The one thing I need?

[milfus]

the time thing is hard to gauge, cause im cutting off before i knew what i was doing really, ive actually been mixing about 11 years now, but i only really got training and really studied for like 6 or 7, so thats what i count, incase i threw anyone

[devin]

Apr 25, 2008, 3:14pm, billg wrote:The trick to getting the most out of your humble system is listen to commercial cds that you're very familiar FIRST, & listen a lot before you start working on mixes. Great point!I just tried it...what a good way to get calibrated. Thank you! I picked a "target" commercial song that has the feel I was after (in terms of production). I played it on my gear every now and then while mixing my stuff, and I can reference how my mix was shaping up.

[milfus]

ah rule of thumb, you wanna get 3 songs from diff bands, that fit your genre, and mix your song against them, its kinda of like QA, pushes you to do a lot better mixing too

[mojobone]

As to the monitors debate, I'm with milfus. One can mix around not having great monitors. That said, given the option, isn't better, erm, better? When I'm asked for advice about upgrades as the OP did, my response is almost always to upgrade the transducers; in many modern studios they're the only thing that actually makes a sound.As to the original question, they're doing some amazing things with speaker design these days, but physics is still physics. I think an 8 inch woofer is the minimum required to properly hear the low end. Barring a sub/sat configuration, which is a whole 'nother waxy ball of kettlefish.

[diogenes]

I would definitely upgrade the mics. A great utility condensor is the AT 4033. A grand or so could could get you a killer vocal mic, like a Mojave MA200 or Charter Oaks SA538. But I have done many good vocals with the 4033. The Vocals on Micheal Jacksons Thriller were done with a Shure SM7, available today as the SM7b for about $350., I haven't personsally used one but alot of people say they are the perfect rock vocal mic.

[milfus]

yeah but "better" should also factor in affordable, cause it would be better to have a full set up, then an empty room with monitors and no way to use them.

[diogenes]

I'd say with regards to monitors, of course, better is better, but you can easily compensate for a less than ideal set-up by listening to all sorts of music through your monitors, learn how they translate to the outside world and adjust accordingly. Some aquaintences of mine , who are now signed to a Warner Brothers imprint, mixed there first (and only) indie album through a pair of Aiwa home stereo speakers and it sounded fantastic! No kidding, to this day that CD is the best home production i've ever heard. Very very close to label quality. The band is called 650 North if your curious.

[devin]

Jun 10, 2008, 2:28pm, diogenes wrote:The Vocals on Micheal Jacksons Thriller were done with a Shure SM7, available today as the SM7b for about $350., I haven't personsally used one but alot of people say they are the perfect rock vocal mic.Another small studio and I get together whenever we can to either do mic shoot-outs or to help each other with vocal tracking. We're both considered new, so the more ears/hands/gear on hand the better.We've tried the SM7 alot, and haven't gone with it yet for either male or female vocals...found it a bit dark each time (MJ does have a great clear vox though, so he probably got through well enough). For female, we always end up with a Blue microphones "Kiwi". Squids has a Blue "Baby Bottle", which is also rated highly for female.The Kiwi also does well for male voice, although a refurb U87 (1970's vintage) was usually used. We also have an AKG 414 that always seems to come in second place whenever we do the blind test (on both male and female), so that gets used too. The AKG was my first Large Diaphram Condenser because it is a decent all-purpose LDC...about $600 used on eBay for a pristine one.We've yet to track vox with the SM7 over the 414 (rock, hard rock, country, opera)...plus the 414 is much more versatile for acoustic guitar.Just my $0.02 of course! I personally tend to get just a bit more energy out of an SM-58 performance...probably because I know I can abuse it a bit more than the fancier mic that's strapped into the shock mount. Aerosmith uses an SM-57!

[diogenes]

Thats interesting. Sort of glad I haven't laid out the cash for one yet...

[mazz]

Jun 10, 2008, 4:30pm, devin wrote:Jun 10, 2008, 2:28pm, diogenes wrote:The Vocals on Micheal Jacksons Thriller were done with a Shure SM7, available today as the SM7b for about $350., I haven't personsally used one but alot of people say they are the perfect rock vocal mic.Another small studio and I get together whenever we can to either do mic shoot-outs or to help each other with vocal tracking. We're both considered new, so the more ears/hands/gear on hand the better.We've tried the SM7 alot, and haven't gone with it yet for either male or female vocals...found it a bit dark each time (MJ does have a great clear vox though, so he probably got through well enough). For female, we always end up with a Blue microphones "Kiwi". Squids has a Blue "Baby Bottle", which is also rated highly for female.The Kiwi also does well for male voice, although a refurb U87 (1970's vintage) was usually used. We also have an AKG 414 that always seems to come in second place whenever we do the blind test (on both male and female), so that gets used too. The AKG was my first Large Diaphram Condenser because it is a decent all-purpose LDC...about $600 used on eBay for a pristine one.We've yet to track vox with the SM7 over the 414 (rock, hard rock, country, opera)...plus the 414 is much more versatile for acoustic guitar.Just my $0.02 of course! I personally tend to get just a bit more energy out of an SM-58 performance...probably because I know I can abuse it a bit more than the fancier mic that's strapped into the shock mount. Aerosmith uses an SM-57! The PreAmp the mic is going through is just as crucial as the mic. My wife finished an album last year with Ronan of the Recording Boot Camp and he's got a ton of great mics and preamps. They did a shootout and found that an SM58 through some old preamps that were used on Neil Young albums worked out best for her voice and (and here's the key) for the songs that she was recording. They tried U87s and high end solid state and tube preamps and ended up with a 58 and an older preamp. I'm sure an SM7 will sound different depending on what it's going through. That's the art of recording, knowing the colors of the sound of the gear and when to use them.Of course, it always helps to have some stuff to choose from! Cheers,Mazz