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[y2jerik0]

Hey guys,

I'm about one year into recording, so im definitly wouldn't consider myself knowledgable although i am constantly researching and reading sites such as this....but anyways, i wanted to know what else you more experienced people think i need....

so far i have :

Digi 002 (4 pre-amps built in)
PowerMac G5 2GHz Dual Processor
M-Audio BX5 Monitors
Shure KSM27 Mic
2 x MXL603's  (for overheads)
AKG D112 (for kick)
Shure SM57 (snare)
Tama Rockstar Drumset with Sabian AAX Stage Cymbals and a Zildjian K Custom Ride
WAVES Diamond Plugin package
Guitar Rig (amp simulator)
Fender Deluxe 112 Amp

right now i have a crappy guitar and bass, I plan on getting a Gibson guitar soon and a new bass soon as well...

but equipment wise, what else do i need to make good recordings..am i missing anything?

[boogalaboogala]

The first thing that jumps out at me is the absence of a better preamp.  You'll find plenty of opinions on which one would be best for you, and you don't have to spend a lot to get a lot; but, I think you could probably do wonders by upgrading from the 002's stock preamps.

Boog.

[Frob]

where are you recording?

the room wil make a huge difrance, a brick and a 57 will sound fantastic for many many things in a good room. also how good are you at dyi? i took a cheap squire guitar and put in graftech nut and sadle, then made it a stratastic with fat 50 custom overwound fender pickups. then i got an epephone that had 59 les pual pickups, in it. then i put kluasten tuners and a bone nut in it. that takes care of most guitar sounds you would need in a studio. but also i hardly ever cound my instaments as part of my studio.

[y2jerik0]

Pre-amps were the first thing i thought of, ...better to get a mixer board with preamps like the Mackie with the Onyx Pre's in it , or just Pre's themself??  


the most i need at once is about 6 channels for the drums so any recommendations for good multi channel Pre's for the drums that are better than my 002 pre's.

[boogalaboogala]

Well, here's just an opinion.  If you're trying to do this relatively inexpensively, here's what I'd do.  If we're just talking about drums, you could get two channels of outboard preamp and run them into the 002R somewhere there isn't already a preamp (channels 5-8, spdif, lightpipe, etc).  Then, you could go ahead and use the 002's preamps on channels 1-4 to make up your six channels of input.  When you're recording more dynamic sources (acoustic guitar, vox), you could use the better quality preamp channels for those.

As for the preamps, do a search here for ideas on that.  Two ideas for a cheap, good preamp:  The Rane MS 1b can be found for as little as $133 -- you won't find a do-able channel of preamplification for much less than that (by "do-able," I mean a preamp that will more or less get out of the way of your better microphones and not add noise to the signal chain).  If you're looking for a full plate voltage tube preamp, and you can DIY in the slightest, you might consider modifying something like a Bellari RP 503 ($179) with a NOS vacuum tube and Burr-Brown opamps (do a Google search of "Bellari RP 503 mod" and you'll find details).  Those are the two cheapest possibilities I can think of.  I'm sure everyone and their brother will have an opinion on a preamp for you, from Aphex to Yamaha.  Happy hunting.

Boog.

[y2jerik0]

i know next to nothing abou pre's, but are tube preamps better than non-tube pre's for most instances?

also, can i get away with using the 002's pre's or are they complete crap?

[floodstage]

You can make decent recordings with what you have, however, more equipment is always fun.


The one thing I noticed missing from your list was (pardon me for stating the obvious!)

Great songs and Great performances  



As for gear, I'd suggest a Sans Amp Bass Driver DI or other decent direct box for bass guitar.

An SM7 is also a good add.  Many many uses for that mic.

[John Ivan]

Hi,All,  Great answers so far..

Yeah, it looks like you have what you need to get rolling making good recordings.

I would say the place you you should focus your money is mic's and pre's. If we think about that for a moment,we can see that great mic's and great pre's will never be out dated. No matter what rig you record on or whether you go to a friends room to track or you update your software or WHAT EVER you do,, mic's and pre's will always have the same value.,, Also, great mics and pre's are where it all happens anyhow. In other words, no matter how cool the rest of your rig is, if you didn't use good sounding mics hooked up to good sounding pre's, there will be little you can do to save it when you mix.

I also second the bit about great tunes and players.

Bottom line. A great tune. A great performance. Collect it with great mic's and pre's. The rest will seem easy..


P.S. hey, no one said this is easy to get done. It ain't cheap either. HAVE FUN!! that's important too.

[Vertigo]

If I'm not mistaken, the pre's in the 002 are Focusrite Platinum. Not bad, but not great either.

The Mackie Onyx pre's are surprisingly good, and would be a nice step up from the 002. The 1620 Onyx mixers have 8 pre's, and run around $800 brand new. That's $100 per channel for the pre's, and it's a 16 channel board so it would be perfect for monitoring and even for breaking out the channels from your 002 if you ever wanted to give analog mixing a shot. A good starting point for getting your first mixer and establishing some core pre's. Something like that would cover your bases for now, and you can slowly start adding some high end pre's and mic's to your setup later.

Most high end preamps go for around $1000 a channel, although there are plenty of exceptions like the RNP, Sytek, and even the Presonus Eureka (very under-rated in my opinion).

And if you're into DIY, there are a lot of other interesting routes you could go - like snagging channel strips from consoles and racking them, upgrading the electronics on your guitars, hell even building your own amp (there are specs out there for a 15 watt tube DIY amp that sounds wonderful and can be built for a few hundred $).

Just do your research, and if your budget is low - DIY is the way to go. And all of the info you could possibly need is already out there

-Lance

[boogalaboogala]

Vertigo wrote on Mon, 10 October 2005 11:23

Most high end preamps go for around $1000 a channel, although there are plenty of exceptions like the RNP, Sytek, and even the Presonus Eureka (very under-rated in my opinion).

I couldn't agree more about the Eureka.  In fact, I just modded my Eureka with Burr-Brown opamps (Google "Presonus Eureka opamp mod") and I'm agog at the improvement on an already usable strip.  With the optional A/D output card, you can send the output of the Eureka and another mono preamp into the psdif of the 002R at as high as 96kHz.  The 002's pres and converters never touch the signal.  You can get the Eureka with that card for under $500 total.

Oh, and as to the question about whether tube pres are better than solid state...  lots of opinions on that, too.  Maybe not better, but different...warmer.  I will say this:  you can get good and bad tube pres, and good and bad solid state pres.  Personally, I wouldn't advocate any of the starved-plate voltage tube preamps.  That's why I made a point of mentioning the mod for the Bellari -- it takes a crap pre and turns it into a usable one, in my opinion.

Good hunting,

Boog.