im upgrading my studio?need some gear feedback

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:51 am

HEY i am new to RO.. this infact is my first thread.. but i have been reading the post for months,..,. and theyre are alot of great engineers on here.. so i have a few questions. and im lookin for feedback oppinions and advice.

i run my own studio... but i am movin to a bigger location and looking to step up my gear. i have done alot of research and now i am looking for educated oppinions....... i will post up a list of what i have .. and a few list of what i am lookin to buy.. i mostly do hip-hop rap,, r&b and country vocals. and my set up geared towards vocals.

i have a
neumann tlm103,
ART TPS II , which i am gettin rid of
PRESONUS firepod which i might keep just for all the channels
M AUDIO BX5a's which i am getting rid of
all wired with mogami and monster cables

i am lookin to pick up
either a apogee rosetta. or a LYNX aurora A/D D/A converter. which ever i get the best deal on. and then adding a firewire card...

yamaha ns-10's monitors.. for $600
alesis monitor 2's ..... for $400

im debating over getting the
presonus central station
or presonus monitor station

which is better quality?

and as far as pre amps.
i was kinda lookin to get a UA la 610 for a tube pre
but after reading alot of the reviews on here im kinda shakey...lol
i dont want the VT 737,, cuz everyone in my area has one and i dont think its all that great for the price..
and i dont have enuff money to get a LA2...

and i am also interested in the
Manley single channel
and i have heard good things about the SUMMIT AUDIO 2ba 221 .. but i am afriad theyre are too many variables in it.. and it will take me for ever to get it rite., lol

and for solid state preamps i am interested in the
a designs pacifica
vintech x73
neve 1073.... but im pretty sure thats outta my price range at this time

does anybody have any feedback on these 2?
manley tnt
api A2D

and last but not least MIC's.
like i said i have a tlm 103 which is pretty good. very natural sound
i would like to have at least 2 mics that for different voices..
i have thought about selling my tlm103 for a tlm49 can any body tell me if theres a big quality diffence between the 2. and would the upgrade be worth it..
and i want to get a tube condenser mic..... cant afford the sony c800g. plus i have a friend who has one and theres always problems with it..

i have been interested in either getting.......
mojave audio MA-200
or
a peluso 22 47.
but i would like to know the difference between the vacume tube and the standard tube model..................... and if any one else has a suggestion on a tube mic. between $1000-$2000 ballpark.....

i know its alot. with alot of choices. answer and speak on what ever u feel compelled to. all feedback is very appreciated...

i hope i get alot of post with good info,..,,..

thanx ahead for answering those questions....

cheers.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:34 am

Lots of questions here.

Here are some of my random thoughts in no particular order:

1 - if primarily focusing on voice, I would think a few decent but varied mics and a couple decent preamps would do the trick.

2 - Why two sets of mediocre monitors when, for $1000 (combined price of the two) you would get a decent single set? (The argument of listening on different monitors really doesn't hold with me. If it sounds good on a single set of monitors that you know inside and out, it will translate. Switching between sets of monitors is a giant waste of time used to correct or compensate for a poor room.)

3 - You're asking about a LOT of tube stuff. Are you stuck on tubes? Is it because of the fact that they're "warm?" Bear in mind, just because it has a tube, doesn't make it a "warm" piece of gear. In fact, most transformer based (non-tube) gear is "warmer" than tube gear.

That being said, the mics you list - between the Mojave and the Peluso, my money would be on the Mojave. I've had a LOT of positive experiences with both their mics (Mojave and Royer) and the company. I can't say the same for the Peluso.

4 - Between the two PreSonus pieces, either should do. Both are well made and have minimal impact on the sound. Choose the one that fits with the features you need and the price that works for you.

5 - Preamps -

The UA stuff is great. If you're reading bad reviews of it, it's because the people doing the reviews are clueless on how to properly use it.

The Manley pre is phenomenal. However, I'd personally stay away from it unless you had a pretty decent selection of pres. The things for which the Manley works are great. Everything else - it just doesn't work well at all.

Consider the Langevin DVC - one of the most versatile and best sounding preamps I've seen/heard on the market for a while.

The other pres you listed - I'm curious to know why you chose those? A Designs - very distinct sound...Vintech x73 and Neve 1073 - pretty similar sound. API A2D - pretty neutral sound. (I know nothing about the sound of the Manley TNT - sorry)

As for selling your TLM103 for a TLM49 - you'll hate yourself.

I recently got a chance to play with a 49 quite extensively and for most normal purposes, I found this mic unusable. For VO work, it's a natural. For vocal recording, it misses the mark. (I think it truly was designed for VO work). It's pattern is VERY narrow. Also, there's a pretty high peak that's quite audible and made worse by the lack of low end (unless you're almost swalling the mic - again - very good for VO).

There are my initial thoughts...
I may have more later.

Cheers and welcome!
J

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:49 pm

wow. thanx for all the info........

yeah i am leaning towards the mojave...........
plus its cheaper and gets incredible reviews especially wit hip hop vocals.

and the reason i am gettin to 2 differentsets of monitors.. it the ns-10's are more for midrange... and the alesis are big monitors. so i can mix bass tracks in hip hop better.
plus im gettin both of them at a steal...... brand new. they together would cost close to 2500. i am gettin them for 1000.

for now i will stick with my tlm103......... its very natural... but i think it sounds a lil thin. but that could also be because of the gay pre amp im using...

im almost positive i will be picking up a LA610..
and then i will be looking to get a solidstate... thats sounds very strong., and clean.
and i most likely will get a solidstate pre wit no EQ or COMPRESSOR.. cuz i recently ordered a DISSTRESSOR.....for those needs....

one thing i am saving up to get is a converter... as i know that is majorly important...

outta of all the high end solid state pre amps which would u say is the best and greatfor the price?

i will look into a Langevin dvc..

thanx for your help...

does any one else have recomendations?

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:21 pm

I don't have much to add other than the fact that I've got a pair of Monitor 2's - they didn't really have much oomph in the low end (one blew pretty quick doing rap vox overdubs) until I replaced the drivers with RCF's from an old pair of EAW's.

The stock drivers in the Monitor 2's are CHEAP.
Yank one out, you'll see.

I mean, look at this picture:

Does that not look like a cheap driver to you?

Don't get me wrong... I like the cabinets overall - they're not great, but they make for a decent cheap 3 way box (more to impress the clients than anything else).

However, I would definitely not rely on them as a sole reference monitor - even with a driver swap.

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:18 am

so what are the best monitors. at a reasonable price.... $1000 or less for the pair....... and so the ns-10's are good for mid range rite? but need a good amp? whic is a good amp?

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:22 pm

bump

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:30 pm

http://recording.org/ftopict-44641-studio.html+monitors

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:28 pm

If you have no experience with NS-10's I suggest something else.

Buy a used set of Genelec 1031 or 1032. Be happy.

Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:46 am

Davedog wrote:

If you have no experience with NS-10's I suggest something else.

Buy a used set of Genelec 1031 or 1032. Be happy.

those really are the bets speakers arent they?> what about the dynaudio wat do u think about those?

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