any recomendations project studio setup based on pt

[sawerwain]

im a based around pt8 which works just fine apart from that latency which i cant get rid off but thats for other topic (heard that logic 8 got that latency recompensation but we willl see) and im looking for some advice for a setup i mean like yours opinion on gear like Drawmer 1961 Vacuum Tube Equaliser linked with another drawmer 1960 tube comp mainly for getting that lovely lively silky signal path into the pt thru digidesign and focusrite octopre but im affraid digidesign converters will kil "digitise" that path
I got some stuff already recorden but im missing that touch in the sound and im too much affraid if i ll route that signal path from pt to eq and comp back to pro tools i get apart of latency not excatly a sound which im willing to get i ve try to route from pro tools to a very old eq used for oldish germans organs and it seems to works ( i ve got some white noise as well so im not entirely happy with that)
i do know as well that recording aint easy but i ve manage to get few magic takes but i know it isnt common to route every single track which i had in my session thru outbard hardware but im fed up with plugins ( i dont mind to use for early stage sketches but for main mixes i want get my hands on on knobs fader so on ) and mainly im affraid of(and i expect i spend half of my life on that) that i ll get lost with routing all track thru my dreamed singal path
can you help me out ( i have lost my patient with plugins )
by the way all track were recorder dry without comp and eq but with natural reverb cathed by decca tree microphone setup in recording room that we use for recordings it big room with bright natural reflections
help please !!!!!
im considering other eq or comp but i cant make my mind up ....
with regards
Tomasz
sorry for my english
music is taking all time i ve got

[brandondrury]

im looking for some advice for a setup i mean like yours opinion on gear like Drawmer 1961 Vacuum Tube Equaliser linked with another drawmer 1960 tube comp mainly for getting that lovely lively silky signal path into the pt thru digidesign and focusrite octopre but im affraid digidesign converters will kil "digitise" that path

I come from from the school that the effects of high end gear are dramatically overstated in home recording land. While having some Drawmer gear in the rack would certainly be nice, just remember that a $3-5k signal chain is a very very small improvement of a robo budget signal chain.

Read this:
Is Gear The Answer To Sound Quality Issues?

I got some stuff already recorden but im missing that touch in the sound

Can we hear it? Could you toss a song in Bash This Recording?

but im fed up with plugins

There are the mega elite audio engineers that have an zillions of dollars invested in their recording rigs who refuse to use plugins. I'm of the opinion that plugins are quite good in many situations. If you can't get what you want using plugins, there is probably something else going on. Then again, I don't do that much processing to begin with if I can help it.

I own a Distressor EL-8x which many consider to be amazing. I really like it. It's taken months to really get the most out of it and I seldom use if for mixing. In my initial shootouts, the differences between it and the plugins have turned out to be shockingly close.

Brandon

[sawerwain]

Hi thatnks for reply
qoute :
I come from from the school that the effects of high end gear are dramatically overstated in home recording land. While having some Drawmer gear in the rack would certainly be nice, just remember that a $3-5k signal chain is a very very small improvement of a robo budget signal chain.

i come from similar school which i ve done in th Uk and its is international audio engineering school do You think its the same School (of) Audio Engineering haha thats might sound familiar


Read this:
Is Gear The Answer To Sound Quality Issues?

I ve readed thats why i posted my questions main achievements is to add some really good sounding eq to kick (its lacks the bottom beacase band didnt want me to record the kick with diy mic which actually is a 12 inches bass speaker but works now as a mic

Quote
Can we hear it? Could you toss a song in Bash This Recording?

i can the posted in the future if i will get permission from the band
even if not i will be more than happy to post my tracks which i ve done myself mostly electronica type of music but a iting different aproach to sounds ...


quote:
I own a Distressor EL-8x which many consider to be amazing. I really like it. It's taken months to really get the most out of it and I seldom use if for mixing. In my initial shootouts, the differences between it and the plugins have turned out to be shockingly close.

but is it audible difference ??


i think i should wrote more of myself as well to give a bit of clue
by considering getting myself of lets say drawmer ew or even Thermionic Culture Vulture Stereo Valve Distortion Unit or lets say SSL XLogic XRack VHD Input Module (which is a lot cheaper ) i want to achieve not only proper equed track who will sit in a mix but i want to add some harmonies as well as distortions to guitar in those mixes which i wrote before i ve got quite a lot of unwanted frequency ( beauty of recording band together in the same room ) like guitar hums removing that band with software eq helped but kill tone of guitar as well and i did analyze guitar frequency with frequency analyzer
so far my so called studio is doing only lets say indie music but im looking for a colaboration with jazz club in my city we spoke already and they are more than happy to work together so im gutted ...to buy some hardware eq and comp or invest in more mics (which might improve sound far more better than then eq
mics than im using are sm57s rode m3s and violet black knight mic

well maybe i should get some decent microphones with matching preamp

thanks for replying

[brandondrury]

my questions main achievements is to add some really good sounding eq to kick

This idea of "really good EQ" to kick is a tricky one. Are you looking to do an EQ shootout or are you looking to solve a problem? The reason I ask is I can't think of a time when even free EQ plugins haven't been able to boost low end in a pleasing way. Are they Pultecs or Manleys? Probably not. Do they get the job done? Definitely!

band didnt want me to record the kick with diy mic which actually is a 12 inches bass speaker

Uhh.. Who is doing the audio engineering? You or the band?

While I certainly want the band to be happy with the sound, I NEVER ask for permission on how to capture them. They are free to criticize the sound of the recording, but I couldn't care less about their opinion about the specific techniques I'm using.

I own a Distressor EL-8x which many consider to be amazing. I really like it. It's taken months to really get the most out of it and I seldom use if for mixing. In my initial shootouts, the differences between it and the plugins have turned out to be shockingly close.

but is it audible difference ??

Good question. Off the top of my head, I can't answer that. I haven't taken the time to do an exhaustive shootout with it yet. (I've got a zillion shootouts in the works when I finally release this damn home recording book.)

like guitar hums

If you have excessive guitar hum that you feel needs to be fixed with EQ, there is no way on earth that an SSL or equivalent is going to solve your problems.

to buy some hardware eq and comp or invest in more mics (which might improve sound far more better than then eq

I'd recommend the mics first assuming your studio monitoring setup is deadly accurate. While I don't want to talk you out of buying nice gear, it doesn't make sense to gain 0.01% here for $2k and 0.05% here for $3k when you could gain 55% for $200 here and 45% for $500 there.

Brandon

[sawerwain]

i ve agree with your points
so i will probably change of my front equipment - microphones - so i will look on the forum fo reviews and then i will start to think which eq i want to get most likely a analog eq
monitoring ....i would loveto have deadly accurate but myare as flat as they can be
most of the mixes i ve done on headphones dt 770 good phones though you ve to remeber their rfreq response and a not necesarily naturally sounding ambience (good detaling as well)
but that ssl previously mentioned might be excelent to add a bit of distortion to track (and in the uk you can get good deal on ssl lynx bundles but still it might be cheaper to get iit from usa but i dont know where from and from who


Quote:
I own a Distressor EL-8x which many consider to be amazing. I really like it. It's taken months to really get the most out of it and I seldom use if for mixing. In my initial shootouts, the differences between it and the plugins have turned out to be shockingly close.

but is it audible difference ??
Good question. Off the top of my head, I can't answer that. I haven't taken the time to do an exhaustive shootout with it yet. (I've got a zillion shootouts in the works when I finally release this damn home recording book.)

hah i know its killing question beacuse for some people that might be audible and might suit the their "sound taste"
recently i ve been reading some info about ad da converters as well as audio engine in daws and the way they difference is audible in volume of 145 Db in enviroment (being honest i can imagine room with so perfect soundproofing in so high levels of volume )
but the fact is better front You have got better results you can achieve as far as recording room is well treated and you know how to capture a sound ...


Quote:
band didnt want me to record the kick with diy mic which actually is a 12 inches bass speaker
Uhh.. Who is doing the audio engineering? You or the band?

While I certainly want the band to be happy with the sound, I NEVER ask for permission on how to capture them. They are free to criticize the sound of the recording, but I couldn't care less about their opinion about the specific techniques I'm using.

well they werent happy with a bit boomy sound and they decide to have a clicky kick (thats why im looking for a eq to add more bottom waves maxxbass does that job quite well but i haven got it and as i said before i dont really want to have any of artefactial sound in that mix which is a acoustic music

way i see it and probably im wrong (or not ) i want achieve more bottom by adding not only eq but a bit of character to that kick sound (my other thought is drums havent been tuned up to that song properly ...or maybe the sound of the kick doesnt fit in the the mix due to microphone ive used

hoave You got any recomendations where it comes to drum microphones as well as riboon microphones for vocals and eq and whats Your opinion on hardware like SSL XLogic XRack VHD Input Module and similar stuff

and another one is quite tricky one
im very not sure how accurate might be compressing audio tracks in daw due to lack of toleration for mistakes ??(and i m after as loud squashed squezzed mixes)
what i mean as well (which is blowing my head) is how close plugins can go where it comes in reproductions of any hardware???
i read an interview with artur baker and his point on reproduction of sound of analog synths

looking forward to read Your book!!!!
with Regards

Tomasz Sawerwain

[brandondrury]

but the fact is better front You have got better results you can achieve

I don't necessarily disagree, but the context of this statement can be wildly distorted. I'm of the opinion that if the talent in front of the mic and the tone in front of the mic isn't not completely outstanding, the 0.00001% you gain with this or that gear is all for nothing.

There is something to having the best rig possible, but I've made too many bad recordings with excellent converters to know that they offer almost zero benefits in an unideal situation.

Brandon