FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: V Synth Xt

Question:
What to buy? $2.5-3k Hi gurus... and welcome to my quest. I’m trying to decide how to spend a chunk of change in the $2500 to $3000 ballpark. I record a variety of acts, many solo singers, a few bands (soon I ’ll record my Alt-pop-rock band). I make a living at it – barely. I’m planning to start toward the production co./mgmt./label/publishing side of things next year. That means next year’s ‘budget’ must go for cell phones, furniture, suits, bmw’s, blow jobs and crack. So for this year my criteria are: 1) Will retain its value and not depreciate 2) Excellent sound quality 3) Doesn’t duplicate/fits in with what I already have (list below) 4) I’m planning on not buying too much more equipment. My analyst says I need to slow down. Yeah, right. I’m leaning heavily toward a mic or pre, but a comp/lim is possible, too. I’ m thinking of: Mic pre’s like V72, Vipre, Phoenix GTQ2, Millenia, UA 2-610, Great River, Earthworks, Neve. Mics – I can’t afford a U47, but I would like a vocal jaw-dropper. Maybe a 251 clone? Royer, Earthworks? Comp/Lim – 1176 or 1178, Summit... ? EQ? I don’t have a great analog EQ – what about the Phoenix Pre/EQ? High end AD/DA – Crane song, Apogee? 2 channels, preferably 24/96 Combo boxes – Manley VoxBox, DVC, or ...? Maybe I’m in the wrong category? Maybe I need to think outside the (vox)box? Tease me, tickle me, excite me, surprise me... Thanks, Mikey Nova Music Productions EQUIPMENT LIST Amplifiers Crown Straight Line Two Pre-amp CROWN Power Line 3 Amp QSC A41 Stereo Amp AB SYSTEMS Computer – CWPA 9.03 Creamware Pulsar DSP soundcard (x2) SF 5.0 Band In A Box Pro Win 98 Lots of Plugins Instruments/Keyboards/MIDI 360 Systems 8 x 8 MIDI patchbay Alesis QS7, QS8, and QSR Synth. W/AMD Q-card Fatar Studio 900 Midi Controller Alesis D4 Drum Module Baby Grand Piano - Francis Bacon Martin d-28 Acoustic guitar w/HS case Charvel Electric Guitar Harmonicas (x2) Italian Accordion Takamine F-360S Acoustic guitar Yamaha TG33 Sound Module Loudspeakers Mackie HR824 x2 Auratone 5C cube monitors x 2 Crate GC-112GT Guitar cabinet Custom-made E/V 15” & horn LS (2) Peavey/AMR PRM 308s Monitors (x2) 2 Peavey 110 PI Loudspeakers E/V FM12-2 Range Floor monitor JBL Loaded Custom Subwoofer System. Yamaha NS-10M x2 Mics AKG 414B/ULS, 414 TL, 451 Beyer M600 , M 500 E/V RE 20 Gefell UM70 Hohner Blues Blaster Lawson L-47MP Neumann TLM103, TLM 193, M147, KM184 (3) Rode NT-1 Sennheiser 441, 421 Sescom MC-325 Shure SM57 (5), Green Bullet Soundelux U195s Mic Preamps API 512b (x2) Sytek MPX-4A Peavey VMP-2 Demeter VTMP-2a Neve/Vintech 1272 Mixers Creamware Pulsar DSP soundcard (x2) Soundtracs Solo Logic 32 X 8 X 2, automated Yamaha 01v (for live gigs) Recorders Alesis ADAT XT (x2) Tascam DA-30 DAT Special effects & outboard equipment EL-8 Distressor (x2) ART SGX 2000 ART Levelar Compressor (mono) BSR Frequency Analyzer BSS/Opal DPR944 Gate/ Comp dbx 160xt compressor FMR RNC 1773 Compressor Lexicon LXP-1 Reverb Lex MPX100 LOFT 403 M Crossover Sabine RT-1601 Rack Tuner Yamaha GE-20 Dual 10-band Equalizer WHITE INSTRUMENTS 4100A BBE Spectral Enhancer x 2

Answer:
My advice? Dump the Cakewalk & buy a Paris bundle. Emu discontinued them, so you can find some relatively lower prices right now from any dealers that still have them (or directly from Emu's website). Sounds WAAAY better than Alsihad (I feel like I've got a nice Studer 24-track inside my PC), and should totally blow your Cakewalk away like a Ferrari 512TR up against a '63 Buick Electra. Will it depreciate? Probably at first, but who knows in the long run... who would've thunk that a Farchild 670 would cost as much today as you could buy a house for when they were originally built? The point is, it'll take EVERYTHING you do to the next level. Get rid of the two ADATs Buy a Fostex D1624 for $1200 ( currently at the 'pre-new version' blowout price - replaces the ADATs ) Buy the new Creamware AD16 Ultra 16 channel 24/96 AD/DA ~ $1100 ( I/O for the Fostex and / or computer ) Also Buy a Lucid AD9624 converter ~ $700 ( I/O for the DAT and / or computer ) Takes care of your entire budget so the only thing to worry about is recording