Self Recorders Please Help!

[in2thegapagain85]

So I'm thinking that my band should invest in our own recording stuff, and just wondering if anyone has done the same and been happy with the results. I've got Pro Tools LE, so I was thinking if we got a preamp/interface and some drum mics we could be on our way. The plan would be to add stuff as we go along. We have 2 guitars, bass, drums and vox, and not really looking to record all together live.

So this is what I was thinking:
Motu 8pre - preamp/interface
Audix DP7 Drum mic pack
Monitors - Undecided
Mackie Big Knob - Monitor control

I'm just trying to get outside the typical recording system of forking over tons of money, running out of time, and being generally stressed out. We've got good instruments/equipment, so I figure that all we'd need to do is capture those sounds. Plus the freedom to spend as much time trying stuff and finding sounds would be awesome.

I guess this idea is really appealing to me, but just worried about trying it and being disappointed!

[erik]

do you prefer recording the whole band live or wouldn't mind over dubbing?
if you do overdub a lot, i would say suggest to look around for one killer mic pre, your money will be well spent.

IMO... i would skip the big knob...and invest that $$ on a better pair of monitor...

btw, what interface are you using now? i guess something with ADAT right?

[in2thegapagain85]

do you prefer recording the whole band live or wouldn't mind over dubbing?
if you do overdub a lot, i would say suggest to look around for one killer mic pre, your money will be well spent.

IMO... i would skip the big knob...and invest that $$ on a better pair of monitor...

btw, what interface are you using now? i guess something with ADAT right?

Totally prefer overdubbing stuff, no issue there.

I have an MBox 2 mini. I'm just wondering if I get some kind of Preamp deal, will I be able to use that in conjunction with protools LE?

[bennybanana]

I'd say get the best pre you can afford and skip the big knob also. I have done many recordings using just my Sebatron pre and overdubbing, but there are lots of good value mic pres out there now, just depends on how much you want to spend. Also try to get 1 really good mic for vocals and guitar amp - I use mostly vintage mics for drums so Im no help there, and I find the difference in drum sounds from different mics can be cured by compression and eq. I have a Rode Classic, and it is super versatile, and sounds great on both vox and guitar, and I also use my Sennheiser 421 and 441 all the time on the amps (and drums too). I still use my old Alesis Monitor Ones to mix on, for me it is better to really know your monitors than to get the tits (but I'd love some dynaudios tho). As long as the signal going into Pro Tools sounds good then you can mess with it in the box. I havent used Pro Tools for years (Im a cubase guy) but I'm sure you can use different pre's with it.

[MannequinRaces]

I thought with the Protools stuff you were limited to using their hardware. You could buy a nice mic pre though and run that into your MBox but that wouldn't cover a fully mic'd drum kit. I say screw hardware and software systems that make you use their stuff.

This is from Motu's site: http://www.motu.com/techsupport/technot ... s-software

No pro tools software with Motu's hardware interfaces, midi yes, but hardware no.

[erik]

I thought with the Protools stuff you were limited to using their hardware. You could buy a nice mic pre though and run that into your MBox but that wouldn't cover a fully mic'd drum kit. I say screw hardware and software systems that make you use their stuff.

yep..correct. either Pro Tools or you run M-audio's intefaces. AND u will need an interface that has ADAT input to link those Motu pres, Mbox series can't support that.

if you insist pro tools is a must, go record on a different system with Motu and bounce them all back into pro tools to mix and i am telling you this is a pain in the ass..

assuming you still want pro tools and this is another solution here with more money involved but it will save you time, get a 2nd hand 002 rack or a the new 003 rack with 8 pres and you get ADAT input... this way you can expand the number of tracks when you have more cash. i would go for the 002, you get a pretty nice deal on ebay if you are in the States.

there are many options regrading outboard mic pre but i guess the 1st thing to sort out is your interface....

and are you on a Mac?? don't forget to check out Logic, it is reasonably good these days (i have been using Pro Tools for years, like 7 years and pro tools kids don't always 'approve' Logic...lol)

hey, tell us your budget, your plan can be done in a reasonable budget i'm sure. with a lot of CL and ebay ahead.

[the raytownian]

For the longest time, I used a boombox with a built-in mic and recycled tapes, and it sounded great to me!

JUST SAYIN'...

a decent mic, a mixer, and the line-in of a soundcard + some pirated software is all anyone really needs nowadays!

BTW, when I moved to digital recording, I recorded everything in Windows Sound Recorder for a long time.

PS: Fuck "clean" recordings.

[in2thegapagain85]

Thanks for weighing in guys.

I actually sat down with a buddy who runs a studio and he talked me through a setup that is a great started and can be expanded upon. The main reason for pro tools is the compatability so we can take our stuff to different studios.

This is what we came up with.

M-Audio Profire 2626 which has 8 ins and outs, use pro tools m-powered
Audix drum mic pack
Yamaha monitors

After that I can expand with mic/mic pre's and probably get a decent little rig going!