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Old 01-07-2007, 04:42 PM   #1
Jgilbert
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Default $2000 budget : What equipment should I buy?

Have $2000.00-$3000.00. Need studio setup for full recording(including drums, so need enough inputs to cover drum mic kit).
Need to buy all equipment (mics, cables, soundcard, hardware, etc.) to use with Reaper on my PC.

Does anyone have an opinion on what equipment is best within the $2K-$3K range?
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Old 01-07-2007, 04:55 PM   #2
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2 MOTU 896HD =$2000 gives ya 16 xlr ins (works great with reaper)
dell pc with firewire =$700 http://www.dell.com/content/products...=19&l=en&s=dhs
reaper=$40

andy

Last edited by alpoman; 01-07-2007 at 04:58 PM.
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Old 01-07-2007, 05:06 PM   #3
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For an 8 channel interface, have a look at the Firepod ($500).

Monitors - Wharfedale Diamonds $340.

Get a bunch of sm57s and a couple of nice condensors and you should have enough left over for cables and stands
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Old 01-07-2007, 05:11 PM   #4
Jgilbert
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I have a PC and reaper already, but I still need mics...

I need microphones for drums/vocal recording... I have heard people talk about various model numbers being used for various recordings (like kick drum recording, or vocals, or recording the guitar amplifier, etc).

Which models do I need to get to cover all the bases?

I assume I will not need a new soundcard then?
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Old 01-07-2007, 05:29 PM   #5
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The interface will is a soundcard, it is just external. So, to answer your question, no, you won't need a new soundcard as well.

You will need:

Interface/soundcard
Mics (will let someone who know about drums recommend #s and types)
Cables (don't underestimate)
Monitors
Stands/clips
Headphones

Possibly, if you want to do vocals, you may want an additional (nicer) preamp, depending on the quality of the preamps on your interface.

I may have missed something....

Oh, what is your room like?

I suspect you will get many recommendations/opinions!
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Old 01-07-2007, 05:49 PM   #6
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The room is about 12X15 with 3 of the four walls completely insulated and the attic above insulated. smooth sheetrock walls and the textured celing is lowered on the sides with the roof-line. Thick carpet flooring and a double window on one wall. (I hope that is what you were asking...) Is there something I should do to the room for sound quality??

The purpose of the additional vocal preamp? Does it just improve sound quality or range or ?

I was hoping I could get a nicer cond mic for vocals, but then have at least a couple of the drum mics that could be used for vocals or for mic-ing my guitar amp as well... Maybe a kick drum mic that will also mic a bass guitar amp???

Do the mic cables make any difference on the sound? Or should I just buy cheapest cables I can...?
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Old 01-07-2007, 06:10 PM   #7
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my budget on this was $2000-$3000...so a preamp may be doable in the budget...If an extra few hundred bucks makes a big quality difference, I would be okay to go a little higher as long as the difference was measurable.
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Old 01-07-2007, 06:16 PM   #8
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Yeah, I only asked about the room in case anyone was wondering whether to set anything aside for bass traps and the like.

I have no experience recording drums (and not a lot on anything else!) so am going to see what others suggest.

The preamps on your interface may be fine. However, all equipment varies and some people prefer a cleaner sound - hence the possibility of another preamp (maybe later if needed .. see what others say).

Vocal mics - from what I have picked up, what works well on one voice is less good on another, so it may be a bit of a crapshoot. However, you may have a variety of mics for your drums anyway - so at least you will have a choice!

I would expect that some of the mics suggested will work well on your bass amp too.

I think it is worth getting good cables. Not necessarily the MOST expensive, but good ones.

There are some VERY experienced guys on here though, so let's see what they have to say.
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Old 01-07-2007, 06:35 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jgilbert View Post
Have $2000.00-$3000.00. Need studio setup for full recording(including drums, so need enough inputs to cover drum mic kit).
Need to buy all equipment (mics, cables, soundcard, hardware, etc.) to use with Reaper on my PC.

Does anyone have an opinion on what equipment is best within the $2K-$3K range?
I assume you want bang-for-buck then? Then I'm your man! We did microphone shootouts every chance we got at school and recorded them, on great sounding kits and crap, mostly to answer my own questions on what to buy. So here goes:

Kick: Audix D6 - it sounds just like a kick should, there's less EQing to do to it, it isn't that reliant on the placement even, not much bleed, and almost indestructable. You get more punch and less boom with this. And contrary to what you might hear, it's not too clicky...in fact my old school teacher insists I bring mine to his sessions. If you can't afford this, get a Earthworks Kick Pad until you can.

Snare: Audix i-5 - great for snare, toms and electric guitar, like a '57 but with more bottom, it just sounds better all round in my opinion, and also nearly indestructible. You might want a SDC for snare later, you'll probably need a snare bottom then too so this will always be handy.

Toms: CAD M179 - hands down best value mic ever. In hypercardioid mode with the 20dB pad engaged, it bet out all contenders on a great sounding DW kit, and on a crap kit the difference was even greater. It sounds like the actual tom, and is rather small which is handy for placing over toms. Also, it can be used in figure 8 mode in between two rack or floor toms, and still sounds great, just in case you run out of inputs or mics. Not much bleed from it either in hypercardioid.

It's also multi-polar and variable in between polar patterns. We tried it out on acoustic guitar and vocals up against a Neumann M149, and were shocked...it was 90-95% as good, the M179 had a slightly softer top end to which I attribute to the tube in it. And this is a $170 mic! I plan to get 3 eventually to cover toms, then you have room options also, plus they are great as overheads too, front of kick, etc

Overheads: Rode NT4 -I've had great results with this, have never had to waste time with phasing either since it's a stereo mic. It always sounds good, just put it over the drummer's head and point to the middle of the kit. There's plenty of condenser options here but once I tried this I was sold. It's great for a stereo mic on other sources too.

Electric Guitar and Bass: As I said the i-5 is great on guitar cabs, if you want to spend more get the CAD Trion 7000 ribbon, it's just plain awesome, captures the warmth and bottom end, I use it together with the i-5. Great on bass too, from at least 8 inches away. The Sennheiser e602 is damn good for bass cabs too, also a great alternative kick mic, very deep like a Hip Hop sample, quite unusual really.

D.I. You'll need at least one for bass and maybe 2 if you do keyboards, you can go the generic Behringer route, or spend a little more and get the passive one by Radial Engineering, the Pro or something, it's got a Jensen transformer which makes a difference believe me. Get your source sounds right and it will all get a lot easier.


Interfaces:

Firewire: I'd say Presonus Firebox (4 simul channels)

Presonus Firepod (8 simul channels) also it's a steal new now because of the Firestudio

Echo Audiofire 8 and Audiofire 12

RME Fireface 800 (10 channels, expandable, rock solid reliability)

PCI Express: Echo or RME

You really should research these yourself and make the decision based on costs versus needs, there is a LOT of variables here. Some you'll need to add preamps for, which is another debate in itself, though not nearly as important as mic choice and placement. Just don't go too budget. SM Pro and M Audio are probably the bargains.

Monitors: Tascam VL-X5, nothing better for the price.

And back to mics: You can get good package deals new on ebay if you look, it's always good to get a price you can bargain with too, there is an Audix D6 + 3x i-5s for about $350 if I recollect. Also they are tough enough to use live, my drummers getting a D6 for this, I think Chillis and Ill Nino use it amongst others. Try an M179 and you'll be glad.

And don't forget acoustic room treatment!

Hope this helps! Back to work for me...

Last edited by Bevoss; 01-07-2007 at 11:04 PM.
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Old 01-07-2007, 09:52 PM   #10
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For drums AKG C1000S mic's are very good - and on just about anything!

I used to use them in a pro studio. A lot of people use a pair as stereo drum overheads, on hi hats, mic'ing guitar amps, vocals, even acoustic guitar.

You can also switch them between cardioid and hypercardioid.

You can get the latest version in a twin pack for $350 (first site I looked at):

http://www.music123.com/AKG-C1000S-I...-i129052.music

For Kick drums use the AKG D112 which has a good frequency response and is good value. Plus you could use it on a bass guitar.

http://www.audiomasterclass.com/learn.cfm?a=2534

I've recently bought a Rode NT1-A which I use for vocals and it's very, very good for the price.

For monitors, apparently the Yamaha HS80m's are extremely good for the money - I will probably buy them in a few weeks time.

I'm using an EMU 0404m module for audio into a PC and for midi and it is superb. There is a 1616m which could be more suitable for you, but you'll need to research this area more than the rest.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct0...s/emu1616m.htm

2 x AKG C1000S II Mic = $350
1 x AKG D112 Mic = $220
1 x Rode NT1-A Mic = $200
2 x Yamaha HS80m Monitors = $700
1 x EMU 1616m (or another) = $500

TOTAL = $1,970

+ mic stands and 2 cheap pairs of closed headphones.

And for that you will be able to record pro quality music and mix it too.

Last edited by tommyc; 01-07-2007 at 10:04 PM.
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Old 01-08-2007, 08:35 AM   #11
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one of the best drum sounds i ever heard was in a big studio with a loading dock.
pzm's over head on kit.
snare and kik triggers to samples.
thus just two mics needed.
just an idea. try modded shack pzm's or other companies have pzm's. studio then overdubbed the drum tracks withtriggered samples of cyms etc.
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Old 01-08-2007, 08:58 AM   #12
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I would pick up a used Yamaha 01x and a I88x.

For a grand you would have 16 ins, routing, controller, outboard EQ/dynamics, and 4 killer pres.

Then buy a decent utility mixer for more pres and routing options. (I have an old soundcraft spiritfoilo that is great)

Buy a handfull of Sm57s and/or I5s etc. For guitar, snare, percussion, whatever.

Get an Ocktavamod mic for vocals etc.

If you can afford it, a decent pair of condensers will be perfect for drum micing.

IF there is any budget left after that, get a nice kick/bass mic.
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Old 01-08-2007, 12:22 PM   #13
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If you've never recorded drums before and you're not sure what you're doing, I'd say you should wait to buy gear until you *understand* why you're buying it.

In the mean time get something really flat like an SM81 or some cheap omni, and try to get the best drum sound possible with that first...

.. then add 1 dynamic mic to it - a 57 - ... and figure out *which part you need to use it on...*.

To get by get either one of those cheapo Behringer 4 input mixers, or you might be safe with a Mackie until you know what you want.

$2,000 isn't really "enough" to do close miced drums, anyhow.... Waiting to spend more until you know that might be a good strategy as well...
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Old 01-08-2007, 12:50 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jgilbert View Post
Have $2000.00-$3000.00....

Does anyone have an opinion on what ... is best within the $2K-$3K range?
Ale and hookers.



/may not have read the question properly
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Old 01-08-2007, 01:51 PM   #15
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Default Here's a list

I had a think about your budget and experience, and came up with this list:

Presonus Firepod... $500 - Interface, 8 Preamps, 8 Tracks at once
Tascam VL-X5 .......$300 - Active Monitors
CAD M179.............$200 - Vocals, Drum Overhead Mono, Acoustic, Bass Mic
Audix i-5 x2............$90 - Kick and Snare, Guitar cabs
Earthworks KP1......$95 - Kick
.................................................. .................................................. ...............
Total......................$1185

That should do you for starters, start off with the M179 as a mono drum overhead, an i-5 on snare, and an i-5 and KP1 on kick. 3 tracks of drums, it'll sound pretty good, and as you get more experienced you can add a second M179 for stereo overheads, and an Audix D-6 for kick, and eventually some tom mics, i-5s are fine, M179s better. It's all extremely good value gear, when you get awesome monitors the Tascams will still be good as a second set, all the mics will still be used, the Firepod will be useful as a mobile interface, the KP1 will come in handy for an alternative kick mic. The Firepod has direct ins so you won't need a direct box straight away for bass.

None of this stuff you'll ever have to sell again, maybe the Firepod one day when you get really serious. There's no point losing money on buying and reselling gear, get stuff that you will keep for as long as you are recording I say. Good mics are the best investment really, digital stuff never keeps it's value. And mics are the biggest influence on your sound, after the performance that is. Check the reviews out at Harmony Central for instance for some more info on the gear listed, or google it.

Put down 2 layers of underlay and 1 layer of carpet under the drums, and add some cheap cloth around the walls for starters so it's not too reflective. Just dig in and start recording, do heaps of reading and research on micing and mixing. The best way is just to start recording and keep doing it....

Here's some links:

http://www.frontendaudio.com/SearchR...h=firepod&mfg=

http://www.frontendaudio.com/SearchR...rch=vl-x5&mfg=

http://www.frontendaudio.com/SearchR...arch=M179&mfg=

http://www.frontendaudio.com/Earthwo...Pad_p/1722.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/Audix-i-5-Instru...QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.frontendaudio.com/Radial_...t_B_p/1823.htm

http://www.frontendaudio.com/Audix_D...pho_p/1366.htm

Last edited by Bevoss; 01-08-2007 at 03:23 PM.
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Old 01-08-2007, 01:54 PM   #16
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I'll only make a few quick suggestions.

#1 - Buy used as much as possible. You can save a lot of money buying used gear. Be patient and not impulsive. I've gotten nice used gear in great shape for as little as 20% of new cost, simply by waiting until that magic deal comes along.
THAT SAID, if it's more than 65%-70% of new cost, buy it new. Unless you're getting a great deal, you'll do well to have a warranty.

#2 - (As previously mentioned) Don't underestimate the cost of cables. They add up really quickly, especially if you buy decent cables. Expect to spend a couple to a few hundred on mic cables alone. Truthfully, I usually buy cheap cables. Punk rockers love to jump up and down on your mic cables, no matter how much, or how nicely (or harshly) you ask them not to. I spend a LOT of time repairing cables.

#3 - Get decent mic pres. You can get some pretty decent mic pres in your budget. You don't have the budget for great pres, but you can get nice ones. Look at the RME mic pres, their VERY hard to beat for the price.

I read an interview with an engineer a while back (can't remember his name, but I recall that he work with Whitney Houston and the like) He used $500 vocal mics, but had really nice pres, and specifically mentioned that with the quality of imported mics nowadays, as long as you've got good preamplification, you can get good sounds.
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Old 01-08-2007, 03:01 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chip mcdonald View Post
$2,000 isn't really "enough" to do close miced drums, anyhow....

It's just enough actually.

Add a D6, 2 more i-5s, and another M179 to my above list, that's stereo overheads,kick,snare, and 3 close miced toms, it's around $1600 (minus the KP1)...and it would sound awesome. I personally use these mics and did a lot of research on them before buying. Awesome value, seriously. More than enough left for stands and cables. If you can find any of these used you can do it on less too.

The M179 is severely underated, it's American designed but Chinese built so the best of both worlds sound and price wise, I've seen them on ebay as low as $170 new, it's such an all rounder that it'd be my first pic actually, and best tom mic I've heard bar none. And it's great on vocals or acoustic too. Plus there's nothing multi-polar even close to it's price.

I'd use these mics whatever the budget cause they sound better to my ears. The overheads is the only one I'd change given an unlimited budget, I mean like Royers SF-12/R-121/Schoeps etc, but really it's only like a 10-20% improvement over M179s at most and we're talking thousands of dollars more. And maybe a Josephson e22S for the snare, at $1400. All way out of JGilbert's range.

The Firepod's pres and converters are decent enough to start with too. I'd say API/Chandler and RME/Lavry but again way over budget.

Of course , this is but my opinion and YMMV.
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Old 01-08-2007, 03:17 PM   #18
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Quote:
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...
Monitors: Tascam VL-X5, nothing better for the price.
...
I have these monitors and was shocked at how good they sound for so little cash!
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Old 01-08-2007, 03:18 PM   #19
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good cheap mic pre...cant be beat.
rane ms1b imho.
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Old 01-08-2007, 06:37 PM   #20
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Seems like a lot of suggestions regarding pres...other than amplification, how does the pre effect the sound quality? AS I said, if need be I can spend $3k, I just want to get the best setup I can for my money, so if a pre makes a difference that is measurable and worth the money, I can get one.
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Old 01-08-2007, 07:21 PM   #21
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The Presonus preamps are good enough, but you might want a valve preamp to go with it for another flavour. This one is apparently pretty good for the money, the M-Audio DP3:

http://www.frontendaudio.com/M_Audio...amp_p/5981.htm

edit: whoops, it's solid state!


To put it in perspective, the difference between mics is like night and day, whereas between preamps it's more like 6.30 and 7.30...and between converters even less. I'd definitely get your room sounding good to start with, and decent mics, and then get maybe a Fireface 800/Multiface or Echo later. If you really want to spend money on pres, here's some good ones:

API 3124+
DAV BG No.1/2/8
Audient ASP 008
JLM TLM008
Gordon Model 3
Miliennia STT-1
Chandler Germanium and TG-2
Pacifica
Presonus ADL 600
Safesound P1
Sytek

It's a deep hole you can throw your money in...I'd advise hiring them and testing them first before you buy. The API's hold their value well, popular for drums (eg Tool). Good luck.

Last edited by Bevoss; 01-08-2007 at 07:57 PM.
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Old 01-08-2007, 07:29 PM   #22
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You will have mic preamps, one way or another. Something has to bring the level of the mic to a level useable by the recording medium. You'll need one for each microphone you wish to use during that recording. If you want to track drums, you'll probably want at least 8 tracks. You can do it with less, for sure, but you'll end up wanting more anyway, especially if you want to track a reference bass or guitar alongside the drum tracks.
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Old 01-08-2007, 08:36 PM   #23
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Quote:
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It's just enough actually.

The Firepod's pres and converters are decent
I'd say as you say, it would be "decent"...

Of course, the room has to sound good and the drums - and the drummer....

... but if somebody has no experience, it's going to be hard for it to even sound "decent" IMO.

A nice pair of overhead mics into an Apogee MiniMe, plus some cheapo 8-in card to run cheapo mics for triggering would be another option. That would minimize the inexperience factor dealing with a bunch of mics, potentially add a totally pro overall drum sound with the overheads/Apogee combo, as well as simply the whole thing.

Frick, that's what a lot of people do, anyhow....
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Old 01-08-2007, 08:37 PM   #24
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whats a good brand for mic cables?
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Old 01-08-2007, 10:23 PM   #25
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If you want quality, buy a roll of Canane or similar and Switchcraft/Neutriks and make them yourself, much cheaper. I'm not really up on generic cable brands.

Hey Chip, I did think about triggers too, only it sorta circumvents the whole learning to multitrack with drums fun stuff. I did some drum tracks on a Firebox that blew people away(it was a great sounding kit to start with) so I think the Pod would be fine..although I'd go the Fireface 800 if the budget was there. But you're right, lots of people are doing it now...

You can always paste the kick samples in later if it sucks (Tab to transient!) Plus the item processing/auto trim /split is the bomb for getting rid of spill, saves gating.
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Old 01-09-2007, 12:27 AM   #26
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buy these:
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Old 01-09-2007, 08:26 AM   #27
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I tried the trigger thing...it didnt work for me...heres what I did...

I recorded the drum track live by setting a mic on each side of my kit. both mic ran into a splitter which allowed them both to feed into the mic input on my PC soundcard. I then went through ReaFir and isolated the kick drum freq and setup a drumtrig trigger, but drumtrig crashes everytime I add a decent kickdrum wav file. the only wavs that would work sounded ridiculous with the rest of my drum track. I ended up duplicating my drum track and using the exciter and a few other plugs to expand the sounds and definitions as best I could, but it still sounds like dung as far as clarity and definition of the various drums/cymbals.
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Old 01-09-2007, 10:38 AM   #28
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I tried the trigger thing...it didnt work for me...heres what I did...

I recorded the drum track live by setting a mic on each side of my kit.
That's not what we're talking about... <g>

You can't do it that way. What I'm suggesting is
that you:

1) get the cheapest 8-input card you can find;
2) get the cheapest 8 microphones you can find - meaning, they can actually be "really cheap";
3) *close mic* each tom/kick/snare. That's where a "hidden cost" can come in, mic stands aren't cheap (although Musician's Friend used to sell something like 8 boom stands for $100).. If you're really in a pinch and don't mind being ghetto, you could figure out Alternate Methods for getting the mics as close as possible to the drums...

4) some people use "contact mics" actually on the skin - which at Radio Shack are doorbell alarm switches.. (do a Google search for "cheap contact mic piezo drum triggers".. but sometimes those can be finicky and give false triggers...



Quote:

I then went through ReaFir and isolated the kick drum freq and setup a drumtrig trigger, but
Nope, that won't work. You need actual physical isolation of each drum.

... but then, you still need cymbals - and an overall "perspective" to blend it all together, hence my overhead mic suggestion.
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Old 01-09-2007, 03:10 PM   #29
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I need mics that will cover more than just drums though...I also have guitar and bass and vocal that will have to be covered by what I purchase with this money.

However, I have two VERY CHEAP mics right now (they came with a karaoke machine from wal-mart)...

What about this: 1 good cond mic, 2 good mics, a kick mic, and 2 more cheap ones to be used like this:

I need a good cond mic for vocals, (though I still dont know which one is the best within my price range, any suggestions appreciated, I am thinking $300-$450 range for the cond mic)

I also need a couple good mics for guitars/instrument/bu vocals

Then I can keep the 4 cheap mics closed on my kit, and maybe use the two better mics for overheads along with guitar and b/u vocals. And if course I'll have the kick mic to cover bass amps.

this would basically remove buying a drum mic kit and replace it with 4 cheap mics and a kick mic...which may save some money, allowing me to get better condenser mic and better instrument/bu vocal mics...

?????
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Old 01-09-2007, 04:06 PM   #30
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You know, for mics, you may want to look at these.

Ridiculously cheap, but people speak very highly of them, so don't let the price put you off!

I have no personal experience of them, but have some on order.

Others here do have experience of them, though.

MSH microphones .. http://naiant.com/studiostore/Frame-...=1164851478181
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Old 01-09-2007, 04:50 PM   #31
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I strongly suggest you wait till Jan 18 to buy anything. The NAMM show might bring some new interesting products that might interest you, or lower the price of existing products in the used market.
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Old 01-09-2007, 05:17 PM   #32
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I noticed musicians friend has some studio "package" deals...some of them are for Fostex or Tascam traditional-type recorders, which are USB outs. This is probably the dumbest question in the world, but is there an advantage to going with a traditional type recorder like a fostex, and then using USB to dump the wav files into Reaper to finish the project?
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Old 01-09-2007, 05:58 PM   #33
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You know, for mics, you may want to look at these...
MSH microphones .. http://naiant.com/studiostore/Frame-...=1164851478181
Agreed. I own an MSH1-0 matched pair, and two MSH4 tube mic's. Great mic's regardless of the price. I have some price-is-no-object mic's here, and the MSH mic's compare well.
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Old 01-09-2007, 06:16 PM   #34
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I noticed musicians friend has some studio "package" deals...some of them are for Fostex or Tascam traditional-type recorders, which are USB outs. This is probably the dumbest question in the world, but is there an advantage to going with a traditional type recorder like a fostex, and then using USB to dump the wav files into Reaper to finish the project?
Only one I can think of is if you find it easier to operate...Sounds dumb also, but I know people who do.

I dont recomend that route.
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Old 01-11-2007, 11:29 AM   #35
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also have guitar
SM57: used by gazillions, great on snare and guitar amps

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and bass
In a band situation go direct and reamp with a mic; otherwise what you get for the kick will probably work for the bass...

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and vocal that will have to be covered by what I purchase with this money.
Get one of those Chinese MXL U67 clones...

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However, I have two VERY CHEAP mics right now
Good for nothing - UNLESS you use them to close mic 1 tom each, to retrigger later.

You want *NO* cheapnis.

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a kick mic,
The Audix D1 (?) is easy.. AKG D112 is mysterious, somehow sometimes they teleport a guy in front of the mic thumping a basketball, that's weird... but sometimes for a metal kick sound they're good...

Quote:
I need a good cond mic for vocals, (though
thinking $300-$450 range for the cond mic)
I don't think I'd try to get a "good vocal mic" specifically in that price range... that's limbo... A (good pick) $100 Chinese LD is going to sound competitive until you get up to the $1,200 mark.

On the other hand, an SM81 isn't the greatest vocal mic, but it's really flat and would be an easy thing to deal with for overheads at first - and for acoustic guitar it's the easiest, IMO.

A Whole Lotta Zeppelin is just an SM57...

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Then I can keep the 4 cheap mics closed on my kit,
No, don't... it won't be worth the trouble, unless you trigger. You'll spend forever trying to balance bleed that sounds like crap.

..but really, triggering the toms, on the otherhand, is the way to go IMO... and the way many go...
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Old 01-11-2007, 07:18 PM   #36
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A Whole Lotta Zeppelin is just an SM57...


Does this mean an SM57 is good, or bad?
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Old 01-11-2007, 08:02 PM   #37
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A Whole Lotta Zeppelin is just an SM57...


Does this mean an SM57 is good, or bad?
It's good. Very, very good.

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Old 01-11-2007, 08:49 PM   #38
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fluffy....
happy new year from my beard to yours...lol.

sometime try putting a 57 into a hi end mic pre
like say a great river....or a mic pre with variable impedence.

as an el cheapo option some folks like the little yammie mg mixers for 90 buks and consider them very nice for recording.
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Old 01-11-2007, 09:34 PM   #39
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fluffy....
happy new year from my beard to yours...lol.
BAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!

Likewise!
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Old 01-12-2007, 01:40 AM   #40
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1. Buy thing that you can keep on using, and stuff that add as much flexibility as possible.

So i would suggest som sm-57, you can use them for so many different sources, and itīs a mic that people expect one to have. Itīs good for toms and snare, el-guits etc. And you can always buy some more specialized mics later.

2. As kick, iīd suggest an Akg d112, nice allround again, and one that all studios has.

3. Overheads. If you can afford it this is a place where iīd spend some money on two Neumann km184, these mics are great for accoustic guitars and other instruments too. VERY good mics IMO.

4. 1 Vocal mic, here i donīt have any specific advice, because itīs really up to the voice youīre recording and the style. And itīs not really the price that defines whatīs best.

5. Mic preīs in the beginning i think youīd be allright with the preīs in a 8 channel Motu, focusrite or Presonus. Not that these are exotic, but i think itīs more important with some good mics.

6. Room adjustments, these are more important than many other things.

7. Monitors, itīs great with good monitors, but itīs way more important to know your speakers. Iīd rather have some good mics, than great monitors.

Again this is just what i would do.
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