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Cheap gear that sounds great


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Well, it's like the subject says... Name your favorite cheap piece of gear (under $200) which happens to work sonic wonders...

 

I'll start with saying that my little Casio SK-1 is still the coolest little sub-$100 sampler/synth/sequencer out there. I used the synthesis functions not too long ago to get a Farfisa-like organ sound when my "real" sampler (Ensoniq ASR-10) didn't have the kind of sound I was looking for.

 

What's your favorite cheap gear that sounds great?

 

 

This message has been edited by popmusic on 05-31-2001 at 08:36 PM

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Before I knew what a pre-amp was, I would sing through an old RAT pedal. I backed off the volume and distortion and... presto-chango... instant vocal tone. A bit noisy though.

 

Cool thread idea. I'm going to go look for that RAT pedal now.

 

jojo

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Hmmm,

Sure sm 57

Yamaha tx81z...if you need a cheap synth(not a tone module, a synth)

 

Also, 8 and 12 bit samplers with analog filters ROCK!...ie emu emx, emulator 2, ensoniq mirage. Get one of these and you can relive the sound track to scarface 24-7.Of course an 8 bit sampler with analog filter is at its best when pumped through a marshall halfstack(wich is a bit more than cheap)...and of course recorded with the sm 57.

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The Room Machine 844 VST plug-in has my vote. It's a free(!) reverb with a bunch of cool features.

 

-Danny

 

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

Of all the things that I have lost, I miss my mind the most.

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VSamp

a nifty shareware (39$!!) VST sampler

 

can't live without it! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

mmm, have u said 'hardware'? oops.

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FMR RNC compressor

Mackie 1202 (used, they go for well under US$200 without even looking hard). That's less than $50 for pretty good mic preamps -- oh, and it comes with a mixer, too!

 

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Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows:

FMR RNC compressor

 

I've heard this compressor mentioned several times before on this forum, but I know virtually nothing about it... I thought I even heard someone compare the way it sounds to a UREI 1176 or a LA-2... Is it really that good?

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Originally posted by Curve Dominant:

Danelectro Honey Tone guitar amp. Rocks out, I sh*t you not.

curve

 

He aint lying!

 

Lets not forget the ever underestimated Oktava MK-219.

"Meat is the only thing you need beside beer! Big hunks of meat and BEER!!...Lots of freakin' BEER."

"Hey, I'm not Jesus Christ, I can't turn water into wine. The best I can do is turn beer into urine." Zakk Wylde

 

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Let's see... Clavinet D6 ($125 at a pawnshop), it KILLS any sampled/modeled clav. Alesis AirFX ($175 on sale), has some seriously twisted filters & such - also it's FUN. EPI 1/2 scale Les Paul ($39 Service Merchandise closeout) good neck, nice pickup - I replaced the tuners & set the intonation & it ROCKS.

 

Scott

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pop, the FMR sounds NOTHING like those two. Who da hell said that? One is a tube/opto/trannie thingy the other one is a distorting J-FET/trannie thang...

 

The FMR is a modern VCA comp that is wonderfull on it's own. No wannabe *vintage* simulation here. Just god clean compression. Very good indeed! Very clean, can be used as a bus/mastering compressor as well. I don't think any other sub 500USD compressor can claim that.

 

It's as usefull as those two 3K comps. No comp is perfect for every job. Nor this one. It's the SM57 of the compressor world... sorta.

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Originally posted by hiraga:

The FMR is a modern VCA comp that is wonderfull on it's own. No wannabe *vintage* simulation here. Just god clean compression. Very good indeed! Very clean, can be used as a bus/mastering compressor as well.

 

Thanks for the info, hiraga!

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The Danelectro Hash Browns flanger mini-pedal. Brand spankin'-new, about $40. Fantastic little box.

 

The Phantom Wah. Bought the first, and last one I've ever seen. It was supposed to be $199 (15 years ago!) when original Crybaby's went for about $50 - $60. I bought mine for $50! No one appreciated the design.

 

It uses a magnetic field, which is controllable via the one knob, to sense your foot position. You can tighten the field until your foot must rest on the pad, or raise it to where the wah begins 2-3 inches above. Very quiet and expressive.

 

You can also use the knob to preset a tone, similar to leaving your Crybaby on with the pedal somewhere in the middle of it's arc. Not good for this, as you need your hand to adjust back to a full range wah. But boy this baby sounds sweet! (Oh yeah, requires 2 9v batteries. That certainly made it unpopular. No wall wart input.)

 

Neil

It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman

 

Soundclick

fntstcsnd

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Cheap gear that kicks? Well, here's some of my faves in the under $200 class (IOW, I paid $200 or less for each item):

 

1. Shure SM57. 8th wonder of the world. If a good engineer can't get a useable recording of ANY source with this mic, then they're not really that good after all...

 

2. Danelectro DC-12 12 string electric. I have always wanted a Ric 620-12 to go with my Ric 610-6, but after playing and hearing this thing, I decided I'd rather put the rest of the cash into a Epi Casino. Major jangle for the bucks.

 

3. Audix D-2. Killer tom mics, and much easier to place in a crowded kit than a MD-421.

 

4. Oktava MC012. Next best thing to a KM84, for a LOT less bread.

 

5. FMR RNC. Craig's review was right - the best under $1 K compressor - by far.

 

 

Phil O'Keefe

Sound Sanctuary Recording

Riverside CA

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

pokeefe777@msn.com

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dbx120 subharmonic [im still looking for the model i used once with 4 adjustable frequencies that killed the ones out now] $249list, put it on a bass or a kick. prepare to wet your pants.

 

i wouldnt mind a whole rack of rnc's, i have 3 as it is. best bang for the buck EVER! and no, they dont sound like a la2a/1176 at all.

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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Hmmmm... it would have to be a toss up between

 

1. Neumann KMS84i $30AUS ($15US)

or

2. Neve 3115 module $100AUS ($50US)

or

3. Neumann U77 $300AUS ($150US)

or

4. AGK C60 Tube $100AUS ($50US)

or

5. RME opto limiting amplifier $50AUS ($25US) (uses germaniums but it's great for rock'n'roll!)

 

A friend picked up the KMS84i for me at a garage sale.

 

The 3115 came out of a Neve Melbourne Broadcast console that was being scrapped about 15 years ago.

 

Another friend who had retired from the business sold me the U77 not working. (Broken wire on output transformer.)

 

Saved the RME limiter from being sent to an auction with a whole lot of other 'junk' including the AKG C60 tube.

 

Sometimes you win some.... and then you win some more!

Oh well... tomorrow I get hit by a truck!!!!

 

This message has been edited by Rowan on 06-01-2001 at 08:16 AM

"WARNING!" - this artificial fruit juice may contain traces of REAL FRUIT!!
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Originally posted by Rowan:

Hmmmm... it would have to be a toss up between

 

1. Neumann KMS84i $30AUS ($15US)

 

 

Care to sell it? I'll give you $20 http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Cad E100......excellent mic for the price.

Behringer mixpad.....damn quiet for a cheapie.

Bellari tube mic preamp......probably the most used in my studio.

Fender Pro Jr. in my humble opinion, the best amp Fender makes.

Boss SD-1.....poor mans tube screamer at a fraction of the cost.

Shure SM57, EV257......workhorses for stage and studio.

Fender Mex Tele's and Strat's......excellent working musician's gear to play the pubs

That's all I can think of.......but while we're on the subject, it always amazes me to see guys roll in $5000 worth of gear to play a $500 gig.....I see it all the time. Nothing wrong with it....just seems odd to me.

Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in
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I agree. The RNC is killer. great for vocals with a nice mic and nice button turned on. Also Pre-sonus Blue Tube and Blue Max work well for me,

 

Also a new discovery. PSP plug-in's http://www.psp-audioware.com/

This Polish company has two sets of great

VST plug-ins Mix Pack($100) and Stereo Pack($40). They are some the best lug-ins for mastering I've found so far.

 

DJ Kamakaze

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Originally posted by pokeefe777@msn.com:

Cheap gear that kicks? Well, here's some of my faves in the under $200 class (IOW, I paid $200 or less for each item):

 

1. Shure SM57. 8th wonder of the world.

 

Phil O'Keefe

 

Phil:

 

I was gonna say the same... so I will just add the SM58 for live purposes.

 

Have anynone tried the ALESIS MicroVerb? The little box sounds great... and it is very cheap...

 

GusTraX

Músico, Productor, Ingeniero, Tecnólogo

Senior Product Manager, América Latina y Caribe - PreSonus

at Fender Musical Instruments Company

 

Instagram: guslozada

Facebook: Lozada - Música y Tecnología

 

www.guslozada.com

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I'll nominate the Rode NT1 as the best deal under two bills and the CAD CM17 condenser as the best mic for the money period..you can get three of them for $210.00. For the home recordist it's hard to beat the Alesis mini series of comps and reverbs for the money.

 

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Mark G.

Mark G.

"A man may fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame others" -- John Burroughs

 

"I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man." -- Thomas Jefferson

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Danelectro Innuendo Baritone 30" scale with 4 built in effects for $199...

 

Tech21 Bass DI, great as a pre-amp live or for recording $175...

 

Johnson J-station, great for recording, $199 when I got mine, $149 now

 

Danelectro Hodad 12-string, similar to the DC-12 mentioned above $200...

 

I concur with the Shure 57/58 and the Oktavia mentions

 

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KJ

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bari man low

KJ

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"50 million Elvis Presley fans can't be all wrong" - John Prine

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Tech 21 Trademark 10. A little 10 watt amp with great amp sims as well as a balanced XLR DI output and 1/4" headphone jack. This can easily be found for under $300. Not too shabby for playing small gigs either.

 

-Dylan

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Not sure if Marshall still makes them but the little 9volt powered Microstack doesnt sound bad for dirty electric gtr, vocal and keyboard parts. I'm always amazed at how good it sounds on tape. Anyone tried the little cigarette pack amps?
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Similar to the Marshall MicroStack is the Fender Mini Twin. That sounds great on tape also, great gritty sound there, too. I set mine up under a cardboard box and mike it with a SM57. Sounds way huge! And it only cost $40.

 

Mine's the older blackface model, not sure how the new silverface is http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif

 

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KJ

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

bari man low

KJ

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"50 million Elvis Presley fans can't be all wrong" - John Prine

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