Are You Happy With Your Setup?

[Anderton]

I noticed that aside from some ooh-ahhs over what's new at NAMM, there doesn't seem to be any air of urgency about new gear. Sure, we'd all like to try out Melodyne in the privacy of our own homes, but I started to wonder: are you essentially happy with what you have? Personally, I can think of some gear that would be nice, but I have a fast computer with a decent amount of RAM, a digital mixer, a good mic and pre, a couple cool guitars...I think that should be enough, right?

 

What about you? Are you happy with what you have, or constantly fighting your gear and wishing you had more?

[Curve Dominant]

What pre are you using, Craig?

 

I've experimented with MIDI, and the possibilities are killer, but I'm holding off on buying an interface and rigging up a full-blown MIDI system, hoping the FireWire stuff will come out soon. But MIDI is definitely the missing link for my setup, which consists of:

 

Roland VS880EX DAW

Korg ElectribeS Sampler/Sequencer

Roland XP10 keyboard - definitely the weak link, which will be taken care of when I get the Korg Karma

Fender Strat American Standard

Ibanez 5-string bass

Ibanez Spanish Classic-electric

tons of pedals, including my beloved Dunlop Wah

 

A good mic pre w/digital outs is a must-buy for the very-near future for me. The Roland VS needs it. Then there's the CD burner Roland makes for the VS. That, and a FireWire MIDI interface, and I'll be in like Flint.

[Philip OKeefe]

Well, as you know Craig, I just did a bunch of upgrades, so I guess I'd better be happy because the alternative is buyers remorse. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gif

 

Seriously though, I am pretty happy. Oh sure, you can always have some cool new toys, and I've got my eye on at least a pair of the new Summit TLA50's, but all in all, I have pretty much everything I need. Please notice I said NEED and not WANT. I guess it's human nature to always want more, but sooner or later I need to be happy with what I have for a while and just make some music, which is the whole reason for all of this stuff, isn't it? Isn't it? Well, unless you're a vintage collector or something...

 

Besides, every time you add something new (as Jim Akin pointed out in his Keyboard collum this month) it takes a certain amount of time to get up to speed on it, and even more time to become a power user. Heck, that's not even taking into consideration the problems of integration of the new and old geear in your studio. I'm STILL scratching my head over some issues with the Dakota and Montana cards - I'll be calling Frontier about that tomorrow.

 

Lots of cool new toys at NAMM, but is this stuff really that much better than what we're already using? For the past few years it seems that the prices keep falling and capabilities keep improving, but in more incremental as opposed to revolutionary steps.

 

There's no "one standard" pro format anymore like in the days of 2" machines. ADATs, Pro Tools, HD-R's, Stand alones, 2" machines, et cetera all have a valid place, although it seems to me like tape is really on the way out now. It does make compatability from room to room more of an issue, but with computers taking over in studios so much, just about any commercial studio can handle your WAV and AIF files, so there's work arounds.

 

I don't see any real need for drastic gear improvements beyond where we are at right now. I just want to make some money with what I have, and then think about my next major upgrades in another five years or so. Hey, it worked for me five years ago... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

 

Phil O'Keefe

Sound Sanctuary Recording

Riverside CA http://members.aol.com/ssanctuary/index.html

email: pokeefe777@msn.com

[stanner]

well, having gone to art school a lonnnggg time ago i learned a saying that i' ve tried to live up to:

i always try to work w/ what i got but, god this gear lust wont let me be! are there therapies available, cheap? maybe a mantra or somethin?

[Curve Dominant]

PAUL KLEE!!! YO STANNER - I AM SO PSYCHED TO SEE ANOTHER "ARTISTE" HERE - I WAS STARTING TO FEEL LIKE A REAL F*CKING LONER!!!

 

I luv Klee, and I'm ashamed to admit that I was not aware that he said that...

 

 

But that is so true. And that is exactly what I try to force myself to do, always. And sometimes the limitations can guide you to the most unexpected destinations.

[Max Ventura]

Ciao Craig, Phil, Curve. By the way, Curve, read at the end of this post.

I am happy with what I have because I've chosen to keep my setup as streamlined as possible, and detached from the computer. I have one module for rhythm parts, one module for classic sounds, one for techno, and so on, where I have all areas covered with dedicated units.

My ideal setup, if I could afford it, still wouldn't include a computer, and I see no application for which I'd need one. From the Namm gear I'll get the big Roland V-Studio as soon as it comes out, then the Yamaha DX-200 desktop synth (I'm stuffed with analog-modeling ones), their RS-7000 groovebox (if they have fixed the bugs of the RM1-X), and probably also the Roland 88-keys RS-9 synth. I am also eagerly waiting for the mysterious drum machine that Craig has hinted about a few days ago. That is a field with not so many valid machines.

 

Curve:

after hearing the cassete and the CD, I tell you this, in short, then if you have AOL Instant Messenger or ICQ we can discuss that in realtime, let me know (my AIM nick is MaxVentura).

They are both recorded and mastered VERY well. The quality of the recording does not hint at all that you did it on such a small machine. The vocals are loud and clear, defined and well-balanced. I cannot get that mixing balance myself, that is my weak point. But then I have a slight hearing imbalance.

You sing very well, in fact, and sometimes you pronounce a bit like Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, dragging the "sh" ...

In general, though, all the sounds are very well recorded and mixed, although I'd have programmed a lot less attack / a lot more release on your synths, expecially in the string/pads/solo patches, because they show a tendency for abruptness when they attack, and when they release too; a more soft envelope to them would sound better.

[JohnBartus]

There are only a couple of things I'm going to change in my setup, as I've been happy with it for years. It includes, BTW, an ancient Digidesign NuBus PT/ST system (PPC 7100/80) on which I use SDII as my 2-track editor -- still works great. I still like my Mackie 24*8, my Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser, & Shure mic locker, my MIDI rig, my outboard racks, and my DATs & CD burners (1 standalone, 1 computer).

 

The one area I'll upgrade is the multitrack. If the new Alesis ADAT HD24 is what it seems, I'll likely jump to that. Otherwise, I'll just get a couple more 20-bit ADATs (wouldn't it be nice to see the M20's price fall to one kilobuck!).

 

 

 

------------------

John Bartus

Radio Active Productions

We Make Great Radio Happen - Guaranteed.

1-888-93-RADIO

www.radioactivedigital.com

[alphajerk]

im loving my setup. some high end mics and pres i've added in the past year [cranesong, api's, royer, soundelux, even the octava's are nice especially for the $$$ but not from guitar shitter]. the upgrades to DP have been amazing. the fall of HD prices have made my ADATs useless [aside from stealing a AD or two from time to time] and i cant begin to expound on how much i love nonlinear recording/editing.

 

still i could use a couple more channels of pre's, many more mics [you can never have enough], a faster machine [still waiting for the new G4's to get faster while my 9600 kindly hums along], a new digital mixer possibly or at the very least a Motor Mix for the time being. but when your tracking an entire band, you need a lot more than just a nice mic and pre.

 

this is a great time to be alive!

 

 

btw: the pipe is plenty wide on usb for midi devices, this firewire hubub doesnt give me a lot of interest aside from getting my digital video in and out of my computer.

[profesrgeo]

Hi All,

 

I need a new relatively modest board with a configuration that NOBODY makes.

 

Here is my current setup/situation

I record my band 16 tracks simultaneously into a Digi 001 + Alesis AI3 driven by a Powerbook G3 (Wallstreet) connected to a Magma PCI expansion chassis.

 

All instruments are recorded direct (except drums, which are fairly well isolated, acoustic guitar and vocals which are all miced) and the band monitors through headphones (six sets of K240Ms attached to a Rane HC6 Headphone Distribution amp). Bleed is minimal and generally not a problem.

 

I currently use a Mackie CR1604VLZ board for its mic pres, (direct outs and inserts to A/D converters) and to create a single monitor mix (CR/phones out) feeding the HC6 for the band while recording. For overdubs I send the playback from Pro Tools to the tape in on the mackie (minus the instruments being ODed) bussed to the CR/phones out. I mix entirely within Pro Tools.

 

Coming from four track cassette land, Im pretty much in heaven except for one important shortcoming: I need to create separate headphone mixes for each musician and the Mackie board (or any other board that is not major overkill that I know about) is inadequate.

 

Here is what I need:

 

16 (or 24) channel monitoring board with good Mic pres (or no mic pres--Ive had my eye on a couple of True Systems Precision 8s which have dual outs) or line ins.

 

Direct outs (if mic pres are included) and inserts on each channel (with the insert switchable pre or post direct out)

 

4 band (dual mid sweep eq (post direct out)

 

6 (or 8) STEREO busses on separate knobs with separate pans for each channel

 

6 (or 8) stereo outs

 

maybe a cheap reverb assignable to vox via a button, nothing fancy

 

Thats about it.

 

I dont know if this product exists. I suspect I will need to build my own.

I know about the Furman HDS/HRM 16s but Ive gotta believe that a board like the above described would be significantly less than the ±3,500.00 the Furmans would cost (especially if no mic pres were needed).

 

Think there might be a market for this product or is my situation unique?

thanks for listening

geo

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

I don't have a PC in my studio because I discovered years ago that it would hold me back as a songwriter. They have unbelievable potential for recording and sequencing, but I have to walk that fine line between user-friendly gear and still having the tools to get the job done. I'm an admitted computer-phobe. Thankfully, Roland still makes hardware sequencers for people like me.

 

Having too much gear isn't a big deal because I can choose not to use something if I wish. I play guitar, keyboards, and bass so I do find myself not spending enough time on any one instrument. I keep my acoustic guitar in the living room so I play it everyday and keep the chops up.

 

Amp modelers/simulators have also made it easy to be productive. I know it's debatable whether they really sound like good amplifiers, but I can usually get the sound I'm trying to achieve in minutes.

[dansouth]

Originally posted by SteveRB:

I don't have a PC in my studio because I discovered years ago that it would hold me back as a songwriter. They have unbelievable potential for recording and sequencing, but I have to walk that fine line between user-friendly gear and still having the tools to get the job done. I'm an admitted computer-phobe. Thankfully, Roland still makes hardware sequencers for people like me.

 

Steve, find a friend with a Mac and Logic and have them show you a few tricks. It's really not that difficult once you get used to it, and you can do SO much more than on a HW sequencer! Logic becomes a part of you after a while. You begin to "play" it like an instrument.

 

Macs are like Hondas - they do what you expect them to with a minimum of fuss. Wintel is like a '66 Mustang. Be prepared to spend more time tinkering than driving.

[Lee Flier]

TOTALLY agree about adapting yourself to the contents of the paint box. That's the only way to go, for me. Every once in awhile I get some new paints, but in general once I buy something I put blinders on and focus on what I have, not what I don't have. The only exception being if I consistently am unhappy with the sound of something I have.

 

So, stuff like NAMM doesn't really turn my crank all that much. I've been to them a couple of times and it was fun, but didn't stir a whole lot of "gear lust". I would rather have a few pieces of gear and become intimately familiar with how to tweak them, than be constantly upgrading.

 

I'm sure some day I'll buy a few killer pre's, or some such thing, but otherwise I'm totally cool with my setup.

 

--Lee

[dansouth]

I'm very happy with my setup; I've been assembling it for years, and it's really coming together nicely. Sure, I'm eyeing some new gear, but I try to minimize integration hassles by not slapping too much new stuff into the room all at once.

 

I realized a few years ago that hobbyist level stuff goes out of date quickly, but high level gear holds its value for a long time. People are still using C12's, PCM70's, and Minimoogs, which proves that you don't need the latest and greatest to have a great sound. I'm using my JV-80, JD-990, and K2000 on current projects, even though I have some Y2K synths, too.

 

At the top of my wish list is a professionally tuned room. Know any reputable acoustic consultants in the NY/NJ area?

[Dylan]

I'm real happy with my current setup. I use a home-brew PC running Windows ME/2000 with an AMD Duron 650MHz chip, 128MB RAM, Asus A7V motherboard, some fast hard drives, a Teac 8X CDR-W that I picked up for only $100, Asus 8X DVD-ROM, and an assortment of 24-bit audio hardware. I use Vegas primarily, which works flawlessly for me. Unlike popular belief, I don't need to do any tweaking with my PC setup, I just plug-in and go. I have a helluva easier time setting up PC's than Mac's for audio, and I know both platforms inside and out. I just can't stand juggling extensions and playing with application memory allocation or even worse, the copy protection schemes implement with most software packages for Mac (i.e., disk authorization). I'm not looking to start a Mac/PC debate...I just want to ring in here in put in my feedback on how my rig works for me.

 

The one thing that I'm looking for is a basic, clean mic-pre that does not color the sound. All of the mid-priced pre's that I can afford are designed to add a 'tubey' sound and coloration. This is exactly what I don't want. My voice is pretty thick and sounds awful with these kinds of pre's. Right now I'm using a MIDIMan Audiobuddy Mic Pre, which I find to be surprisingly good for the money. But, I'd like a quieter unit with a little more features (phase switch, etc), but I can't afford to break the bank in the process. Also, I just picked up a Fender P-bass so I'm in the market for a nice DI Box. The new wah pedal from Danelectro looks great...I've just got to have it. But nothing really oohed or ahhed me that was released at the NAMM show like usual. While I'm wishing for things, how about an ultra clean quality mixer that has 8 mic pre's, 8 direct outs, 8 inserts, and NO EQ section. Oh yeah, and this mixer would cost less than $500 ;-).

 

-Dylan

[trick fall]

I've been totally happy with my set up since I got a Mac and a MOTU 2408. I love mixing in the computer. Like Alpha I would love to get a Motormix or something. I of course desire more, but for a month or two I'll be happy! My favorite purchase this year out of everthing though.......Beyerdynamic DT-100 Headphones.

[Curve Dominant]

(Sorry folks) Yo Max - great feeback, grazie molto tante. I'm moving my studio this weekend, so I'll get with you next week, ciao.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

i'm not happy with my setup. of course, right now it's cakewalk home studio 5. my sound card is a midiman DMAN2044, and i have an audio buddy pre.

the new cakewalk, SONAR, looks to be my final word in computer audio. i'm eagerly looking forward to upgrading and counting my blessings that i didn't buy prosuite for $300.

and, really, i love SM57s for vocals. they're so great for almost everything.

[Alndln]

I've been using Win 98se with Cakewalk Pro 9/Giga/Fruity/acid/Wavelab/Vst in one environment trouble free for over a year and couldn't be happier.Now with the advent of Sonar I am faced with having to switch OS's to either Win 2k or(god forbid)ME so I can take advantage of low latencey WDM drivers with Dir-x 8.Let me see now,what should it be,A great trouble free setup or the new toy that will probably require a few months of hair pulling to straighten things out. mmmm...

[Anderton]

>>What pre are you using, Craig?<<

 

Aphex 107 for the clean stuff and Peavey VMP2 for the creamy stuff.

[Guest]

Hi Y'all

Gotta say on the whole i'm fairly happy with my setup, yep of course i would like to add some api's, a cranesong and a manley to my exisiting 9098's and vc1q, but i think the biggest project for this year will be the building of new live and control rooms. At the moment they are both converted stables and have been adapted, mostly cos at the time all the available finance went into recording and midi gear, the adaptations of the rooms were done in a hurry and on a very tight budget. This year I plan to have the rooms custom built by a designer who knows what they're doing.... Nothing huge but the emphasis will be on natural sound rather than relying on boxes to create ambience. As for the new control room I am looking forward to having it totally designed around my needs, a mix area, a programming area and a dedicated machine room....can't wait....

 

Simon.

[robotobonhome.com]

Originally posted by Alndln@hotmail.com:

I am faced with having to switch OS's to either Win 2k or(god forbid)ME so I can take advantage of low latencey WDM drivers with Dir-x 8.

 

You can use WDM's in Win98SE. I get 1ms with a Delta 1010 + the beta WDM driers they have.

 

-rob

[dansouth]

Originally posted by Lee Flier:

TOTALLY agree about adapting yourself to the contents of the paint box.

--Lee

 

Better yet, build a custom paint box that supports the way YOU want to work, and when it's ready, don't mess with it. There are only so many hours in a day. You can spend it fiddling with gear and reading manuals, or you can dedicate it to your music. My music has received many compliments, but no one has ever walked up to me and said, "Hey, Dan, great job debugging that word clock problem!"

[wormhole]

There should be Grammy nominations for this kind of stuff.

 

And the award for best 2" lock to ProTools goes to ...

[alphajerk]

"Hey, Dan, great job debugging that word clock problem!"

 

yeah, but if you didnt fix it i bet they would have some words to say.

[Steve Smith]

We are almost done our new room.. Gear goes in this week.. ISo i am jammin excited and happy as all get out ( havent had to troubleshoot post-move yet.. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ) Also, PT are now saying that ver 5.1 will be win 2000 compatible, so I may be out of NT by the end of the year.. ( or century, depending if they actually deliver)

 

New studio, new (2nd) child on the way.. Life is good indeed!

 

Steve