Hello Producers ! :)

[Lukas]

hello,

im rather amateur,
i want to build my small studio.
at present i have :

PC :
mainboard : NEO 3 MSI 865PE
CPU : Pentium 3 GHZ
RAM 512 KINGSTON

midi keyboard - Yamaha Psr - 60
Access Virus C
music card : m-audio audiophile 192

Software : Ableton Live 2
Cubase Sx 3
Fruity Loops 5


I want to buy mixer which will be good for me, and have mic input and headphones, i want also have connected acitve monitors which ill buy in a future ( i hope in a near future), access virus C and Roland Jp 8000 (no near future :) but ill buy) what else ? ... hmm ...

please give me some advices, which will help me.

tell me what you will choose, but remember about price :) im not a milionere :)

[vvanrij]

HAHA you must be GERMAN :lol:

[Lukas]

no ... im Polish ...

[vvanrij]

Ok good for you!!! Now go get a mackie mixer and some genelec monitors! Also a good neumann mic and some sennheiser headphones!

GL & HF!

-VR

[Timo]

Hi Lukas,

Ok good for you!!! Now go get a mackie mixer and some genelec monitors! Also a good neumann mic and some sennheiser headphones!

GL & HF!

-VR

Genelecs and Neumanns, lol, I think it depends on the budget!

How many (mixer) channels would you like, and what will you be doing with the mixer? Purely for routing duties, or for a full mix-down? or will you be using the Cubase/sequencer mixer for mixdown? Let us know what software/hardware you will be using for what purpose.

Also, what will you be recording with the mic? Vocals, or guitar/instruments, or whatever?

Welcome, anyway!

Timo :)

[Gopal]

Ok good for you!!! Now go get a mackie mixer and some genelec monitors! Also a good neumann mic and some sennheiser headphones!

GL & HF!

-VR

Strange advice as both those brands have fallen out of favour with professionals in the last couple years. Mackie have changed ownership and apparently their new mixers can't compete with Soundcraft products. Also alot of studios I know of have ditched their Genelec monitors because of excessively grainy high frequencies

[Panopticon]

Sheesh. Adding a Neumann mic into that setup is like bringing a Ferrari to a mountain bike race. What's he gonna plug it into? A MACKIE? Not to mention A/D's, outboard EQ's & dynamics, an actual decent sounding room, and a source to make the most of it. Don't be fucking retarded... The Genelecs don't get good until you're in the $3000 price range, and at that point you might as well start looking at ADAMS, which trounce the living shit out of every other monitor on the planet (IMNSHO).

Man, if you would like some *helpful* advice, look at these for monitors:
(I don't know what your budget is)

1. KRK V6's or V8's (great monitors w/excellent transient response, they easily let you hear what's wrong in a mix.)

2. HR624's or HR824's (not my favorites, but a lot of people like them, so you might, too)

3. Event Studio Precision 6's or 8's. (These sound really great, killer bass response, a very smooth, linear sound with a nice high end.)

Probably more important than the monitors you choose, however, will be the room treatment and monitor placement. Any of these monitors will do the trick (as well as lots of others), but the best monitors in the world can be ruined by careless placement in small, boxy rooms (which seems to be the trend these days with all the bedroom studios and such.) Take your time and get them placed right, and you'll be able to trust what you hear.

Good luck-

Pan

[vvanrij]

Haha oooo I scared all the 'professionals' with my joke :lol:

[matsa]

I used to have a set of Genelec 1029's but, as Panopticon so rightly says, it's the room that makes all the difference. I'd go for a a used mixer and a pair of good headphones next if I were you Lukas. You should be able to get both for under ?200. I've got an old spirit mixer and a pair of AKG's that do the job for me. Good luck!

[Khazul]

For mixer, I'm using a Yamaha 01x+i88x - multi-channel firewire sound card, daw controller, mixer and patch bay all in one - used with a PC and Cubase SX 3.1 and Reason 3
For monitors - Im using a pair of Event TR8XL.
For headphones - AKG240 Studio - very comfortable for extended use, but I dont mix using them - I just dont find headphones good for mixing.

I'm quite happy with the setup - having mixer DAW controller combined is nice - everything controlled from a single console. There also an Expander (the i88x) for the 01x that gives you an additional 8 analog ins, 8 analogue outs and can be further expanded via ADAT optical connection for another 8in+8out.

As others have suggested tho, you could buy the most expensive and perfect speakers on the planet, but if your room is not suitable (or the location of the speakers isnt), then they may still sound terrible.

[melnikov_project]

ok u dont neeed all those stuff and equpment
and i think u better focuce on trance music
go to some studio and use the syth's they have there
better haa...
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
:idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:

[Gopal]

ok u dont neeed all those stuff and equpment
and i think u better focuce on trance music
go to some studio and use the syth's they have there
better haa...
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
:idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:

Yeah, just ask them to turn up the "Phatness" dial and it will be sounding sweet as in no time lol

[AlexHall74]

Gopal wrote:
Yeah, just ask them to turn up the "Phatness" dial and it will be sounding sweet as in no time lol

No you didn't, you didn''t just type that...

Bwaahhaaaaahaaaa!!! 8)

[MADSTATION]

hahahaha
Now that is hilarious.
but actually the Adventus VST has a FAT button LOL
I guess it is Unison or Detune but anyways, quite funny isnt it!
Pretty much targeted at the Trance scene...
Not that I have anything agains trance, but there's quite a few people who think that producing the perfect track is just a click away! LOL

:)

[Tomer=Trance]

if your on a tight budget but looking for quality i would suggest looking into rode NT series mics and studio project c1\b1 but be aware-recording with condenser needs an extremly quiet enviroment,
mixer: some small soundcraft,maybe their compact series or small mackie vlz.
monitors: the Adam anf10 are good,if you got some more money look into the dynaudio bm5\6 if you got less money look into the alesis stuff.

[melnikov_project]

i think before u start spendind money on all this expencive equipment....
u alould ask your self!
am i good anought....can i make some good shit with that if u sure about u
so go and sell your car and get a lot of fancy music toys and play.
but for 1 second ask yourself .the label that wont your song ?if u had all this equipment would it buy your song or it just another 20 songs that they heard today...
couse im know some friends that make amazin shit only with vst's and all the recordings done in a studio.with pro's and good room's,mic's and much expirience.

but

i think better for u still
make trance drink vodka take some sweeden chick and make her sing for u.

[Tomer=Trance]

thats just stupid,
he can enjoy making music even if his not a superstar producer.

[Timo]

Another idea, buy stuff second hand. If it doesn't suit you you can always sell it on at the same price.

You can save yourself a packet this way. - New gear usually depreciates very quickly. Also, a lot of people literally throw out their decent hardware these days for silly prices, in favour of software. Daft mugs! muaahaha. All the more for me. :D

When buying second hand, if there are fragile items involved try your best to go and see they are fully working and in good condition before you actually buy, obviously.

For more solid or cheaper stuff eBay is an OK source (so long as you are wary and can read between the lines).

[melnikov_project]

thats just stupid,
he can enjoy making music even if his not a superstar producer.

sure he can as we all doing right now
but
if u think real all those stuff cost lots of money for only 2 virus modules u can get a really good car.
and for fun lool
it a very expancive hobby so what im sayin .if he askin what to buy better to save few $ here and there he;'s no milionere so like every1 else before he starts spendin dousens of $ he should think twice if all this money woth the throuble...
before start spendin so much better go to some studio and take a look what hes doing there what he using and just ask him how much money it will cost me eventually to get home studio and,even maybe pplz there have some second hand equip for sale as they almost every few mounts upgradin theyr studios' thats what i did .and the money i figured out is needed to build a home studio just for a start.
the price was standin on 10000$ for a normal home studio.
and u can have a lot of fun in there.

[Lukas]

thanx for replies guys :)
:)

[dr. orange]

Well, I've got Mackies HR824 and I LOVE THEM. They are to me very professional, and that's also what a firend said who has a professional studio at home with three pair of monitors but no mackies. He really was blown away!

I LOVE THEM

[Lukas]

i Have Yamaha MSP 5 Studio Monitors

[F5D]

I had Mackie HR626's and now have Dynaudio BM5A's. Both are very good monitors. The Mackies had better bass response and don't need a sub. You can manage without a sub with the BM5A's too but I have considered adding a sub. Mackies have a sharper sound compared to dynaudios. It's a matter of taste which one you like. I like both very much. Btw, the sound of the 626's is more accurate than 824's because the bass is faster and the mid frequencies are not "missing". The bass however goes about as deep in both models. And the 626 is not just a center channel. It's one of the best monitors I have heard in stereo applications.

[dr. orange]

Btw, the sound of the 626's is more accurate than 824's
no

because the bass is faster and the mid frequencies are not "missing".
no

The bass however goes about as deep in both models.
no

And the 626 is not just a center channel.
??

[Khazul]

Dr.O - they look like a center channel speaker of a studio surround rig, but they aint - they next up from the 624.

F5D - As for mid frequencies being missing with 824 - that sounds like you have real problems with bass modes in your room / room to small for them / they are in the corners or too close ot the walls (they aint as a immune to walls as claimed I think).

IMHO 824 are *by far* the best monitors for under 1000UKP.

I personally have Event TR8XLs - IMHO best you can get under 500UKP :)

[F5D]

Btw, the sound of the 626's is more accurate than 824's
no

because the bass is faster and the mid frequencies are not "missing".
no

The bass however goes about as deep in both models.
no

And the 626 is not just a center channel.
??

Have you listened to HR626's? I'm not talking about HR624. I am talking about the biggest and most expensive model of the HR series. The 824 has more Watts but the 626 is still the biggest of all. It's not just a 5.1 center channel. I know many studios which use them as their main monitors and not HR824. I also know many people who have switched from 824 to 626 and also say that they are better. And the 2x 6 inch woofers really give faster bass and better mid range for vocals. The 824 goes slightly lower but is also slower than the 626 but the bass response of both is really amazing. People always ask the question, where the sub is. HR624's bass response is not comparable.

Both are still great monitors. It's up to ones taste which one is better. For me it's the 626 if I have to choose Mackie.

[dr. orange]

yes, you're right F5D. I confused the HR626 with the HR624...
No, I haven't listened to the HR626 which would have been senseless as well since I couldn't afford them ;-) I could compare the HR624 with some Genelecs and Yamahas and some others I don't remember, and the HR624 impressed me. Then at home, I saw a pair of used HR824s at ebay and bought them for not much...

Hmm, I'm very happy with my HR824, and I listen everything and all the time with them...

[F5D]

I am also considering if I'll sell my BM5A's and buy HR824's because I don't want to buy a subwoofer and somehow I miss the sound of the Mackie HR626's. The BM5A's have a nice sound but sometimes I still miss the bass response of the Mackie's. And the Mackies usually tell better if there's something wrong in the mix. IMO with Dynaudio's, you have to listen more carefully because the sound is so nice. I would go for the 626's again but currently I cannot get as good deal for them as I got earlier so the 824's seem to be the best choice.

[MonkeyMan]

Hello Lukas. I think as previously mentioned you need to be a bit more specific on what sort of music you want to produce and your budget. If you are going for the electronic/dance production side of things then perhaps I can offer you an opinion.

A hell of a lot people make the same simple mistake on being drawn into spending lots of hard earned cash on the latest synths and outboard kit - but then neglect seriously researching and spending money on quality A/D D/A. Start as you mean to go on Lukas - get the best soundcard you can even if you have to save hard for a couple of months.

It may not be perfectly obvious to you now, it may take a year or two for the penny to drop and your ears to have become critically improved to know that you want more "definition and detail" - greater "stereo width" or much "smoother deeper bass." These are all areas in my experience that suffer when using slightly inferior soundcards. You do get what you pay for buddy - let us know what you can afford in this department then perhaps we can offer you advice based on hands on experience. (But think Apogee, Metric Halo, RME and MOTU)

Monitors are a slightly different kettle of fish. Again it depends on what you can afford - but this is an area in which I feel you can achieve fantastic results without breaking the bank too much. I have not heard the Mackie Hr626's but they do appear to be targeting the home cinema/surround sound market and are about $1300 a pair. I will leave it to you to decide whether this is a good or bad thing.

Having listened to a few pairs of speakers in my time - my preference for a small project studio would be a pair of Dynaudio BM5a's (not to be confused with BM5's as these are the passive version). They really do sound fantastic, great sweet spot, fantastic detail and are about $1000 a pair brand new. Well worth the money IMHO.

Headphones (can of worms here!) - I just purchased a pair of Beyerdynamic DT700 Pro's. I listened to a number of different pairs down at Turnkey in London as they have a great listening post. I swayed for the DT700 Pro's for their ideal sound quality and comfort. Again comfort should not be neglected if you intend to use your headphones for a couple of hours - the Sennheiser's I tried sounded nice but inflicted pain!!

Once you have a list of a few soundcards, monitors and headphones - get yourself down your local pro-audio store and demo the lot!!

Take your time and enjoy...

[dr. orange]

Hi MonkeyMan,
I'm a bit surprised of how you focus on the converters. In my opinion, the differences are very subtle. I can't imagine someone can tell the difference of M-Audio and RME converters in a home studio environment, but I lack in experiences here...

I'm thinking of buying a Motu 828mk2, what do you think of it?

Yours dr. orange and now I gotta plug out the fu*kin internet cable and start doin my acieeed track aaaaaaaa

[MonkeyMan]

Yo Dr O!

Yep. Strictly speaking in relation to producing electronic/dance music within a computer-based environment, my first port of call would always be A/D D/A (after processing power of course). Get down to your local Pro-Audio store and demo any of the Apogee Rosetta range linked to an Apogee Big Ben, then tell me the difference is only subtle!

You will only benefit from using high quality conversion. The only downside is the cost. Most of us however would much rather spend our dosh on the latest greatest synths and funky outboard, as opposed to a rather boring looking Big Ben.

The MOTU 828 MKII is a great piece of kit - but I have read on many forums that the pre-amps are not the best. If you can afford that little bit more I would go for the RME Fireface 800. The vast majority of opinion would say that the RME is the best in its price range. (At the moment!)

Check this link out: - http://www.blacklionaudio.com/828.htm

Apparently these guys will do a modification for your 828 which is supposed to make a "night and day" difference to your output signal. There has been a very positive response for this mod on the web - I think it will cost you about ?110.

Fuck me... Acid music!! Takes me back to my bandana wearing days dancing to Mr Lee - Pump up London... 'av it.

PS

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RME-Fireface-800-WIE-NEU-no-Motu-Tascam-Mackie-Yamaha_W0QQitemZ7385607129QQcategoryZ46961QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[F5D]

I sold my BM5A's, bought a Rotel power amp and ordered a pair of passive Dynaudio BM15's. Why passives? I have read lots of reports that the passives sound better than the active BM15A's if you have a high quality power amp. I will get the BM15's in 2 weeks.

There's nothing wrong with the BM5A's but I just want the bass extension which the BM15's can offer and I didn't want to add a subwoofer. The BM5A's play down to 50Hz. However, I tuned the ports a little lower with extensions and got the response to somewhere near 45Hz and the bass got alot better. However the BM15's go lower to 30Hz and the bass driver is larger which means lower distortion and more power.

Here's a review of BM15's, if somebody's interested: http://recording.org/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=30