studio from scratch...what do you think of my gear plans?

[jimbo_baby84]

hi guys, after the studio i work in moved interstate, i decided to set up my own DAW (commercial as well as own use). i'm trying to keep things as high end as possible, and after thinking for a while, came up with this as a gear list. i'd love to get opinions on anything or everything, like if you think something is lacking or not up to par with the rest of the stuff. any comments or suggestions at all would be much appreciated. anyway, here's the list:

recording/monitoring system:

pro tools HD1
apple G5 dual 1.8
apogee ad16x (with X-HD card)
tascam US2400 controler
presonus central station
ATC SCM 50 ASL pro monitors (already purchased)

microphones:

shure SM57 x 3
rode K2 (still thinking though)
B&K/DPA 4011 (pair)
royer r-121
rode NT5 (pair)
kick mic (still thinking, maybe beyer M88?)

pre amps:

avalon AD2022
chandler TG2 (or TG channel)
seventh circle SCA (vintage clones)

misc:

fostex T20 (or similar) headphones x 4
sennheiser headphones (not sure which model - use as mix tool)
stands, cables, tuners, acoustic treatment blah blah blah


planned future upgrades - lavry 2 channel AD/DA (central station DA used for now), nearfield monitors (event SP8 or tannoy ellipse 8), AEA R88 stereo ribbon mic, a Neumann mic (U47, hopefully!)

let me know what you guys think.

thanks!

 

[jimbo_baby84]

what the hell...how did a little yellow man with sunglasses get into my post?! that was meant to be tannoy ellipse 8, then a ) to close the brackets. god i hate computers so much! matter of fact, screw this whole DAW thing, i'm using tape!!!! wait...i can't afford it. damn.

 

[fontane]

lavry with yellow face guy... lol

just curious, why not 2.0 or 2.5 with faster bus? and room for ram expansion?

 

[jimbo_baby84]

well seeing as the HD1 is supposed to handle the DSP, i looked at the specs and graphs and it seemed like the dual 1.8 was a big step up from the single 1.8, but the 2 and 2.5 weren't that different. also i can't see myself putting more than 4 gig of ram, although i may end up with the dual 2.5 just because it's supposed to be quieter. exactly how much quiter i'm not sure though...

 

[187]

is that tasscam controller compaible with protools?

 

[jimbo_baby84]

yeah the tascam works with pretty much anything i think...i know it does pro tools anyway because i read a review mentioning it

 

[KungFuLio]

You may not want to get a Dual 1.8 G5. They are not on the approved list of Digidesign as a suppoted computer. Also if you are getting an HD system you may want to cosider a used G4. Much less dough and the majority of the processing is done on the hd cards anyway.

Make sure all RAM is from the same manufacturer and Apple approved. That is absolutely essential for computer happiness!!!

Good Luck!

 

[Kurt Foster]

what the hell...how did a little yellow man with sunglasses get into my post?! that was meant to be tannoy ellipse 8, then a ) to close the brackets. god i hate computers so much! matter of fact, screw this whole DAW thing, i'm using tape!!!! wait...i can't afford it. damn.

You typed 8 next to a ) which in the UBB / PHP code used for emoticons on this site, causes the 8) to pop up. If you had left a space between the 8 and the ) it wouldn't have happened. An unavoidable glitch in UBB / PHP codes.

 

[jimbo_baby84]

thanks for the apple tip KungFuLio, and thanks kurt...any comments on the gear though? one problem i'm having is trying to decide between a presonus central station with a lavry blue DA, or the much pricier crane song avocet with it's quality DA. will the central station be a compromise on the analog signal in any way? the 1/4 inch jack connectors are one thing i'm worried about...it's also just alot cheaper than the avocet, the compromise can't all be in the DA quality can it?

 

[PCM]

There has been alot of talk on digi forums about HD being a disaster with the dual 1.8. It's a great computer and will certainly be more than enough power, but I wouldn't risk it. If you can wait, new g5's should be right around the corner- maybe even dual core

Also, why the rode nt5's? It seems like with a gear list like you've listed- you could probably step up to something a little nicer like the josephson c42's with not that much extra cash? I don't really like the nt5's personally. They're decent, but sound like what you pay for (a low-end/decent mic).

Also, as far as the seventh circle stuff goes- get a couple of each type Have not yet heard the API design, but the jensen twin sounds fantastic. If they made a 2u rack panel I'd have a pair in a second.

Headphones- can't go wrong with the grado's. The best open phones I've ever owned. I have the sony MDR's which so many people swear by, and they're now just my DJ heads and get some use in the vocal booth. The grado's are very clear and spatially concise IMO. Uncomfortable though, but not too bad.

 

[anonymous]

How the ^#$% did Kurt know that? (all must bow to lord Kurt)

 

[jimbo_baby84]

hey PCM, thanks for the g5 tip. i guess i wanted the nt5s because i've worked with them before and found they were actually really useful on nasty sounding hi-hats. i love B&K/DPA, but other than that and a few Neumann models, i don't have alot of pencil mic experience. i'll check out the josephsons though. what's peoples opinions on the crane song avocet versus the presonus central station with a lavry blue DA?

 

[PCM]

hey PCM, thanks for the g5 tip. i guess i wanted the nt5s because i've worked with them before and found they were actually really useful on nasty sounding hi-hats. i love B&K/DPA, but other than that and a few Neumann models, i don't have alot of pencil mic experience. i'll check out the josephsons though. what's peoples opinions on the crane song avocet versus the presonus central station with a lavry blue DA?

I don't have experience with either the crane song or the lavry, but I've heard nothing but praise about both of them. My general rule of thumb (being slightly OCD) is that the less gear and clutter- the better. If the avocet will give you similar results to tha lavry / central station option, then I would go with that product. Less to worry about, less rack space.

If you don't have the money to step to the lavry right now (which you said in your original post), why not check out the Benchmark DAC? That way you're buying a decent product up front rather than the roundabout presonus / lavry (i know people swear by presonus' stuff but I don't really consider their products high-end). The DAC is a great piece, but if you don't like it, you can always sell it and pretty much will get your moeny back as they are high in demand.

also might want to check out the UA 2192.

 

[jimbo_baby84]

hey PCM, good point on the clutter...but isn't the reverse also true? when pieces of gear specialise in one thing, they tend to be better than something trying to do two things at once. this probably isn't true for everything, but it is for some. also, the presonus and the lavry are one rack space each, and work out cheaper ($1825), while the crane song ($2800) is two spaces plus a remote (that may or may not be a good thing), and from what i've heard is just slightly less transparent as a DA than the lavry so what i'm thinking is, unless the analog path is purer in the crane song, why would i pay more for less? it just seems hard to get a proper idea of the difference in their analog circuits, so i'm wondering if anyone can say anything about either the lavry vs crane song DA, or can comment on the analog path of the presonus vs the crane song. it'd also be useful to know if the actual audio has to run all the way through the remote unit on these kind of devices.

 

[jimbo_baby84]

i just heard about these korby mics (remakes of the U47, U67M, C12 and 251). has anyone heard these? i know they're not cheap, but if they're close enough to the real deal, it sounds like a sweet deal to me!

by the way PCM, how did you hear about the new g5 thing?

 

[took-the-red-pill]

if you spend enough on gear...guess what the weak link in the chain becomes... 8)

 

[jimbo_baby84]

um...the room? the clients? the internet forum?

 

[took-the-red-pill]

the guy running it

 

[jimbo_baby84]

nah...i'm spending heaps on the guys running it. i've got this cool new "nigel godrich", which is a new model, but is supposed to sound really good, plus a vintage reissue where the body is all the same, but you can change the head to get the ears of either george martin, quincy jones or phil spector. apparently it makes your mixes sound just like em'!