Mics or mic pres?

[planet red]

I know, I know, your signal chain is only as strong as your weakest link. But if you were just starting to collect some nice equipment would you go for a couple nice mic pres maybe an api 3124 and an avalon or a great river neve and use some AT and octava condensors with 57's and 421's. Or to get a couple royers and a Neumann or two and use some mackie pres or something like that. At some point im going to own them all so i dont want to settle on buying any midpriced stuff. What would you guys improve first?

 

[Bear's Gone Fission]

I'd get nice pre's, a couple small diaphragm condensors (which is up to needs, budget, and preference), and a stable of large diaphragm dynamics. I'd say get an MD-421, a Beyer M-88, and an RE-20. You'll be able to pick your flavor on kick, bass, and vocal, and use them forever without regret. (MD-441 is really good, but relatively pricey.) Any of these with a great pre can deliver great rock vocals. If you need the ld condensor for a particular seesion, you can rent or borrow. Oh, and Beyer ribbons are cool if you don't have the bucks for Royer. When you're raking in the bucks with this gear, you should be able to add the LD condensor flavors.

Bear