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| Which upgrade would benefit the signal chain the most? |
| Mic (Shure KSM27 price range) |
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16% |
[ 1 ] |
| Pre-amp (ART Tube MP price range) |
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83% |
[ 5 ] |
| Compressor (DBX266XL price range) |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
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| Total Votes : 6 |
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Living Culture
Contributore Level V
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 189
Location: Taipei
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 Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:37 am Post subject: Upgrading my recording path.. |
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I'm trying to decide what part of my current recording path I should upgrade next. I need better components at most levels, but babies and gear budgets don't mix well!
My current path (that I use the most) is Rode NT-1(pre-A) or Joe Meek JM37 mic-> Behringer MX2004 mixer ->Alesis 3630 compressor->Saffire LE.
I am choosing between
1. getting a new mic, thinking of Shure KSM 27 or AT 3035
2. getting a pre-amp, pondering if the ART Tube MP would actually be better than my desks onboard pre-amps..
3. Or replacing the compressor, the 3630 is not all that, but after looking at replacing it with a DBX266XL, I am not sure if the difference would be noticeable.
One advantage of the compressor would be that I could run balanced from it to the Focusrites pre-amps. Then again not sure if having the signal going through a second pre-amp will be of any benefit.
Please give me your opinion on my poll for which upgrade you think would benefit my recording quality the most.
Thanks |
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Gp
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:40 am Post subject: |
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| Room treatment if you haven't already done it would be the best upgrade anyone can do. |
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asnively
Triple G
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 3204
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:00 am Post subject: |
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I agree. Treating the room appropriately is the next step before adding or changing gear.
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Living Culture
Contributore Level V
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 189
Location: Taipei
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| Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:31 am Post subject: |
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The room is already treated. The vocal booth is complete and high frequencies and mids are taken care of in control room, just looking at some bass traps now.
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Mandarin Chinese Voiceovers & Localization
http://lcmsmedia.com
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Jeffrey Kafer
Assistant Zookeeper
Joined: 09 Dec 2006
Posts: 4931
Location: Location, Location!
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| Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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From listening to the few demos on your site that actually work (female English), I would agree with the above. If those demos were recorded in the newly-treated room, perhaps a fresh sample would help.
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Last edited by Jeffrey Kafer on Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Monk
King's Row
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 1152
Location: Nestled in the Taconic Hills
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| Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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I couldn't get any of the english male voices to work, all had errors opening the file.
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Living Culture
Contributore Level V
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 189
Location: Taipei
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 10:43 am Post subject: |
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 ...Are there problems opening the files?? I redid them a while ago with another player and all of them using same player and same code, so they should either ALL work or not work. But they all play back fine on my browser...
Off point however, as none of the recording were done here, just samples of the talent, not studio.
I wanted to get some posted, but there has been major construction work downstairs the last few weeks, and the studio is not equipped to cut out multiple power tools  Weeks of dead time!
| Quote: | | From listening to the few demos on your site that actually work |
OK...Let me say..they WERE working. Last time I checked, and now the male samples are not. I am stumped, since I have not edited this page since I checked that everything was OK. And the codes are all the same!! Thanks for pointing that out.
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http://imagesbykenny.com/
Last edited by Living Culture on Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Edo
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:00 am Post subject: Re: Upgrading my recording path.. |
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| Living Culture wrote: | | My current path (that I use the most) is Rode NT-1(pre-A) or Joe Meek JM37 mic-> Behringer MX2004 mixer ->Alesis 3630 compressor->Saffire LE. |
I would keep the NT-1, remove both the mixer and the 3630 from your chain (at least when recording) for they don't help you at all. Buy a mic pre, don't replace the compressor/limiter/gate with one from a better brand... that is, Alesis is partially owned by DBX  If you'll tell us your budget we'll take it from there finding you the right pre... you could also use the Sapphire as your pre, and do all processing 'in the box' using plug-ins...
Sidenote... I don't see a reason why you should use a compressor in the first place, unless you're doing fully produced stuff as well. If you sell voice only, get your clients the cleanest signal possible, but a bit of mic pre 'processing' can't hurt... emphasis on 'a bit'. |
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Living Culture
Contributore Level V
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 189
Location: Taipei
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:37 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I would keep the NT-1, remove both the mixer and the 3630 from your chain (at least when recording) for they don't help you at all. Buy a mic pre, |
I am starting to think I have more of a mindset problem than a gear problem. After mainly recording bands for many years, I can't get into the idea of not having a mixer. To me its the heart of the studio. That said, I can see how it is of no benefit, especially since I am running straight out pre-fader, so only using the mixers gain stage. The Saffire would probably be a better pre-amp anyway.
| Quote: | | unless you're doing fully produced stuff as well. If you sell voice only, get your clients the cleanest signal possible |
Fully produced packages are what I am aiming for.
| Quote: | | If you'll tell us your budget we'll take it from there finding you the right pre.. |
My current budget would be along the lines of an ART Tube MP. But after googling that a bit, it would be about the same quality as my onboard pre's now. So maybe something a little more expensive.
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http://lcmsmedia.com
http://imagesbykenny.com/ |
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Edo
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:43 am Post subject: |
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Go and give a DBX 286A a listen... not too expensive, great bang for the buck/euro/...  |
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Living Culture
Contributore Level V
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 189
Location: Taipei
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks, I'll check it out. I did see it when I was googling the 266. Looks similar to the Joe Meek ThreeQ in functions.
BTW, fixed the samples. Looks like I managed to get www.www instead of www in my mp3 links.
What is main language in Curacao? It doesn't look like Dutch.
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Lance Blair
M&M
Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 2281
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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Ditch everything.
Get a KSM27 or AT4040
dbx 286a or
Joe Meek Six Q for channel strips
Used Yamaha MG/Mackie/Soundcraft board and use the inserts.
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Edo
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Living Culture wrote: | | What is main language in Curacao? It doesn't look like Dutch. |
[OFFTOPIC MODE ON]
I was going to write something to answer your question when I remembered a government website clearly explaining everything. So here's what's printed on the portal...
Bon Bini - Welcome
Papiamentu is the local language of the ABC Islands - Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
Papiamentu is a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, and it also has some Arawak Indian and African influences. Papiamentu is one of the few Creole Languages of the Caribbean that has survived to the present day. Papiamentu is predominately a spoken language among the local people of Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba. The official language is Dutch, and the written Papiamentu is limited to some local newspapers and literature. Also the schooling system is Dutch, and people typically don't get any formal training in their language. There have been some discussions about introducing Papiamentu to be taught at schools as well.
Compared to other languages, Papiamentu is spoken by very few people: less than one third of a million in total. Papiamentu is also a fairly simple language, and it is quite common that certain expressions or more complicated grammatical constructs have to be simplified in order to be translated into Papiamentu. From island to island, small variations in Papiamentu mainly in spelling and vocabulary can be observed. Some efforts have been made to standardize Papiamentu and its orthography, however, Aruba decided for a spelling that is closer to Spanish, whereas the other islands tried to stay closer to the roots in that respect. As a result, some words may still have more than one way of spelling it, e.g. Papiamentu - Papiamento, Korsou - Korsow (Curaçao), kwater - cuater (four), sinku - cincu (five), etc. In general, words are spelled exactly as they are pronounced, e.g. "flet tair" for flat tire.
[OFFTOPIC MODE OFF] |
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Frank F
Fat, Old, and Sassy
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 4421
Location: Park City, Utah
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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Start with getting samples of YOUR current room, that is a big selling/buying point for web surfers.
You do not need the mixer, but having one is handy and allows you to do other things like record bands when you are not busy doing VO.
You still do not NEED a compressor - period. Many of todays software packages have decent compressors. The main goal of a studio today is to record a good, clean, quality, flat audio file. Once this step is achieved you will be able to FITM (Fix In The Mix) anything else.
Regarding VO only; most clients from other countries will desire a clean "voice only" file, not mixed audio. So start with the best you can offer, then work down from there.
Toodles
F2
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steveanthony
Been Here Awhile
Joined: 30 Aug 2006
Posts: 247
Location: Western Massachusetts
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Good cables are a great investment, too. |
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