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440 Forums _ Audio Melting Pot _ What Else Do I Need For My Setup?

Posted by: everybodysnobody Wed 3 Nov 2004, 00:22

Hi Everyone,

I currently have the new IMAC G5 20" with 2GB of ram. I'm using digital performer 4.5 and have recently bought a tascam FW1884 for my audio interface. I also have a Korg Triton Le-88 Workstation, Mackie hr824 monitors, 2 AKG C1000S and 2 AKG C3000B mics. I haven't really started recording anything but mostly just reading manuals and playing around with things in digital performer recording keyboard riffs and licks. I'm curious or kind of confused on what else I need as far as compressors, mic-preamps, additional hardware, possibly a midi controller to complete a basic set-up to where I can begin playing around and start to learn the ins and outs of recording live music as well as writing a lot of beats and electronic music. Any advice on how to improve my set-up and maximize my set-up is extremely appreciated. Thank you.

Ryan.

Posted by: lepetitmartien Wed 3 Nov 2004, 02:37

Before spending any more money, I think you should first use what you have and improve when you feel something is not as good as it could be.

Gear lust is an expensive passion, and it doesn't help you to actually learn the gear you already have. Once you know your actual gear, you'll find natural to change/add something (a really good preamp, another mic, a hardware synth, some plug-ins)

BTW, the possibilities are so tremenduous, it's difficult to point something in peculiar.

Learn your set up NOW!

Posted by: dangt Wed 3 Nov 2004, 04:03

I agree with "leptitmartien". Get to know your set-up, Write some songs, record some full songs. If you get some good ideas out and/or a song that really kickarse. then think about how you could improve it, add to it or even record it again. The gear doesnt write the music, you do!

If you get somthing that you can publish, then you should think about going to a pro studio or spending your money on some more gear.

Your set-up sounds good so far. If you want good mic sounds have a look at a mic pre-amp. Or if you are getting into midi tracking and recording, check some midi interfaces and controllers.

have fun

Posted by: Fields Wed 3 Nov 2004, 06:21

I am certain that if you focused on learning the ins and outs of the gear you currently have, you'll realize that you most likely won't need much more gear.

How about exhausting your current setup, once you feel like you've reached a limit, then think about what else it is you want to do.

and also, technology is only going to get more efficient, faster and cheaper. So save some of your cash for the future, no sense in blowing it all now.

-Fields

Posted by: everybodysnobody Wed 3 Nov 2004, 18:14

Thanks for the advice everyone. It seems all the responses are relatively the same. I do need to work with what I have and learn more and more about the equipment and features. I would really like to learn more and record some of my friends bands. I think that will help me learn more in the process of actually recording. I will definitely check out some mic pre-amps. I just want to make sure I can provide a quality recording and I'm not leaving out some equipment that will not allow that to happen. The process or practice of recording and mixing time and time again will help me learn more as I go. The fact that they are my friends and are understanding of the learning process is a help. Thanks for the advice and I will see what I can do from here.

Ryan.

Posted by: Dave Bourke Wed 3 Nov 2004, 20:58

You don't need a MIDI controller -- the Korg Triton makes a very fine job of this. The only thing I might suggest is to get an Aphex 207 dual channel mic preamp (comes with built-in limiting). This is a very nice piece of kit which is going very cheap at the moment (Turnkey UK have them for £179).

You don't mention a MIDI interface in your first post (unless the Tascam does MIDI as well as audio?). If you want to do MIDI in DP4.5, that's a must-have. If you don't have one, buy a MOTU -- they just work.

As regards compression, DP4.5 has the MasterWorks MultiBand compressor and Dynamics plug-ins, so you're all set to go :-)

Good luck!

Posted by: everybodysnobody Thu 4 Nov 2004, 00:39

Davd Bourke,

The Tascam is a Audio/Midi Interface. I checked out the Aphex 207 on musicians friend and really like it. I'm going to read more about it and may end up just going with that. I definitely need a preamp for the mics badly.

I am learning more and more about dp 4.5 every day, there's so many features and being a new mac user as well as a new DP user the manuals are a bit overwhelming and will definitly take some serious time to master. What encouraged me to use DP was when I was in the studio they used a mac G4 with dp 4.0 and I loved the simplicity of it which I think is not that complicated to learn the basics but very complicated to master. I was going to go with pro tools since everyone rants and raves about it so much, but I just hate things that are really proprietary which is what I believe pro tools is but am not sure on that 100%. Thank you so much for the advice.

Ryan.

Posted by: iscralatchtical Thu 4 Nov 2004, 03:56

remember this...you may own an archepalego, but you need a boat to get around.

Before you invest in a microphone preamp, you should look over investing a signicant fund for cables. Monster 1000's, Mogami, etc...do yourself the favor. Even though this may be a few hundred dollars to upgrade everything, you bet it makes a difference in your recording quality.

I also disagree with the generalization that technology is going to get better each day. We should accept the responsibility to do research and know that somethings do, and somethings don't. And also, many a technologies are a farce to their marketing, and we'd be best to heed to caution before we give ourselves to "the next generation" toys. This i believe is true especially in music gear seeing as how solid state amplification technology has simplified yet not surpassed the need and sufficiency of tube amplification. The guitars haven't gotten much sweeter in the past 15 years, and you can certainly still make hit records with tape machines (ie. white stripes). The accomplishments of recent technologies are nothing but caterings to conveniences, which at the end of the day...simplifies, doesn't really better.

Anyhow...i'd go up a few notches on the preamp list and check out focusrite voicemaster pro platinum, grace 101, the fmr line of recording gear, presonus eureka (surprisingly a stand-out from other presonus turn-outs).

Posted by: everybodysnobody Mon 8 Nov 2004, 21:48

Hi iscralatchtical,

Sorry for the delay in response. I've checked out the focusrite as well as the presonus and I really like the focusrite. The latency free monitoring is pretty sweet. I'm gonna hit up GC and check it out in person first before making a decision though.

Thanks.

Ryan.

Posted by: ourmanflinty Tue 9 Nov 2004, 18:08

aint you got mic amps on your tascam?? why get more?? what you really want is some headphones, and chocolate biscuits, or malted milk, bands usually like hob nobs though but some are more jaffa cake types. How about some valves, or analog compresser / limiters on your inputs, or a cd burner, or a second set of speakers or a comfy swivel chair, maybe a subbass, or a lava lamp. A teapot. A really nice holiday? A 5.1 setup? Some acoustic panels? A vocal booth? More chocolate? er...the list goes on...

Sorry, I'm not helping much.

Posted by: Merlind Thu 18 Nov 2004, 19:16

Hello!

Is dp4.5 working well with your imac? Did you push it? How is it responding? I'm thinking of buying a g5 2,5ghz with some raid 0+1 system for the streaming in mach5. Are you using mach5?
Are the internal hardrive fast enough? Do you have any porblem?

thank's

Merlin.

Posted by: CanadaRAM Tue 30 Nov 2004, 05:10

I'll chip in my $0.02:

Get a backup hard drive. Yer goin' to spend a month recording the most brilliant opus ever devised by humankind, and one morning there'll be a power outage or a cosmic ray will hit your hard drive or in a Hobnob-induced sugar daze you'll hit Delete by mistake and it'll be gone.

A good large external Firewire drive (or two) will give you room to have your data backed up in more then one location, and you can carry it away with you as well in case of flood, fire or tax collectors.

Also a good battery-backed up power supply will keep your machine safe from electrical dangers. Choose one that has 24/7 voltage regulation as well as battery backup.

DVD blanks, lots of 'em, for backing up projects as you go along. Can help with the "I don't like it any more. It was better last week before you ..." syndrome.

A cheap and cheerful boom box or a television with tiny speakers - so you can play back mixes on to see if they still sound good in mono on $#!**y speakers.

Some duvets, carpets, 1/2 plywood sheets, pillows, curtains or acoustical foam to adjust your recording and monitoring space.

(Plywood sheet? Yes, if you have carpet, put the plywood on the floor under the guitar player when recording acoustic guitars)

Comfortable chair that doesn't squeak when you recline or swivel. (reduces the incidence of spoiled-24th-take induced enginerricide by the talent..)

Dust covers for everything

Spares for perishible items like mic cables, mouse, computer keyboard, etc.

Electronic contact cleaner

Set up your Mac to turn off network access, bluetooth, WiFi. Energy Saver and all background processes like antivirus scanning while you are recording. Even better, have 2 user accounts, one configured just for recording.

Thanks
Trevor
www.canadaram.com