Hi All:

Newbie on this forum. Wanted to get some feedback on upcoming purchases.

As I've been building my studio, I've been leaning toward the outboard processing for dynamics and mastering applications. I have many great plugs, and they deliver, but they don't deliver the way great outboard gear does. So, in the upcoming months, I will be expanding my outboard gear & would appreciate some feedback on several levels.

Over the course of the next 8 months, I intend to purchase 2 high end compressors, 1 high end EQ, and another high end [stereo] pre to expand upon the GR NV I bought from Fletcher & Samarra & co. recently.

Based on my research, the units I'm looking at are the following:

GR EQ
Drawmer 1968
Purple Audio MC77
TFPro Edward the Compressor
Chandler TG 1
TAB v78

The ultimate budget is $8,000. Ideally, I'd like to buy 2 compressors, 1 EQ and 1 stereo mic preamp. The exception to that being if one thinks I could get away with TG 1 for all my compression needs [many of the features are VERY atttractive for the types of sounds I'd be going for with outboard gear.]

What I'm lookinng for is the following [in this particular order]

1. a fantastic analog mastering chain
2. great compression for a stereo bus on the drum overheads coming out of Pro-Tools and back in.
3. Bass compression on mainly mix, but sometimes tracking [coming via the GR, a Klark Technic DI, dbx 586, the potential v78, or [gasp] an amp occasinally].
4. Vocal applications, though this is almost an afterthought, as I'm pretty happy with the light comopression I put on vocals via good plugs.

To give you an idea of my studio: great sounding live room that needs little tracking treatment. Front end is a Midas Venice 240 into the Digi 888 24 bit boxes, into TDM with great plugs. Current outboard gear are GR MP1NV, RNC, dbx 586 pre, ART Tube MP [never used], various DI's. lots of mics [AEA, Neumann, AKG, GT, Shure]. I also record ALL styles of music. Though rock probably has the most volume, I do jazz, classical, country, hip hop , and electronica on a regular basis [after all, I do mastering...]

So I guess my questions are this. I plan to buy the first compressor installment in early March. I want the one with the most versatile uses keeping in mind the heirachrachy of above applications [masteing, drum overheads, bass, vocals]. When I say versatile, I mean I want everything from transparency to trashy. Every project needs to be mixed and mastered in different ways - I generally push for a balance of transparent and color and would like my first high-end outboard compressor to be able to do both and blend both [but it has to be stereo and I'm not going to get a pair of Crane Song Trakkers, because if I would rather buy the TG 1 for that price].

So, what do ya'll recommend.

Cheers,
Kurt