Anything New In Your Studio?

[StuH]

Anybody bought something neat lately or is the recession changing your buying habbits?

I haven't added anything and have no plans to do so at all this year. I really really really need to treat this room and get better monitors but that will have to wait for next year.

I'm too afraid to buy things and have been focussing on bills.

[Mike Bruce]

Nothing lately, but soon there will be new paint and window shades.

[octatonic]

A few guitars and amps this year.
I am pretty much done for studio gear, I think.

[bootlegger1929]

i have a friend that will take care of my major recording needs with a semi pro studio in pittsburgh so i'm focusing on getting my Dr. Z this year. once i have that, i'm pretty sure my tele and a Dr Z will be enough big purchases for one year... haha

[woodman]

a new mike in my very near future ... like Monday. Shure SM7 (not SM57)

[Middleman]

Blues Junior Amp
Sterling ST79 microphone
BX5a reference monitors (Just for midrange adjustments)

Next on the list:
Crane Song Trakker

Then I am done forever...

Except for some high end mics, then I am done forever...

Maybe some more bass traps, then I'll be done.....

Oh well.

[tjalla]

Songs.

Well, at least that's the idea... but I keep looking for new gear to add to the studio

[morroben]

Mine is kind of more of a guitar room than a studio, but I do play around with a Boss BR900CD in there.

Originally Posted by Mike Bruce

Nothing lately, but soon there will be new paint and window shades.

I'm planning paint and flooring...it's a small room and I'm going to use it as a test run for the hardwood flooring that I'm thinking of putting throughout the house. I think the hardwood will sound better than the tile I have now, although it will probably still require the big rug I'm using now.
My buddy (CoronaBlue on here) landed me a cool corner desk that works great in the space I have...it's a small change but it really makes it nicer to be in there.

[ganttmann]

The recession has ENDED my buying habits! I did, however, clean the floors really well today.

Originally Posted by StuH

Anybody bought something neat lately or is the recession changing your buying habbits?

I haven't added anything and have no plans to do so at all this year. I really really really need to treat this room and get better monitors but that will have to wait for next year.

I'm too afraid to buy things and have been focussing on bills.

[StuH]

Originally Posted by Middleman

Blues Junior Amp
Sterling ST79 microphone
BX5a reference monitors (Just for midrange adjustments)

Next on the list:
Crane Song Trakker

Then I am done forever...

Except for some high end mics, then I am done forever...

Maybe some more bass traps, then I'll be done.....

Oh well.

LOL
Well said.

[mudbean]

I picked up an Apogee Duet for mixdowns recently, haven't got to use it yet.

mud

[Extra Crispy]

I picked up an MXL 4000 when MF had them marked down to $179. At the same time I noticed this little gadget called ART STUDIO TUBE PREAMP $29.00.
Since I generally just record 1 track at a time and this thing only does one track i thought I'd try it out. To make a long story short, The thing is fantastic (for $29) I bought a second one exclusively for my guitar rig. So, for anybody that wants the warmth of a tube pre on a budget, this is the ticket.

[jmecale72]

Nothing yet. I'm still waiting on my tax refund to come in. I want to switch to computer recording because I am currently using a Tascam portastudio that records to a compact flash card. With that said, I'm loooking at the Yamaha Audiogram 6 for an interface, and I'm also hoping to get an electronic drum kit as well as some nice condensor mics.

Then again...I have to see what the wife wants first!!

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by jmecale72

Then again...I have to see what the wife wants first!!

Yes, yes - let's keep our priorities in order, shall we?

mud

[Mike Bruce]

Originally Posted by morroben

Mine is kind of more of a guitar room than a studio, but I do play around with a Boss BR900CD in there.



I'm planning paint and flooring...it's a small room and I'm going to use it as a test run for the hardwood flooring that I'm thinking of putting throughout the house. I think the hardwood will sound better than the tile I have now, although it will probably still require the big rug I'm using now.
My buddy (CoronaBlue on here) landed me a cool corner desk that works great in the space I have...it's a small change but it really makes it nicer to be in there.

It's been a slow education, but I think I prefer a softer floor in the studio. My current one is carpeted and it's too dead, but my new one is pine with area rugs (as soon as I rearrange the place) which I'm pretty sure will be better.

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by woodman

a new mike in my very near future ... like Monday. Shure SM7 (not SM57)

Woodman,

Enjoy - they're great mics on a lot of things. Might be my favorite dynamic mic on electric guitar cabs. Nice on kik drums and bass cabs too. The only vocal mic I've found yet that tames the nasalness in my voice. They're supposed to be good for "shouter" rock vocalists, but the scuttlebutt is that it was the mic Michael Jackson used on Thriller. Dunno if it's true. But, a pretty versatile mic for applications where you prefer a dynamic mic over a condenser and for the lower end of the frequency range and/or a smoother response than many dynamics seems warranted.

So, some experimentation is in order in the Woodman recording environment. Have fun! report back on what you like it on.

Does need a good mic pre though - they're pretty low output. Not sure if the newer (SM7B) ones are an improvement in that area.

Cheers,
Geoff

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by mudbean

I picked up an Apogee Duet for mixdowns recently, haven't got to use it yet.

mud

Mudbean,

Let us know what you think about it. I finally moved to Logic from tape-based systems (ok, there was a decade there where I wasn't really recording at all) and I'm trying to figure out the best way to ease back into this on the AD/DA end of things.

The Duet is on my shortlist (I'd buy it if it had an ADAT in to feed digital signals into Logic) but the Ensemble is outta my budget right now and is still a bit short on analog ins/ AD converters for the kinda stuff I used to do. But, I doubt I'll be tracking bands anytime soon. I was thinking buy the Duet for my home doodling needs and buy or rent a more prosumer unit with a dozen or so analog ins and AD/DA for the rare occasions I might want to track a band and/or when I have enough stuff recorded that I can get serious about mixing it.

Does that sound sensible? I don't love the idea of mixing brands for this application, but I understand it can (sometimes) work.

Cheers,
Geoff

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by Middleman

Blues Junior Amp
Sterling ST79 microphone
BX5a reference monitors (Just for midrange adjustments)

Next on the list:
Crane Song Trakker

Then I am done forever...

Except for some high end mics, then I am done forever...

Maybe some more bass traps, then I'll be done.....

Oh well.

The Trakker is amazing. It almost makes me sound like I know what I'm doing.

Cheers,
Geoff

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

Mudbean,

Let us know what you think about it. I finally moved to Logic from tape-based systems (ok, there was a decade there where I wasn't really recording at all) and I'm trying to figure out the best way to ease back into this on the AD/DA end of things.

The Duet is on my shortlist (I'd buy it if it had an ADAT in to feed digital signals into Logic) but the Ensemble is outta my budget right now and is still a bit short on analog ins/ AD converters for the kinda stuff I used to do. But, I doubt I'll be tracking bands anytime soon. I was thinking buy the Duet for my home doodling needs and buy or rent a more prosumer unit with a dozen or so analog ins and AD/DA for the rare occasions I might want to track a band and/or when I have enough stuff recorded that I can get serious about mixing it.

Does that sound sensible? I don't love the idea of mixing brands for this application, but I understand it can (sometimes) work.

Cheers,
Geoff

Sounds O.K. by me.

BTW, I'm running an Alesis HD24 through a Mackie 32 x 8 buss studio console. The Duet will be my Analog-to-Digital convertor for stereo mixdown to a Mac Mini running Logic 8 (yep, the Logic 8 is overkill for simple stereo mix management, but I've got it, so's I'm a-gonna use it ... and I don't like mixing in-the-box. Need faders to touch and knobs to fondle).

The gig schedule is calming down for the summer "off season" (we play out in the SoCal desert cities alot, and there's less business when it's 120 in the shade), so I'm hoping to get a bunch of stuff done in my "playroom." I'll definitely let y'all hear what I come up with.

mud

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Sounds O.K. by me.

BTW, I'm running an Alesis HD24 through a Mackie 32 x 8 buss studio console. The Duet will be my Analog-to-Digital convertor for stereo mixdown to a Mac Mini running Logic 8 (yep, the Logic 8 is overkill for simple stereo mix management, but I've got it, so's I'm a-gonna use it ... and I don't like mixing in-the-box. Need faders to touch and knobs to fondle).

mud

I hear ya on the mixing in the box.

Back when I had a similar setup (Adats rather than hard disk, but otherwise similar) we'd just save two tracks and mix down to those. We still had to dump them to DAT and then rent a cd ripper way back when. (Kids today don't know how good they got it!)

The Duet is probably fine for 98% of my recording needs. But for mixing - well, I'm going to want to let my analog gear get to play too. A buddy of mine with a basement studio has something that has four stereo pairs, so he creates "stems" - drums and bass on one, guitars on another, vocals on another, whatever is left on the last one when he mixes. He's able to get a lot out of what I would have considered limited ins and outs at mixdown. (He does track drums in real studios though).

Cheers,
Geoff

[woodman]

Originally Posted by woodman

a new mike in my very near future ... like Monday. Shure SM7 (not SM57)

it's official — i do indeed have something new in my studio. the SM7B arrived today. just hooked it up, i'll give a full report on another thread.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by woodman

it's official — i do indeed have something new in my studio. the SM7B arrived today. just hooked it up, i'll give a full report on another thread.

Congrats, Woody! An excellent addition to the stable.

mud

[electricbody]

Well, based on what's been listed, I'm not sure if my purchase counts as neat, but I bought a TASCAM US-144 and a music stand. Of course my studio is also my office/reading room.

[beep.click]

Got a tube mic a week or so ago, since it was on closeout at Sam Ash for cheap (CAD Trion 8000). Never had a tube mic before -- sonically, it's very similar to my regular condensers.

A month or so before that, I picked up a Yamaha MIDI drum pad thing for cheap (YDD-60). For the way I work, that thing's a lifesaver!

[play_loud]

Amplitube Fender and Hendrix..

*throws away his amps*

I never thought a digital simulation could sound this good and be this responsive.. Wow.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by beep.click

Got a tube mic a week or so ago, since it was on closeout at Sam Ash for cheap (CAD Trion 8000). Never had a tube mic before -- sonically, it's very similar to my regular condensers.

Similar, but different.

mud

[getbent]

StuH, it is so depressing, I think I have some new cobwebs. I've got projects to finish and Im just schwacked with junk to do.

[mudbean]

New score: I have been half-assedly (the way I do everything) scanning CL for small (5"-6" woofers) nearfield monitors, since I had to give back the NS-10s I was borrowing. I'd love a pair of DynAudio BM5A's, but I'm not into dumping $1K (yeah, I know, they're closed out - only $800 now. ) ... anyway, I bought a pair of Tannoy Reveal 5s for $200.

mud

[66d35]

Got a DAV BG1 recently for my Macbook Pro mobile rig. Two channels of really clean, quiet pre with stupendous headroom. Only got it a few weeks ago, so not used it seriously yet. Soon.

Andy

[Skully]

Uh... a new boom cymbal stand and a fresh XLR cable came from MusiciansFriend yesterday. Oh -- and a package of picks.

I've also rearranged and updated my "studio" spaces and, more importantly, I'm getting ready for an explosion of recording. I wrote one new song this week, two more about two weeks back and another a little before that. Of course, I already had a big backlog of tunes, some of which are half recorded. My voice is in the best shape it's been in, and I'm ready to go!

[telechaser]

If you call my office/music room a studio then the newest one would be the 69ish Partscaster Thinline.

[mudbean]

Sounds like a plan, Skully - same here. And, I now have absolutely no excuses for not liking my recordings (other than "I suck"), as I have finally added the high-end pre I have been lusting after ... a Universal Audio 710 Twin-Finity! A combo pre with two discreet signal paths - tube and solidstate - and a blend knob to mix the two together. Yikes! I'm gonna have a blast with this thing ... maybe now I'll actually record something.



mud

[64Strat]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Sounds like a plan, Skully - same here. And, I now have absolutely no excuses for not liking my recordings (other than "I suck"), as I have finally added the high-end pre I have been lusting after ... a Universal Audio 710 Twin-Finity! A combo pre with two discreet signal paths - tube and solidstate - and a blend knob to mix the two together. Yikes! I'm gonna have a blast with this thing ... maybe now I'll actually record something.



mud

WOW! that's a cool piece!

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by 64Strat

WOW! that's a cool piece!

I'm psyched ... the reviews are mixed, but I am unafraid.

mud