103 chip... I recently added Pro Tools LE on a mac G4 and have it
expanded
> out to max I/O and with everything integrated into my patch bays... i
routinely
> sync my MS16 to Pro Tools with SMPTE timecode. I charge $40/hr in a very
> competitive local market and manage to keep the wheels on the cart, doing
> mostly music recording of bands and solo acts.
>
> Anyway, I say all of that to give some feel for who I am and what I do.
If I
> do spend some more $$ on gear, I want it to really be useful. I'm not
doing
> this on a Visa card or spending dad's money. I have no delusions of huge
> financial success running a recording studio. Or that some piece of gear
is
> gonna cure my cold. So, i want something that retains it's value and
will get
> used a lot.
>
> I am leaning towards mic's and mic preamps, since the front end is where I
like
> to spend the most money and time. My Sytek is decent but a truly clean
preamp
> might be cool. I'd be looking at Millenia and Great River; any others I
should
> consider? As far as mics, I love ribbons so one of the newer ribbon mics
is
> intrigueing. A client brought in a BLUE mis that was very nice; bright,
crisp,
> and not harsh at all. Or...? Think character. I love character.
>
> Another option is something like a Rosetta, though that is boring. At
$2600
> for the 24/96 version, also very expensive and won't hold it's value real
well.
> It would fall into the utility tool category. On the other hand, I will
be
> doing a lot of digital conversions around here...
>
> Another boring but useful addition would be a control surface for my LE
system.
> Yawn, and talk about not holding it's value. Also would get used a lot.
> Yuck.
>
> So.... any ideas out there? The project will bring in about $4K and of
that I
> could see spending $2k on whatever it is I decide to get...
>
> Thanks!!!
>
> -jeff


What about monitors and control or studio room acoustics? That is likely to
hold its value quite well. Depending on what you already have in that
department, the change might be more audible and it might influence the
quality of your product more than any piece of equipment. The stuff you
listed above is already quite decent.

Predrag

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

Handywired wrote:

> Anyway, I say all of that to give some feel for who I am and what I do.
> If I do spend some more $$ on gear, I want it to really be useful. I'm
> not doing this on a Visa card or spending dad's money. I have no
> delusions of huge financial success running a recording studio. Or that
> some piece of gear is gonna cure my cold. So, i want something that
> retains it's value and will get used a lot.

First send your AKG C460's to Jim Williams at Audio Upgrades for his
mod. When you get them back you probably won't believe what fine mics
they've become. This will consume a tiny portion of your upgrade budget
and get you a pair of SDC's of an entirely different class than the
stock C460's.

Preamps are always fun, and Great River and Millennia are fine choices.
The GR NV series, with the EQ, is extremely versatile, with class and
balls to spare.

--
ha

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

In article <20050124035031.23044.00000279@mb-m01.aol.com> handywired@aol.com writes:

> I have been running a mid-level analog studio for 10 years or so. It's based
> on a 1-inch 16-track deck, an MS-16, and a Neotek Series IIIf. I hae an Otoari
> 1/4" 2-track and of course DAT's and CD burners, etc. Anyway, I have some
> decent gear but I have kept my focus and tried not to spend money frivolously

It sounds like you have a nicely balanced selection of gear. A new mic
preamp or three never hurts when it comes to variety of the subtle
sort. Since you're looking for color, you might want to consider
either the NV Great River series rather than the clean one, or look at
some less expensive alternatives like the FMR Audio RNMP or the Studio
Projects VTB-1.

I think that a good A/D and D/A converter for your ProTools system
would also be a good investment. You don't want color there, and there
are lots of things better than what Digidesign throws into the cheap
box. Mytek often has very good deals on last year's models or
trade-ins, so you might check there. They're every bit as good as
Apogee (in some ways better) and you could stand some improvement in
that area.

You didn't say anything about your boring infrastructure, but could
you improve your life with some acoustic treatment? If you're still
working in a 10 year old room, you could probably stand a makeover
that isn't too bloody. While acoustic consultants won't be out of a
job soon, there's a better understanding today of DIY solutions that
are practical and (depending on what you're starting with) often can
make really significant improvements.

Buy more SM57s, or treat yourself to a Beyer M201.


--
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?)

Handywired wrote:
> I've got a hankerin' to spend some money on the studio and I have
nice big
> project starting in a month or so... a repeat customer signed to
Metal Blade
> who should get (me) a big enough advance on the recording that I
could buy a
> new choice piece of gear, maybe, to use on said project. Question
is, what?
> Let me describe my studio in general and maybe some of you will have
ideas that

> nice mics: Neumann TLM 193; 2 KM184's; a M147. Soundelux U95 and
Groove
> Tubes Md1a. 2 RCA 77DX's; 2 AKG 460b's and some other good stuff. I
have
> Summit and Pultec tube EQ's, EL8 and Aphex compressors... for mic
preamps I
> have Sytek and 2 VMP2's and the Neotek and a unit I built around the
burr-Brown
> INA103 chip... I recently added Pro Tools LE on a mac G4 and have it
expanded
> out to max I/O and with everything integrated into my patch bays... i
routinely
> sync my MS16 to Pro Tools with SMPTE timecode. I charge $40/hr in a
very
> competitive local market and manage to keep the wheels on the cart,
doing
> mostly music recording of bands and solo acts.
>
> Anyway, I say all of that to give some feel for who I am and what I
do. If I
> do spend some more $$ on gear, I want it to really be useful. I'm
not doing
> this on a Visa card or spending dad's money. I have no delusions of
huge
> financial success running a recording studio. Or that some piece of
gear is
> gonna cure my cold. So, i want something that retains it's value
and will get
> used a lot.
>
> I am leaning towards mic's and mic preamps, since the front end is
where I like
> to spend the most money and time. My Sytek is decent but a truly
clean preamp
> might be cool. I'd be looking at Millenia and Great River; any
others I should
> consider? As far as mics, I love ribbons so one of the newer ribbon
mics is
> intrigueing. A client brought in a BLUE mis that was very nice;
bright, crisp,
> and not harsh at all. Or...? Think character. I love character.
>
> Another option is something like a Rosetta, though that is boring.
At $2600
> for the 24/96 version, also very expensive and won't hold it's value
real well.
> It would fall into the utility tool category. On the other hand, I
will be
> doing a lot of digital conversions around here...
>
> Another boring but useful addition would be a control surface for my
LE system.
> Yawn, and talk about not holding it's value. Also would get used a
lot.
> Yuck.
>
> So.... any ideas out there? The project will bring in about $4K and
of that I
> could see spending $2k on whatever it is I decide to get...
>
> Thanks!!!
>
> -jeff

I think preamps and better AD are the way to go. You won't be bored by
the Rosetta when you hear it. I remember when I got mine & it reminded
me of going from my Tascam 80-8 to My Ampex 2". Quite a jump in
quality. You don't have to get 8 channels. I (ahem) am selling my 2-ch
Rosetta AD 24/96, which I've put to good use on drum OH, LVox, Acoustic
guitars, etc. I will email you off-list with details. The ribbon mic
idea is a good one, too. I think the idea of modding the 460s is a good
one as well. Think outside the box, too. What about comfort and
appearance of your studio? That can make a big difference in the long
run? (Let's not talk about how my place looks right now, OK?)
Mikey Wozniak
Nova Music Productions
This sig is haiku

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

Duh. When I said the Great River was not a character preamp, my brain wasn't
thinking of the NV model. Gotta drink some coffee.

Peace,
Paul

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

I see 3 things you could use (but not for 2K :< )

A real nice vocal compressor (Urei LA3).

A real nice mic pre (A GML. Or if you want a pre with an eq, then a
Rupert Neve/Amek Channel In A Box, which go for less than $2k on ebay.
Or for cheaper $, a Rupert/Amek 9098 eq.)

Since you are mixing with a console, a Waves L2. Your final A to D is
*damn* important, and you will def like the built in limiter as well.
Plus you can also use it to A to D anything going into Protools. It
will do a better job any Digidesign converter, including the 192K
Interface.

I would not want to do my everyday work without these guys.



David Correia
Celebration Sound
Warren, Rhode Island

CelebrationSound@aol.com
www.CelebrationSound.com



In article <20050124035031.23044.00000279@mb-m01.aol.com>, Handywired
<handywired@aol.com> wrote:

> I've got a hankerin' to spend some money on the studio and I have nice big
> project starting in a month or so... a repeat customer signed to Metal Blade
> who should get (me) a big enough advance on the recording that I could buy a
> new choice piece of gear, maybe, to use on said project. Question is, what?
> Let me describe my studio in general and maybe some of you will have ideas
> that
> I can research etc...
>
> I have been running a mid-level analog studio for 10 years or so. It's based
> on a 1-inch 16-track deck, an MS-16, and a Neotek Series IIIf. I hae an
> Otoari
> 1/4" 2-track and of course DAT's and CD burners, etc. Anyway, I have some
> decent gear but I have kept my focus and tried not to spend money frivolously
> on what is franky a very hard industry to make a good living in. I have some
> nice mics: Neumann TLM 193; 2 KM184's; a M147. Soundelux U95 and Groove
> Tubes Md1a. 2 RCA 77DX's; 2 AKG 460b's and some other good stuff. I have
> Summit and Pultec tube EQ's, EL8 and Aphex compressors... for mic preamps I
> have Sytek and 2 VMP2's and the Neotek and a unit I built around the
> burr-Brown
> INA103 chip... I recently added Pro Tools LE on a mac G4 and have it expanded
> out to max I/O and with everything integrated into my patch bays... i
> routinely
> sync my MS16 to Pro Tools with SMPTE timecode. I charge $40/hr in a very
> competitive local market and manage to keep the wheels on the cart, doing
> mostly music recording of bands and solo acts.
>
> Anyway, I say all of that to give some feel for who I am and what I do. If I
> do spend some more $$ on gear, I want it to really be useful. I'm not doing
> this on a Visa card or spending dad's money. I have no delusions of huge
> financial success running a recording studio. Or that some piece of gear is
> gonna cure my cold. So, i want something that retains it's value and will
> get
> used a lot.
>
> I am leaning towards mic's and mic preamps, since the front end is where I
> like
> to spend the most money and time. My Sytek is decent but a truly clean preamp
> might be cool. I'd be looking at Millenia and Great River; any others I
> should
> consider? As far as mics, I love ribbons so one of the newer ribbon mics is
> intrigueing. A client brought in a BLUE mis that was very nice; bright,
> crisp,
> and not harsh at all. Or...? Think character. I love character.
>
> Another option is something like a Rosetta, though that is boring. At $2600
> for the 24/96 version, also very expensive and won't hold it's value real
> well.
> It would fall into the utility tool category. On the other hand, I will be
> doing a lot of digital conversions around here...
>
> Another boring but useful addition would be a control surface for my LE
> system.
> Yawn, and talk about not holding it's value. Also would get used a lot.
> Yuck.
>
> So.... any ideas out there? The project will bring in about $4K and of that I
> could see spending $2k on whatever it is I decide to get...
>
> Thanks!!!
>
> -jeff

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

"Handywired" <handywired@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20050124035031.23044.00000279@mb-m01.aol.com...
> I am leaning towards mic's and mic preamps, since the front end is where I
> like
> to spend the most money and time. My Sytek is decent but a truly clean
> preamp
> might be cool. I'd be looking at Millenia and Great River; any others I
> should
> consider? As far as mics, I love ribbons so one of the newer ribbon mics
> is
> intrigueing. A client brought in a BLUE mis that was very nice; bright,
> crisp,
> and not harsh at all. Or...? Think character. I love character.

Here's a few things for under your $2k target you might like:

*For around $1700-ish new, you can get a Chandler TG2 EMI/Abbey Road edition
mic pre & power supply (sold separately). Killer 2-channel mic pre with
character to spare. Also has DI inputs and an impedance switch for use with
ribbon mics. Once you record a vocal track with this you'll be hooked, and
since you're doing a metal act coming up, you'll no doubt be doing a lot of
heavy guitar tracking & this thing shines in that application.

*For anywhere from $1400 used to $1900 new, you could get an Avalon 737SP -
nice channel strip with a lot of versatility. Yeah, lotsa people have 'em,
so it's nothing really unique or esoteric, but they're very useful & sound
great, IMO.

*For around $1600 new you can get a Focusrite ISA 428 preamp bank. 4 mic
pres with variable impedance, DI's, inserts on each channel, and a digital
i/o option (for around another $500). nice coloration. No, these ain't quite
the ISA 110's, but they're very nice regardless; pretty clean with a bit of
coloration.

*You mentioned B.L.U.E. mics - which one did you get to hear? I've got a few
of their mics & am a big fan. You can get Blueberry's used for around $600
on e-slay, I've seen Kiwi's going for around $1,400 recently, Baby Bottle's
can often be had for around $350. BTW, if you don't have a B.L.U.E Ball yet,
grab a couple, they're great on guitar - Sweetwater has them on sale now for
$99, IIRC.


Neil Henderson

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

hank alrich wrote:
> Paul Stamler wrote:
>
> > Duh. When I said the Great River was not a character preamp, my
brain wasn't
> > thinking of the NV model. Gotta drink some coffee.
>
> That GR stuff is just a hell of a deal in lots of ways, in my book.
The
> original MP's are wonderfully clean for transformered inputs, the NV
> stuff has character and color galore. I think it's genius kit in a
> strong fun way.
>
> --
> ha

Not to mention they seem to hold value very well...I see used ones
going for close to what I paid new for mine a couple of years ago.
Analogeezer