What's your recording setup?

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Eric said:
for practice, boss pedal board into sound card with ableton. I dont have any mics.

Me too..This is how I have mine set up...

M Audio Fast Track Ultra 8r (for my soundcard)
M Audio Profire 2626 (for my soundcard)
TC Helicon Voiceworks (for vocals)
Boss GT 10 (for guitars and basses)
Roland TD12k (for my drums)
Pro Tools 8
M Audio Axiom Keyboard

The only time I use a mic is for vocals and I use a Shure SM 58 for that.
 
I usually work in a Studio with lots of Gear, but at home I have this:

Interface: Apogee Duet 2(just got it. Sounds great)

Monitors: Focal CMS40's
Focal CMS Sub
KRK V8's (Old ones, not the VXT's)
Cue 5 Cheapos

Outboard Gear:
not much at home, but I have a Summit TLA-50 and a Vintech X73i Channel Strip that I use when tracking a vocalist/doing overdubs here.

Mics stashed at home:
Granelli 5790
SM7b
MD421
Royer R-101 (which I LOVE)
Shure KSM44 x2
Audio Technica AE3000's (I usually use these for toms, but I actually also love them for guitar and room mics)

Programs:
Pro Tools 9
Logic
Reaper
BIAS Peak Studio

Plug-ins:
Waves Gold, Rennaissance, API, SSL, and CLA Compressors
T-Racks
Native Instruments Prism, Absynth, Massive

Here's a song with some of this gear on it, though it was mixed on an SSL:
http://soundcloud.com/jeffmeredithmixing/privet-creeper-initial-mix
 
What I have...

SM57
M-Audio Fast Track
MacBook Pro

Garage Band
EZ Drummer


What I want...

SM57 + Another Mic
Apogee Duet 2
MacBook Pro

Logic
Superior Drummer

Once I make it to that state well see where things take me.
 
- Macbook Pro
- Logic Pro 9
- Piece of **** e-drum kit w/ Superior Drummer 2.0 for drums (sounds awesome btw)
- Shure SM57 for guitars
- Shure SM58 for vocals
- Amplitube Ampeg SVX for bass
 
My setup is:

Alesis HD24
Mackie 16 ch mixer
Presonus EQ / compressor / preamp
Kurzweil Rumor effects processor
Shure KSM44 dynamic mic
Shure Beta 58
Shure 57


That's about it. I only get mediocure results and think I should get better. I mix directly to CD from the Mackie doing all the fades and whatever in real time. The hardest thing is getting a good tight bass and kick drum to set together in the mix.
Currently I am recording a new batch of songs and want to get a better result than in the past, so I'm open to suggestions. :oops:
 
Here is my setup:

Hardware:
• E-MU PARIS Pro 24bit recording system with C16 Pro Controller
• Behringer Euro Desk MX 9000 mixing console
• Event 20-20 bi-amplified studio monitors
• Microphones: AKG, Shure, Electrovoice, Audix
• Korg Triton ProX 88 key music workstation keyboard
• Yamaha EX5-R rackmount workstation sound module

Audio Software:
• Cakewalk Sonar X1 Producer Edition
• Propellerhead Reason 5 & Recycle 2
• Steinberg Wavelab 6
• Exstensive collection of VST instruments, software synths, sound libraries, audio & drum loops, and plug-ins
• Sony CD Architect

Video Software:
• Sony Vegas Pro 11 HD
• Sony DVD Architect
 
I'm currently upgrading my rig!

Previous Rig
Pro-Tools 9
M-Audio ProjectMix
ART MP pres
KRK Rokit 8s
SM57, AKG 414, SM7, Sterling Audio ST66

New Rig
Pro-Tools 9
UA Apollo w/UA plugs (studer a800, Trident EQ, Manley EQ, Fatso)
UA 6176
KRK Rokit 8s
SM57, AKG 414, SM7, Sterling Audio ST66
 
For classical guitar I use a matched stereo pair of sE Electronics sE1aSP SDC -> Apogee Duet 2 -> MackBook Pro running Pro Tools 10. When I mic my Roadster I use a Sennheiser e906. Its a work in progress.
 
Stripped it down quite a bit recently.

photo-2_zps6c7faec4.jpg
 
Before I start, I need to say that the music played is heavy modern rock with a little commercial twist. Think Tool and Dream Theater meet the Foo Fighters! We like to be complex and heavy, but we like it when most people (not just musicians) can relate to what we are trying to express...there is always a line between the two. sometimes we can combine them, sometimes one side wins over the other.

Here is a basic view of the signal path

Guitar out into a 3 way splitter. A/B/C

A- feeds a tri/290 rig and a recto 4x12 closed mic off the cone and off center with a Royer 121.

B- feeds any number of other boogie rigs like a Quad/295 with 2x12 open back cabs and another matched pair Royer 121. It could also go into the rectifier recording pre instead of the Quad and the out to the amp and cab as mentioned above. Sometimes I'll run the recto pre direct as it was designed to do. Sometimes putting a mic on the Subway Rocket at low volume produces awesome results, or unplugging the speaker and lighting up another recto 4x12 with the little bad boy also works well.

C- I don't always use 3 chains, but sometimes I'll run into the Fractal Axe-FX II and come out in digital direct to the board. This digital box is pretty amazing on it's own, but I need tubes, and a lot of 'em

Two or three of these chains will be mixed together. Or, I'll simply use one if I like it better than a mix of 2 or 3. I like to remain constant whenever possible, but sometimes the song calls for something different because of other production things going on, like a bass track needing to be larger, or the other guitarist's production choices.

An important thing to note is mic placement. I like to use the matched pair of 121's that I have, the Royer ribbon sound is organic, but brutal! I like to close mic about a few inches off the grill, hit the outside of the speaker, not the cone and then tilt the mic downward or diagonally off-axis so the highs don't rip my face off, and I don't have to do what I refer to as "salvage EQ" later on. It is wildly important to get the best possible native sound and not have to correct it later with EQ, rather enhance it with EQ. I used to use a combination of a 414 with a 421 or 421 with a 57, but after I got the Royers I never looked back. One mic per cab and I find a great sound quickly and no phase issues to correct later on. I must be the only idiot on the planet who never liked the sound of a 57 alone.

Another important thing to note is the mic preamps used. They can color your sound just as much as the amp you plug your guitar into. In the studio, we have Avalons, Grace, and some other cool boxes, but the one I have been stuck to is the Chandler Limited TG-2 Abbey Road Special Edition. There is no EQ on it, it is just 2 channels of fatness. The Avalons are awesome for a more "sterile" (not in a bad way) sound, and I like them better for acoustic. But when it comes to crunch guitar, the Chandler rule supreme.

I like to use the Avalon mastering compressor on the guitars from time to time. I also like the Waves SSL collection for EQ and compression too if I can't get my grubby little paws on the Pultec.

As far as effects go, I use my Eventide Eclipse, and the Eventide Anthology plugin which pretty much has every Eventide box ever made in one package. Also to note there are some cool things inside Waves GTR3, especially for layering clean and semi broken up parts. They have some modern effects that give the guitar a bigger sonic landscape and provide me with production ideas that I had not considered.

I'd be interested in hearing what everyone else likes to do.
 
I'm about as bare bones as it gets.

Rode M1 mic (very SM58-like; take the screen off and it's very SM57-like)
Whatever brand mic stand they sell at the Rockshop (Quikloc, I think)
Whatever brand XLR cable they sell at the Rockshop (Planet Waves?)
Focusrite iTrack Solo interface

Now, the DAW. The Focusrite came bundled with Ableton Live 8 Lite. I hate it. Can't get my head around it because to me it's the least user-friendly, least intuitive POS I can think of. It's very frustrating since once upon a time I was quite handy with analog gear and tape back in the 80s. I tried Reaper, and I like it; but I just haven't gotten around to getting the license yet.

So right now I use the Ableton to make my drum tracks, but I'm not even sure I'm getting the most out of that part as I could. All I can do is make drum loops with the on-board MIDI, but I'd like to program an actual track for a song with fills and everything from start to finish. As it is I just save my loops and individual tracks with a measure's worth of snare, hihat, etc, import the WAV files into Audacity, put the fills and accents where I want them over the basic drum loop, and use Audacity as my primary DAW. Call me crazy, but I like it.

But there must be an easier way. Anybody got any suggestions?
 
Mine's pretty simple. Nothing too special, but I've been satisfied with the recent results. A lot of my mics are more for live use than recording, but they do the trick.

27" iMac
Logic Pro
MOTU 8pre Firewire Interface

Shure SM57
Electro Voice N/D767a
AKG Perception 200
AKG D 5
Plus a few other random/cheap mics..

Results can be heard by looking up the album "Bear Fight, Vol 1" by Remora Deign on iTunes, Amazon, or most other online stores. Not "pro" quality... but for a band like ours that only plays a show once every few months anymore, it does the trick. Kind of weird to have our stuff out on the web like that, but it's way more cost effective for us and we no longer have to do the old "Oh you want a CD? OK, well meet me at the mall at 3 o'clock" routine anymore when people want a CD and can't make it to a show to get one.

Note: For the drums on those recordings, we actually used some REAL cheap Nady mics that we bought on eBay years ago for like $50. :roll: They're junk.. they do a so-so job. We've replaced them with a Audix DP5A drum mic pack, but of course we bought that AFTER this little album was finished.
 
Fairly simple is best for me. Any of my Mesa amps (Studio Pre and 2:95, Rectifier Recording Pre and 2:100, Stiletto Deuce);

Mic or direct into Rupert Neve Portico 5032,
Alternatively direct into Metric Halo ULN-2,
Pro Tools & current Mac Mini

Works far better than my playing skills...
 
Some wicked setups here! \m/

My rig has been severely thinned over the last 2 years as im now working out of a local studio that has pretty much anyhting I need.

Custom built rackmounted PC 16G RAM with 6 Core
SONAR X2 Producer & Toontrack Superior Drummer (All kits)
2 x ASUS Monitors
2 x UAD2 Quad Cards
Lynx PCIe Aurora Card (16 IO)
Lynx Aurora 16 AD/DA Converter
Presonus Central Station
Mackie HR6 Monitors
Focusrite ISA 828 Preamps
2 x Geoff Tanner Aurora Audio GTQC's 1073 Channel Strips
Alta Moda Unicomp Stereo Mastering Compressor
Neve 8816 Summing Mixer

Numerous Rode, Shure, & EV mics. Some of the Rode's modded.
Mesa Road King S1, Electradyne Combo 112, Mesa Roadster Combo 112, Peavey Valveking 112, Orange Micro Terror.
TC Electronic G-Force
Numerous stomp pedals
2 x Peavey EVH Wolfgangs
2 x Washburn Nuno N4s (Vintage & Rare Koa Model)
PRS Custom 24 Artist
Heritage Les Paul
Fender USA Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Strat
Fender USA Custom Shop Relic'd John Mayer Black1 Strat
Fender Japanese Vintage 70s Strat
Fender USA Standard Strat 1989.
Takamine EAN15C Acoustic
Ibanez Bass Guitar

I pretty much use Superior to sequence all the drums, bass guitar is DI and then everything else gets layered. I use a similar method to TriAxis6 which involves a splitter system when tracking heavy guitars. The UAD2 plugs are awesome for mixing. Alta Moda is across the mix buss always, excpet for when use din tracking with other preamps.

Cheers \m/
 
Mics:
Shure SM 57 - middle of the cone
K&K AT 309 - dust cap (for hi mid bite)

AKG Perception 200 (room mic, rarely used)

Interface:
Presonus Inspire 1394

Tracker:
Cubase
 
Not sure if I posted earlier, but I finally upgraded to a decent interface. My recording rig is as follows:

Focusrite Saffire Pro 24
PC running Windows 7 Pro (Needs upgrade in hardware)
Reaper 5
Various free vst effect/amp sims, huge catalog of IR's(paid and free)
Addictive Drums(with all add-ons)
First Gen M-Audio BX5a monitors
Mics are
SM57
SM58
SM48
have access to
Audix I5
Audix D5's & D6's
a couple AKG P220's
 
After seeing the set up some of you folks have Im still in the little leagues comparatively--

21" iMac
M-Audio Bx5 monitors
Logic Pro X
Tascam US-2000 ( old but still works amazingly - but will upgrade sooner than later)
ART TPS II tube pre-amp
Two Notes Torpedo Live
Furman M-8x2
Ezdrummer 2 & Superior Drummer ( Still blown away by these VST's)
ExMix2

SM57
Sennhieser e906
Sterling ST31
SM58
 
Very simple but gets a good sound for demos.

Zoom H6 in one corner of the room with the stereo mic capturing everything except vocals. Vocals (sm58) are being fed into the room PA and into the 1 input on the Zoom. I'm looking to buy another mic to aim at the drums on the other side of the room to hopefully beef up the drum sound, and feed that into the 2 input. Here's an example of how it sounds. I'm playing the lead on an Electra Dyne head. https://instaud.io/obh
 
Extended range guitars -> 1994 Dual rectifier -> Mesa oversize 412 -> Royer R121 -> neve1073 clone -> saffire pro 40 -> Reaper -> older Adam A7s or Event Tr6s.

Sometimes I'll use an sm7 or an sm57 with the royer but I usually end up with just the Royer in mix anyways. I record in the same room I've treated for mixing so it's not the greatest sounding room for live guitars. I also record at low volumes.
 
I use SM57 and a Sennheiser e609 mixed. 1 on a T-75 and 1 on a V30.

Cheap alesis mixer into Reaper daw on a laptop.

Record it in the garage with a Marshall TSL or DSL 100 and 1960a cab with V30'S and T-75'S.

Mix it inside on my PC with headphones.

Simple. I am learning so much.
 

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