What am I missing?

[64Strat]

I'm in process of putting together a home recording setup. Need some oversight by you guys.

Goal is to record electric and/or acoustic music to a very high level of quality. Have many super talented musician friends that want to participate in creating quality music. Have friends already recording "experienced" but want to have the convenience of having everything in-house here. Already planning on file sharing with tracks being added as an iterative process.

In process of building a high powered scratch built PC - Intel Quad core Q9550 and all the good stuff in mobo, memory, drives, Firewire, etc., targeting an RME 800 Fireface, acquiring Cakewalk SONAR 8 Producer, have a Mackie CR1604VLZ, have SM57's, have a AKG C414, have a EV ND468, acquiring a Rode NT1a, have loads of high end audio systems but looking at getting Adam Audio A7 monitors for the studio.

Any thoughts on potential mis-steps here?? or additions that need to be made??

[bloos66]

Pretty impressive list of tools you have there :-) Just give it a go and see how it goes, although I am sure the results are bound to be impressive. Can't see anything that's missing, headphones perhaps?

What you might want to look at is some VST plug-ins or similar that allow you to modify the sound, although Sonar can probably do quite a few thigns as well. Good luck!

[StuH]

Sonar 8 PE is a really darn good choice IMO. Sure sounds like Cakewalk have nailed it with the latest revision of Sonar 8. Hear nothing but praise about it. It apparently has some very very good mastering plugins but might be a little
lean on uber quality bread and butter mix effects. I'm currently using Sonar 7se and pop over to the Cakewalk forums alll the time.

I would consider a sratchbuild with the Intel Core i7 for a processor. I've seen audio benchmark tests results and it blows just about everything clear out of the water as far as audio production goes. Better to have too much than too little. I would also look into a UAD dsp card (a dual or quad card), or possible an external dsp processor like Dunede, simply because you hear nothing but high praise for the quality of their plugins and the load taken off the cpu. You don't hear alot of hype over non dsp plugins these days. Maybe Waves stuff, but for the highway robbery prices of Waves plugins, I would rather go to dsp.

Some type of external hardware controller would be nice (if only Euphonix would release pc drivers for their controllers), and a half decent midi keyboard for the just in case you need to make it fake on occasion.

The RME 800 sure has some nice specs but I would definitely be asking myself 100 times if it has all the I/O needed including midi I/O.

[Ben Harmless]

The room.

What sort of room will you be tracking in? What sort of room will you be mixing in?

I love the remote collaboration idea. I've wanted to do that sort of thing for awhile, but I don't know too many people who would be able to figure it all out, and willing to sink a little money into it too.

The big thing is making sure the tracking rooms sound good, and that the mixing room sounds neutral. I came to the realization awhile ago that my humble room is simply a lousy room for both, so I've done things to deaden it, and I check my mixes on other things frequently.

...And I've lowered my standards. No matter what you do, a bad sounding room will hold you back. This has kept me from blowing all my money on gear though, which is a good thing.

[64Strat]

just had the discussion tonight with a buddy on spending the extra $200 on a i7 + mobo, so that is done.

Regarding enough inputs on the RME 800, my plan there is to buy another one and slave them on the firewire800, if needed. Plus, I do have the 1604VLZ which may work okay okay in conjunction.

Regarding the room....
That is something me and another buddy (both of us are high end audiophiles) have been discussing. He has some absorptive panels that are available and we know how to make them, plus we understand LEDE (live end, dead end). I have three rooms for recording and we can do what is necessary to control "liveness". I have a really good listening room upstairs where the high end audiophile system is and it is all corrected.

The outboard DSP is a really good suggestion, thanks for that! hadn't thought about that and is exactly why I wanted your inputs. Regarding MIDI, I haven't figured that all out yet but my good buddy is donating his MIDI keyboard to the cause. When I find out what it is, I'll report back but I do remember him saying it was heavy on the MIDI control side of things and was really good back 8 years ago or so.

For headphones, I have the Etymotic Research ER-4 Micro Pro in the ear phones which are fantastically accurate.

Keep the suggestions coming!

[StuH]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

The outboard DSP is a really good suggestion, thanks for that! hadn't thought about that and is exactly why I wanted your inputs.

Have a look at the UAD 2 Duo Flexi pack. The quad might be overkill. Plus multiple UAD cards can be used together and a pcie dsp card would give you better latency as opposed to an external dsp unit like the Duende.

http://www.uaudio.com/products/uad/u...lex/index.html

Cheers
Stu

[Skully]

I would consider a sratchbuild with the Intel Core i7 for a processor.

I've got a new computer with an i7 processor and when I run Sonar the CPU monitor shows eight cores, all registering a rather minimal load.

I would also look into a UAD dsp card (a dual or quad card), or possible an external dsp processor like Dunede, simply because you hear nothing but high praise for the quality of their plugins and the load taken off the cpu.

I believe I looked into a UAD card recently and discovered that they didn't work on Vista 64-bit systems, so just be forewarned.

EDIT: Fresh research suggests I may be wrong, but it's an important thing to look into when building a system at the moment.

[BAW4742]

I would get at least one good Mic preamp too. More if budget allows. The Mackie strips are ok for most stuff but you can't beat a a good preamp.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by BAW4742

I would get at least one good Mic preamp too. More if budget allows. The Mackie strips are ok for most stuff but you can't beat a a good preamp.

+1, especially if you are recording acoustic instruments - maybe something like a two-channel John Hardy pre.

+1,000,000 on the room/recording environment - sounds like you're on it.

mud

[64Strat]

I'm going to be running 32 bit XP. Much less OS overhead than Vista and few if any issues with DAW's.

Looked at the UAD 2 stuff, looks great, if I need it, I know what to do now. Thanks for that!

Yeah, the Mackie VLZ preamps are okay but from what I understand from a 2 studio engineers I've talked with is that the 4 preamps in the RME Fireface 800 are killer. Not sure I know why I need discrete mic pre-amps yet.

As far as I know, I won't be recording drums here. It will be primarily be electric guitar and bass, a variety of acoustic instruments and vocals. Keyboards and drums will be done elsewhere with the file sharing.

I'm thinking maybe some more and "better" mics.

Still open minded and learning.... appreciate all the contributions so far.

[BAW4742]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

I'm thinking maybe some more and "better" mics.

Still open minded and learning.... appreciate all the contributions so far.

I think mics are a lot like guitars. You gotta play a lot of 'em t find the sweet ones. Something that is highly rated and cost a wheel barrow full of money still might not be the best for your particular applications. Try as many as you can get hold of.

Mics also depend a lot on the preamps. A great mic through a terrible pre is going to sound terrible.

[bootlegger1929]

get as many good to decent mics that u can.
BLUE makes great stuff for the price. Sennheiser e609 or Shure SM7 for electric guitars are good. the 414 is not to be discounted though, it's awesome in itself. a matched pair of Rode NT5's in stereo would sound great for acoustic as well, or drum overheads.


and also preamps.
Solo brick. anything by API or SSL. be prepared to spend some money on these and don't overlook the power of a great preamp. bad ones sound bad. good ones CAN sound good if used correctly.

And plugins. if ur doing ur mixing/post "in the box" then you should look into some good preamps. Waves makes great stuff, they are pretty much all I use.

good luck!

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

It will be primarily be electric guitar and bass, a variety of acoustic instruments and vocals. Keyboards and drums will be done elsewhere with the file sharing.

I'm thinking maybe some more and "better" mics.

The 414 is a studio standard.

You may want to consider one or two small diaphragm condenser mics for acoustic guitars and things - on the budget end, the MXL 603s is a great value. For a bit more coin ($400 or so) I love the Josephson C42 - lush. If you have more money than sense, get a pair of Neumann KM184.

mud

[Astro1176]

Sounds like a great set-up you are putting together, you should be pleased with the Adams.

+1 on mic pre's especially to API.

Also +1 on room treatment, look at diffusers and bass traps rather than damping the room down to much. You don't have to buy stupidly expensive diffusers which have been scientifically calculated for an even frequency response. Book cases and shelves and other 3d irregularities attached to the wall do just about the same job - they might even sound better than the theoretical 'best' ones.

A great sounding moderately live room is very versatile, especially if you can knock up a few sound absorbing baffles to create dead spaces when you want them. SE and a few others do various sound absorbers that clip behind the mic, these can help control things too.

[Old Cane]

64, I don't think you're missing a thing. Either my partner or I own or have used most of this stuff.

Treat the room - definately. I found the fg locally for about half of what the online places want so look around. Covering from Hobby Lobby.

A7s - we both use these. Another one to look at since you aren't exactly pricing budget gear is the Focal Solo 6be. More than double the price though. If you have a Bryston or better amp you might look at passives like ProAc.

RME - he uses the 800 with a presonus slaved to it. I use the 400. I only do my guitar, bass and vocals. My next upgrade will be the Prism Orpheous but this hobby will need to break even before I do that.

57s and 414? of course

As mentioned there ares some great deals on Blue's out there if you look. I have a Red that they don't make anymore. Excellent. Try craigslist and try the list for Nashville, NYC, Dallas, LA....places with lots of studios, lots of recording people and lots of layoffs. Cascade ribbons are a bargain.

I use Great River preamps and he has UA LA610s. I'm looking now at Manly and Chandler for one more. Way to many good ones to name but the RME preamps are just fine until you do decide. I think Vintage King has a try before buy thingie.

He uses lots of UADs, has not gone to UAD-2 yet but wanting to. I'm cheap and use stock cubase and freeware plugins

We both use cubase so can't help with any other DAW

[StuH]

Video monitors X 2 or 3 plus required vid card.

[64Strat]

Originally Posted by StuH

Video monitors X 2 or 3 plus required vid card.

Just received two Samsung 2333sw's 23" monitors(they were on sale for $330 for the pair) and was thinking of going with a EVGA Nvidia 9400 GT card in the PC.

This coming week I'll pull the trigger on ordering the PC components. When they arrive, we'll get the PC up and running first.

In the mean time, I've been keeping my eye out for a good used RME 800.

I'm going to have to look into this good mic pre thing. Everyone is gently nudging me there and I can only surmise that everyone has tried to live without them and realized the benefit of using them. This is exactly why I'm here asking your advice and I see the trend. So, some good mic pres and a few more good mics. Got it!


Old Cane,
Regarding ProAc, my one buddy has a pair of their tiny Tablette's that sound great with tube monoblocs. As mentioned earlier, I do have the Etymotic ER-4p in-the-ear phones which are amazing. I also have some spare NHT 1.5 bookshelf speakers that would do well I think but all I have as a spare amp is a Adcom GFA-5802 which is a Nelson Pass design and sounds okay. It runs pure class A and is a nice winter time "heater". I guess I could try this and run from the pc back out to the 1604 and then to the 5802 and NHT's. Might be worth a try.

In my main listening system, I use some big Martin-Logans driven by a pair of Llano A300 monoblocs with a Audio Research Ref 1 tube pre and a Krell KPS-20i cd player. I use a Z-Systems RDP-1 digital pre with 6 EQ bands of adjustment in conjunction with the Krell, it is inserted between the transport output and the dual D/A's and is really useful there. This system soundstages like crazy and is brutally revealing of recording flaws but if the recording is a gem, this system rewards it.

Edit:
I just remembered I have a spare Aragon 18K MkII preamp with the P&G volume control that can be used for the studio playback system. So, forget about the "running it back thru the 1604" comment. The configuration would be.... DAW for source, to the Aragon, to the GFA-5802, to the NHT's. If the NHT 1.5i bookshelfs don't do it, I have a spare set of NHT 2.5i's that are even better.

[Old Cane]

Well, not to knock the Adcoms (I have one too) but I don't think they would measure up to a Bryston. Now Krell, definately if you had Krell power, but since you are a hi-fi geek like some others I know (like me) you might look into a 4B. I'd also steer away from the Martin-Logans. To me they are a little too nice and not analytical enough (for tracking and mixing I mean. For after the fact listening they are great). If I was looking for a chance to get some 802Ds, this would be it. But you could always use the ADcom if you got some ProAcs or something similar and compare a different amp when you can and make up your own mind. Adcoms to me are like Peavey. Not everybody likes them but almost everybody has used them and agrees that to get 10% better it costs you 100% more. I like the power in my A7s but not sure how they would compare to real hi-fi gear.

[64Strat]

The 5802 is the only decent amp they ever made. Is that the one you have? Nelson Pass was contracted to do the design and it shows.

No Krell power now but I currently use their KPS-20i and it is great. I would love to get a used FPB600 someday. I've heard that amp in the past and it is fantastic.

Yeah, I won't be mixing on the M-L's but they are great for listening to finished, quality recordings. Their soundstaging and air is incredible.

Here's the link to the manual for the NHT 1.5's....
http://www.nhthifi.com/current/manua...age/1_5man.pdf

I think I will try the NHT 1.5's, 5802 and Aragon 18K MkII and see how that sounds. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty good.

Originally Posted by Old Cane

Well, not to knock the Adcoms (I have one too) but I don't think they would measure up to a Bryston. Now Krell, definately if you had Krell power, but since you are a hi-fi geek like some others I know (like me) you might look into a 4B. I'd also steer away from the Martin-Logans. To me they are a little too nice and not analytical enough (for tracking and mixing I mean. For after the fact listening they are great). If I was looking for a chance to get some 802Ds, this would be it. But you could always use the ADcom if you got some ProAcs or something similar and compare a different amp when you can and make up your own mind. Adcoms to me are like Peavey. Not everybody likes them but almost everybody has used them and agrees that to get 10% better it costs you 100% more. I like the power in my A7s but not sure how they would compare to real hi-fi gear.

[64Strat]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardwar...920-940-cpus/1

well, it figures! now that I got convinced to go i7, they are yanking it.

[Old Cane]

The NHTs are probably going to work really well for this.

How do you like that AR preamp? I've been thinking about one of those since the ref1 came out. I hear they are absolutely wonderful.

[64Strat]

Originally Posted by Old Cane

The NHTs are probably going to work really well for this.

How do you like that AR preamp? I've been thinking about one of those since the ref1 came out. I hear they are absolutely wonderful.

The NHT 1.5's I have are the rears from an old HT system I don't use any more since I got a new HT system. The 5802 is also spare and was driving the NHT 2.5i front mains in that HT system. I think trying the 1.5's (and 5802 + 18K MkII) is the right thing to do since they are already paid for and available.

The AR Ref1 was the last piece I added in my system and it has made all the difference, a great catalyst to the other pieces in the system. It has it's quirks, like a cheap plastic remote & a thumpy Mute operation (you have to always remember to volume down before muting) but the sonic character more than makes up for the trivial quirks. The last few days I've been listening to my collection of DCC Steve Hoffman remastered discs. In there right now is Ella Fitzgerald sings the Cole Porter Song Book. Wow! and yesterday was The Doors - The Doors and the Eagles Greatest Hits. Those DCC remasters are pretty impressive. As far as non-DCC, the Martin Taylor, David Grisman collaboration - I'm Beginning to See the Light disc is pretty impressive, as is Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue on the Premonition label. I'm addicted to good music and a quality recording. It should be interesting when I start playing with my own. I'm sure I'll get a whole new appreciation for what it takes.

Did you see my previous post that the Intel i7 920 & 940 cpu is being taken off the market to make room for the new i5 ?!?!?! great, so do you buy it now and hope it never goes bad.... or ....do you go back to the Q9550 idea? Way to go Intel, another brilliant marketing decision.

[ganttmann]

As has been mentioned elsewhere, I suspect your biggest can of worms is going to be acoustics. The mics you list are all fine. Getting great sounds has more to do with:

a) Getting great sounds. Not being facetious. If you have a great sounding guitar and a great sounding amp getting a great sound in a decent sounding room you're way more than half-way there. Figure out where to put the mics and you should have great sounding tracks. Same with acoustic guitar. If you have a great sounding guitar and you know how to play it the battle is almost won.

b) See "a".

Originally Posted by 64Strat

I'm in process of putting together a home recording setup. Need some oversight by you guys.

Goal is to record electric and/or acoustic music to a very high level of quality. Have many super talented musician friends that want to participate in creating quality music. Have friends already recording "experienced" but want to have the convenience of having everything in-house here. Already planning on file sharing with tracks being added as an iterative process.

In process of building a high powered scratch built PC - Intel Quad core Q9550 and all the good stuff in mobo, memory, drives, Firewire, etc., targeting an RME 800 Fireface, acquiring Cakewalk SONAR 8 Producer, have a Mackie CR1604VLZ, have SM57's, have a AKG C414, have a EV ND468, acquiring a Rode NT1a, have loads of high end audio systems but looking at getting Adam Audio A7 monitors for the studio.

Any thoughts on potential mis-steps here?? or additions that need to be made??

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by ganttmann

b) See "a".

You almost make it sound easy.

mud

[ganttmann]

Hah! It's NEVER easy!

Originally Posted by mudbean

You almost make it sound easy.

mud

[StuH]

That news about the i7 really sucks.
I've been searching high and low for those benchmark test of the quad cores but can't find it. It is somewhere over on the Cakewalk forums.

I recall that the i7 outperformed its nearest counterparts at higher bit depth and sampling rates. Increased performance as each variable increased. At 16bit 44.1khz there wasn't much of a difference to its rivals.

Come to think of it, I haven't heard anybody with a quadcore complain that their processed tracks counts have maxed out their cpu's. Probably won't really affect you.

[64Strat]

Update:

PC is built and running fine.

RME Fireface 800 is on the way.

In the process of acquiring mics. I have a line on a Neumann TLM 103, a Shure SM81 and a M-Audio Solaris..... and this is besides the loaning to me of a SM57 & AKG C414. I already have a EV ND468 dynamic.

Still have not decided on the software yet but leaning towards Sonar Producer 8.3 unless someone has a real strong case to do otherwise. My friend that is a keyboardist is using Sonar 8.3 already and can help with things.

I know I'm in for a steep learning curve on room treatment, mic placements and various recording techniques but it should be fun.


Edit:
I should have mentioned that I have the monitoring system in place in the studio. Aragon 18K MII w/ Penny & Giles volume pot Pre----> Adcom GFA-5802 for Power----> NHT 1.5i Speakers and test driving it tonight with just a modest source.... it sounds great.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

My friend that is a keyboardist is using Sonar 8.3 already and can help with things.

HUGE resource right there! i've never used Sonar, but if i were starting out, that would tip the scales for me ... having someone who'll gladly help every time you hit the wall takes a lot of pain out of the learning curve.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

In the process of acquiring mics. I have a line on a Neumann TLM 103, a Shure SM81 and a M-Audio Solaris..... and this is besides the loaning to me of a SM57 & AKG C414. I already have a EV ND468 dynamic.

Excellent start - you've got some tried and true studio workhorses there: SM81 (acoustic guitar specialist, also great on drum OH); TLM103 - lower on the Neumann totem pole than most, but an excellent vocal mic, nonetheless (HEY! It's a Neumann ... c'mon!); SM57 & C414 - classic all-around tools.

The ND468 is a stage mic, but try it on guitar cabs as an alternate to the SM57. I don't have firsthand info on the Solaris, but I'm generally a fan of M-Audio gear. And, from where I'm sitting, one can never have too many mics ... just like Teles!

mud

[64Strat]

I think I'll download the 30 day trial of Sonar Producer 8 and see if I warm up to it. (or not)

On the microphone front, I decided against the Solaris..... but I got a line on a Rode K2 instead. These come pretty highly recommended. I understand mic variety for different occassions and needs is essential.

Regarding the mic pre situation, I think I'm going to pick up a used Presonus Eureka and see how it does.

thanks again for your thoughts and encouragment.

all the best!

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

Regarding the mic pre situation, I think I'm going to pick up a used Presonus Eureka and see how it does.

Why? Do you need more than the 4 pres in the RME Fireface 800? While the Eureka is a very nice unit, and I wouldn't steer you away from it, it won't be better than the mic pres in the RME.

mud

[64Strat]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Why? Do you need more than the 4 pres in the RME Fireface 800? While the Eureka is a very nice unit, and I wouldn't steer you away from it, it won't be better than the mic pres in the RME.

mud

mud,
you know what? even before I came to check to see if you posted again, I had already decided earlier this afternoon to wait on a preamp. I reaqsoned the same thing, I have 4 pre's in the RME and 16 VLZ pres in the 1604. I'll see if those are an obstacle first. Good advice!

I picked up a new Rode NT2000 today. Seems like a versatile all-arounder for a LDC.

[64Strat]

WOW! .....am I impressed with the audio quality of the RME Fireface 800. Mine has the Black Lion Audio upgrade to the clocks and the analog pre's. I've recorded 12 string & 6 string acoustic and electric bass. Did initial EQ tweaks on all tracks and a compression limiter on the bass. Can't get over the quality. Awesome audio interface and pretty easy to integrate with the pc and the DAW software to get going.

Just beginning to understand how to use Sonar 8. Long, steep learning curve but I see how flexible and evolved it is.

More mics are coming. Besides the NT2000, I have a AT4033 and a pair of NT5's inbound. Got a DI box, just in case. Going to play with vocals later this week.

The bottom line is.... I'm having fun.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

The bottom line is.... I'm having fun.

Wow is right - Black Lion mods are the fashizzle. You won't find better pres until you get up into the >$1K per channel range.

mud

[64Strat]

....by the way, since everyone was forewarning about room/acoustic treatment, I thought I would comment about what I've found out so far. My main recording room is 16' x 14' and there are no parallel surfaces. The walls have wood shelving (loaded with stuff) or a full length work bench and pegboard on the wall over wood studs, exposed beam ceiling plus carpet on the floor. Thus far, no weird reflections or room anomalies. When I get a chance, I'll snap a photo and post it. The worst problem I have is a/c noise when the air handler is running. So, if I'm recording with open mics, I have to kill the a/c during the recording. But other than that, it's all good. I have to also mention that the Rode NT2000 is an incredibly quiet mic, very low self noise. The AT4033a is also good and I like how it sounds on the acoustic guitars. Tested the NT2000 with vocals the other night and had to learn the right input level but after that it sounds warm and sweet for a non-tube mic. I have a NT5 on the way in, just to have a decent SDC for experimenting with.

Learning Sonar 8 for every little thing I have to do during editing and clean-up, I have to look-up the procedure and figure it out as I go. Pretty painful but I'm sure after a while I'll remember all this stuff. ;-)

On a different note, the RME TotalMix interface and software control is just so intuitive and easy. I'm really pleased so far with that purchase.

I'm getting a separate set of "cans" for tracking purposes, for instance, when I'm putting a direct in electric bass part or adding another guitar track. Nothing exotic, just a set of Fostex headphones (I think they are T50RP's), for when I'm adding tracks.

One thing that I've noticed is how fast the days and nights go when you are recording and editing. I'm sure that those of you doing this will get a chuckle out of that.

I'm going to need a good but fairly reasonable keyboard midi controller. I'm not a keyboardist, so I don't need all the fancy feaures but I do need something that will work with the virtual stuff in the software, when and if I choose to access those things. Any suggestions?

Thanks! Later.... :-)

[Professorbx]

Few things.
-One, I would ditch the 1604-even when I was using my VLZ as just a monitor control, it was still a tone sucker. Look at an A&H Mixwizard, they are twice the mixer at a great price.
-A good preamp/DI is essential, though the Fireface has good preamps for the money. I've been a fan of the Chandler TG, though they are made a few miles from where I grew up so I guess I was born partial. ;)
-What amp sims do you have? Even if you have a great amp collection, adding one can be great for those times when you need to do something quick and dirty. I got Amplitube Fender pretty recently, and it has been pretty awesome. Actually capable of way more Fender and Non-Fender-esq sounds than I could have expected.

[64Strat]

Originally Posted by Professorbx

Few things.
-One, I would ditch the 1604-even when I was using my VLZ as just a monitor control, it was still a tone sucker. Look at an A&H Mixwizard, they are twice the mixer at a great price.
-A good preamp/DI is essential, though the Fireface has good preamps for the money. I've been a fan of the Chandler TG, though they are made a few miles from where I grew up so I guess I was born partial. ;)
-What amp sims do you have? Even if you have a great amp collection, adding one can be great for those times when you need to do something quick and dirty. I got Amplitube Fender pretty recently, and it has been pretty awesome. Actually capable of way more Fender and Non-Fender-esq sounds than I could have expected.

so far, the 1604 has not been introduced into the signal path. it's still connected to the pro audio system. the FF800 pre's have been mod'ed by Black Lion Audio... they're pretty good from what I've heard out of them so far.

As far as amp sims, so far I haven't used any. I use real vintage amps.... Marshalls (50w & 100w plexis and early metal panels), Laney Klipps, Fender '61 6G6, '64 Showman, '72 SFVR, '68 Traynor YBA-1 and have access to at any time to early AC30's, Marshall 18w combo, '66 BFSR, JTM45's, Hiwatts, early Oranges and so on. I'll start by using the real stuff since its here and see how it goes. If it becomes too problematic, I'll explore sims. I have a method for taming the big amps without killing the tone. we'll see how well they record.

thanks!

[Professorbx]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

so far, the 1604 has not been introduced into the signal path. it's still connected to the pro audio system. the FF800 pre's have been mod'ed by Black Lion Audio... they're pretty good from what I've heard out of them so far.

As far as amp sims, so far I haven't used any. I use real vintage amps.... Marshalls (50w & 100w plexis and early metal panels), Laney Klipps, Fender '61 6G6, '64 Showman, '72 SFVR, '68 Traynor YBA-1 and have access to at any time to early AC30's, Marshall 18w combo, '66 BFSR, JTM45's, Hiwatts, early Oranges and so on. I'll start by using the real stuff since its here and see how it goes. If it becomes too problematic, I'll explore sims. I have a method for taming the big amps without killing the tone. we'll see how well they record.

thanks!

No problem! You should post some pics of your amp collection, I would love to see! If you do decide to get any amp sims, PM me if you have any questions-I have way too many.

[64Strat]

Originally Posted by Professorbx

No problem! You should post some pics of your amp collection, I would love to see! If you do decide to get any amp sims, PM me if you have any questions-I have way too many.

click on my photos button under my username for a start, some of the amps are in there but not all and then click on these 2 recent posts from the Marshall amp owners section....
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/1912608-post34.html
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/1912615-post35.html

I'll try and post some of the Fenders later.

[Professorbx]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

click on my photos button under my username for a start, some of the amps are in there but not all and then click on these 2 recent posts from the Marshall amp owners section....
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/1912608-post34.html
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/1912615-post35.html

I'll try and post some of the Fenders later.

How does the PA sound? I've heard they have a pretty interesting clean tone, but I don't know anyone who owns one and can comment...