May 09, 2004 07:05 pm also mac g5, or sony viao?
Alright I need help opn gear deciding
Posted on May 09, 2004 06:54 pm
AK Redline
Seconds From The End
Member Since: Jun 16, 2003
Im looking for the best recording setup. Try to keep it under 15 Grand. Im building a studio for this place that we plan on purchasing and we want top of the line full blown. I need to know my options. any help, links anything is appreciated.
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May 09, 2004 07:05 pm also mac g5, or sony viao?
May 09, 2004 08:31 pm Not to bash Mac or anything, but you will definately find your hardware and software choices very limited by going the Mac route.
PC on the other hand has an unending supply of hardware and software makers out there. the choices are much more viable and your budget will go much further going that route.
For what you will pay to outfit a Mac set-up you will be able to buy twice the gear and software for the PC.
Just my 2 cents worth.
And aside from that you allready are using PC with Cubase so you will be more familier staying with what you know.
May 10, 2004 02:35 pm hmm thanks noize.. im goin pc for sure now lol.. also, 1. is there a setup where i can have my mixer linked into my computer kinda like digidesign stuff but like a mackie setup... i want a 24 channel board that works with my computer.. like when i change something on the mixer... it changes in the application... and 2. what sound card offers me the most inputs and flexibilitly?
May 10, 2004 04:57 pm [quote]
im goin pc for sure now lol..
[/quote]
As noize mentioned PC's will help your budget quite a bit however I found that quite a bit of the audio hardware out there is flaky on PC's. My belief is that when it comes to high-end graphics/audio/video - software and hardware companies focus on mac's (some more than others) first. I should also mention that I do not own a mac, never have and never will and I am happy with my PC setup now that I have the kinks worked out of it.
[quote]
1. is there a setup where i can have my mixer linked into my computer kinda like digidesign
[/quote]
Yes. I believe they call these 'Control Surfaces' and are mostly midi controlled.
Have a look through this: www.sweetwater.com/store/category/c16/cp2/
[quote]
what sound card offers me the most inputs and flexibilitly?
[/quote]
I went with the Aardvark Q10 (8ins/stackable) and absolutly love it though I noticed a new product just came out and provides all the 'It would be nice if it had...' (like firewire/chainable) stuff for me. Can't find a link to it ATM. A lot of people like the M-Audio Delta's and if you go Mac (since last I knew PC support was shotty) MOTU (828?) makes some excellent equiment.
Good luck.
May 10, 2004 05:37 pm mhubbard and i are on similar pages here. i have set up friends with PC systems (usually using already existing hardware for $$$'s sake) and that is what i use exclusively myself, but i have to deal with problems that i know i wouldn't have been able to fix if i didn't grow up in front of a PC computer screen. from my friends who use macs for a variety of multimedia functions, they're just easier to work with, have less issues/bugs, and are easier to troubleshoot.
i don't know if you have a lot of PC tech experience or if you have a gift for troubleshooting, but as noize mentioned, the cost and variety factors are some things you should definitely keep in mind as well.
choose wisely!
May 10, 2004 07:23 pm More info is good. Is this an ever-expanding project? What will you be recording? How many channels of I/O will you need? Is this just equipment or is this everything including cables, stands, etc...? Do you want to go all digital or digital (PC) out to an analog desk? Do you want some nice outboard for mixing or just tracking and then staying in the digital domain? Finally, what type of music do you think will be the most common for you to record?
May 10, 2004 08:25 pm For the budget I like SM57 or EV Co4s for instrument mics (drums, guitar etc). I like the Rhode range of condensors, but that's because they've earned a damn fine reputation and you pay for it. I love the NT3, it makes drum recording magical. There's a range of kick mics and stuff out there, good for bass guitar too. I use Sennheiser there, no problems thus far.
I'd frankly never use a Mac. They're built beautifully, but they can't ever be upgraded and that sucks. I'd personally rather trouble-shoot with more flexibility to my options than buy something completely reliable which may not suit my needs in a years' time. That's just my two cent's worth.
Sound options, there's a billion of them and it's best to know your purpose. Are you starting a company, are you in a company, are you buying a house and want your own recording studio for your band and if so, what style of music and kind of sound do you want to get out of it?
Personally, I find sound cards much of a muchness unless they have, like mine, a stupid bass roll-off which doesn't appear during monitoring but comes in playback. I find so long as you have great mics you can get by with a good card (as opposed to a billion dollar "great" card). That, and your own ear for the mix. That counts far more than anything else.
Custom make your own PC. Have at least a gig of RAM- Ideally, dual channel PC3500, like OCZ's stuff, really makes a difference. Or you can travel the RDRAM route but frankly the difference between that and PC4400 at the moment is negligable.
If you've got the money, get a SATA RAID of Raptors and then one massive storage drive. Keep the wave files on the storage section.
You could go the the Intel X-treme processor but frankly by that stage you're dipping well into your other-necessary-equipment budget. Providing you have a good cooling solution, the P4 2.8 Prescott chip is right on the money (but gets bloody hot), it's as cheap as the 2.8c processor with extra ram and since it's 32-bit you'll be ready in advance. But the faster prescotts will be integrated into motherboards so it's better to move on it now while you can.
Well, those are the things I'd get with fifteen grand. What you get is up to you.
OH! Don't forget a really nice pair of studio monitors and headphones. Some of those are a couple of grand on their own. I get by with a pair of very nice Phillips speakers, which cost me $400 in Australia.
May 10, 2004 09:23 pm i like this one alot... www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Control24/ now these control surfaces im new to what do i need now
May 10, 2004 10:27 pm hmm buy a 4 track and learn some audio basics before jumping into a big setup like that. after you get all that set up you still wont even know where the on switch is??
control surface?? lesson one its a mixer sometimes called a recording console.
before someone else calls me crass or a cynic i hate you. i just think we should crawl before we run marathons.
May 10, 2004 10:46 pm Take a look at my profile. It is an example of a 24 channel studio system at real close to the monitary constraint you mentioned in your first post. Bigest down side I precieve is you would probably be unhappy with the control surface. The tascam unit is eight channel limited. You have to switch back and forth with banks of three, eight channel banks to cover the range of the system. Also the faders are not motorized and to not calibrate to the software on initialization making the system a little slow and combersome as far as the control surface interface to the software is concerned. The only other concern I would have is your mention of VAIO or Sony. The last VAIO I had was rather propriatory and did not leave a lot of latitude when it came to hardware options. Decide on a topography for the system both hard and soft ware. Download all of the specifications and recomendations and search out your PC last. The PC itself has only a supportive role in the system. Most of a recording computer is very hybred hardware and software often requiring special not normally found infrastructure. Most off the shelf PC's are developed for the average gaming, memo creating, picture showing indivual who wants a toy. That is the advantage to building your own computer around your specific specifications.
May 11, 2004 07:42 pm yo josh i have been doing this stuff for quite a while... i have my recording setups and all that stuff... i know what im doing but getting a whole system to work in sync with the application im not familiar with. so if you dont want to help me or whatever thats cool, post in other threads. i know more than you think i do. i know my audio basics and i know more than a 4 track. im used to the home recording atmosphere and my friend and i are working on opening a music store/studio and he wants something professional instead of a delta 44 and a little 10 track mixer. so there. And walt, thanks for your reply, i appreciate your input.
May 11, 2004 10:48 pm :Disclaimer: I am no pro, I just read a lot.
I would lay aside $800-$1,000 for acoustic treatment.
Another $400-$500 for cables and stands.
$1,500 for a new PC
$1,500-$2,000 Monitors. Spend more if you can, this is not something to skimp on. Would look at Genelecs, ADAMs, and Dynaudio BM6,BM15's
Now there are a couple options as to which way you could go. You could get a 002R with the Control|24 but you are limited in channels and flexibility compared to HD systems. Depending on the competition and environment of your are, this might not be a problem.
So, 002R + Control|24 = ~$8,800 This is most of your budget so you might want to reconsider because we haven't even gotten to pres, comps, and mics yet.
You might try a 002R + the tascam firewire control surface. It has expandable fader banks so this whole thing would cost you about 4,200
Think about quality over quantity in mics but don't think there is and end-all do everything mic. A few SM57's and a couple Sennheiser 421's. That and Soundeulx U195FET (or something similar) and a couple SDC's and you are good.
For pre's I would look at getting a couple money channels and then use the pre's in your 002R & tascam for fillers. GR-2NV or an API 3124 or some Neve knock-offs would be good.
Next, look into a couple distressors or maybe one distressor and a Trakker or some combination that gives you two flavors.
Lastly I would look into getting a TC PoCo or the UAD-1 for some plugs as the standard ones in PT proly aren’t all that great.
Take all this is a pound of salt.
May 12, 2004 01:05 am AK redline. well put retaliation until you added "so there"
May 12, 2004 01:51 pm fair enough so lets drop it. thanks bennis i think im good to go i just wanted to ideas or suggestions. ill let you guys know if we buy the building and what not
May 12, 2004 03:42 pm Yes, AK has been hanging around here for quite a while now -- It's often wise to check people's history before you comment.
May 12, 2004 04:10 pm welp i got the phone call it has been sold last week... it was a perfect building 2 nice rooms..1 for recording, 1 for mixdown... it would have been great a big show room down on the 1st floor for the sales and in the basement was a like 5 rooms for lessons or drums, guiatar and other various instruments, central air, and like 4 bathrooms haha. oh well time to start lookin again. thanks again for everybody's help
May 12, 2004 07:10 pm Bummer. Oh well, maybe it's for the best and you'll find something better :)
May 12, 2004 08:21 pm yeah man word has it well be building from the ground up so we could make it totally rockin then ... ahh so much to do and so little money..haha
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