Opinions Welcomed!

[jcpatte2]

So after years of paying $50/hour for studio time and rushing my projects only to feel that I could have made a better record if only we'd had more time. Not better gear, not a better engineer, not more plug-ins or better pre-amps.... Just TIME! Time for song development and capturing purer performances (better performances) as well as extensive editing. I've finally decided to drop the cash that would've been spent on studio time for my next record to start my own home studio/mobile recording rig. No doubt it will take me longer to finish the process of recording my own records but when I'm done with one project I can get right to work on the next without having to save for more studio time by busting my butt on the road selling swag in seedy dives. Anyway, here's the gear I'm considering: some I have and some I think I want. But I want your opinions before purchasing.....


Microphone(s) - I've got plenty of SM57s(6) and SM58s(4), as well as a PG48(1) with an on/off switch that would make a good talkback mic. I also own an AKG C1000S condenser as well a Shure KSM27 condenser. I know I'm gonna need some better mics, especially condensers for use on vocals, acoustic guitars, fiddles, etc. I've used everything from Royer ribbons to Nuemanns on my vocals before and I tend to like mid-level price condensers, moderately compressed better for this purpose. Any suggestions to add to my mic locker?

Microphone Cable(s) - They come and they go. They work and they short out. I've never been able to tell a whole lot of difference between any brands as far as quality, so I'll probably just use whatever I have from my live rig.

Mic Stand - Got 'em. Need more. Especially some good room booms.

Audio Interface - I'm thinking I want the Mackie Onyx 1200F. Here's Why: It's Firewire, which I think will ultimately serve me better than USB 2.0 as I'll probably be running a mouse, external hard-drive, printer, etc. off the USB and I'm afraid all that would slow my transfer speed. It also serves as a MIDI Interface which is a must as I'll probably be sampling drums. Comes with 12 Onyx Preamps (enough to track a whole band live) with two DI, features S/PDIF, ADAT (great for expanding the 12 pre-amps) and AES/EBU I/O. Plus it features A/B monitoring and multiple monitor mixes with 4 Headphone Outs (in addition to the Behringer 4-channel headphone amp I already own, this would give me the ability to track live more than the typical bass, drums, guitar, vocal set-up). Any other opinions, options I should look into?

Computer - I've wrestled this for a while now as my old Dell Latitude D600 is a dinosaur compared to what I'll need for processing plug-ins and virtual instruments. The thing doesn't even have enough RAM to think, much less a firewire port. I've settled on a laptop because I can only afford one new computer and for the time being I want to have the mobile option of recording my live shows. So I'm looking at this Model...

HP Pavilion Laptop
Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T5800
4GB DDR2 memory (expandable to 8GB)
Blu-ray Disc-enabled DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
17" WXGA+ high-definition widescreen display
320GB SATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics
IEEE 1394 port and 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled

Software - I'm leaning towards Cakewalk Sonar 8 Producer Edition for my DAW. Although I've used Pro Tools LE 6.x exclusively on my projects in the past I a) don't want to be tied to a Mac as I'm much more comfortable with a PC for both use and price b) I don't want to get sucked into digidesign / M-audio products. I've also looked at Cubase but don't know much about the differences between it and Sonar. What I really want is the best bang for my buck in out of the box plug-ins, Audio Tracking and MIDI capability. Are there any clear cut benefits I should be aware when choosing between Cubase and Sonar?
I've also been highly impressed by Superior Drummer 2.0 and I'm considering it for my drum samples, but that's about as far as I've got with virtual instruments.

Studio Monitors - A) Ithink the KRK RoKit Powered 8 Generation 2 have beaten out the Yamaha HS80M not only due to price but that doesn't hurt! What do you guys think?
B) I already own a Fostex SS 2.1 System that I'll probably hook up as my B set of monitors for just referencing mixes and listening to ITunes, MySpace, etc.

That's all I can think of for now... If only I knew How To Make It Actually Sound Good!

Any comments, suggestions, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

[brandondrury]

Any suggestions to add to my mic locker?

That depends on the budget and how you define "mid priced".

The best deal going is an AT4050 on Ebay. For $300 (give or take) you can snag a killer mic!

The AKG 414 for $500 used is another great deal.

The MXL V69 is excellent but they have been terribly unreliable for me.

Mic Stand - Got 'em. Need more. Especially some good room booms.

Don't go generic. Atlas and K&M will last decades.

The Mackie Onyx 1200F is a great way to go but it isn't cheap.

I snagged my Presonus Firestudio / M-Audio Octane rig for $1,300 and I'm pretty sure it can do everything the Mackie can but with 16 preamps/inputs. With S/PDIF I'm up to 18.

Just a thought.


The computer looks adequate except the 5400rpm drive is useless for pretty much anything.

I've also looked at Cubase but don't know much about the differences between it and Sonar.

I'm a Cubase guy. Sonar is comparable "rival". I don't think you can go wrong with either one. As for clear cut benefits, I can't really think of any. The ONLY one I know of is we have a ton of Cubase users here and you are more likely to get help here. Other than, I'd say they are both excellent options.

I've also been highly impressed by Superior Drummer 2.0 and I'm considering it for my drum samples, but that's about as far as I've got with virtual instruments.

I too have been highly impressed by Superior Drummer 2.0!

Studio Monitors - A) Ithink the KRK RoKit Powered 8 Generation 2 have beaten out the Yamaha HS80M not only due to price but that doesn't hurt! What do you guys think?

Go here: Budget Studio Monitors: Do They Work?

Lastly, check out the $75 rebate here.

[jcpatte2]

Thanks for the advice on a few mics and such. I'll check all of them out!

I'm a Cubase guy. Sonar is comparable "rival". I don't think you can go wrong with either one. As for clear cut benefits, I can't really think of any. The ONLY one I know of is we have a ton of Cubase users here and you are more likely to get help here. Other than, I'd say they are both excellent options.

I think I'm still sold on Sonar at the moment due to one of my production partner's (cousin) knowledge of Sonar 7 and having his input should help.

The computer looks adequate except the 5400rpm drive is useless for pretty much anything.

Here's my next real question. I'm not a computer guy by any means, so building my own is out of the question. And as I've already stated, I can only afford one cpu for now and would rather have a laptop for mobility's sake. I've searched far and wide and can't really find a laptop with a 7200 rpm SATA hard drive that would be in my price-range.

Is having a 7200 rpm hard drive neccesary? What would I be losing with a 5400 rpm drive? And if I plan on using an 7200 rpm external hard-drive for my audio, does any of this even matter? I'm so confused! Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Justin

[brandondrury]

I think I'm still sold on Sonar at the moment due to one of my production partner's (cousin) knowledge of Sonar 7 and having his input should help.

I wrote some "rules" on software buying a few years ago. Rule #1 - If a buddy uses X and X meets all of your needs, go with X!

Is having a 7200 rpm hard drive neccesary? What would I be losing with a 5400 rpm drive?

For audio work, 5400rpm drives are MAJOR problem. You'd be amazed at how crippling they are. I'd rather have a 4 year old computer with 7200rpm drives than a modern computer with 5400rpm.

I read that you wanted a laptop, but it must have slipped my mind. Get an external drive and it will solve all your problems. Install your software on C: but keep all your audio files on the external. Problem solved.


Brandon

[357mag]

I install my programs on my C:\ drive but save my stuff to my flash drive. Works good.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by jcpatte2

So after years of paying $50/hour for studio time and rushing my projects only to feel that I could have made a better record if only we'd had more time. Not better gear, not a better engineer, not more plug-ins or better pre-amps.... Just TIME! Time for song development and capturing purer performances (better performances) as well as extensive editing.

This is true, but what I'm finding is a lot of my clients who come into the studio that are pretty well rehearsed are the ones who have a small home studio setup. At a minimum, and at least in the short term, your plan will give you the opportunity to get down what you want, then take it to a larger studio for a polished project. You'd definitely save time, because you already run it all through your home system.

For the longer term, once you build up the equipment you need (and want; we always want) and gain experience, you'll be able to put out a good quality demo product on your own.

Brandon pretty much covered everything else. There's no sonic difference between digital audio software like Cubase and Sonar. As Brandon said, you just need to go with what you're comfortable with. I've been using Cakewalk/Sonar for 15 years. I know my way around Sonar and won't/don't want to change. I dabble with ProTools LE 7.4 when I need to, but Sonar is always my go-to tool. Besides Sonar Producer 8 has mega-tons more features and capabilities than Pro Tools LE.

As far as mics, yes, the AT 4050 is a high-quality, bang-for-the-buck condenser (LDC). On the Large diaphragm dynamic (LDD) side, I'd go for another high-quality, bang-for-the-buck mic, which is the Shure SM-7b.
These will definite cover your vocal requirements in the near term. the 4050 is also a good instrument mic. I can go on about mics, but space is short.