Gear Priorities

[Gertok]

Ok...
you can see what I have in my signature.

This is what I need
1 Floor Tom
2 Stand
3 Crash Cymbal
4 Tube Combo Amp
5 mic stand (already have 6 stands and 1 clip)
6 Double Bass pedal
7 Multi FX processor for guitar (Do I need one?)
8 Electric Guitar
9 Acoustic Guitar

This is all for the clients that don't have their own.

[String7th]

Mic stands and more mics. You don't "need" anything else on this list. Experienced musicians usually have thier own equipment and sound they like and will want to use it. Your job it to capture that sound as best you can.

Any drums, amps, guitars will be for suggestion only, based on your experience. I've used my Pod Pro/ADA power amp set up for 4 years now and can get a sound a player is looking for if they only own a practice Crate, or pawn shop special.

What you can get is percussion pieces like cowbell, chimes, bongos, shakers, and other hand percussion that normal drummers don't own. Some bands would say, "it would sound awesome if we had a vibra-slap or cabasa on the bridge, do you have one?"

[Gertok]

Just checked my stashed money... I have another $500 left...
So pod pro seems like a good thing. Does it sound better if you mic it with an amp?

[String7th]

All depends on the sound you're going for. There's no wrong/right when recording or engineering goes.

For metal solos, I use the direct outs of the Pod directly into the interface.
For rhythm on rock songs, I tend to use the ADA power amp through a Marshal cab, mic'd with an Shure or ribbon mic.

Overall I prefer live amps, but it depends on the talent of the player, time, and equipment they own. I'm would rather have a great player try a couple options before commiting to his $100 practice amp that he loves so much.

[Gertok]

Guitar -> Motu 8pre -> amplitube 2 -> recorded.
Recorded guitar -> headphones out -> combo amp -> mic -> motu 8pre -> recorded again

Will this chain worck or do I need reverse DI box for that?

[Gertok]

I figure I will need a Radial PRO DI since it is both DI and reamp 8-) If I would like to go this way.

So is it going to sound more natural if recorded di with amplitube and then reamped to a tube combo and miced from there? I ve seen several posts where people were able to say that guitar was recorded di with amplitube

[Gertok]

That peavey classic on craigslist for 300$ bugs me... So you guys almost never use gear that you have? I will probably go and pick up Nady RCM-4 as a ribbon microphone. Cymbal stand and crash. Try to get floor tom of ebay. And my drum kit will be done. Just have to fine tune it.
Why do I need more stand.. I only have 8 inputs so... Unless I will be absolutely lazy to move mics away from drums. 8-) I also need the cheapest preamp for talk back. well looks like... shit... I can't decide what is really important and what is not. I guess ribbon mic is important anyway 8-)

[String7th]

I'm not too familiar with Amplitube. I've heard some demos online before, and a buddy ran a couple songs through it. I've never liked it. Maybe they weren't doing it right or something else. To me, it sounded like a plug in, not an amp. I have a copy of Native Instruments Rock amp legends. I've never gotten anything usefull out of it.

But hey, if it sounds good to you and you can work with it, milk it for all it's worth.

I said more stands cuz I though you were planning to get more inputs. That MOTU of yours can get 8 more with an ada converter.

[Gertok]

Yes, I will get M-audio Octane Eventually but that is far away... And i Don't see any purpose for it right now.

[brandondrury]

Experienced musicians usually have thier own equipment and sound they like and will want to use it. Your job it to capture that sound as best you can.

The debate arises if the bands you are recording are "experienced". Ideally, yes. Realistically, sometimes.

I wrote a bit thread on this. Let me dig it up.

Okay, here it is:
What guitar combo for a home studio?

In the end, the best mics, pres, and converters don't mean shit if the source sucks. There are certain situations where using the studio's instruments will yield MUCH better results. Guitar amps are a good example of this. However, a fancy guitar amp doesn't do much for you if you aren't using it. Then again, no matter which mic I select for a specific recording, there is always a book shelf full of mics that I'm not using at any given time. Recording is more about having the right tool for the job when you need it. Unfortunately, having all the tools you'll ever need costs a fortune.

Brandon