Aug 09, 2005 06:08 am Your compressor would be more effective if you put it into an aux loop on the mixer. No, it doesn't appear that compressor has a gate, this one service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear does however.
FINALLY i have enough money!
Posted on Aug 09, 2005 01:50 am
smoKe
Member Since: Jan 23, 2005
ALRIGHT so my studio is coming together quite nicely >.< i just had carpet installed on the walls of my closet. i figured carpet would be the most audio absorbing and shurely enough wa lah! a home made booth baby! for those late night ripping open the mic vocal sessions. am i excited? hell ya! haha
So after the terrible car accident my wallet was lacking in funds but after the new job i now got tons lol only kidding. heh
With the foundation of my studio already put in im ready for some high quality at a decent price equipment to compliment the newly furnished enviornment. XD XD Pro's to the board have answered this post numerous amounts of time but back then i wasn't to serious, more curious if anything. This time around im ready to swip that credit card and before i do i wanna be super shure.. input as much as possible. thanks!
cpu type: Gateway laptop/Windows XP
software: Cool Edit Pro v2 Acid v5
With that in mind, this is the hardware i had my eyes on:
Condensor Microphone: www.zzounds.com...tem--MSHMXL2003
Compressor/limiter: service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear
QUESTION: i recall an evaluation of this compressor in a HRC article. i could be wrong. i don't remember. but does this particular product also come with a gate?
Mixer: service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear
Sound Card:
www.digitraxx.com/ma_fasttrackusb.html
and uhh pop filters, snake/cables.
OKAY so i figured the signal runs like this:
MIC --> COMPRESSOR --> MIXER --> SOUNDCARD
> now is there anything else i need not listed above to put out a good quality demo?
> if theres a product out there that would better substitue the formula, wheter it be a better soundcard, mixer, compressor whatever let me know.
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Aug 09, 2005 06:08 am Your compressor would be more effective if you put it into an aux loop on the mixer. No, it doesn't appear that compressor has a gate, this one service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear does however.
Aug 09, 2005 06:33 am I'm curious as to why you have a single channel sound interface, but a 4 channel compressor, plus a multi channel board. Are you planning on upgrading, or recording drums? if not, I'd drop the multi channel compressor for a 2 or 1 channel, and add the extra $$$ to get a better quality one.
Also, I might get a smaller board, or even get a good standalone preamp, if you're only going to be recording vocals. A standalone preamp of the same $$$ will probably be better quality. Also, you could get one of those preamp / compressor units all in one. Better quality preamp, and better quality compessor all in one.
If you get a smaller board, you could send the money saved towards a better mic, or a better compressor.
Also, if you do go the mixer route, then I'd use the compressor in the channel insert of the board. I'm not sure, but the compressor may not offer phantom power, which the board will. Also, the channel insert is where the compressor is supposed to live, 'inserted' into the channel signal chain, after the trim, but before the fader (iirc). You would need a 'Y' adapter to plug the compressor into the board. They're special cables made just for this.
Carpet is decent for stopping some of the high freq, but not too hot at stopping lo freq. if you get lo rumble, or lo peaks in your recording, you may want to add a packing blanket or two. Wadded up blankets in the corner can help too, as would a couch. low freq needs mass to get through to slow it down.
Hope I didn't mix up your plans too much, certainly the items you're looking at are not bad, or would get you bad recordings, I'm just looking at ways for you to get more bang for your bux.
Good luck, man, sounds like you're geeked and ready to go!
Aug 09, 2005 06:50 am that sound device can be two channels (left and right) and the board has many subgroups and such, so I can see, at times, a 4 channel compressor being handy to have...
It would be advantageous for us to know exactly what you plan on doing in your studio to recommend anything. Such as how many instruments you wish to record, how many at one time, and various other things like that...
Aug 09, 2005 12:08 pm I used to use a Marshall (MXL?) 2001 mic, and let me tell you this. That is an excellent mic for it's price. Where it shines is on Vocals and acoustic instruments. It is very sensitive in the sense that in can pick up your hands rubbing from 6 feet away. I dunno if the 2003 has similar characteristics but it looks very similar in design.
Aug 09, 2005 02:24 pm You know what. a real good friend of mine actually said the same thing about the 2001,
gratitude for the input stupe =)
pjk: your right i only do have a single channel interface however im only in it to record vocals, so i figured one was enough.
maybe i should consider the:
www.digitraxx.com/ma_audiophileusb.html
you know about that 4 chan compressor. i remember awhile ago reading somewhere that, that was a compressor/limiter/gate combo. Thats why i had it bookmarked but now it's like they changed the specification article on it lol wth. so thats the story to that one right there.
And funny story about that multi chan board. I posted up a 2 channel mixer about a year ago with a tube preamp and i got comments like " whats with that preamp and overpriced mixer " you know things along that line. so someone recommended me that eurorack and thats how that one went haha
Good ol' db masters: well in hip hop alotta of the music portion is usually just samples looped over and over again. so drums/instruments aren't really what my studio is for. VOCALS on the other hand is what im really into. yeah your right i should of made that clear the first time around. Thanks for the compressor recommendation db. appreciate it =)
all in all i don't really wanna be buying garbage. If that was the case then i would have to be upgrading all the time and i don't want that. No one wants that lol
MORE COMMENTS!
Aug 09, 2005 02:32 pm Well, if thats the case, and your recording, mixing and mastering will be all on your computer, I would suggest ditching the mixer and just getting a nice vocal processor with all the preamps, compression and all that crap in one unit and run that straight into the sound device.
Aug 09, 2005 03:29 pm Compressor/limiter/gate:
service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear
LOOK AT THE PRICE. i just don't know. but then again look at the reviews!
Or maybe i should just buy a compressor/limiter with an external gate. what do you guys think?
Vocal Processors and Preamps im not shure if i really need either of the two. All the vocal effects that the two provide can be process digitally through software. And i figured i can just find a cheaper mixer with built in phantom for my condensor. OH QUESTION: if i decided to get a preamp that provides 48v of power and lets say i found a board that already provides it. if i used the two togther. will anything blow up? lol
A link to a good preamp would be real cool. thanks!
Aug 09, 2005 03:37 pm Yeah, some people use and like that, I am personally not a big fan of Alesis except their reference amps...
a preamp you DO need, you have to preamp microphones before recording them...oh, and yes, with the phantom power is nice too...
The vocal processing can be added on the PC, yes, but compression does many times does need to be added before the signal hits the sound card, if you want to know why just try without it with a powerful vocalist, you'll figure it out.
There are loads of preamps here www.homerecordingconnecti...t&cat_id=18
Aug 09, 2005 09:04 pm You made me look through a gear mag since seeing this thread. Joe Meek has some very nice stuff, and you can get a preamp / compressor from them for probably the same $$$ as what the mixer + compressor would cost. Also, the preamp and compressor unit would be better quality than either the mixer preamps, or the compressor separate.
What db said too, about preamps. You need this before anything gets to the computer, to bring up your mic level signal. Also, you'll want a compressor before the computer. The compressor in this instance will keep your incoming signal from clipping the PC input. If you get clipping in your track, you won't remove it. Compression in the computer, added digitally, will bring up the level of the track, by making the distance from quiet to loud, smaller. The two compressions are at different stages, and server different purposes.
I'd say if you're only recording 1 at a time (vocals) then a good preamp/comp, plugged into your sound interface is a good way to go. You'll get better quality signal going into your PC than using the other items you mentioned.
Aug 10, 2005 12:22 am Smoke, I'm an mc, all I really record is vocals. Production all gets done on the computer. For recording vocals, I have a mic goes into a preamp goes into my soundcard. Voila. Compressor will definitely help though if you want to pick one of those up too. You can get by with using the preamps on a mixer for recording vocals, no problem. If you have money to spend though, or you really want/need the incremental increase in sound quality, you can go ahead and get a stand alone pre.
For specifics, I think you will do fine with everything you have listed. If you want to spend more money, you can find better stuff though...
Perhaps a 1 or 2 channel compressor may be better suited to your needs though, it seems. And perhaps a smaller mixer along the same lines.
Aug 10, 2005 12:47 am wattup coolo! i remember you. maybe if we get to know each other like that we can collab on a track or something.
So from everything im hearing. it looks like i would get better sound quality by cutting out the board and replacing it with a preamp. am i wrong or what?
Aug 10, 2005 02:59 pm oh for sure.
Anyways, you can go with either a mixer or a preamp. The preamp will give you better quality, but it may be hard to notice at times. Check this thread out to see what I mean.
www.homerecordingconnecti...=8317&frm=2
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