jchas

While it will probably get used live, for now it is for studio use only. It will be going direct to my Trident Series-65 console to Presonus-Quantum 4848. Live it would go direct to FOH console. I saw a video of Jon using a Marshall combo for the tone, but looking for a pedal to get that tone. Software isn't a reality as I will be playing live as well.

Have good organ tone from my Kurzweils, but looking to do Highway Star (Deep Purple) and need to get Jon's "special sauce" distortion. I tried a couple pedals back in the 70/80's but they sounded nothing similar on keyboard as they did on guitar (overloaded input I assume?). Any suggestions?

I've never posted a mix here before. Thought i'd see what you guys think of this one... http://www.mediafire.com/?emzudozyidy It's a cover of a Bernard Alison song that me and my studio buds did for fun.

Studio Projects B1 (~$100). I rarely use it in place of more expensive mics, but it can be useful for many things (including acoustic guitar and vocals). It's not used commonly by pro's, but since you are asking about $60, I doubt that is a concern. You forgot the part about it sounding just like the TLM103 - sorry, couldn't resist. There was quite a stir about the B1 when it first came out - Sounds just like the Neumann 103. I still have my B1 as well. PAid $69 when they first came out. It doesn't sound like a 103 ( a little better IMO ) and it does sound good on some sources. I was going to recommend that too but they're over his budget. I still prefer the SP-1 over the B1 by a small margin - but they're both usable mics.

While it's hard to disagree with what's been said so far - let me add this... I believe that the main reason Behringer gear is half the price of anything similar is that only half of it will still be working a year down the road. Don't think that you NEED a condensor mic just because you don't have one. Don't buy gear based on how much allowance money you have in your pocket - Find out what will work best for you and start saving til you have enough for it. If you really, really want to try a condensor for under $60 - buy a MCA SP-1. Not the Be All - End All mic by any stretch - but for under $50 it sounds darn good. I have a pair on overheads despite having better mics. Some like it on vocal and acoustic guitar, but I have much better dedicated mics for that. IMO it's one of only a couple http://www.pssl.com/MXL-SP1-Condenser-Studio-Microphone-With-Clip

It's hard to find a mic that sounds as bad as a piezo guitar pickup. They're great for live use but that's about it. Both the SM57 and AT2020 can work on vocals. The 2020 works on some acoustics quite well - the 57 not so much. I've also used a SP-B1 on vocals and acoustic guitars before. It won't give you great results but it's useable. I recently tried a MCA-SP1 ($39) and like it much better than the B1. But let mom and dad get you the more expensvie ones (their love must be worth $200). You can always shovel the neighbors driveway a couple times for the money it takes for a SP-1.

No one mic will be the be-all, end-all for you iregardless of the budget you're working with. If it were me i'd explain to Santa that you've done a fair amount of research on the subject and most people would recommend having a dynamic AND a condensor for different purposes. Then i'd show them a couple that would probably be a wise choice yet won't break the bank - maybe the SM-57 ($90) and the AT2020 ($80). Then i'd explain how a pop-filter (like the one at KarmaAudio for ($20) really helps you use the mics without getting unwanted pops when you sing. Then, between now and Christmas i'd figure out a way to find out what your parents 'song' was back in the day (ask your mom, your dad won't remember). It's probably a power ballad from the 80's when they danced together for the first time or maybe made-out in the back seat. Then, when I get the mics i'd go in my bedroom every day after school (before they get home from work) and record the song the best I could and give it my mom for a birthday present. As your mom starts to get a little teary eyed and gives dad that look like she wants him to find some reason why you need to leave the house for 30 minutes - i'd mention how much better the recording could have been if you would have used a U87 and a Royer R121. It probably wouldn't hurt to have a small ad for each in your pocket that you could tape to the refrigerator door so they don't forget the model numbers by next Christmas. By the way - you mention you want a mic that is phantom powered. I just want to make sure you know what that is and that you have something in your bedroom that supplies it.

You're absolutelly correct - sort of. It's hard to justify the exponential pricing of microphones when you consider that they all have pretty much the same components inside and do pretty much the same thing. One would think that if you could find one that was neutral sounding and clean it would work on any source - and it would. But, and as with JaLo, it's a pretty big but, there are simply some mics that work better for some sources. And if a particular mic is found to work extremely well on a particular source, and if no cheaper mic will sound exactly the same - then the value of that mic's sound will dictate it's price-point. You say you're into guitars - then you would agree that though every electric guitar has 6-strings and pick-ups they do not all play or sound the same. And though a First-Act or Squier will actually get the job done - is there any doubt that there is a better tool for the job? And if there is a better tool there must be a 'best' or at the very least, a 'much better' tool for the job. What generally sets the high-end pieces value is: Attention to detail in design Highest quality components Proven track record with a hint of hype thrown in for good measure.

We did go XP-2/32 bit and 4-gig RAM. The soundcards (2 Audiofire 12's) will be here by the end of the week and we can start putting her through the paces. Being rather unstable myself - there's a lot to be said for stability...

Thanks for the input. We've considered the RAM issue, but using OB effects and having high quality hardware keyboards I don't think that would be an issue under 32-bit, but of course that could change. And XP being a dead end doesn't concern me much. I mean, the current machine is still running flawlessly under Windows '98 with over 24 tracks of audio. I appreciate the input i've gotten from a few different forums. For what it's worth, I tallied your input below. I won't buy based on the vote - but the actual answers will help to make the right decision (for me anyway). 32-bit = 11 64-bit = 4 XP = 5 Vista = 2 Screw it and buy a MAC = 2

We're building a new machine and finally upgrading from Cakewalk PA9 and 2-Echo Audio Gina's, to Sonar-7 and 2 Audiofire-12's. Software and hardware are ordered and assembly is underway. The question is - Should we go XP-32bit or 64-bit? All the hardware we are buying is fully 64-bit compatable, as is Sonar. 64-bit would render our versions of Autotune and Waves useless, but from what i've seen of the Sonar plugins that might not be an issue. Other than the usual suspects - future hardware/software conflicts and larger file sizes - what are some of the issues you've come up against, either positive or negative, that would help us make the best move forward?

Your story sounds earilly (pun intended) familiar. Around 16 months ago I went through the same early stages including 8 hours of the worst ringing in my left ear I can imagine. The general practicioner found mild fluid and gave me antibiotic and steroid. He also hooked me up with a ENT. The ENT said I had Meniers and would probably lose my hearing over the next 5-10 years. So I spent the next couple months feeling pretty depressed - not to mention the symptoms hadn't gone away - dizziness, pressure in the ear, etc. Finally I went in for a second opinion. I wrote up a detailed history of everything that had happened. The ENT read it, poked around a little, then said there is no doubt it's a viral infection (as opposed to bacterial). Antibiotics do nothing, steroids don't do much, you just have to wait for it to run it's course (up to a year) - and hope it does no permanent damage. Well, it's been over a year. For the most part I can say i'm back to normal, though my eustation tubes still close up once in a while (minor damage), my tinnitus is worse (probably permanent), and I get occasional bouts of hyper-resonant hearing where certain sounds drive me up the wall, such as the wrinkling of paper or the microwave buzzer (a sign of permanent nerve damage). I'm sure that's not what you wanted to hear, but then again mine lasted about the maximum alotted time so the effects are probably worse. Good luck and hope yours clears up soon.

This is not a recommendation, but based on some other recommendations you might want to try a MCA-SP1. They are in the super-cheap / happy accident category, much like the B1. A simple Google search should shed some light on them. My daughter is buying me a couple based on what i've read so far: $40 at PSSL.com Can work on voice, overheads, guitar, acoustic guitar On the aggressive side Mods available for $125 to really open up the response if you're interested. I won't be able to comment on them til after Christmas (they're already wrapped:D) but at that price I could use them to prop up one of my racks and not feel too bad about it. Worth a try.

I prefer the B1 over the C1. I have both and have found more uses for the B1. They both have the hyped high end but the B1 seems easier to tame down with EQ while the C1 stays harsh even when you roll off the highs. I have a regular male vocalist in and his voice pairs up pretty well with the B1. Neither of them work well with the female vocals. I've got better mics to choose from for guitars and vocals so neither gets used as much anymore - but I don't think i'd sell them just yet.

I hope this works. I had to compress the heck out of the pix. It's just a humble basement studio - but i'm happy with the results. Here's a couple off the latest project. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=714953

I'm not sure I understand the second question. It's YOUR music and there are no constraints as to how or what you use to put it together. There are some constraints as far as making things sound REAL or SWEET or RAW. etc. For instance - I've got a chart that shows the note ranges of various orchestral instruments. When creating an ensemble piece you need to play instrument sounds within their respective range or, no matter how well you play it, mix it, EQ it - it won't sound real. And a bass guitar typically only goes to the low E (unless you have a 6 string or down-tune to D) but a MIDI controller will allow you to play well past low E. It may be possible - but it may not sound 'normal'. But as far as a set rule to anything? If it sounds good to you - do it. If it melts your tweeters - turn down the high end. If it loosens the glue joints in your wood furniture - turn down the low end.

About all you can do with MIDI-heavy tracks is to record the tracks, one at a time, to audio. Once you've seperated the MIDI instruments you can EQ them seperately. As to how to most effectively EQ them is the $1,000,000 question. You will typically find that by soloing each track and EQing it to sound the best it can be will give your mix a mid-range cluster-F@*K. Instruments used as rythm sounds (most likely in this case the mandolin and arpeggiated guitar) I would typically give them a rather dramatic High-Pass (rolling off the low frequencies) so that their rythmic properties come through. The up side to this is that these instruments will be heard without muddling up the mid-frequencies. The down side is, as rythmic instruments, you will easilly hear every minor out-of-sync note between the guitars arpegios and the mandolins notes. But it does allow more instruments and voices to enter into the mix without cluttering things up. As you work with your MIDI voices you will notice that all voices coming from the same keyboard/module will have similar properties (thick/warm low end from Roland, bighting high-mids from Korg, mid-saturation from Kurzweil). While this makes the instruments signature tone that you fell in love with when you bought it - layering multiple tracks with the same tonal footprint will muddle up a mix like nobodies business. Don't be afraid to do some dramatic EQing of your MIDI voices to get them to compliment each other in the mix. Also, if you have more than 1 MIDI device to choose from, try using a voice or 2 from 1 unit and another voice or 2 from another unit. Sometimes combining different manufacturers voices to form a string section (even if one of the voices sounds crappy by itself) makes for a good mix. Hope this helps.

Originally posted by dmbandtimmy Thanks bro, that would be sweet. I almost forgot about my offer - Sorry. They, as with just about everyone else are getting 99.95 for a B1. It sounds like it was due to demand and not factory markup.

Originally posted by dmbandtimmy Where can you get a B1 for $79 new ? Please let me know. I am in the market to get 2 of them for overheads. Thanks! It was at my local Music-Go-Round a couple years ago. They were having trouble keeping them in stock - probably because of the hype that they sound like much more expensive mics. And that's probably why I see the price has gone up on them - now $99.50. And the C1 I bought new (at the same time) was $149. I'll check the local MGR tomorrow and see what they are charging now.

Originally posted by toddlans sorry dude, I wasn't making any kind of statement. its just quote from the movie "The Big Lebowski." Guess I gotta watch that one again - it's been a while;)

Originally posted by toddlans "The Chinamen are not the issue here" I'm not trying to refer to an 'us against them' sort of thing. I respect them for their ability to copy just about anything that's thrown at them and do so for a very low rate. I'm referring to my experience on 2 occasions, trying identical mics, and getting very different results. I know i've read many a thread by those with a plethora of mics to choose from who say "no 2 u67's are the same" or "no 2 414's are the same" etc, but i'm talking a fairly discernable difference. It may be that the low-grade electronics they use make the difference, or the fact that the workers only make about $1 per mic they assemble and don't give a {censored} about detail (for a dollar a unit I doubt I would either). But it's rather hard to say just how good a product is if it's inconsistent. But back to the original question. For the price of a B1 you might as well buy one and see for yourself (or maybe 2 and keep the one that sounds better) as you can probably sell it on ebay for what you paid for it.

Yes, and No. They are making some mics that have been compared to much more expensive mics by some people. I have a SP-B1 ($79 new) that I really like the sound of - so I tried another one and it didn't sound much like the first one. Then I heard great things about their C1 and tried one - I liked it, so I went out and bought one ($150) which I don't like at all. So do they sound like much more expensive ones? I guess it depends on which Chinese guy put it together.

What you're refering to is 'sibilance' and is best when fixed before recording it by mic selection, mic placement, and/or vocal training. Some mics tend to have high-end peaks around 6-8k that can really amplify a barely noticable 'S' sound. Sometimes singing slightly off-axis to the mic can reduce the amount of 'S'. Working with the vocalist to slightly 'Z' their S's can work well. If the parts aren't able to be re-tracked you can try applying a parametric e.q. to the vocal track and create a fairly tight notch around 7k and aprox. -3db. Slide it left and right until you can hear a reduction of the sibilance. Another option is a device called a 'de-esser'. They can work well sometimes but more often than not will turn most of the S's into Z's making the part uninteligable. A 3rd option is sidechaining a compressor to clamp the S's, but if your not sure what to call the 'S' problem you probably aren't set up to do this yet.

Originally posted by EBulb Has anyone made a really simple and easy to use drum machine as a plugin like a Boss DR 660 ? Band-In-A-Box is about as simple to set up as a drum machine but can do a whole lot more with an easy user interface. Granted it does do it with MIDI, but you don't need any MIDI experience or know the terminology to set up a very quick backing track - and with a few more minutes you would not just have drums, but bass, piano etc. in the style of music you hear in your head.