Done some research and working on a portable, budget studio

Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:53 pm

Hey guys -

I spend a lot of time lurking these forums. Our band has amassed some equipment that we do demos on, and I think they come out pretty decently. What we use right now is:

- MacBook Pro, GarageBand, GuitarRig and Drumagog (cheap version)
- Firepod
- MXL 992
- Audix Fusion drum mic pack
- Sennheiser HD280s (yes, a headphone mix).

I own the computer, software, headphones and a tascam us-122. Essentially, I want to own my own gear and be able to be pretty flexible (i.e. be able to record acapella or hip-hop, but my primary focus is pop/rock bands) and get MySpace or perhaps car demos, that is, demos that might not sound THE BEST, but good enough so the listener does not get distracted by how bad it is. I'd like to keep the rig portable, at least for tracking.

Now for my question: what should I buy? From my lurking on the forums, I'm thinking of just picking up the same equipment (firepod, audix fusion mics) except swapping in a Rode NT1a for the MXL 992 and buying a cheap headphone amp for taking the drums with the band.

I'm probably wrong. Please tear me apart. My budget is "in the neighborhood" of the gear I just listed.

Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:18 pm

Sounds like a good setup for what you want to do. My suggestions are (1) to look at good dynamics like the SM57-58, SM7 and EV RE20 before more cheap condensers (not that the NT1 is bad). (2) Get a pair of monitors to improve your mixes. Search here when you figure your price point.

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