you want someone to make your bed???

go fish... use the search engine... tell us more about the gear you have and... 15k ain't that real professional set up you're thinking...

I wish I had that much money to put into my setup!
This amount of money would need to be spent very wisely if you want a professional setup. You could easily spend $15000 on mics alone, or preamps, or just on a recorder.

Perhaps you could save a little bit on mics by buying Audio Technica or Studio Projects or Rode models, or maybe a couple from Microtech Gefell or Soundelux for the most important channels. Perhaps a Focusrite ISA 428 for four decent channels of preamp and add the converter card option. Then something lower down in the food chain for the rest (Presonus perhaps?). If your gear has all digital outs, you can put it through something like an RME Digiface to get it onto a computer.

That's where I'd start, but you need to consider monitoring and possibly acoustic treatment as well. As for outboard gear, well that could take up your entire budget.

Good luck!

John Stafford

I would say that if you are not sure what you need to open your studio, you're probably not ready. Put the $15,000 in the bank and open your studio as is. Then, when you do figure out that you need something, you'll have the money in the bank to do so.

you want someone to make your bed???

:lol:

I would suggest you go to the top of this forum index and read Kurt's Mic Closet Recomendations. He assembled a list of the minimum mics required for a commercial studio. Read it, if you have specific questions ask them after you've read it. He took the time to assemble that list the least you can do is read it!

Please list what gear you already have and perhaps you will get some recomendations on where you can improve your setup. Unless you've bought total crap up until this point I'm sure some of what you have will be useful. Upgrade only what you need to at this point and you're 15k will go alot further.

You really need to show some initiative here. Do some research and then ask specific questions. Use the search engine and checkout pres, mics, monitors, accoustics and a miriad of other things.

Oh, and when u list the equipment if you could also list a site I can find em at to read on and get the price, etc. thanks

You're kidding right?

You can get the answers you want by again doing some research and asking specific questions or you can wire the 15k to me and I'll go shopping. :lol:

I didn't list the equipment I already have because like I said I want to start from scratch, but here's a list I've compiled of what I'm looking at to get, if you guys see anything that should be changed let me know, anything else I'll need let meknow, maybe this will help u guys help me more.

Recording Equipment-
Digi002 Command 8 Bundle
Power Mac G5 Dual Processor 2.5GHZ
20 Inch Flat Monitor

Mics-
BLUE Baby Bottle Bundle (for vocals)
Shure PGDMK6-XLR (drums, instruments)

Production-
Mpc(not sure which one)
Reason
Korg Micro Kontrol

Monitors-
Not sure I could use some suggesstions here

so that's the ideas I got so far, let me know what u think and if I"m going the right way, etc. Thank u

$15,000 is not near enough money to start a pro studio. Especially if you are considering recording bands. You might be able to swing it making hip-hop.

mr_bilistic wrote: I didn't list the equipment I already have because like I said I want to start from scratch, but here's a list I've compiled of what I'm looking at to get, if you guys see anything that should be changed let me know, anything else I'll need let meknow, maybe this will help u guys help me more.

Recording Equipment-
Digi002 Command 8 Bundle
Power Mac G5 Dual Processor 2.5GHZ
20 Inch Flat Monitor

Mics-
BLUE Baby Bottle Bundle (for vocals)
Shure PGDMK6-XLR (drums, instruments)

Production-
Mpc(not sure which one)
Reason
Korg Micro Kontrol

Monitors-
Not sure I could use some suggesstions here

so that's the ideas I got so far, let me know what u think and if I"m going the right way, etc. Thank u

the computer and digi stuff will put you around half budget...
those pg shure are crap!

but what are your plans???
how many tracks you want to record? styles...
and don't forget acoustic treatment costs money and is very important!!!

"want to get all new equipment and have a real proffessional set up"

"I want to be able to record any & every genre of music, so live bands, hip hop, acoustic, whatever" ...

... and know nothing about it? Interesting.

I came here to ask for your suggesstions, not your sarcasms. Thanks to those that are actually giving me some advice. So the shures are no good? you have a set of drum mics you would suggesst?

something like maybe an audix kit!
if you have money go for something like
d112
md 421 x3
akg c451b x3

as the name suggests... pg... it's price is for amateurs

then there's the pres...

Its easy to scoff when you've had your own nose rubbed in the recording studio pile a few times...but really, lets help the man...

You will NEED...
1clients with cash
2 sound control in a room of some size
3 you'll want this room to not only sound good but to impress potential clients

4 ProTools....like it or not you'll need a rig thats the newest and latest....also to draw clients

5 a difinitive business plan would be good...
6 a LOT more than 15grand to get started.,...

I have a home based studio which is sort of a blend of digital and analog....I have at LEAST 35K in gear....the cableing is around another 3K....I bought everything cheap....

Take a good hard look at your work situation in the area you live in...a business plan and research will help you decide whether its worth the investment to 'start over'

If you do 'start over'...I would buy only gear which will retain its value throughout the years...except the ProTools rig...

Mr. B. - With all due respect, if you're talking about a "quit your day job and record bands for a living" type studio, $15,000 will hardly scratch the surface of a "Guitar Center Equipped" studio.

16 channels of decent quality A-D and D-A, preamps, monitoring, mics (you can't just have "a set" of drum microphones)... An absolutely rockin' CPU (assuming you're going to disc) with swappable drives (and a bunch of spare drives), a twin backup system... The CABLES...

I've put together some "low budget" pro rooms before, but $15,000 wasn't even enough to cover the basic construction costs.

And don't forget "marquee" gear - As much as I wish it weren't true, bands expect to see certain nameplates in a room (though many are for good reason) if they're going to cough up "some" bucks.

It sucks, but it's reality - You WILL have bands snub you for not having Neumann's lying around. Some Hip Hoppers WILL walk out when they find you don't have a set of SSL strips. These are some of the things some bands are "programmed" to expect. If you can get the sound or not, they won't care. They aren't going to come in and plop $50 and hour down when they can go to a $500,000 room off-hours for the same price.

Now, if you're trying to set up a respectable home or basement setup and make a few bucks on the weekend with some novice bands, $15,000 with get you a setup that will have them drooling to pay $15-25 an hour.

Okay, after all of that, I think what some of us are asking is: What is your game-plan here? A decent home setup? We can help you.

A professional, commercially acceptable and publicly available setup? $15,000 won't cover the room treatments.

The board that I want alone is like $85k (SSL), but that won't be happening unless someone installs a horshoe in my ass!

For $15k? Here is what I'd do.....buy a Tascam FW-1884 and a Focusrite ISA 428. Run ADAT optical out of the ISA 428 into the FW 1884. You now have 12 pre's running with the option of running 4 more of the highest end pres you want into the 4 extra ins on the ISA 428. That gives you 16 channels of pres. The pres on the FW1884 aren't horrible....adding the ISA 428 (a lot better pres) and then adding an addt'l 4 of your choice is pretty sexy!

The FW-1884 is also a control surface and you can expand it with more faders if you want the big console look.

Between and FW-1884 and an ISA 428 you'll spend maybe $3k. Now you have $12k to spend on mics, 4 more pres, software, plugs, outboard, monitors, and a desk.

Since it's easy to blow a shitload on mics...lets start there...

4-SM57's - $360
3-Sennheiser MD421s - $1100
2-AKG D112 - $400
2-Shure SM81 - $700
Keep your Blue Baby Bottle

Ok....now you've got very good all purpose mics, a control surface, and 12 pres for about $5,600!

You now have $9000 for software, outboard, more pres, more mics, and monitors!

I think what I listed is a pretty successful setup on a budget thus far. Get good monitors in a good room, use the gear and your ears to the best of your ability, and become friends with a good mastering engineer. I can say with confidence that with what I just listed you can deliver a damn fine product.

A lot of guys here will probably tell you that I'm full of it but consider the source...they have the opportunity to work at Neve or SSL boards and mixing with monitors that cost more than my car.

With this gear, and good room, a trained ear, and a good mastering engineer....you can do whatever you want!

I came here to ask for your suggesstions, not your sarcasms.

Sorry for that. But it really sounded weird that you asked for help setting up a "professional studio" with only 15k and without knowing what kinda gear you gonna need. I just feel that these days a lot of people tend to think that everyone can record & mix if they only have the right kind of equipment. Being professional starts with you being professional, knowing exactly what to do with that gear you have. The best sounding eq won't help you if you don't know what to do with it.

Sorry again for the rant.

I agree with shock....I'm not saying I have talent because I honestly think I suck....but I have repeat clients and get good results with a very minimal setup that I spent less than $15k on...maybe I'm just lucky.

I have a 2 room home studio with some acoustical treatments, decent monitors, a Tascam FW 1884, a few good mics, and some good plugins. My setup is more of what you'd see on sale in a Guitar Center magazine than what you'd see in Mix magazine, but I bought gear that I can build on without replacing down the road.

What I've been learning while piecing together my setup and giving away free recording time is that the more bands I record, the better the quality is getting by doing nothing more than trying new things and learning by trial and error. Those bands I recorded for free in the beginning are now paying repeat clients that are spreading the word and things are really taking off.

IMO a great engineer can sit down at a minimal yet decent setup and create a product that can be very respectable if not great. Having great gear in a great room with a shitty engineer won't sound nearly as nice as decent gear, in a decent room with a great engineer. My newbie opinion.....please don't yell at me! My small setup and current minimal skills aren't going to win me a grammy or land gigantic client, but the work I'm doing has clients leaving my place feeling good about what they did and excited to come back.

From an audiophiles stand point my work is shit and isn't worth listening to, but as long as my clients leave happy and come back again....that is more than worth it to me.

I can rant for days....sorry for going off topic guys!

Thank you guys very much. I'm gonna check out that list of stuff you gave me, and I really appreciate that. I am not looking to open a "quit my day job" studio, lol. I'm an artist first and foremost, but I also own an independant record lable in which I do all the recording and engineering. I'm not a stranger to that, but I am a stranger to recording live bands which is really the reason I asked for suggesstions on equipment for that. All I've ever recorded is hip hop and r&b, I know how to do that very well, but like I said I've never recorded bands before, so that's what I needed help with. This is the equipment I have in my home studio

1)Yamaha AW16G
2)Groove Tubes GT55 Studio Condensor Mic
3)Power Mac G4 Dual Proccessor
4)Event TR-8 Monitors
5)Alesis 3630 Compressor
6)ART 2 Channel voiced valve preamplifier w/ Output Protection Limiting
7)Behringer Power Play Pro XL
8)Waves Diamond Bundle
9)Cubase SX
10)Logic Platinum 5.5.0
11)Sonar 3Producers Edition
12)Cakewalk VST Adapter 4
13)Steinberg WaveLab
14)T Racks
15)Reason
16)Fruity Loops

That's what I've been working with, so not a great set up by any means, but I believe I get great quality out of it. U can hear for yourself, like I said I record and mix all my music http://
But anyways, thanks for your time, and any more suggesstions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

It's time to shut up guys, Bilistic's got skills. I listened to your work man. Much respect, especially with such a modest gear set. Yet more proof that it's not about the gear.

Arthur,

That was refreshing. Sometimes I feel exactly the same way.

David you are absolutely right

Thank you

mr_bilistic wrote:
8)Waves Diamond Bundle
9)Cubase SX
10)Logic Platinum 5.5.0
11)Sonar 3Producers Edition
12)Cakewalk VST Adapter 4
13)Steinberg WaveLab
14)T Racks
15)Reason
16)Fruity Loops

funny... all this software cost money... :lol:
beware if you want to make that pro studio with ripped software... they can give you some trouble...

I was thinking the same, Loco.

on mac, as far is know, lots of those titles havent been cracked yet... so don't go make assumptions that dont matter

....
.....by the way, if you happen to HAVE those apps cracked, let me know..... lollllllllll
j/k

Hold on, I don't even think they make Sonar for the Mac and I know they don't make Fruity for Mac. What's up with that?

I've been recording for many years, I had most of those programs for awhile now, I haven't used 90% of those since I got my mac and my yamaha aw16g, I do everything on the yamaha now. and if they make those for mac I don't know. I have the power mac g4, a hp pc, and a dell laptop, so i use a combination of things.

and stating that these things cost $ is applying what? that either I'm poor or I'm a thief? your funny

http://www.mrbilistic.com

read up

peace

Doesn't hip hop just need a few condensors for vocals...

and the rest is just direct in from the keyboard to 'make dat funk?'

I think 15k is more than generous enough to get an iso booth for vocals, a few decent mics and the electronics to lay down tracks like what's on his site.

rock on balistic its sounds good

Bilistic, allow me to apologize on behalf of everyone. I'll admit there was a small degree of reason for the way you were treated. The way your first post was worded opened up the opportunity for rudeness and the software issue was a valid suspicion; however, a couple people let their assumptions get the best of them. I hope there are no hard feelings. This is not typical of recording.org and I hope you keep coming back. This really is the best recording forum on the whole internet.

Cubase SX, Logic Platinum 5.5.0, Sonar and Cakewalk all do more or less the same thing: midi sequencing and audio arranging. I guess Loco was wondering why you felt the need to spend your hard earned money on all four of these (while most people with a tight budget choose one sequencer and stick with it).
But then, I don't really care. *shrugs*
I like your music. Good stuff.

shock wrote: Cubase SX, Logic Platinum 5.5.0, Sonar and Cakewalk all do more or less the same thing: midi sequencing and audio arranging. I guess Loco was wondering why you felt the need to spend your hard earned money on all four of these (while most people with a tight budget choose one sequencer and stick with it).

yup... that's it!
i'm not saying you're poor and a thief... (who hasn't used ripped software? i've tried a lot of things and then buy the one i really like...)
i was just saying that having all that would cost money...
and it's ok...

as for the hip-hop thing i'd go with a good tube condenser and a good tube pre-amp like a sebatron going to a rosetta 200
this way you'll have great gear!
buy some acoustic treatment and some good monitors
maybe an akg c414 would be good to for recording some instruments too if needed...

no hard feelings, I know what its like to be the new guy, it's all good, I intend to stay here and earn my respect. I would like to say thank u to everyone that took the time to listen to my music, I appreciate it. and if anyone else has some spare time let me know what ya think. http://www.mrbilistic.com holla

Now see how nice the troops can be if they aint thinkin wit der asses....atta boy fellers....