Economic Pre-DAW Equipment

[stick]

Yes. What Mazz said. If your room sounds crappy, anything the mic is picking up will have some amount of crappy-sounding-room in it.

[andreh]

Quote:I recently bought some stuff from Ready Acoustics. They sell DIY broadband bass trap bags and the rigid fiberglass Owens Corning panels.I agree, Mazz...these are a much better option than the Auralex stuff. In fact, my room is full of the 2" bags for mid/high absorption and the 6" bags are in all my corners (even wall/ceiling junctions).They are more expensive, but still less than most (if not all) pre-made options of similar quality. And if you buy the bags from Ready Acoustics and the 703 panels from your local insulation supplier, it'll cost even less!André

[mazz]

Andre,For some reason it's pretty hard to find the 703 panels in the Bay Area. I've got a friend that knows of a supplier and he said that the price from Ready Acoustics is pretty comparable to the local vendor. Depending where you are, it may or may not pay to order.Great to hear from you, by the way. Missed you at the Rally this year!Mazz

[jonathansorensen]

Hi All,Jon here, original poster. Thank you so much for all the feedback. It's very heartening. Sorry I wasn't able to check in, things have been INSANE before and since the rally. I'm going to look into all those options. I have a neumann tlm 103 but it's old and doesn't sound so great anymore. Can a mic lose quality without completely crapping out?

[mazz]

That TLM 103 is a pretty nice mic. I would look in to getting it refurbished. Maybe it was stored wrong and the diaphragm is deteriorating or a capacitor in the circuitry is getting old and leaking. Or maybe your preamp is just not doing it any justice. No matter what, unless it's been under water it's probably worth having it looked at.Mazz

[stick]

Yeah, you're aren't going to beat that mic on your budget. Get it looked at if you think it's not up to snuff.

[matto]

Quote:I have a neumann tlm 103 but it's old and doesn't sound so great anymore.I don't think a TLM 103 can be "old" by Neumann standards , I believe this mic was introduced in the late nineties...I agree that if it does have a problem it should be worth having it looked at.

[ciskokidd]

I agree with Matt,You have a good mic that you should look into getting fixed. It may be the best money you spend in this little venture.Also you may have other problems in the gain stage that may not have to do with the mic. I would take it to a friends studio if you can and test it somewhere to make sure it isn't a bad mic pre or something like that.Other than that stay under a grand for broadcast quality! You are much better served by a proper recording/mix than getting a bunch of expensive gear.Best,Cisco