audio fidelity Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 i think the apogee is the best deal out there. you can get a duet with like 2 ins and outs or or an ensemble with 4 preamps and 8 ins and outs. you are probably buying this on the net huh? - so i'll post links for ya. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Duet/ http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Ensemble/ - now in my opinion the duet is cool for the complete hobbyist or people who want to use it for a laptop system - the ensemble is where it is at. but because of the expense, i would suggest for you to get something like the xstation http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XS61/ because it is a midi controller that is an audio interface, with 2 preamps. it also functions as a synth and an fx unit. most midi controllers have no sounds but this one actually does! i know bt even uses it...and novation has pretty decent bread and butter synth sounds. if you got this, a daw (with sounds like logic), and a mic with your mac pro...you'll be set. When you want to spend the money for an ensemble later down the road you can...and you will still have your xstation act as your midi controller and synth, so you won't have wasted any money. now if you wanted to get another interface, i would recommend a motu. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/828mk3/ only 2 preamps unlike the apogee. but all you would need is a mixer with preamps to get more channels in. whatever you do for an audio interface, make sure it is firewire. ************************** now for mics i noticed in a thread the DJP bought one of these guys http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NT1A/ but i also hear good things about http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NT3/ http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/C1000S/ http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Bluebird/ - being that its your vocal mic...spend the most you can on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgfoo Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 How many inputs are you looking to record at once? If you want to record a drum set or an entire band at once you definite want an interface with at least 8 preamps on it. However if you're good with only have 2 inputs, I'd definitely go the Apogee Duet route. Of course if you have the money, I'd definitely go for an Apogee Ensemble or a Metric Halo unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Are you guys aware that Bahamut has never done any kind of recording or music production? You shouldn't be recommending $500+ interfaces. Hell, I don't even use stuff like that. My vote is the Presonus Inspire 1394. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Inspire1394/ Good drivers, solid build, nice preamps. As for a mic, again, no need to spend hundreds. http://www.audiomidi.com/MXL-V67G-Microphone-P7838.aspx This is a very good microphone that sounds more expensive than it actually is. Better than an SM58 IMO if you're just doing vocals. It's very crisp and clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio fidelity Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 zircon, i agree, i was recommending for him to wait on a dedicated audio interface and go with a midi controller that had a simple way of getting audio in. good suggestions with the presonus - you could totally get that and a cheaper midi interface to save some money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 SM58 is one of the most mediocre mics there is. I'd recommend something by Audix if you want MUCH better clarity for the same price. That being said, I'd recommend a condenser over dynamic for recording anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 SM58 is one of the most mediocre mics there is. I'd recommend something by Audix if you want MUCH better clarity for the same price. Is that what the guy at Guitar Center told you? God I hate people who talk out of their ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Is that what the guy at Guitar Center told you? God I hate people who talk out of their ass. anybody with working ears can tell the difference. the SM58 sucks. i've tried it right alongside the audix. shure's beta mics are ok, but the SM58 truly has a weaker tone. also, ur mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekofrog Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I never really cared for Shure's "standard industry" SM mic. A good 421 condenser, though more expensive, is total guitar SEX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut Posted August 3, 2008 Author Share Posted August 3, 2008 Does anyone have any recommendations for a good pair of monitor speakers & headphones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zykO Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Does anyone have any recommendations for a good pair of monitor speakers & headphones? well as i was saying in #ocremix and affiliates, i personally love using the beyerdynamic dt770s... great overall response albeit lacking a little in the bass register. that said, now upon perusing the thread, i don't think that's a good suggestion cuz we're talkin a couple hundred bucks here for studio headset monitors which might be a bit overkill given that you're takin your frist serious gander at production... sony MDRs on the other hand are far more reasonably priced and have very decent total response in correlation to their cost. and they actually have a better bass image than the dt770s (which i would marry if i were a musical note) i'm not the most proficient in the world at tech stuff (i dont know details and stuff) but i do know what works for me. somethin to consider also for externals... since you're startin out, i'd go with older monitors. you're probably not going to really need any of those 300+ types so stay away until you're more accustomed to picking out frequencies by ear and really being irritated by low end monitors because you can tell what you aren't hearing... i bought my jbl g100's off ebay for like 80 bucks. i'm not suggesting going that cheap but ya know, they work for me. dig it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Does anyone have any recommendations for a good pair of monitor speakers & headphones? price range? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut Posted August 3, 2008 Author Share Posted August 3, 2008 price range? What are my options for what I get at various prices under $500? (Doesn't mean that I'll be spending that amount or close to that amount, just want to know) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio fidelity Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 monitors, in that price range, are kinda weird...they all sound a bit different. you should go in to a guitar center with a couple of your favorite jams (mostly music your interested in making) and play em on all the speakers your curious about. go with the one you feel most likely to mix to. reference monitors don't accentuate freq like other speakers, meaning they sound less flattering most of the time. so if a mix that you know and love sounds like poop on your speaker system then you have to mix your music to sound like that poop. makes sense? ha. a/b'ing (meaning checking back and forth) your mix to a source is usually the best way to go to start to understand this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut Posted August 3, 2008 Author Share Posted August 3, 2008 Actually sorry...I think I'm going to hold off on buying monitors until later on when it really becomes a more legit concern and save some money until then - I'll just use my Sennheisers for a little while as I learn. So here's what I bought so far: Mac Pro with 500 GB main hard drive and 2 GB of RAM 8 GB of RAM (intending to sell that 2 GB that comes with the Mac Pro) 750 GB hard drive 24" BenQ LCD monitor Echo Gina 3G audio interface (upon after much talk & recommendation with SnappleMan) MXL V67G mic Edirol PCR-800 midi controller Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and discussion here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 What are my options for what I get at various prices under $500? (Doesn't mean that I'll be spending that amount or close to that amount, just want to know) If you were going to spend $500, I'd typically say get the M-Audio BX8As, which I own. If you were going to spend $300, I'd typically say get the BX5A's. BUT WAIT! Good news! M-Audio recently came out with their "Deluxe" editions of both of these fine monitors, and have discontinues previous versions, and therfore you can buy them for cheaper. The benefit is that the monitors are practically the exact same (with minor minor differences--but still near-identical specs and quality) but you save a ton. BX5A traditional ($199) vs. BX5A deluxe ($299) BX8A traditional ($299) vs. BX8A deluxe ($499) Links: BX5As - http://www.guitarcenter.com/Search/Default.aspx?src=BX5A&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search=Go BX8As - http://www.guitarcenter.com/Search/Default.aspx?src=BX8A&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search=Go (*note* the "price drop" is actually on the wrong item. idiot web admins on GC.com...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio fidelity Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 +1 on m-audio bx8's my only gripe is i have no way of knowing that the left and right are balanced with a those terrible volume knobs on the back.i can't trust the markers. i use a sine wave with my ear. looks like you've made some good informed choices bahamut. make sure to keep your program drive clean of recording and use only your 750. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@DM@X Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 So I'm looking finally make a serious attempt at making music. I noticed the stickied thread at the top so hopefully people can make me recommendations that can be purchased over zzounds.com to support OCR as well.I'd like to buy a keyboard for use as a midi controller, as well as a mic & mic stand. Of course of lesser importance, but also necessary would be a stand for the keyboard. I also noticed Dave talking about a mic pop filter in the aforementioned thread - would that also be a good thing for me to purchase as well? Keep in mind that I know very little of these things. The M-Aiudio Axiom 49 is by far the best Midi controller in that price class I know. It has lots of useful features and comes with Ableton Live Light, just t get your foot into the door of digital music production. I used to have the Keystation 49e. After I switched to the Axiom suddenly I made much less mistakes while playing, just because the keys felt so good. The Axiom is the way to go! As for the pop filter, these things are really easy to create. I for example used a wire netting in combination with some old bandages I got from a first aid kit. It suits my needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgfoo Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 So here's what I bought so far:Mac Pro Echo Gina 3G audio interface Unless Echo's website is out of date, that interface won't work with a Mac Pro. You need a USB, Firewire or PCI-E interface. The Echo 3G uses a PCI/PCI-X, which is NOT compatible with PCI-E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio fidelity Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Unless Echo's website is out of date, that interface won't work with a Mac Pro. You need a USB, Firewire or PCI-E interface. The Echo 3G uses a PCI/PCI-X, which is NOT compatible with PCI-E. it's right there on zzounds "PCI and PCIX compatible G5. (PCI Express not compatible)" http://www.zzounds.com/item--ECHGINA3G yeah, there's no way around this. i just found this out myself with the UAD cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut Posted August 7, 2008 Author Share Posted August 7, 2008 Ok so apparently the Gina3G's PCI card does not fit into my Mac Pro - any other suggestions of audio interfaces that'd work great for me? It has to support PCI Express 1.1 at the very least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoozer Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Not that many soundcards are PCI-Express, and the one I know that is is expensive (RME Multiface II). Why not go the Firewire route? From what I've heard FW has better support on the Mac anyway. Avoid the Mackie Satellite though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgfoo Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 The only companies I can think of that make PCI-e audio cards are MOTU, RME and DigiDesign (for PTHD rigs). In the price range you're looking at you pretty much going to have to go for a firewire interface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio fidelity Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I think a saffire is a good choice for the price. they have pretty decent preamps and it comes bundled with software fx (eq, comp, verb, and an amp sim) that run off its dsp. http://www.zzounds.com/item--FOCSAFFIRELE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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