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anonymous 12 September 2005

Hi,
I am sorry if this seems an odd question but it will help nevertheless>
I am looking for advice to improve my sound - I like 70's rock/ambient & some electonic 80's.
I have small home studio as follows:

PC
Cubase sx2
Sampletank
Alesis M1 active Mk2
Edirol DA2496 (no other preamps apart from the edirols)
Rickenbacker bass + amp
Yamaha electric guitar
Some old acoustic guitars
Groove Tubes 67 mic
UAD-1
Lexicon mpx1 reverb
Midi keyboard

If I were to spend some cash where would you recommend. My thoughts are a good preamp compressor to bring analog to the overall mix. Would this be best sought in a decent mixing desk (Mackie Onyx for example) or something like a Focusrite twin track pro or more high-endversion of the same type of unit.

Thanks,

Hemmick

Comments

anonymous Tue, 09/13/2005 - 09:24

I know it wasn't one of the choices, but how's the sound treatment in your studio? If you don't have some decent acoustic treatment, all the best gear and monitors in the world won't make a whole lot of difference when it comes time to mix. A few bass traps and early reflection absorbtion could be the best purchase you make. Just a thought.

anonymous Tue, 09/13/2005 - 09:56

christian231 wrote: I know it wasn't one of the choices, but how's the sound treatment in your studio? If you don't have some decent acoustic treatment, all the best gear and monitors in the world won't make a whole lot of difference when it comes time to mix. A few bass traps and early reflection absorbtion could be the best purchase you make. Just a thought.

I second that option. I was at one time buying gear left and right thinking that next preamp, mic or what ever was going to do it. As soon the room was treated well I pretty much stopped buying gear. My recordings started to sound pro.
Well I did just buy the Earthworks mic, so I guess am still a junkie!!! :)

Glenn

anonymous Tue, 09/13/2005 - 10:05

Hemmick Reef wrote: Small room bad acoustics I'm afraid - can't do much about it!

I thought the same thing. My room is 12ft x 8ft, with bad flutter echoes, and I didn't think it could get much worse than that, but once I did even some minimal treatment to tame the bass, I noticed a world of difference. I eneded up spending a few hundred dollars on materials and made all of my own bass traps / early reflection absorbers. My room will never be perfect, but it's useable now, where it wasn't before. Your's could be helped too, I'm sure of it. Just my 2 cents. :D

anonymous Wed, 09/14/2005 - 02:07

I have an office where I work from home 12 x 8 feet. My computer is stuck with the monitors along the 12 foot wall and in the corner - I cannot change this. I have shelves drawing tables fileing cabinat etc. Very well packed in. I am not sure what I can do to sort the sound. Maybe something under my speakers would be a start (they sit on the table either side of my screen. It's a big table but no room for stands.

anonymous Wed, 09/14/2005 - 09:32

Re: basstraps

gerkin wrote: hey christian, just wondering how you made your own bass traps, did you just cut em out of foam? cheers dude..

I built them similar to the way they're done in these pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95409565@N00/sets/453448/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21576265@N00/42998978/in/set-941374/

Also check out Ethan's site for more info on traps and absorbtion,

http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html#better%20traps

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