Clean recording

This is the path I use when recording:
Mic > pre-amp > eq > compressor

I want to get the cleanest recording possible. If I were to spend big bucks on equipment, which of the above should I spend it on?

Ofcourse it would be best if all the equipment was top-of-the-line. But I think the mic and pre-amp are most important.

What affects the quality of the recording most, the mic or the pre-amp?

If you're talking about vocals I've always believed that you should record them without EQ, then eq em later.

equi-knocks wrote:If you're talking about vocals I've always believed that you should record them without EQ, then eq em later.

I Go With Knocks on that 1........................................

Unless ur Certain of Ur FX and MIX Output U May Need To Remove Some FX/Processes Later which in some cases is near Impossible................

Yea but if you have a sh*tty mic with bad frequency response and no low end roll off then you can EQ some sh*t ahead of time... Granted it can also be done later, but if the man already has the EQ he can use it to take out sibilance and the bottom end... I mean for vocals everything below 80 - 70 Hz is uselss...

Iyou got a trash pre-amp, you won't get what you want out of it. You can make a crap mic sound great with a good pre, but you can't do it the other way around, I think.
I think if you spend around a grand on either peice and you have heard it before and it works for the majority of vocal style you work with, you're in good shape. Don't forget about high quality, oxygen-free xlr cables atc. Crap cables and excessive lengths can damage the signal more than most care to think about.

Thanks for the feedback!

I record str8 flat with my mic (like Equi-Knocks and 4kxl). I EQ and anything else later on. I make a copy and edit that. In case I mess up I can always go back to a good original and make another copy.

tru-pro is also right as far as different configurations and stuff I've seen in some home studios.

Word up, I compress and eq a lttle bit in the way in, just to keep
the signal hot and balanced, but like Lamp said, do as little as possible untill later, cus you can't 'undo' a recorded performance.
I engineer for this old-school classic rock producer, and he gets his sound and then prints that during recording. His mix, therefore, is rather minimal cus he knows what the tone should be from jump. Maybe my ear is not developed enough to commit to heavy processing during recording, but I'd like to have the option of not F ing it up on input...

What effects the quality is the enviroment you record in.

the area must be MAD quiet! no electircal noises. no fridges, no nothing. and your PC must be quiet too if u use one.
I suggest using a Gate on your recordings not to tight though cause you dont want the vocals to get cut up whilst recording. so have a loose or slow delay. you only want to get the vocals nothing else.

the area must be MAD quiet! no electircal noises. no fridges, no nothing. and your PC must be quiet too if u use one.

>>>>>>>>>

welcome to my world- i have the noisiest pc- thats why its never on and as i live in a bedsit i also have my firdge in my room- conviennant but bloody noisy!! dont think i have ever composed in a completely silent environment- except at uni..

greg

dubmunkey wrote:the area must be MAD quiet! no electircal noises. no fridges, no nothing. and your PC must be quiet too if u use one.

>>>>>>>>>

welcome to my world- i have the noisiest pc- thats why its never on and as i live in a bedsit i also have my firdge in my room- conviennant but bloody noisy!! dont think i have ever composed in a completely silent environment- except at uni..

greg

ahahaha!!! turn em all off when you do recordings!! the fridge though hhmmm do u store meat? if not them that can turn off!

nah its for something more important than food- beer!!! seriously though ive come close when ive got nothing in it,..prob is there is construction going on outside so its never dead quiet anyway- boo!

greg