Has something ever struck you and left a lasting impression? Something that may not even be the most logical option for what you want to do, but for some unexplainable reason it is all you want? I seem to be stuck in a situation like this right now.
I have access to a Pro Tools HD set up once in a while and I fell in love. Beautiful Icon board etc etc. I love the system and decided thats what I want. I can't afford an icon board so while looking into other stuff I found a great deal locally from a closing studio. They spent all their cash on the remodel and never finished before they went under. They have a C24, 196io, and an HD2 set up with the digisnake etc etc. I can get all of it for an unbeatable price.
I KNOW the c24 is not the best unit in the wold. I KNOW the preamps are pretty much the same thing as whats in the digi 003+. I realize I'd be paying a ton of cash for something that could be a ton better. I could get a Yamaha DM1000 for the same price as the c24 and the Yamaha will have better preamps. Is it dumb that I am for some reason so fascinated with all the control options of the c24 in an HD system? Here is where it will get even more dumb. .
I am on a rather tight budget. After my new Mac pro comes in and IF I buy the PT HD set up I will only have like 4k more to severely update my studio. I am personally a fan of the Avalon VT737 so I'd like to buy one of those. Other gear I would also like to pick up would be some MD421's, some decent overheads, and a new vocal mic. I also need a patchbay.
The gear I have now that would carry over:
Groove tubes brick (I have 2 of them)
Shure Beta 52
Shure beta 57a
3 Shure SM57's
Mackie HR824's (I'd like to pick up 3 more and the sub for 5.1 surround mixing)
headphone amps (PreSonus)
Shure KSM44
Home made portable owens corning fiberglass soundproofing
Drum triggers and my Alesis midi to usb box
I'd be ditching my Tascam fw1884 and PC.
I record mostly Metal and rock bands. I will occasionally record some hip hop. I am not doing this for a living. This is my project studio that is driven 100% by my passion for music. With all the new stuff I will still be charging dirt cheap rates in the area of 10 dollars an hour. Even as cheap as that is for all the local bands I still want people to feel like they are getting their moneys worth. Do you think my gear along with that potential new purchase is worthy of still charging people? I know a lot of that last question comes down to the engineer and the final project.
The big whopper... What can I do better? What do you guys think of what I said?
Comments
Codemonkey wrote: "(I'd like to pick up 3 more and the sub for 5
Codemonkey wrote: "(I'd like to pick up 3 more and the sub for 5.1 surround mixing)"
Please ask yourself why.
This is down to earth industry and there's very little room for airy fairy "buy it cause its cool" purchases.
thats because I like making short films in my spare time. I have a canon XHA1, matrox card, and do a local cable access TV show. I'd like to expand on this and dip a little deeper into the post production world. The 5.1 mixing is not really music related. I guess I should have mentioned that. I'd still do music strictly in stereo as it is what I know best.
For the price of the Avalon you could get four channels of highe
For the price of the Avalon you could get four channels of highend in a lunchbox set up and have some slots open for expansion in the future. The Avalon may be something you know, but there are much better values available and if its the sound you're truly trying to get and not bling then look to this sort of option. The pres in the C24 are adequate enough for doing hard rock. You simply need to use them within their capabilities as they dont overload in a nice way at all. The compressor and effects bundles you would have in your HD2 rig would be more than enough to get a fine professional sound and the motorized faders and memory on the C24 as well as the tactile touch makes it a genuine pro product.
421's are nice. Spendy but nice. There are other options which will not become the week link in the chain anytime soon. A bigtime vocal mic would be a great addition as would a pair of SDC's...not just for overheads but any acoustic instruments you might want to record. Dont worry about a matched pair. You're not doing live orchestral gigs so its not really necessary for your genre. You pay a lot less for pair that way.
Look used.
Space wrote: "Home made portable owens corning fiberglass soundp
Space wrote: "Home made portable owens corning fiberglass soundproofing "
Acoustic treatment, not isolation or sound proofing as it is often referred.
Just for the record.
yeah after I typed it I thought to my self "I should say acoustic treatment" but I decided not to go back and edit.
Davedog wrote: For the price of the Avalon you could get four ch
Davedog wrote: For the price of the Avalon you could get four channels of highend in a lunchbox set up and have some slots open for expansion in the future. The Avalon may be something you know, but there are much better values available and if its the sound you're truly trying to get and not bling then look to this sort of option. The pres in the C24 are adequate enough for doing hard rock. You simply need to use them within their capabilities as they dont overload in a nice way at all. The compressor and effects bundles you would have in your HD2 rig would be more than enough to get a fine professional sound and the motorized faders and memory on the C24 as well as the tactile touch makes it a genuine pro product.
421's are nice. Spendy but nice. There are other options which will not become the week link in the chain anytime soon. A bigtime vocal mic would be a great addition as would a pair of SDC's...not just for overheads but any acoustic instruments you might want to record. Dont worry about a matched pair. You're not doing live orchestral gigs so its not really necessary for your genre. You pay a lot less for pair that way.
Look used.
I know some customers don't really know what they are talking about and are superficial with gear, but thats far from me. 96% of the time I am about the sound and not the looks. That being said what lunchbox set ups are you speaking of?
I am really in the dark on what mics to get to be honest. I know I'd like SDC overheads, and a nice condensor, or perhaps a ribbon mic. The blue stuff has been getting a lot of good reviews lately so maybe I will look into that for vocals. I am just trying to figure out what mics/pre's are going to be the best bang for my buck and the best for growth. I am already upset at all the software I have purchased that will not work in protools. Thanks for the solid advice.
An idea for you: Get the Dm1000 and also buy makie controllers o
An idea for you: Get the Dm1000 and also buy makie controllers or Euphonix controllers which are accurate and the combonation would be cheaper and just as accurate as a C24.
This would allow for speacialty preamps and would allow you to buy a stereo pair of C414's which are great for overheads as welkl as great all around mics for vocal, guitars and they have all the pick up patterns you can possibly want or need. You can then probably the MD421's for toms and amps. With the plug-ins from your waves and in-board compression gates and effects on the Dm1000 the HD pro tools your set.
Also as "hueseph said do all of us in the industry and yourself a big favor and give the business of recording a back bone and pride for our work by charging rates of $50 or more for your time." It's hard enough to be in a business where evryone wants a "special rate" and no one on the engineer and studio end makes any money with all these cut back rates which are usually cut back again and again.
I guess you guys are right about charging more cash for my effor
I guess you guys are right about charging more cash for my efforts. I am just so used to trying to help kids out and get them doing positive things instead of turning to drugs etc etc. I don't have the greatest of gear right now so that mixed with my feelings about giving kids a chance in music is what has always made me charge so little. I guess I will have to make some adjustments.
EDIT: Doesn't the DM1000 double as a control surface so I wouldn't need a mackie or euphonix?
That is correct the Dm1000 can also act as a controller. I am no
That is correct the Dm1000 can also act as a controller. I am not sure if it's just fader control or there is more that it does as I have both a Dm1000 and a tascam US2400 control surface which I use strictly for panning and fader moves. I use the control surface so I can mix with my ears not a mouse. I would recommend a similar set up as it allows for great mix capabilities with recallable preset compression and fader settings ready for your recording session with out having to reset more then trim knobs. I hope this helps!
"(I'd like to pick up 3 more and the sub for 5.1 surround mixing
"(I'd like to pick up 3 more and the sub for 5.1 surround mixing)"
Please ask yourself why.
This is down to earth industry and there's very little room for airy fairy "buy it cause its cool" purchases.