Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
By tunde3001 Sat Jan 07, 2006 5:09 am
Hi guys,
Happy New Year! i want to start recording vocals from home and i just wanted your opinion on equipment. 8)

Well currently i have a:
1.Eurorack UB802
2.M audio 2496 sound card

And ofcourse a PC yadi yada.now i was told the focusrite range(voicemaster pro) was the right choice for a vocal processor and a Rodes NT-2 mic.

Please educate me if you have a better alternative to this.:cry:

thankx alot
Tunde.

yup

By Eemo1 Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:30 am
i would give a mxl v67/the mxl silicone valve mic a try. never liked the rode mics...

studio projects c series is pretty good for the price too. don't forget the chinese ribbon mics, but those take a bit more work to sound good (mic placement).
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By Yoshimi Sat Jan 07, 2006 3:23 pm
On a budget:

Mics:

Shure SM-58
Audio Technica AT2020 and AT3035
Studio Projects B-1, C-1

Pre-Amp:

Studio Projects VTB-1
Groove Tubes The Brick
FMR Audio RNP

I wouldn't mess with one of those all in one units. Start out with a decent mic and a good pre-amp...then add other stuff later.
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By Triple_A Sat Jan 07, 2006 3:42 pm
I think Yoshimi is right on the ball. Studio Projects is very under-rated, especially the TB-1 mic. The pre's are also meant to be great value.

By benfresh Sat Jan 07, 2006 8:12 pm
Stay away from focuswrite mic pres/compressors, very overatted, i rented one of the $400 ones and it actually made my vox sound worse.

I have an akg 3000b mic, which i tested out against the at2020 and liked better, because it was cleaner, but now i'm going back to the at2020 cause shit is too bright for grimey hip-hop. the blue ball is an excellent mic if you can afford it. ampex is great for the price.

Just stating the obvious here, but its more about the accoustics in your room than speacial mic pres and whatnot.. f**k what the trade magazines say.

Really it depends on what you want to record.. for instance the akgc3000 is great for female vox and accoustic guitar, but if your sampling from reocrds your gonna want something a little more laid back in the mids.
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By TBonus76 Sat Jan 07, 2006 8:15 pm
tunde3001 wrote:Hi guys,
Happy New Year! i want to start recording vocals from home and i just wanted your opinion on equipment. 8)

Well currently i have a:
1.Eurorack UB802
2.M audio 2496 sound card

And ofcourse a PC yadi yada.now i was told the focusrite range(voicemaster pro) was the right choice for a vocal processor and a Rodes NT-2 mic.


I've used the Rodes NT-2, but for right around the same price I prefer the Sure KSM32.

The NT-2 is "crispier" or "thinner". Usually too thin for my taste... I personally like a little more warmth in vocals.

The Sure KSM32 i think costs about the same, and it is much warmer sounding... better for vocals in my opinion.

Here's part of a song I engineered/mixed/mastered using the NT-2 for vocals:
http://evrecords.net/upload/mp3/OpenMouthsFed10.mp3
(--Taken from Longshot- "Open Mouths Fed", EV Productions)

Ok, now here's a part of another song with the same 2 MC's (but in reverse order) but I used the Sure KSM-32 for the vocals:
http://evrecords.net/upload/mp3/Chapter75.mp3
(--Taken from Copperpot- "Chapter 7", EV Productions)

Keep in mind these vocals were mixed slightly differently (ie EQ, FX, Compression settings, etc), and they are MP3s (gag), but you can get a rough idea of the difference in the mics.
Hope this helps.

By tunde3001 Sat Jan 07, 2006 8:49 pm
thankx alot guys. i really appreciate the info on the type of equipment i shud be looking at.this is a real big help.Much appreciated.

Best Regards
Tunde :D