What equipment do you use?

[mazz]

Feb 13, 2009, 8:13am, chriscarter wrote:Feb 12, 2009, 11:14pm, mazz wrote:[quote author=chriscarter board=nick thread=12152 post=120523 time=1234494750]I found a company called Ready Acoustics that sells the OC 703 and some cool DIY bags that you put them in to make 2'X4'X4" panels. 3 panels cost about 200 bucks and made a HUGE difference in the sound of my room (small roughly 10X14). Those and the Lucid clock and the Benchmark D/A were the best investments I've made in the sound of my mixes (and made my speakers sound much better!).I'm glad you mentioned this, Chris!MazzHUGE difference is really the key word. I hear people constantly talking about this converter or that converter, this mic or that mic, this EQ or that EQ,.... I hear the phrase "if I only had __________". But they really overlook the acoustics. I should mention that while nobody I've worked with (major, indie, or unsigned) has ever bothered to ask me what equipment I use, even if they are IN the studio, EVERYONE mentions the sound of the room when they walk in. I have huge floor-to-ceiling bass traps in all four corners as well as in the computer closet at the back of the room where the wall meets the ceiling. I have all first reflection points (including the ceiling) and the ront wall plus spot areas in the rest of the room. Monitors are on Primacoustic recoils which are on sand-filled stands on spikes. In the mix position it's INSANELY accurate and you can sit ANYWHERE in the room and the curve doesn't change by more than a couple dB at most. So if I have a client at the studio, they don't have to keep sitting where I'm sitting to hear how the mix sounds - they can sit anywhere.I honestly don't understand why some people will spend so much freakin' money on all kinds of toys and ignore the most important toy at all. Maybe because acoustic treatment doesn't have any blinking LEDs Did you have someone come and help you decide where to put the traps and absorption, and even the speakers, for that matter?Couldn't help asking about gear here :Are you using any room correction software or EQ or do your monitors have something built in that you are using?Please send pics!! Mazz

[chriscarter]

Feb 13, 2009, 10:17am, mazz wrote:Did you have someone come and help you decide where to put the traps and absorption, and even the speakers, for that matter?Couldn't help asking about gear here :Are you using any room correction software or EQ or do your monitors have something built in that you are using?Please send pics!! MazzUnfortunately, I didn't have any help. I talked to everyone I personally knew and didn't get much useful help. So I basically did my own research. After reading TONS of material and making a billion measurements, I bought a ton of 703, wood and muslin, and some power tools. I had a general idea of what I needed and where it would go. I put in the speakers, my chair and the desk first and figured out where they sounded best, which was pretty much where I expected. Then I started installing all the bass traps and absorbers I built. When it was finished, I cried, litterally. I've been in some very nice and expensive studios, but honestly (whithout trying to sound like an ass), my room has better response than most of them. I don't use any room correction software or EQ on my mains. IMHO that's a bad idea. It can only really correct for one listening position at one playback volume. I need to have things sound accurate all over the room, not just in the primary mix position. I also need it to sound accurate at 40dB and at 95dB. There's no way to do that with EQ, you can only really do it with acoustics.I used to have some photos, but I can't find them on my computer. I'll try and take some.

[ernstinen]

Computers:VisionDAW tuned for EWQLSO GoldCompaq PC for GigastudioCompaq PC for ProTools LEMac G4 for Digital PerformerDell PC for printing stuff (Various soundcard/interfaces going toMOTU Midi Express XT)Computer monitors:HP 24" LCDSamsung 19" LCDSamsung 17" LCDSylvania 19" tubeKeyboards & Modules:Roland JV-90 w/ orchestral expansionEmu e6400 samplerProteus 1 & 2Prophet 600Roland SH-101 w/ cool "guitar" handle! Guitars:1963 Fender Stratocaster (my baby!)1988 Takamine Electric/AcousticAmps:Soldano tube pre-amp (Wow!)Peavey 60/60 stereo tube power amp1970 Fender Deluxe Reverb1968 Ampeg VT-22 with 2x12 cabinetPedals:Vox wah-wahDunlop OctavioBoss Stereo ChorusBoss FlangerPro-Co RatTech 21 ComptortionMonitors and amps:Yamaha NS-10'sKRK V-6'sDefinitive Technology "home" speakersMarantz preampAlesis power ampSennheiser & AKG headphonesMixing Boards:Soundcraft 16x4Digi 002Outboard gear:Empirical Labs "Fatso"Alesis Q2Alesis MidiverbAlesis Masterlinkdbx 160x compressorAlesis stereo compressorAphex aural exciterBBE 622Delta Lab delayMicrophones:Sennheiser K2-UShure SM-57(2) PZMsAKG phantom powerDigital Recorders (Hardware):ADAT XTTechnics DATTascam DATMarantz CD recorderThat's All, Folks!Ern

[orest]

Man, that was something!! Anyone knows any good software for RnB and Hip hop?

[ernstinen]

Feb 13, 2009, 12:54pm, orest wrote:Man, that was something!! LOL! Yea, and my insurance is something too! I really have to get off my butt and kick my insurance WAY up on my '63 Strat. Wow, has that increased in value over the years!I used to produce/engineer/arrange recordings for artists for a long time, until I got so busy I had no time to compose. But in this current economic disaster, I may have to go back to doing that. The only possible problem with that --- Everybody has their OWN studios now! Ern

[chriscarter]

Feb 13, 2009, 12:54pm, orest wrote:Man, that was something!! Anyone knows any good software for RnB and Hip hop?You can check out my myspace page and see if you like the sound. I'm using cubase for all my work these days. That said, I use relatively little in terms of plug-in instruments and mostly rely on outboard so I don't know if that helps much. If there's a sound in a specific r&b/hip-hop song of mine, I can rattle my brain and tell you what it is.

[orest]

The problem is that I use Logic on Mac. So I don't think that will work?

[keithl]

I'll jump in and say acoustic treatment made a HUGE difference in my mixing.

[guitarhacker]

I use Cake's MC4.... on a Dell 1720, with a Saffire focusrite interface. Guitars and mics and keyboards too. I am a big fan of MIDI and soundfonts.

[t4mh]

Feb 12, 2009, 7:12pm, chriscarter wrote:Some of you folks have a pretty good sized amount of gear!I'm suprised nobody has mentioned. I have a plethora of Owens Corning 703 rigid fiberglass. Acoustics are critical for any studio, especially if you do mixing. I've built up quite a rep as a mixer, but honestly, if my room wasn't properly treated (it sounds pretty damn nice, I must say), it wouldn't mean anything because my would start sounding crappy.ChrisI have been hanging fiberglass in my room also. See my post above, I think I was number two here. I am going about it in a low tech way by using simple insulation. However, I can already tell a great difference in my room. My mixes were boomy and I'm really looking for a suitable environment for this work. I live in a late 1800s Victorian house with plaster/lathe walls and I do not want to "booger" those walls so everything I do is hung up rather than attached or glued.