Thread: how much..
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Old 03-02-07, 06:29 PM   #4
∆ P E X X
Engineer / Club Promoter
 
Posts: 5,606
From: Everywhere!
IP:

man, i love when people ask this question, but part of me also hates when people ask this question too. because, what's a "good set up" to you? if you mean something that'll sound liek you went to a hundred thousand dollar studio to record, well lets look at the break down:

•fast track USB interface: $60-100 - all interfaces are direect boxes and are all created equal. I personally prefer not to go this route but if you want one with built in phantom power (which you'll need) go with the tascam US122 or Fast Track Pro. Do NOT get the M-Audio Mobil Pre!! its only 16bit, everything else i mentioned is 24, and yes it matters.
•pair of Wires worth half a shit: $30-50 - I recommend Monster cables as a baseline, and Mogami Golds as a peak
•Sterling ST-55 FET: $250 - its a knockoff of my mic but shit man if it existed when i got my GT55 i would have gotten it instead - its identical and about half the price!! made by the same guy who designed my mic too
•any phantom power source since they're all created equal: $40 - like i said, skip this if you're going with a built-in. also eliminate one wire from your set up since you wont need it.
•Pop filter - steel reccomended because the sound is purer but you'll live with the high block from nylon: $20-50 - if you're really tight you cna make a nylon pop filter out of a stocking over a looped wire hanger.
•good quality studio headphones - $100-$200 if there's anything to slpurge on in your set up its headphones. how else do you know what you sound like??? cheap gear is extremely innacurate. this is the most often overlooked yet critical piece of advice.

- Total Estimate: High side: $740. Low side: $500


now the most important piece of the puzzle is the mixing because without proper mixing anything you record will still sound like ass. and i didnt' include the cost of what ever you're going to use to actually hold the mic since every set up's location is different, but depnding on how exotic you want to go you could spend $20-$80, or $0 if you hang it from a cieling fan. there's a shitload of stuff that affects your sound quality that has nothing to do with your gear, mic location, acoustic dynamics of your room, where you position the cap in relation to your mouth, the distance of your mouth from the mic, of your mouth to the pop filter, the pop filter to the mic and a whole bnch of other factors. The gear is just about 75% of it all.

Bear in mind one last thing man, if you're using fooledit or audacity, just use the basic minimum shit cuz fooledits audio recording process is going to make even a top notch set up sound less than stellar. shit only records 64bit stereo anyway, stereo today is 128bit. besides, you're gonna be a lazy shit and fuck with "presets" and shit regardless, in which case, just get your self a Rhode NT1-A mic and shave off another $100 and be good with that. only go the distance on good gear if ou're going to use good software.
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