For discussion about setting up your studio and advice on the gear and equipment within it.
User avatar
By dabmeister Fri Jan 21, 2022 10:02 pm
Right now I'm thirsting for a UAD Apollo X8. I wonder if anyone has used one on a windows based machine? Anyhow, I'm trying to upgrade my hardware to perform on or near the level of a project/commercial studio.

Image

Feel free to list anything you wish or consider getting to add to, or fulfill your dream setup or recording studio.
User avatar
By v00d00ppl Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:24 pm
Hi Dabmeister. Long time no talk.

Here’s my 2 cents on that interface since I own two mastering grade AD interfaces (Burl B2 ADC and Merging Anubis) which I use to capture the high dynamic range of my Rupert Neve Designs master bus processor.

The UA interface now has 129dB of dynamic range which can capture the high voltage output of Neve console gear. My Burl only has 120dB and the Merging Anubis is 139dB. Not only that if you clip with the X8 it has a soft clip option so in a mastering situation this interface can handle hot levels just fine. I think it is called the +24dBU option.

From what I read the DA conversion on this box are also pro level. Pro level DA can really let you hear all the details that need fixing. Pro level DA will also help you figure out that you were running your signal too hot during tracking and you may want to track again. When DA conversion is good you could use stock mixing plugins and make great tunes.

I don’t own one per se, but if my focusrite Clarett stops working I would get an x6 as backup.

Let me know if you ever get it and what your thoughts are on your recording sessions
User avatar
By dabmeister Sun Jan 23, 2022 12:47 am
v00d00ppl wrote:Hi Dabmeister. Long time no talk.

Here’s my 2 cents on that interface since I own two mastering grade AD interfaces (Burl B2 ADC and Merging Anubis) which I use to capture the high dynamic range of my Rupert Neve Designs master bus processor.

The UA interface now has 129dB of dynamic range which can capture the high voltage output of Neve console gear. My Burl only has 120dB and the Merging Anubis is 139dB. Not only that if you clip with the X8 it has a soft clip option so in a mastering situation this interface can handle hot levels just fine. I think it is called the +24dBU option.

From what I read the DA conversion on this box are also pro level. Pro level DA can really let you hear all the details that need fixing. Pro level DA will also help you figure out that you were running your signal too hot during tracking and you may want to track again. When DA conversion is good you could use stock mixing plugins and make great tunes.

I don’t own one per se, but if my focusrite Clarett stops working I would get an x6 as backup.

Let me know if you ever get it and what your thoughts are on your recording sessions


What up v00d00...I always trust your expertise on stuff like this. Yeah man, I too use a Clarett but it falls a lil short when compared to the likes of a UAD or Lynx. I just want to obtain something that I won't have to keep upgrading every few years to stay ahead of the hardware game.

I see where Focusrite just launched their Clarett (+) series interfaces, but imo that's a waste to go that route for a little bit of added headroom. It might satisfy some, but once you understand the ins and outs of this stuff, you end up making wise gear purchases for the long haul.

But when I get one, you'll def be one of the first to know.
User avatar
By v00d00ppl Mon Jan 24, 2022 5:42 pm
dabmeister wrote:
v00d00ppl wrote:Hi Dabmeister. Long time no talk.

Here’s my 2 cents on that interface since I own two mastering grade AD interfaces (Burl B2 ADC and Merging Anubis) which I use to capture the high dynamic range of my Rupert Neve Designs master bus processor.

The UA interface now has 129dB of dynamic range which can capture the high voltage output of Neve console gear. My Burl only has 120dB and the Merging Anubis is 139dB. Not only that if you clip with the X8 it has a soft clip option so in a mastering situation this interface can handle hot levels just fine. I think it is called the +24dBU option.

From what I read the DA conversion on this box are also pro level. Pro level DA can really let you hear all the details that need fixing. Pro level DA will also help you figure out that you were running your signal too hot during tracking and you may want to track again. When DA conversion is good you could use stock mixing plugins and make great tunes.

I don’t own one per se, but if my focusrite Clarett stops working I would get an x6 as backup.

Let me know if you ever get it and what your thoughts are on your recording sessions


What up v00d00...I always trust your expertise on stuff like this. Yeah man, I too use a Clarett but it falls a lil short when compared to the likes of a UAD or Lynx. I just want to obtain something that I won't have to keep upgrading every few years to stay ahead of the hardware game.

I see where Focusrite just launched their Clarett (+) series interfaces, but imo that's a waste to go that route for a little bit of added headroom. It might satisfy some, but once you understand the ins and outs of this stuff, you end up making wise gear purchases for the long haul.

But when I get one, you'll def be one of the first to know.


Yea I just read the specs on the clarett +. 2dB more dynamic range for is a light improvement but I think if you own high output gear the number you should be targeting is 120dB at a minimum. For example a synth like the new prophet 5/10 rev 4 runs so hot that if you were to record your playing it would still be clipping during the tracking process. When I play two chords fast with the prophet 10 I see myself clipping on the clarett. If I do the same thing on the Burl it holds up well.

What’s nice about manufacturers who do more pro level products is they get to use various pieces of gear to stress test the interface. Almost every gear manufacturer in this price point runs many tests with tracking a Moog Voyager as a gold standard for synth tracking. This is because of the rich harmonic content the instrument produces so the AD needs to be strong and also the DA playback needs to play it back well too.

When you upgrade your interface you’ll also like recording your ASR10 and MPC 4000. Good convertors can capture the outputs of those keyboards.
User avatar
By v00d00ppl Mon Jan 24, 2022 5:45 pm
Christov wrote:A Elektron Analog Heat seems alot of fun. So that's on my list.

And an Ensoniq EPS 16+ rack as well. Don't seem them often over here, would love to have one of those.



The heat is the most versatile for getting a nice warm sound to your recordings. Even if you are boosting your recordings by 1dB it makes a difference for suck a small studio footprint .

Good luck on the EPS 16+ rack they are harder to come by. If you go on reverb daily you may have a good shot
User avatar
By dabmeister Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:50 am
v00d00ppl wrote:What’s nice about manufacturers who do more pro level products is they get to use various pieces of gear to stress test the interface. Almost every gear manufacturer in this price point runs many tests with tracking a Moog Voyager as a gold standard for synth tracking. This is because of the rich harmonic content the instrument produces so the AD needs to be strong and also the DA playback needs to play it back well too.

When you upgrade your interface you’ll also like recording your ASR10 and MPC 4000. Good convertors can capture the outputs of those keyboards.


This is the crazy part of purchasing gear where you overlook the specs and op for its popularity. But once you've wasted a few hundred and notice you get what you pay for, you get a wake up call. I don't regret making the purchases I've made, I just want to make wise purchases for the long haul. So getting that Apollo interface would be one of them.
By Christov Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:42 am
v00d00ppl wrote: The heat is the most versatile for getting a nice warm sound to your recordings. Even if you are boosting your recordings by 1dB it makes a difference for suck a small studio footprint .

Good luck on the EPS 16+ rack they are harder to come by. If you go on reverb daily you may have a good shot


Yeah that Heat seems to be a lot of bang for your buck, even tho it's only for one track at a time. But then again, I work with loops so its not like that's that big a problem.

And thanx for the tip! Didn't know about reverb.com, well only their articles, let's hope there are some European sellers on there. Got the keyboard EPS which I really like the sound of, but considering what I want to use it for a rack makes way more sense and takes up alot less footprint.
User avatar
By dabmeister Wed Jan 26, 2022 1:11 am
Christov wrote:
v00d00ppl wrote: The heat is the most versatile for getting a nice warm sound to your recordings. Even if you are boosting your recordings by 1dB it makes a difference for suck a small studio footprint .

Good luck on the EPS 16+ rack they are harder to come by. If you go on reverb daily you may have a good shot


Yeah that Heat seems to be a lot of bang for your buck, even tho it's only for one track at a time. But then again, I work with loops so its not like that's that big a problem.

And thanx for the tip! Didn't know about reverb.com, well only their articles, let's hope there are some European sellers on there.


Check the bottom left of the website for change of location, language, and currency,
User avatar
By HanHuman Wed Jan 26, 2022 4:31 am
Dunno if I would call it a must have but Jupiter-8 has always been my dream synth.
Though I have neither the $$ or the room for it. But damn how that thing sounds sexy.
They did some kind of remake of it with the Jupiter X tho, somewhat uglier with rgb shitty leds and less authentic sounding but decent.
User avatar
By v00d00ppl Wed Jan 26, 2022 6:11 am
HanHuman wrote:Dunno if I would call it a must have but Jupiter-8 has always been my dream synth.
Though I have neither the $$ or the room for it. But damn how that thing sounds sexy.
They did some kind of remake of it with the Jupiter X tho, somewhat uglier with rgb shitty leds and less authentic sounding but decent.


https://black-corporation.com/product/ise-nin/

If this comes correct I may get it. I hope it’s pretty close to the original
User avatar
By HanHuman Wed Jan 26, 2022 6:31 am
v00d00ppl wrote:https://black-corporation.com/product/ise-nin/

If this comes correct I may get it. I hope it’s pretty close to the original

Ooh that's the company doing the Deckard's Dream, now that's interesting!
Can't wait to hear demos come out :nod:
User avatar
By v00d00ppl Thu Jan 27, 2022 1:54 am
HanHuman wrote:
v00d00ppl wrote:https://black-corporation.com/product/ise-nin/

If this comes correct I may get it. I hope it’s pretty close to the original

Ooh that's the company doing the Deckard's Dream, now that's interesting!
Can't wait to hear demos come out :nod:


It’s coming out in March for those that preordered. Considering the going rate for a Jupiter 8 is 40 grand US then 3800US doesn’t sound so bad, plus you can bring your own keyboard.

I think they did a good job witch Deckard’s Dream V2. I didn’t buy one but I love what I heard in the demos.
User avatar
By HanHuman Thu Jan 27, 2022 2:48 am
v00d00ppl wrote:It’s coming out in March for those that preordered. Considering the going rate for a Jupiter 8 is 40 grand US then 3800US doesn’t sound so bad, plus you can bring your own keyboard.

I think they did a good job witch Deckard’s Dream V2. I didn’t buy one but I love what I heard in the demos.

Yea, hope they'll produce enough once it launches. If it's really good it will probably end up being out of stock 95% of the time as their other synth. If it's the real deal, 3.8K can be conceivable. Already have everything I need, it would be the dream piece of gear whim. We'll see.
User avatar
By v00d00ppl Thu Mar 03, 2022 10:29 pm
I ended up buying two Chandler Limited TG Microphone Cassette Channels for mixbus processing, tracking, EQ vibe, etc. Knowing what I know about stem processing I wondered what I could do with the EMI sound to manage having the sound of the 60s with more modern synth and drum tones.

https://chandlerlimited.com/tg-microphone-cassette/

I’ll be getting it Tuesday. I took the day off just so I can set up my recall sheets.