So this is how I find out there are indeed rednecks in Michigan.

Singspike · 2012-05-25T20:14:42.676223+00:00

A lot of people moved up from the south in the 50's/60's/70's to work in the factories when jobs were plentiful.

j0hnson · 1 day

Seattle has always had one of the bigger Crust scenes that I've experienced, though I haven't been there in six years. But there are still quite a few people I know living there that are into it. I'd imagine there will be a decent turn-out for Tragedy. They're coming here next week and my old guitarist saw them last night in Minneapolis and said the place was packed. I'm sure you'll meet some peeps at the show if you go.

kpeddd · 2 days

Another reason why I loathe that whole platform...

egb96 · 2 days

AND a 4-track! Should we have a contest? Post your creation here and I'll send the one with the most upvotes a busted 10' instrument cable and a stripped-out mic clip! (I'm joking unless you all really need a busted instrument cable and stripped out mic clip).

alextheokay · 3 days

"Good sound" is subjective. That being said, they are capable of capturing "usable" sounds. Any microphone is. As always, you get what you pay for. I have witnessed $200-an-hour engineers swap out $1,800 Royer Ribbon Mics for SM57's because they "sounded better" to the engineer for what he was mic'ing. That being said, these would make nice additions to a basic, beginners mic locker. And as I said, they are very receptive to future modifications.

But in short, yes, these will get you started and are usable to make professional sounding recordings.

I might also suggest getting a Rodes NT-1A ($200) instead of the 4000 (simply because I haven't heard too many people talk about the 4000 but have heard a lot of people claim the Rodes to be the best mic out there for $200 and I agree, I have a few myself) and a matched pair of SDC Pencils (around $100 for an entry level pair, but try and get the Oktava's mentioned above if you can afford it or something similar with the changeable capsules). Having the matched pair of SDC's are nice for stereo acoustic recording and between these three and your SM57, you would have a nice start to your mic locker and should be able to record most anything.

Also, I'm not sure what you are using for your capture device, but you may also want to consider a pre-amp (or two) when you can afford it. The VTB-1 is a decent little pre-amp for the money; if you get one, check and make sure there is a decent tube in it and not a cheapie Asian tube. ($90 for a VTB-1 is as cheap as I've seen them yet, they list for $150 new!)

A mic locker is an investment as well as a love/hate affair. I started out with a few SM57's and a pair of $100 CAD LDC's and now have well over $10K invested in mics alone.

But to shut me the hell up (I've been rendering files all night and need sleep), yes the 991 is a nice mic for the money, you'll get the 990 as a bonus, but I would go with the Rodes for the money over the 4000 simply because they are well-known and Rodes customer service is out standing.

alextheokay · 3 days

The 990/991 are decent mic for a beginner; they will really make you work to get them to sound decent. I say this as a good thing, because once you step up and get a decent condenser, you will appreciate the new mic(s) that much more. Plus you will learn a lot of "tricks" in getting the MXL's to sound good, and will keep this knowledge with you.

I think all budding engineers should be given Radio Shack Karaoke mics and forced to use them to try and record a project. The knowledge gained will be invaluable throughout your life as an engineer.

/not trolling, think of it like "Okay, here is a single screwdriver and a pair of pliers; now rebuild this engine." You learn to do it through trial and error, and then later on when you get a full set of tools, you have a lot of knowledge regarding the functions/advantages of having nicer tools, etc.

Also, the 990/991's make excellent candidates to modify later on; you can get $1000+ quality for under $300 if you mod them right if you ever want to go down that road. For the money, not a bad mic. Not a great mic, but not a bad mic. Every dog has it's race.

Regarding the 4000, take the $200 and get a Rodes NT-1A.

Just my two cents.

tl;dr: what JamponyForever said.

doihavetoregister · 3 days

I know this console was relevant at one point, I just don't know if it is now.

I still use gear I purchased in the early 80's. Will it get what you need done? Are you in need of the newest and latest thing?

A studio I use quite often has one in their B room, never had an issue with it running PT 9 and Reaper 4 a s a controller. As with any AD/DA board, the pre-amps aren't going to sound like magic, but do get the job done. And again, as with any board like this, the on-board effects are.. okay Not sure what you what you will be using it for, but for $450 I would snatch it up assuming it's in proper working order.

mattmacneil · 4 days

Neat trick!

Astrixtc · 4 days

FWIW, I think it may be the reddit algorithm that auto-down votes posts. I've noticed similar behavior in a few subs that I mod; I have posted things before where I am quite sure no one has seen them (posting at 4AM to VSTi plug-ins, for instance, I think we have maybe 30 members) and within a few hours it reads "zero." Also, over in r/audioengineering, members rarely down vote at all and there are frequent complaints about people's posts getting down-voted, posts that contribute or someone with a very good question.

It only seems to happen in certain subs.

I could be wrong, but just pointing this out.

mattmacneil · 4 days

Regarding the AA battery, just touch each speaker wire to the corresponding end of the battery and watch the cone?

palijer · 6 days

I have a Meek 3 "channel strip in a box" and while it has seen duty, it's usually in my gear storage. There are several 1176 clones out there that can be had for under $600; I have two (not rack mount) and they get used at least twice on every in-house session, and usually are my go-to's for drum OH's live....

willjames123 · 6 days

I do "package deals" for the kids, if the guitarist can't get it after the first few takes, I tell them to go home and come back (giving them some credit for time) but I have been paid $45 an hour to sit and watch a coked-out guitarist try and remember the bridge for 12 hours straight before... and they buy me beer!

edit: I like kid drummers whose (whom's?) jaws drop when I pull out one of my snares and their jaws drop when they hit it...

edit: drunk/altered now from the "residuals" I picked up this afternoon from an hourly client: first Friday night I can remember alone... sitting in my room from habit, listening to the Wu-Tang/Black Keys thing and I don't even care for that stuff... amazing ;)

smokeygreen420 · 6 days

It's not Rocket Appliances.... Clattenburg grew some good dope and can afford all the chips, smokes and a Nintendo for Jackson...

willjames123 · 6 days

This is sound advice, though another trick is to just double the track, and then add delay, inset a few milliseconds of sound at the beginning of a track, etc, the possibilities are endless. (Sometimes guitarists are lucky to get through a song correctly the first time (after 42 takes); trust me I've been there ;)

willjames123 · 6 days

While the SM7 is a great mic (I own one), I still use a SM57 on a cab (though sometimes lately will use a i5) 90% of the time. The SM7 WILL double great as a possible vocal mic, but is 4 times the price. Might I suggest to OP try either one, and then put the Rodes anywhere from three feet to 12 feet out from the cab as well. Use your ear to adjust the distance. Blend to taste. I've gotten HUGE sounds also sticking a 57 on the grill and a LDC or Ribbon up in the corner of the room.

Also, the e906 is a good suggestion.

What kind of music, OP? I'm gonna mic a loud Black Metal sound differently than I would a Hendrix/SRV style and choose the mics accordingly... also, size of room, amp, etc.

edit: also, that Heil should be working okay, try different placement angles, distances etc and try the blending trick I mentioned above.

palijer · 6 days

I was going to say any compressor you can afford (that is, if you don't already have a power conditioner). I still will plug stuff into my dbx1046 or $300 Phonic compressor sometimes though I have a few more quite expensive units. Every dog has it's race.

edit: the 1046 has four channels and is ideal for live work, and the Phonic is two-channel/stereo.

smokeygreen420 · 7 days

Clattenburg must be paying Mike Jackson a shit-ton of money to come back...

bcpk · 8 days

I've made great sounding recordings on a Tascam 4-track and a handful of Shure mics/cheap pre's/etc that ended up selling a few thousand seven-inch EP's. I'm referring to the end result/how the listener hears it/how it ends up on the internet/CD/whatever. Once had a duplication place ask for my master CD in 256mps MP3. Needless to say, I found another dupe house.

spauken · 8 days

I play 3-4 a day and have been collecting for 25 years.

spauken · 9 days

32 CD's? And you have some copies? Sorry for your loss, but I would get stabby of someone stole mine; over 1,600 LPS and 1,000 CD's.

imicit · 9 days

Holly State Rec Area isn't on a "big lake" but has plenty to offer... book early for reservations ANYWHERE in MI for the holiday...

bcpk · 9 days

I hate to be a wet towel, but 95% of consumers don't even care about the difference between 128bps MP3 and 320bps. Hopefully with the changes going on in the industry and in technology, us engineers can be able to really make music sound good again (soon) and have the consumers appreciate it.

zomgdavidbowie · 9 days

Took me an hour to figure out why I lost three channels after switching out cables, mics, pres, etc. I added it on their bill and the band couldn't afford it so they made the guitar player give me his POS Ibanaz guitar. It took me about twenty minutes to fix the snake with a soldering iron and tester, it just pissed me off that he thought I wouldn't notice. I understand that accidents happen; if he would have told me I would have just charged them for the twenty minutes it took me to fix it (plus maybe a little extra) rather than $400.

edit: I run a "loose" studio; the only rule is no drinks/anything else on my sound desk.

ModernAlias · 9 days

That definitely makes it work better, but if you are pressed for space, even up tight helps some...

zomgdavidbowie · 9 days

Drummers that have squeaky pedals, crappy snares, etc that refuse to use my in-house pro-gear.

That and I once had a guitar player spill a drink into a snake and didn't bother telling me because he thought I'd get mad.

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