Tell Us What Works Best for You!

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JohnnyBravo
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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by JohnnyBravo » Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:26 am

Hi, just joined Taxi and yet to get off the ground. Thanks for all this gear feedback, I've learned some new stuff but I can't believe that no-one else that has posted uses Sonar. I've stayed loyal to Cakewalk through the years & I think they've finally outdone themselves with the new Sonar X2 package. That said, learning a DAW is a huge undertaking so we all tend to stay in our silos & don't ever really get 'the green grass on the other side'.

Other software I enjoy is Amplitube 3, Guitar Rig 5, AutoTune Harmony Engine and Celemony Melodyne - my current favourite. I also use SoundForge for mastering.

Anyone else try Toontrack EZMix? I've started using it and its really convenient & sounds good. At times its frustrating if you can't tweak a parameter, but its still a real productivity tool.

My audio interface is an EMU1616m, which I got so I could use the amazing Patchmix DSP mixer & router and its audio effects banks. I have a Roland PCR300 and Roland W30 as MIDI controllers. Add to that several mid-range guitars - Yamaha APX7a acoustic (awesome electrics), Squier Affinity Tele (aweful intonation but use Melodyne to fix it), Cort Action V bass, an old Squier Strat with a humbucker pickup for rough work. My main vocal mic is a Rode NT1a - amazing low noise and crisp response for such a value product.

I use EMU Emulator X2 for sound design. I'm super bummed that its not available anymore because I have to run a dual boot to XP to run it, whereas my main workstation runs on Win7 x64.

My monitors are terrible but yet to upgrade them - Alesis M1 active. I was clueless when I bought them and since realised how false they are. I therefore use AKG S240 Studio cans for most monitoring, and reference across a range of other speakers and headphones. Eventually you get a decent reference, but would still love a proper pair of monitors one day.

Wish list: Waves SSL Bundle, Steve Slate Chris Lord Alge drums, Roland TS10 monitors, Fender 60's Tele..

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TimWalter
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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by TimWalter » Mon Dec 31, 2012 12:45 pm

I use Presonus Firetube interface, Presonus Studio Pro and the plugins that came with it. For mics, I have AT 3035 and Blue Spark, SM57 and SM58, MXL 990 and 991 (alghough the two MXL's havent been used since I got the AT3035. Monitors are Behringer Truth and small Roland MA-8 set.

I read the posts with great interest. I would be interested in what more experienced folks would recommend for someone like me as the next add to upgrade sound. Would it be mic for vocals and possibly guitar (like AKG 414), or SM7B (for vocals)? Would it be a compressor like the Distressor I've heard so much about? Would it be a new mic pre (budget no more than $1000)?. Or something else? I solicit all comments, I am here to learn. Thanks.
Tim Wolf
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"Nashville-based Romantic Rebel singer-songwriter making alternative songs for those who need a second chance"

www.thetimwolf.com

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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by amberjade » Thu Aug 01, 2013 10:43 am

Technological ineptitude stifles my creative flow, so I seek a user-friendly recording program. I hear that Mixcraft 6 is equivalent to Garage Band. Would it be good for producing Indie music on? Thanks!

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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You! - Kemper Profiling Amp

Post by Warmchordmusic » Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:34 am

Favorite Guitar Amp - Kemper Profiling Amp

If you haven't heard of the Kemper yet and you're a guitar player that needs access to many different types of amps, the Kemper is a godsend. I searched for a few years to find the perfect product to let me record my parts quietly while the kids were in bed. I tried various software plugins (Peavey Revalver was my favorite), but they all lacked something. If you're only playing really heavy metal music, software seems to work ok. However, software currently doesn't reproduce the sound and feeling you get when you plug into a real amp. I tried other hardware modelers like the Eleven Rack and Axe-Fx. The eleven rack is cool and doubles as a ProTools interface, but it just wasn't working for me. The Axe Fx is great and can do more effects than any other unit out there, if that's what you're into. If you're primarily a guitar play and love tweaking everything, this is the best option for you. For me, I'm a drummer turned guitar player. I am picky about my tone, but I want to spend more time playing than tweaking. I found that the Kemper just allows for more plug and play than the Axe Fx. For a songwriter, plug and play is more important than plug and tweak. When you only have an hour or two per day to write, I can't afford to spend half or all of it trying to sculpt the best Fender Bassman patch. The Kemper website has tons of profiles posted and shared by fellow Kemper users and the forum is great. I tend to use more paid commercial profiles from The Amp Factory, which has an amazing collection of modern and vintage amps recorded with high end mics and pres (neves with Royers, say no more). This means I don't have to spend money or time searching for the best ebay deal for a mic or pre, I don't go in debt as I sell the stuff I don't like for less than what I paid, I don't waste time engineering as I write, and I don't have limits on the type of music I can write, due to my guitar gear not being versatile enough. After all, it's sorta difficult to write metal on a Bassman, or play convincing country licks on a 6505......Anyways, I love this gear and if I had nothing else for my guitar, I'd be ok with that!
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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by Warmchordmusic » Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:50 am

Tim, if vocals is your main concern, the mic is the way to go. Many people will say the SM7b is great and inexpensive compared to a good condenser, and they are right. It's a great mic for certain things, but you really need a good mic pre to get the most out of it. I had that mic for a while and I liked it, but it just lacked the high end sparkle you get from a good condenser. If you're doing primarily rock music, and I mean more aggressive rock, then it's a good choice. Get yourself a cloud lifter (gives you an extra 10 db of clean gain before your mic pre) and you'll be pretty happy. If you're doing singer/songwriter stuff, you're still going to like it, but it's not ideal for that purpose. I've had many mics over the years and here's my findings:

Mojave Audio Tube Condenser (101 I think?) - Awesome mic with incredible lows. So much low end that I had to engage my high pass filter to stop the plosives, even after backing off the mic more. I loved it, but I couldn't justify paying $1000 for it, so I sold it to a friend's studio.

Audio Technica 4050 - This was a really nice mic. I used it on demo recordings for my old cover band's vocalist and it fit him well. It's a little honky in the upper mids and did not suit my voice quite as well, so I also sold this one. It's a great mic on the right person.

Shure KSM 32 - This is what I currently use. Although it's not immediately going to pop out at you, it just does it's job very well and at a modest price. I paid $486 out the door at sweetwater for it about 2 years ago. I can't really justify getting a better mic right now for vocals, as it delivers what I currently need.

As for Pre's, I've only owned a couple outboard ones. I had the Chandler Limited Germanium, which is amazing for guitar. For vox, I think an API would be my choice if I had to do it all over again. The Germanium was an impulse buy I really should have done more homework on. For the money, it's just not quite as versatile as I needed at the time. I also have owned a Focusrite ISA One and a Universal Audio 610 Solo. I liked both of them, but I think the UA was a little overpriced compared to the ISA. I actually recommend the ISA and the KSM32 together if you want a noticeable upgrade under $1000.

I don't even use an outboard pre at the moment. I needed to re-invest in other things and so I use the pre's in my Motu Track 16 which are very clean and clear, have plenty of gain, and seems to work well with the KSM32. Those are just my thoughts though......
Jay Croft
Warm Chord Music

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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by FLadyT » Mon May 26, 2014 2:32 pm

We use FL Studio for everything! Native Instruments is the bomb.
2PartsAnalog

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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by GavinKMusic » Tue May 27, 2014 12:44 pm

I'm kind of new to production..been producing since January 2014..started with Audacity and in February switched over to Cubase LE

..so far experimentation and keeping it fun is working.

as equipment goes now Cubase 7.5 for DAW, and these VST's: Nexus2, Sylenth1 and Trilian.

Sample Magic is my go to for samples.

also love using the online LANDR for mastering. its cleans up tracks and adds that little extra punch and its that 2nd pair of ears I need.

I use youtube to study production, mixing etc...

for inspiration I listen to 181.FM UK Top 40. I stay up to date with latest releases.
VST Based Project Studio running Cubase 7.5, Nexus2, Sylenth1, Stylus RMX and Trilian.
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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by MJRivard » Thu Jun 26, 2014 9:09 pm

Hello,
I like to experiment and build some of my gear. So here is what I use;
Mixer : Bohm mixer kit ( built 30 years ago ), modified with channel inserts, combo XLR / TRS connectors for inputs, upgraded IC's for better sound, balanced ouput circuit.

DI : I designed & built 2 dual channel direct interfaces each dual on a 1 unit rack panel. Connectors on the front. Has direct couple ( no capacitor ) input, capacitor input, stereo to mono input, FX loop, buffered thru out, TS unbalanced / TRS - XLR balanced out, unity to + 20db gain, polarity switch. Also used to split a mono instrument signal into 2 signals. I do this for my Rhodes piano to get a stereo sound with one side dry the other effect ( phase shifter / chorus / flange ) Can be used for unbalanced to balanced conversion.

Condensor phantom power supply : Designed & built a 4 channel, individually decoupled, phantom power supply. ( My mixer does not have phantom power. )

Line level mixers : Designed & built 2 - 8 channel balanced input line level mixers, on a 1 unit rack pannel all connectors on the front with volume and pan for each channel. Has TS unbalanced & XLR balanced outputs & headphone out. Can be used as a stereo effects return, or for submixing line level instruments.

Headphone distrubuiton amp : Designed & built a 2 stereo input to 4 headphone amps. Has buffered thru out of the input signals. Each headphone amp has a left & right volume for each stereo input ( 4 controls per amp ). I use one input for the prerecorded signals and the second input for the current sound being record. It also works good for spitting signals to be sent to other equipment. Built on a 1 unit rack panel, all connectors and controls on the front.

Stereo preamp : A 4 input preamp. RCA connector inputs. Input selector switch, left volume / right volume, headphone out, RCA unbalanced & XLR balanced outputs. Built on a 1 unit rack pannel, all connectors and controls on the front.

I also make my own mic cables and line level cables to connect the equipment. I use Beldon Brilliance cable and Neutrics connectors. I use Beldon 2 pair sheilded cable for the equipment cables. I can use this to make stereo, send & return "y" cables.

I design my own printed circuit boards.

Hardware synths : Roland D5 synth / controller 61 keys, Roland U220 sound module.

Keyboard contoller : M-audio Keystation 88 key semi weighted keys, a 49 key controller.

MIDI interface : MOTU 5 midi input / output, USB to computer. Used to route all controllers to control the hardware synths and vertual instruments.

Mic's : Matched pair Behringer C2 small dia. condensor mic. 1 AudioTechnica AT2020 large dia. condensor. 2 Shure PG81 small dia. condensor. 2 Shure PG58 dynamic.

Monitor speakers : Refurbished Epicure book shelf speakers.

Headphones : 1 Pioneer headphone, AT headphone.

Power amp : 2 Pyle Pro PQ1000 amps. Fender Squire bass amp, small Peavy guitar amp.

Compressor : 2 Alessis dual compressor / limiter / gate.

Digital delay : Alessis MIDIVerb 4.

Vertual instruments : East West Symphony / EWQL grand pianos. Reason synths / drum machine / sequencer.

Computer : HP dual core, with 2 hard drives - one for programs the other for audio files. M-Audio 4 in / 4 out TRS break out box and pci card. A Del lap top.

Leslie Speaker : Has top & bottm rotor and 2 stationary speakers. Built custom pream for combo pedal controller. Can use the rotor channel or stationary channel, or both.

One half of a 2 car garage for studio. Treated to have a dead space. About 14ft by 11ft, with 8ft hight.

On the current piece ( Jazz Rock ) I am working on I used a C2 mike to record guitars thru a small Traynor amp, for the bass guitar I used the DI to split the signal with the ' thru ' to the Squire amp, and XLR to a mixer channel input. The amp was mic'd with the AT2020. compressors inserted on the mixer channels.
The Rhodes signal split into 2 using a dual DI, with phase shifter inserted on the first channel. Both balanced outs to 2 mixer channels to record in stereo. Programmed the Reason drum machine for drum kit pattern. Used some percussion sounds from the U220, some added to the Reason drum machine, some recorded live. Organ sound from the U220 going into mixer, with monitor out going to Leslie preamp. Leslie mic'd with 2 C2 mic's on top rotor, and AT2020 on bottom rotor. Reverb added to mic signals.

You can hear 4 versions of the Jazz Rock piece at http://www.soundcloud.com/myran-j-rivard . Each version has a different compiled lead solo track. You can also hear how my equipment sounds.

Thanks for reading and listening. Let me know how I am doing.

Thanks
- Myran

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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by kclements » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:41 am

My setup is really simple.

- 27" iMac i7 from 2010. 16GB ram (soon to be upgraded to 24GB)
- Apogee (original) Duet audio interface.
- DAW: Logic Pro X
- Monitors: Adam A5
- Mics: 1 Bluebird, 1 AKG C3000, 1 SM-57
- Software: LASS, Omnisphere, Kontakt (full), Stylus RMX, Addictive Drums, Trillian, Sampletekk Pianos, Spitfire Percussion, a few other misc stuff.
- Yamaha Grand Piano (ok, this is kind of fancy, but as a piano player, I have to have a real, honest to goodness piano :)

No outboard gear, no big mixer. also, I do have some acoustic treatment from GIK acoustics.

cheers
kc
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Re: Tell Us What Works Best for You!

Post by Tore » Sun May 03, 2015 7:02 am

I use Cubase 7.5 with a pretty good Pc and a very simple Steinberg UR22. My keyboard is a Jupiter-80 i love the sound from that one. It sounds very acoustic, but also very retro. It is perhaps not surprising when it is a sequel of the great 80s synth Jupiter 8. Piano sound is the only thing that is not good enough so I use mostly Alica Keys piano. Ez drummer and Ez keys classics has a lovely sound. This is what I use in my home studio, but I take with my best songs to one proffesional studio that has just about everything.

To hear how a Jupiter 80 songs so you can click on the link and listen Another Place and Was It Cold? . Both songs have only Jupiter 80 sounds except Superior Drummer, Alica Keys piano, and Steinberg Grand. Bass, strings and synth sounds are all from Jupiter 80




https://soundcloud.com/t-t-audio-productions

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