fuzzball

That is idea I had in mind. You may be shocked with how much you can do with a very small budget. I did that in my old studio, and I will do this also in my new studio.

What price range are you in?

Get several heavy rolls of cloth...hang them.

I just get it right the first time. I wish.

That was a nice read, many of the points there contribute to why I record everything (even a practice run) you never know when the best take will happen.

In your price range I would consider the used market also.

The MXl 2001 can be a bit brittle, but with a nice warm preamp it is much better than many realize.

Nice post.

Will you be using this for solo work, or for your band? If you will be recordign your band I would go with the studio, if just solo you could get away with the POD.

+ 2 on a Peavey classic 30 Good cleans...good rock and blues tone.

Agreed, 100 percent. When I started on the amp modelers and valvestate stuff (ie: had a Fender 1000 Performer amp, which was Fender's first foray into the transtube type of market), it was all just terrible sounding. It wasn't until I stocked up on great old tube amps with old Mullards and RCA's and GE and Phillips tubes did the recording get that much easier. I like EL34 tube amps.....they usually sound great, and are usually matched with transformers that are underbuilt because they're not trying to push out mega wattage. I've found that it's more easier to set a mic up in a fairly wide range in front of the speaker and get a really good sound from a P90 or parallel wired humbucker setup. To be honest I found tha Marshall Valvestate 100 to sound pretty darn good (the clean channel could be a bit better though).

So true. Possibly spend a little more money on a used Classic 30. I agree

Big Wake Studio , named for a saying of my fathers. He always told us to "Live life to its fullist and leave a Big Wake behind you". Ive tried to do that all my life. I like that line...it beats "try not to get her pregnant".

It helps, but it is not perfect (in my studio anyway).

Fuzzball Records See sig for details.

He's also super knowledgeable and helpful about a variety of equipment and techniques in addition to making good sounding recordings. +1 about fletcher But then again you may think I am a hack too.

I am in Michigan...though Illinois is only a little distance away.

Well, actually that is not quite right (but I think you may have meant right). Everything above the threshold is compressed, not just 9/10 of the sound at a 10:1 ratio, it's just that the post compression sound is 1/10th of the db over the threshold as compared to the raw signal. Also remember that the signal is distorted in order to be compressed. 80's hair metal drums were a good example of compression creating an unnatural yet big sound. If you are looking to tame the wide range of sound dynamics without much change in the tone, you'll have to experiment a bit. I use several compressors one after another with a low (2:1) ratio. This is sort of how the Super Nice feature on the RNC works. I also chain them at low compression settings....it helps keep a more natural sound

I teach economics.....I am not touching this argument.

Where you at Fuzz !!!! The OP said the person recording had about 15k in gear. Man I wish I had 15k in gear. Ida, MI You checked out my studio site?

The unit will compress only when above the threshold

I live i farm country Ohio. Im the only studio (i guess thats what it is) in a 50 mile radius. And those charge $50 to $100 per hour. I had a group of kids come down (50 miles). They went to a place that charged $75 per song and they got one take. ONE TAKE !!! Took them 20 minutes to do 3 songs, he then mixed them quickly. They said the wanted to redo one because of mistakes but he said thats another $75. According to them he spent an hour total with them. So that was $225 for an hour. And they got crap !!!! I actually heard one of the tunes. I spent 4 hours and gave them good mixes and charged $100 They are coming back in November for more. And others are calling and asking about prices. I guess I might get busy. There are alot of farm boy rockers in this area. Hey you know you are not that far from me.....:poke:

I charge $20...but then again I also do for the social good. Then again I also add a charge for the use of additional instruments...

If I did it for a living, and had very expensive gear, and knew what I was doing, then Id charge alot more. I wish I would have started recording stuff 20 years ago. I charge $20...but then again I also do for the social good.

I agree, people make it harder than it is. I usualy try to keep the ratio low and preserve then dynamics...unless you want to pump it.