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Need help on What I should Upgrade my set up to..Im willing to spend atleast 250$ max on each new Item

current setup:

PRO TOOLS 8 LE
Audio-Technica AT2020
SA ISO SOUND BACK GUARD
Mackie Creative Reference CR3 2‑way Monitor Speakers
MBOX MINI 3RD GEN
Sennheiser HD 650 Over‑Ear Headphones
All Waves Plugins

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DonnyThompson Tue, 02/21/2017 - 08:32

tripptrippy, post: 447668, member: 50398 wrote: Mackie Creative Reference CR3 2‑way Monitor Speakers

Well, for starters, those monitors only have 3" woofs, and are only accurate down to around 80hz. If you're looking for the low end that is generally associated with the type of stuff you're planning on doing, you're not gonna get it with these.

tripptrippy, post: 447668, member: 50398 wrote: Audio Technica AT2020

Cheap mic, with a cheap sound.

tripptrippy, post: 447668, member: 50398 wrote: PRO TOOLS 8 LE

As far as I know, PT LE has a limit of 32 audio tracks, and 16 I/O with the addition of Adat Optical.
Also, LE will not recognize an HD card, or hardware. You need to have an HD Interface, plus HD software. I'm also pretty sure there are some VST's you can't use with it.

And speaking of VST's...

tripptrippy, post: 447668, member: 50398 wrote: All Waves Plugins

You're never gonna get "all" the waves plug ins for $250... you're not even remotely close.
Unless you could get them for that price on a subscription plan per year, but even then, I still think you're way too low on budget.

And...
Nowhere in your post did you provide your computer's specs - CPU, RAM, HDD speed and storage...
Nor did you state what your goals are. If you're looking for professional level recordings, you ain't gonna get it with the gear you listed. Period.
If, on the other hand, your expectations are reasonable, and you're okay with the run of the mill, "typical" low budget sound/home studio quality, then that's exactly what you'll get with this gear list.

tripptrippy Tue, 02/21/2017 - 08:53

DonnyThompson, post: 447675, member: 46114 wrote: Well, for starters, those monitors only have 3" woofs, and are only accurate down to around 80hz. If you're looking for the low end that is generally associated with the type of stuff you're planning on doing, you're not gonna get it with these.

Cheap mic, with a cheap sound.

As far as I know, PT LE has a limit of 32 audio tracks, and 16 I/O with the addition of Adat Optical.
Also, LE will not recognize an HD card, or hardware. You need to have an HD Interface, plus HD software. I'm also pretty sure there are some VST's you can't use with it.

And speaking of VST's...

You're never gonna get "all" the waves plug ins for $250... you're not even remotely close.
Unless you could get them for that price on a subscription plan per year, but even then, I still think you're way too low on budget.

And...
Nowhere in your post did you provide your computer's specs - CPU, RAM, HDD speed and storage...
Nor did you state what your goals are. If you're looking for professional level recordings, you ain't gonna get it with the gear you listed. Period.
If, on the other hand, your expectations are reasonable, and you're okay with the run of the mill, "typical" low budget sound/home studio quality, then that's exactly what you'll get with this gear list.

my specs are
Need help on What I should Upgrade my set up to..Im willing to spend atleast 300$ max on each new Item

current Computer specs:
Windows 7 Ultimate
32Gb Ram
i5-2500k
SLI GTX 660
7TB HDD

KurtFoster Tue, 02/21/2017 - 09:32

i wouldn't spend a dime on anything. what you already have is fine for what you are going to record and what you will do with it after you are done recording. if you get lucky and become a famous rapper you can get some good gear. the best advice anyone can give you is to concentrate on your content and performances.

pcrecord Tue, 02/21/2017 - 12:33

Kurt Foster, post: 447677, member: 7836 wrote: i wouldn't spend a dime on anything. what you already have is fine for what you are going to record and what you will do with it after you are done recording. if you get lucky and become a famous rapper you can get some good gear. the best advice anyone can give you is to concentrate on your content and performances.

That's a dawm good advice.
Altought the OP can explore other mics IF and only IF the 2020 doesn't fit his voice well... Maybe a sm57 to do the backvocals.. ??

tripptrippy, post: 447670, member: 50398 wrote: I have Room Treatment I Record in my closet and I Do Rap-Hip Hop

If you really want to spend some money, you could put some nice lingerie in that closet.. I'm sure it would be Worth it for inspiration !! :ROFLMAO:

DonnyThompson Wed, 02/22/2017 - 03:54

My mistake. I misread the OP's initial post as a list of things he wanted to buy - instead of the things he already has.

I concur with my colleagues. Spending an additional $250 on each item to "upgrade" your gear isn't really going to do so; at least not enough to be noticeable...

You'd need to spend a lot more than that in order to notice an audible difference from what you currently have.

With the exception of the Waves plugs - because if you already have "all" the plugs, then there's nothing for you to upgrade to... unless you wanted to move over to another VST manufacturer, like Slate, T-Racks... but I doubt you'd hear that much of a difference, as they all pretty much make the same stuff. UAD would relieve some strain on your CPU, because it has its own DSP engine on a piece of external hardware - but $250 won't get you that. You're probably looking at closer to $800 for a basic single channel UAD, with a handful of UAD plugs built in.

Out of everything you have, I think you could look at another pair of monitors. Those 3" woofers are only good down to around 80hz or so, so if you're wanting to get an accurate reference to sub frequencies, you won't get that with those monitors you have now.

pcrecord Wed, 02/22/2017 - 04:52

DonnyThompson, post: 447697, member: 46114 wrote: I'd choose an SM57 for LV's any day over the AT2020. ;)

I'm not just hypothesizing here. I have experience with both.

Donny, it first depends if the 2020 has been tried and chosen because it's the best match for his voice. Althought, I'd be surprised if it's the case.. ;)

I think any Worth it investement will surpass the 250$ limit.
My first pick would be a better mic and a better preamp. But we don't find decent ones for way over the 250$ even in DIY...