Whole Set-Up Good? (long) posted by ...

Whole Set-Up Good? (long)

Posted on Oct 09, 2003 07:16 pm
BennisHahn
Ex-Wookie
Member Since: Aug 29, 2003

Hey all, I have been looking recently to move up in the world from my little old MR-8 to a semi-pro portable studio. I will be acquiring my gear one or two pieces at a time until I have them all as it takes a while for the money to come in. I look to be able to record mainly drums, guitar, bass, vocals, and other acoustic instruments. I have no interest in MIDI or synths and things of that nature. I also plan to totally exclude computers from this process as they are unstable and I don’t feel like dealing with drivers, updates, and software. I am mainly asking for advice because I can’t find a source that’s as good on portable DAW’s as there is on computer-based ones, like this site. I will divide my questions up at the end to simplify the answering posses.

I plan on getting these items. Now, you must remember that I will not be able to afford much more then I have already budgeted for each item. I plan on getting enough use out of them, and keep them long enough before upgrading, that they will be worth their cost.

- Korg D16XD (16 tracks, 40g HD, can record up to 16 tracks at once)
- 2* Behringer T1952 Tube Compressor
- 3* ART TPS Preamp System
- R0DE NT-1A
- 2* AKG C1000
- 2/3* Shure SM57
- 1/2 Shure SM58
- Shure Beta 52A
- Event TR-5 Powered Monitors

That’s my future setup as I have it planned now. I figure I can use the SM57/58’s for just about anything and they are cheep. The AKG’s are mainly for overhead mics but will find their way into other things I am sure. The NT-1A is there for an all-around good condenser for my price range. The only iffy things are the preamps.

1) I have heard that because of low plate voltage, the ART pre’s aren’t that great. Unfortunately nothing in my price range is that good. I would like to know if it would be better to go with these/PreSonus BlueTube pre’s or…

2) Go with a Behringer Mixer. The one I would get would be the UB1204-Pro. I have heard for the quality the mic pre’s aren’t that bad. Of course, I would only be able to run four of the mics through the pre’s so; do the Shure’s really need the preamp? If it isn’t crucial then I would run the kick, snare, and overheads through the pre’s and just run the tom mics through with nothing.

3) Compressor? I like my current one, a Behringer MDX2200 Pro, but I have nothing to compare it too. Anyone have any feed back on this one?

I know that this stuff is somewhat primitive but I can’t go out and spend $500+ on one mic. Will these things allow me to get semi-pro recordings? I know of course, that it takes practice and patience but it also takes equipment too. Last note; are there any mic’s that I haven’t considered that really stand out? Any and all help greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-Bennis

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MinkusMaz
Bane of All Existence
Member
Since: Mar 27, 2003

Oct 09, 2003 11:01 pm

man i really like the behringer MX802A because it's so cheap ($80), and an easy solder/scrape gives you the ability to put out each preamp's signal independently (total of 4). you get EQ for each signal along with an 80Hz low cut as well. you also get something to power your monitors and headphones easily. i checked the UB series, and i don't think you can do that. i don't know if the MX and UB series use different preamps or not. if you're going to record more than 4 sources simultaneously, i am not sure if you would want multiple mixers going. according to musicians' friend, getting four signals by buying two ART TPS sets will cost $200 more.

yes the shure mics all need preamps. i'm not exactly sure why you would want SM58s for recording. they are primarily live vocal mics that are just SM57s with an extra EQ boost around what is it...1.8KHz for vocal presence? i've never gotten a good vocal sound of of them, and i bet the NT-1A will do vocals nicely. the SM57s work well for snare, toms, guitars, and whatever else sounds good with them. might as well just get SM57s unless you want to have SM58s available for any live sound you might do.

i just did a session using the AKG C1000S on drums, and i like it a lot. i haven't used an NT-1A on drums yet, but i imagine that a lot of people like how that sounds too. you don't need to spend a ton of money on all sorts of different microphones though.

i just set a friend up with something like this, and i think it would be a good solution for you that would make it so you could spend far less than your current list's total is:

-Behringer MX802A
-RØDE NT-1A
-2 SM57s
-1 kick mic (Audix D6, Beta 52)

that gives you the ability to record a drumset with 4 mics (one of which being a condenser, which is key), record nice guitars, bass (amp and/or direct), vocals, keyboards, samplers, drum machines, or any other instruments your heart desires onto the Korg unit or whatever DAW you end up selecting. you'll save enough money that you can get all the stands you need, whatever compressors you want, cables, and hopefully a case for your mics!

using a computer totally is a double-edged sword. you have way more options, but you do end up having to be a tech as well. if you get a handle on how to keep it stable, it's good to have the extra options. going from the Korg unit to a computer might someday draw you like moving up from the MR-8 is doing right now.