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rwogh 11 February 2010

Hi everyone,

Just looking for some advice on must have gear that I could add to my amateur studio.

Right now I record Guitar direct through my Pod 2.0 into Digidesign 003 Rack. For Bass I use a Passive direct box to split either direct and mic'ed (Shure 57) to an amp -or- direct and direct through the Pod. Drums I record in Stereo with my digital kit/TD-12 (I would love to mic a real kit, but I live with roommates and the noise isn't an option. Vocals I do in my bathroom for the natural reverb and record through my Shure 57 and windscreen. I mix through my Mackie MR5 monitors.

Any tips on ways to improve this process would be great and I've got some cash burning a whole in my pocket to spend on gear if it's worth it. I know that "whatever sounds best" is what I'm going to hear, but there must be recommendations on some can't-live-without gear from everyone.

Thanks in Advance,
Ryan

Comments

Kev Thu, 02/11/2010 - 12:30

Try to record the midi from the TD-12
this can help with some adjustments and re-recording later
and experiment with alternate drum samples
get the drums separate so you can use typical modern mix techniques

The natural reverb with the 57 is ok but in the long run you will have ONE vocal style to work with
Try to get a dryer vocal and add reverb later
look to getting a condenser mic like a Rode NT-1

continue with the 57 and the Pod and the DI box
look to some other options of DI boxes, passive and active
look to a small TUBED Practice/Recording amp
both of these can be purchases to last a lifetime

good luck

rwogh Thu, 02/11/2010 - 14:03

Thanks for the response Kev.

I have an MXL 990. I know this isn't as high end as the NT-1, but would it work? Should I record the dynamic and condenser mics together then mix accordingly?

What other DI boxes should I look at? I figured Passive is what I need for splitting guitars, what would others do for me?

I have several options for this: I can use the DI to get a direct guitar and POD, direct guitar and Mic'ed amp, use the POD and split the outputs - one direct and one to an amp. Any tips here? What combo would work best?

What are your thoughts on Pre-amps, etc? I'm looking to add the most value per device I purchase.

planet10 Mon, 04/19/2010 - 11:27

remember any reverb or delay etc applied to a badly recorded source will only make that sound even worse. for guitars, try a Radial Switchbone it will allow you to record one guitar to two amps at once with out any degradation to the signal.
keep recording the guitar direct so that later you can apply some amp model plugin to the source to give it some more attitude, think Green Day 21 guns, most of the guitars were DI'd and CLA's new amp plugin applied. as for the MXL, cheap ass stuff, if your on a tight budget go with the CAD Trion 8000 tube mic, it sounds damn GOOD.

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