Could you provide some more of your design parameters? For example:

1) Maximum number of tracks you will be recording simultaneously.

2) Will you be mixing ITB, outboard though a mixer or hybrid (i.e., mostly ITB but outboard for some tracks and on the 2-bus)?

3) Styles of music you will be handling.

4) Monitoring chain.

echo what sdelsolray said and to add, try not to get caught up in the hype... don't waste your money on the expensive shinny stuff that will be outdated and possibly worthless in 2 years. Just a hunch... anything hardware based made by Avid is overpriced and heading for a graveyard sooner than other gear. Invest your money in quality modular gear that you can swap out. Follow the hybrid crowd. That's where its heading otherwise you are in quagmire where there is no money for specialty. You are in the dime a dozen world and growing.

Buy PT 9 sure... or 5 other excellent DAW programs and then invest in a good boutique products that have meat.

I wouldn't touch Avid. Their best years are behind them.

My 2 cents

This is a very personal decision indeed. The thing is that 30k sounds like a lot of money but really 100k min. is the entry fee into the big game. At $30k I would buy the biggest fastest computer I could find by that company that builds for studio's(I forget their Name.LOL). Get killer monitoring. I'd buy a UAD quad and get every plug they make. RME interfaces bottom line cut the mustard and I'd get 16 channels.

I'd get a used console for about 5k then take a second look at your mic's.

In time I'd convert to even more Hybrid.

Spend as much of the money as you need to on getting a REAL LIVE acoustic engineer to design your room and monitoring system. Best gear on earth won't help if you can't trust your ears in your room. I just got an estimate from Phillip Newell on my (hopefully) upcoming build, and his rates were suprisingly affordable. There's a few guys that haunt this site that would do a great job too.

I love ProTools. For tracking, editing and mixing audio there's nothin better. Other DAWs have them beat in sequencing and VI's though, I think. I think I agree with audiokid about Avid's hardware being overpriced. You can do better. I am using the Lynx Aurora 16 with the firewire card as my conversion/interface (16 GREAT channels of i/o). I got the True Systems P8 for 8 channels of freakishly clean, avalon-like mic pre's, and have added lots of fun pre's with more color and personality (UA 710, Pacifica, etc.) to fill in my rest of my 16, but much of the time I just use the True for everything, and color later with plugs from the aforementioned UAD card (awesome).

An Aurora 16 just sold on eBay for $2000, and I got my P8 there for $1400. Freakishly nice computer: $3000. UAD Quad: 1500. DAW: $600. So far that's only $8500, with $21500 left for more pre's, control surface, cables, and ROOM.

I've been thinking about the Euphonix MC control surfaces, but the price has been holding me back. Cool machine, though.

What are you using to record with now?
What is your engineering background?
It sounds like you're just starting out.
I mean, who buys a whole studio of equipment all at once?

If you're just starting out, I would spend a hunk of that change on getting some engineering training, and to buy something modest in terms of software, because by the time you're ready to start getting quality results, all your software and half of your hardware will be obsolete.

Buying everything all at once is a nightmare. Unless you're a professional, you'll probably never figure out how to assemble it all, much less learn it all, much less be able to get anything useful out of it for several years.
Usually, you buy a small core of equipment, and add to it as your needs and capability increase. At which point, you will know exactly what kind of equipment, compressors, software, mics etc you're looking for.

For example- There's not much point in having a C24 if you don't have a handle on PT. And no point in jumping into a massive program like PT if you don't have any engineering experience.

On the other hand, you did post this in the Pro Recording forum, so maybe you are an experienced engineer. But then again, if you were, I don't think you would be asking the questions your asking.

Maybe we need more info from you regarding background, experience etc.

If you're going to go full-blown right out of the box, you're going to find that cabling is going to be a good sized four figure number for a two room studio.

This is a good hypothetical question to ponder, and I'm sure that all of us here would love to have that 30K number sitting in the bank account ready to make our dreams a reality.

The bundled packages from the big stores look so nice, and they are, to a point....A good exercise in cost value is to price these pieces as used and see just exactly how each piece holds its value. You'll find a lot of loss-leaders in the bundles. And gear which has gone its way and is no-longer the shiny got-to-have it once was.

I'm in the school of more info here as the choices are myriad regarding what direction to go. The main style of music will dictate some of pieces you're going to want as well as workflow. Since you've already mentioned PT9 then a big-assed 'puter is really very necessary. For ANY DAW based studio.

I recently put 12K in my already established studio and will upgrade the computer this week. I did get a nice Mac for free, but its just not fast enough for my needs so theres another couple of bills going in soon. Another Mac for me.....

It sounds like, from your post, that you already have the room. It doesnt say that it is already sound controlled, but lets assume it is. Thats a big number right there....AND the most important one.
Mics are subjective. You can record with just one. Or forty at a time......This is what I'm talking about when I say, More Info....

Your needs to an end will determine the path you'll take to realize this set-up.

Ok, getting some great feedback. Heres some extra info about my situation and needs. I'm in a five piece rock/metal/alternative. One lead singer, two guitars, one bass, drums, and a guitarist sings backup. I sing lead but double as the bands live sound engineer. I have a decent background in live sound production and have recorded in several small studios. I sell high end stereo and pro audio equipment for a living as well as build and fix computers. So, I don't think i'll struggle to hook any of this prfeeloduct up. I want to get as much bang for my buck and that's mostly why I'm struggling with this decision. If I had a million dollars I feel the decision would be much easier. But with such a limited budget I have to bed careful what I buy. I would like to have at least 8 tracks of simultaneous recording. But more would be better. This space may very well become our rehearsal space, so it would be nice to be able to record a session if needed on the fly. I already have the room built and engineered by an expert with proper sound . I already have more than enough instruments and amps. I've selected my mics and will be using a seven piece kit for the drums. And I have a variety of mics picked out for amps and vocals. I've researched preamps and probably will be purchasing some even if my mixer or controller has good ones. How many is dependent on how good the preamps are on the board. All in all my confusion is about whether I should get a digital mixer or controller and what input device to get to connect to the daw. Out of the 30,000 I'd say at least 15000 will be used for these main components. Hope thats a little more help to you guys. And thanks again for your wisdom and help.

No brainer then... PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2 is all you need. 24 tracks, you get Studio One and Capture with it. You can record 24 tracks on the fly. This thing cost $3300.00! Killer. Done. Money left over for better things...
Or wait until the new Mackie comes out for a choice.
If you get a serious contract, then spend 100 grand.

http://recording.org/content/614-studiolive-24-4-2.html

http://recording.org/controllers-audio-consoles-live-sound/47340-studiolive-24-4-2-reviews.html

I'm going to agree about the StudioLive. This is new generation of digital I/O and its great sounding as well as easy to use and it packs the features into a nice compact format. Its pres are quite a bit better than the C24.

However, if you want impressive for future clients....and I mean this with all due respect....people want to SEE a console.

This where the decision gets hairy. You know you want preamps that really kick butt. But you want ease of operation as well as integration into a workflow BUT you want something large and in charge for the walking tours.

This can be as simple as excellent FURNITURE! Housing your digital heart of the studio in quality built and stylish console furniture allows you to really concentrate on the functionality while at the same time expressing the quality of the room build out.

Or you can simply buy a big old console, get high-end conversion, and get on with making records old school.

I forgot to echo the several remarks about monitoring. DO NOT go cheap!!!!

Genelec or better(subjective....I personally think they're the best!) Focal. If you built soffitts in your room, Westlakes....etc.etc.etc.

I'm also for starting with the StudioLive. Then you can go slow on the preamps. Get a good "A channel" - a mic and a preamp that work well together and flatter your vocals. Then hold off on the other preamps until you have a little more experience. Start off with 4 mics on the drum kit. It will be far easier to learn how to mix and just make tracking easier. Yes, given your genre you will end up with a dozen mics on the kit eventually, but start out with four until you've recorded half a dozen songs at least.

You have the budget for good monitors. Don't skimp there.

You don't need to go all out on your room at this point, but definitely budget at least a few thousand for room treatments. This will make a huge difference in your recordings and make a much more pleasant practice room.

Sounds like the Studiolive may be the way to go. I have limited experience with digital mixers so can You tell me if It will allow me to control seperate tracks during mix down in the DAW. I really want to avoid mouse clicking to speed up editing. I'm assuming it doesn't, so what about using the SL with the digidesign 8 track usb controller? Granted it's just a glorified mouse but it may give me faster editing and save me a ton of money. One of the things that drew Me to the controller was this ability to quickly pull up vst Instruments and effects for each track with a simple click of a button. I understand the pro's to SL, but what would be the Cons over a controller. Sorry if my questions are sophmoric in nature, You guys have been great at helping me out and tolerating my ignorance. Anyway, I dont plan on skimping out on monitoring. At least not in the control room. I was looking at the Genelec 8030.LSE Stereo Pak. Is this a bad idea or should I be focused on just a two speaker system with 8-10" woofers? How important is headphone monitoring in the studio for the artist while He's laying down an overdub. Obviously You dont want them to bleed so they must be heavily isolated, but do I need to spend over $150.00ea. I plan on getting a very high grade set for the control room, but I can't think of a reason to go crazy on price for the recording room as long as they are well balanced and isolated. As far as tours go in the studio Im more concerned about quality of sound. I did have a desk picked out for the c|24 console but Im sure I can find professional looking desk and rack space for whatever console or mixer I go with.

Just a thought here....I have the Allen & Heath ZEDR16 and I think it's a really nice hands on 18 channel console/desk FW mixer but if I had $30K I would look at the new A&H GSR24M. It's around $11K with 24 mono channels analog and with an additional 8 channel ADAT preamp device puts you at 32 channels of FW bus I/O fully loaded into the software. It's got two mono tube channels for flavor, motorized faders, serious EQ, nice preamps and complete DAW control integration. I'm not a Mac fan or big PT snob pimp geek...so Cubase 6 for $500 would be my choice for software or even go Nuendo ($1800) if you think you might want to integrate some video into your mix. (even though Cubase 6 will do all of that plus 5.1 surround if that's your thing).
Sounds like you've got the room and instruments taken care of so I would get a really nice pair of monitors...Genelec 8050's probably ($4500). Then some Mojave mics, maybe a couple MA201 and a MA200, AT414's. Shure maybe a ribbon and of course some of the standard Shure dynamics, SM7, 57, 58's etc. and then maybe if you don't get what you like from the A&H desk preamps then a nice vocal preamp like the Portico or API. Maybe the new Rupert Neve plugin suite and perhaps the UAD plugins and some nice Radial DI's for your guitars, bass and keyboards.....and
I think that would do it!
If you can't make some really nice recordings with all that then you need to just be happy with $30K worth of really really cool electronics and jam a lot and have some fun on the weekend!
And you know I have friends that will spend $30k on a boat to go fishing with! (just a little perspective to the bigger picture!)

allen-heath.com/gsr24

I have the console so I can tell you first hand that you can control the DAW in Capture and back ( no flying faders though). The console is missing moto faders but I don't miss that one bit.
I must be honest, I haven't activated StudioOne yet so I don`t know how it compares or runs with it. I've been testing the 24.4.2 alone on a few PC`s and until I know which PC I'm sticking with, I've not authorized the StudioOne software. Capture is the live tracking software that comes with it, too, which needs no authorization.
That being said, I'm pretty sure StudioOne will control it with flying colours. Its meant to work together.

From basic two track recording to 24 tracks of a live band recording, this is amazing. For the money, its hard to believe. See if you can demo it. Did you look at the video's? I watched them about 5 times before it all sunk in?

Here's the deal with this. I am very much into high end so its why I'm so sold on this thing. IMO, you either go high end and invest a lot of $ or you get into a logical tracking system and don't get caught up in all the hype out there. Get some nice pre's and mics like Bob said and you are rocking.
This setup isn't for everyone here (well actually it is :tongue: ). Fun aside... a lot of us are into specialized gear and very much into boutique products that fit the sound and type of engineers we are. We have been doing this for years.

Because you are a band wanting to lay down music with no messing around, man... this is creative dream for capturing to moment (follow?) . If I would have had this 20 years ago, OMG. No messing around. If you want to get editing serious and heavy into production... , simply dump/ loud it all into StudioOne and get serious. So simple.

If you want stellar sound and you have a record contract in the works, you can go to a pro studio then. If you make your millions, buy the big studio for your self and then start renting it out for 3 grand a day. That's how I see it. For your app, I think this is a good place to start.

There are 4 worlds out there.

Common sence project studios 10 to 30 grand
High end boutique hybrid studios. 20 grand plus
Full blown pro studio's ( big bucks)

And then all the confused home studios full of miss matched good and junk combined with cheap plugins. sharing their opinions on some mic while they run it through a crapper AD and listen to it on a $250.00 pair of monitors in a basement or bedroom with no treatment.

So, Bob said it spot on. Try this and see what you think. If you like it, you have 26 grand left over for boutique goodies, treatment and monitors that will serve you well for years to come. If you want to step your game up, the console will be great for a second system and definitley live gigs. You really can't loose in my opinion. You could sell it and still do well. For your application, I think its a safe and very logical move.

So to answer your question, yes, you can control the DAW from the console. To what detailed extent, not sure yet but definitely the basics . Hope that helps.

Here are some videos that explains some basic of what you are asking. There are so many videos out that I would look at before you do anything.

I've spent the night checking out the SL, and Man Im impressed. I see how the faders can be routed back through the daw for mix down. Im almost thinking about getting 2 of them, one of the 24's for the studio, and a 16 for our live shows and backup that i can daisy chain incase i need more tracking in the studio down the road. I can't seem to find a negative review about the product. I am not expecting to get perfect sound but I do want better sound than Joe Schmo is getting off his lexicon omega, sitting in his basement with a set of radio shack headphones on. You guys have been super helpful, and Im going through each post checking out the equipment mentioned and doing my homework. I picked pro tools because it seems to be the standard in the industry, but Ive been using Cubase for a couple years now. Im very comfortable with the Cubase interface and routing. Do you think the learning curve to switch over to Pro Tools is worth it, or should I stick with what I know?

If you go with the SL, I would try StudioOne Artist that comes with it. It integrates with the console. You may like it. If not, what ever you are used to makes sense. Slow and steady when you have a chunk like that to spend. Take your time and keep reading...

Good luck!

Tompkinzz, post: 367259 wrote: ... Im almost thinking about getting 2 of them, one of the 24's for the studio, and a 16 for our live shows and backup that i can daisy chain incase i need more tracking in the studio down the road....

Calm down big fella! This part of the market seems to be evolving pretty rapidly, and there are some who think that because of PT9 there is a lot of incentive to develop more of this type of product. The StudioLive may be the best thing this month (though as the post above mentions there are competitors to check out) but I would not be surprised if something better comes along in the next year. In any case, I'd buy one board that works both live and in the studio and wait six months to a year before getting a second.

Great stuff!

For your headphone system, you want phones that give you the best quality sound with the least bleed. I have several different brands. My favorites are the Shure SRH840's. I have AKG K270's, Sony MDR 7506's, Sennheiser 212's, Koss Pro 4AA's and a couple other Sony's. My drummer uses the Sony MDR700's which are incredible also. Mostly, its all about the control. A cat5 based system with individual control stations is the way to go. Everybody gets what they want for tracking and overdubs.

In the control room, you're on the right track with the Genelecs. I absolutely love the 8030's and depending on the size of your control room, you might want to consider the 8050's. And get the sub. Nah, you dont 'need' it with these but you're gonna want and appreciate it eventually.Spend the 5K on the monitors and never look back. 5K in this case is worth a LOT more, relatively, than 5K on anything else. Sure, you can get a fine set of mic pres for 5K......what good does that do if you cant hear em??

Ya see my point.

Pay special attention to your vocal chain. Another place to NOT scrimp. You'll need the one channel for that and then I would seriously look at eight more high end channels with another 8-16 after that. You dont need Neve or API for shakers or congas or even keyboards, but guitars and parts of the drums will be well served with something that doesnt have generic written all over it. The pres in the Presonus will do the job of the 'general' mic pre needs and do it very very well. You could comfortably do the single chain for the vocals and do nothing else and make great sounding records as long as you have the material and the talent to capture the moment, but theres something to be said about the quality of discreet sound in a dense mix. The ease of mixing tracks captured on high-end gear cannot be overlooked.

A list to accomplish this might look something like this......only an opinionated old recordist btw!!!

1. THE vocal chain. Groove Tubes ViPre pre. TubeTech compression.

2. Drums/guitars API 3124 pre. UA plugs...

3. Acoustic instruments of ANY sort True Sytems P2 analog, ISA focusrite, DAV 1, Millennia, Focusrite Red....many others...

In considering the amount of quality for the dollar, you might want to consider a lunch box. The new Radial Workhorse is the real deal in 500 series technology. It has a better power supply than any other(the weak point of this type of device) it has a sub mixer at the end if you want....check this out! The major variety of quality channels you can mix and match with in this format is awesome to consider. A couple of these and @around $500 or less per channel and you can get ALL the major stuff to enhance your tracking capabilities with the board. Every major player in the boutique gear realm makes a 500 series comp/pre/EQ.

Then theres conversion. Apogee Symphony. Configure for YOU.

Aint this fun?

Be very picky about your mic for the main vocal chain. Its the first and sometimes the only thing people hear when listening to a song.

I dont know what you have chosen but theres a few out there to consider, and even something that spends like "the Best' may not be for your needs. Audition is absolutely the only way to know. Maybe you've already experienced your personal mic nirvana....You could spend half your budget on one if it was the only one that was right.....I dont know if you've ever been able to really experiment with this aspect, but its no sin to put up two , three or more mics to record a voice.....you get a nice palette to draw from in this way. So choose a couple of different things that you like and that you know works well with your voice. When you're tracking the main vocal, put em all up.....ya got the track count and the pres so whats the hangup? If you get the definitive track even if its a Shure SM58 whos to know??? (funny how this is more likely the case than not! a 58 through a 3K pre sounds like nothing you can imagine if you've not tried it)

Tompkinzz, post: 367259 wrote: I've spent the night checking out the SL, and Man Im impressed. I see how the faders can be routed back through the daw for mix down. Im almost thinking about getting 2 of them, one of the 24's for the studio, and a 16 for our live shows and backup that i can daisy chain incase i need more tracking in the studio down the road.

Just to clarify - it's true you can connect 2 x StudioLive 24.4.2 mixers together via firewire to get 48 inputs routed to one master section, however you cannot record more than 24 tracks that way. There just isn't enough speed in FW400 to link to two consoles and record 48 tracks.

I also have not seen a definitive answer as to whether you can hook an SL16 to an SL24, since they do have slightly different features/functions. I would want to confirm that with a PreSonus tech before you get deeply invested in that plan.

They're showing 32 tracks in Capture, but I got to say I'm with dvdhawk at this point. If you are wanting to be recording that many tracks at once, I'd be thinking about going a different route all together and plan on spending a lot more cash than $30.000 when its all said and done.

I would say on a hunch... The thing about Capture is its like Reaper scaled down! Anyone that has used Reaper knows what I am talking about. Capture is so scaled down, optimized and slick, it takes no CPU to use. It load up in a split sec. Thats the beauty of this package. PreSonus has been brilliant with this. They've really nailed it down. All the horsepower is in the console so I think if you have a pretty heavy duty PC or Mac able to record that many track, it probably would do it. 24 tracks going in capture is no sweat.

wow though, lots of tracks through FireWire sounds like trouble.

I can't forsee me ever needing that many tracks. I guess im leaning toward the studiolive setup. They have a nice little package on sweetwater that includes pt9 and a free fader port. I would like to know if a more advance controller can integrate with the setup like the control 8 from digitech. because I'm in a band that plays live shows alot the SL has alot of s e x appeal. And I know for a fact I can make some extra scratch on the side recording others at live venues. There isn't anyone within 300 miles of where I live that could offer that service. The only thing that bothers me is that it isnt easy to bypass the preamps if I want to hook an external preamp to the unit and remain on a balanced connection. And if I want to replace the mixer or if it breaks, im out my input device to my daw. but all in all I think it will be a great start and help me learn the basics that I need to know. Thanks again guys for all your expert advice.

Yup, you can insert your own mic pre's via the trs inserts.

audiokid, post: 367467 wrote: Yup, you can insert your own mic pre's via the trs inserts.

I know this to be true of every mixer, that I've used, but people on the Presonus forums are stating that they cant seem to do this. that even though they plug in to the TRS insert the SL gain knobs are still functional. One person stated that the only way to do it was to get the proper cable and insert into the TS insert channel unbalanced. Didn't seem right to me, but thats what Im finding.

That's what audiokid said. That is true of most compact mixers. The gain knobs are active on the line inputs by design. The unbalanced insert points just below the line inputs are a combination send and receive so if one doesn't build a special cable it won't work properly. Typically the unbalanced preamp signal needs to be on the ring of the TRS. The tip will be unused as it is the send from the mixer. Separate send and receive jacks take up too much space unless you are on high end large format mixers.

I believe Jack has it right. I asked this question last year. I haven't done it (and should do many comparisons for everyone once I get time). I can say this, I didn't expect the pre's to sound as good. After having the console I wouldn't bother, the pre's are already excellent. If I want better, I go hybrid and into the next system. Its kind of good after bad but that all being said I have read it works and its made a nice addition to the sound.

The inserts should allow all sorts of outboard gear to be "inserted".

Maybe you read this:
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://forums.preso…"]SL16 preamps compared to API 512c, Neve 1073DPA, Chandler TG2, etc.[/]="http://forums.preso…"]SL16 preamps compared to API 512c, Neve 1073DPA, Chandler TG2, etc.[/]

TheJackAttack, post: 367476 wrote: That's what audiokid said. That is true of most compact mixers. The gain knobs are active on the line inputs by design. The unbalanced insert points just below the line inputs are a combination send and receive so if one doesn't build a special cable it won't work properly. Typically the unbalanced preamp signal needs to be on the ring of the TRS. The tip will be unused as it is the send from the mixer. Separate send and receive jacks take up too much space unless you are on high end large format mixers.

I see. It makes sense. Can you buy these cables premade? If not were is the best place to order the parts to make your own. What brand would you guys recommend for cables (trs xlr so on)? I like saving money but I want good quality too.

You can purchase standard insert cables which are TRS-->(2) TS plugs. I usually just make my own. The key is to know which wire to leave out to unbalance the signal from the external preamp. Some preamps are autosensing and it won't matter. The following pdf is the best reference for you:
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.rane.com…"]Rane Notes Sound System Interconnection[/]="http://www.rane.com…"]Rane Notes Sound System Interconnection[/]

Standard insert point is Tip=send to outboard gear; Ring=return from outboard gear; Sleeve=common.

Normally the insert point is the only way to bypass onboard preamps for small format mixers. Occasionally a manufacturer will make the line input a true line input separate from the mic/XLR input but that is increasingly rare as time goes by. A quick glance at the specifications of a unit will let you know what's going on.

As to brand of cables, for stage use I always use/used Pro-Co and Whirlwind. For studio use and location classical recording it is Mogami and Canare Starquad. If I were as rich as Donald Trump it would probably be Puresound or something like that.

TheJackAttack, post: 367482 wrote: You can purchase standard insert cables which are TRS-->(2) TS plugs. I usually just make my own. The key is to know which wire to leave out to unbalance the signal from the external preamp. Some preamps are autosensing and it won't matter. The following pdf is the best reference for you:
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.rane.com…"]Rane Notes Sound System Interconnection[/]="http://www.rane.com…"]Rane Notes Sound System Interconnection[/]

Standard insert point is Tip=send to outboard gear; Ring=return from outboard gear; Sleeve=common.

Normally the insert point is the only way to bypass onboard preamps for small format mixers. Occasionally a manufacturer will make the line input a true line input separate from the mic/XLR input but that is increasingly rare as time goes by. A quick glance at the specifications of a unit will let you know what's going on.

Thank You for the link. Very helpful.

Another question to ask, is do you really need to get $30,000 worth of studio gear? What is your reason for spending 30k? You can build a pretty nice studio for around half that. With so much poverty in the world, and turmoil in the global economy, I wouldn't recommend anyone just going and spending that much money on anything, let alone music gear.

You can get some Mackie HR824s for about $1,300, the StudioLive for about $3,000, a couple Neumanns, SM81s, and a KSM44 for around $5,000 (depending on the model of the Neumanns...check out the Lauten Oceanus too, it sounds terrific), and a Neve 1073 for $2,400. Also, Universal Audio is having a pretty sweet deal this month, if you get an 6176 (a combo of the 610 preamp [my favorite] and the 1176 compressor), then they'll give you a UAD quad for free. Furthermore, if you have a TC Powercore card, they'll give you $1,300 of free UA plugins if you get a new UAD quad. So you're looking at 5,100 of UA stuff for $2,300 or so. I'd recommend a 610 for any studio; I'd take advantage of that deal if I had that much extra money. If you have 30k, you could actually work it out to getting the 6176 and UAD quad with $1300 in plugins for free... but yeah. At that, we haven't even met the 15k mark yet, and that's a pretty killer setup to go with your sound treated rooms and good instruments.

Whatever you decide to do, try to take it easy, and don't spend all your 30 grand at once. Hope some this helps, God bless!