Home studio

[rnolan]

I went for protools LE coz out of the box it was very similar (to me) to being in a normal (back then) studio and it worked with my win 98 box.  I always used the mix window, hardly ever straying to the edit window (ohh do I have to).  More recently, some guys I was playing with got Cuebase, and liked that better (I really couldn't see that much difference, well I suppose protools came more from digital recording and will also sequence where Cuebase come from a sequencing background and added digital recording, they are very similar though (as Peter? says, slightly different work flow), in the end they both do the same job, and they are both so "rich" as applications, you need to stick with one and get "reasonable" at it).  Always the big down side (until now) with protools is you're locked to their hardware (not that its bad, on the contrary, their I/O is very good), but you're locked.  And now driver issues to go 64 bit (not good!).  I'm pissed that the newer versions (PT10/11 whatever) don't support my digi 001, so I stay where I am or go buy more stuff.

[Dante]

MJMP: I had a copy of Cubase a loooong time ago and really liked it. Then, I discovered Garageband and i was hooked. Logic is really just a much nicer version of Garageband, great for mastering.

Anybody with a Mac knows that you can do a helluva lot with Garageband and it's dirt cheap.

[GuitarBuilder]

That Radial Engineering JD-7 looks very nice too bad it's so expensive.

Yes, the list price is very high - they do show up on eBay a lot and I picked mine up for less than half price!   :banana:

Anybody did some reamping with a mp-1 or mp-X,and how do you do it since the signal comming out of mixers and soundcards is line level?

An Ebtech Line Level Shifter is a must for any studio!

http://www.ebtechaudio.com/llsdes.html

[El Chiguete]

Looks lilke most of you guys are really serius of your home studio and not running a basic simple setup... so nothing for me to add here for now.

[rnolan]

Anybody did some reamping with a mp-1 or mp-X,and how do you do it since the signal comming out of mixers and soundcards is line level?

Hey MJMP, I haven't tried re-amping but am getting a bit interested now I read about it.  Would be handy for playing around with mic positioning. If any of your MP1(s) still have the line level input on the back, that should work for a direct line feed from the unprocessed recorded guitar.

[DaveM]

I briefly experimented with re-amping a year or two ago.  From memory, what I did was plug the guitar directly into the interface and record a patch in Cubase.  When I decided to re-amp, I would take the line-level output from the interface, and feed it into my little Radial re-amping gadget.  From the Radial I would go into the front end of the amps.  I THINK that's what I did.....

It's really handy for quickly finding optimum mic positions, as you can loop the guitar track and have someone move around the mic while you listen through the monitors. 

[rnolan]

So you either need to buy/(build go MJMP  :thumb-up: ) a gadget to take the line level signal and turn it into a guitar preamp input signal (level/impedance, 1/4" T/S jack), or find another way. So Ebtech good option, MP1 line in I recon should work (if you have that model(s)) (wont work for MP2s....no line in jack).  However, on the input (record side), you need to get the unadulterated clean guitar signal onto tape/digital track.  So maybe you need to make an input splitter, I did something similar with an old amp switch peavy pedal, so I got Guit in > out 1, out 2 or both out1/2, just some jack sockets and wires, foot switches (2), and a bit of re-soldering....  So this way you can easily send your guitar to your preamp etc (so you can here it to play) and send the other (direct guit) output to your record interface and record just what comes from the guitar (and then play that back into your preamp/amp and re-record later as above...).

I must say though, one thing that bothers me with the re-amping concept is, when you play, you and the devices' (guitar/preamp/amp/cabs) all sing together, you respond to them, they respond to you, sending your original guitar signal to a different amp/set up can't be the same.  So for me (I think, for now anyway), re-amping is a good tool for mic placement refinement.

[MarshallJMP]

Anybody with a Mac knows that you can do a helluva lot with Garageband and it's dirt cheap.

Too bad a mac isn't cheap  ;)

As for all the line shifters,i don't think you need them.The only problem could be that signal is a bit hot but that can be trimmed.The impedance doesn't matter IMO.

[rnolan]

So if impedance isn't an issue (and I tend to agree it shouldn't be) you could just put a couple of resistors in/before the jack socket.  I used to plug my tom shultz rockman into 2 Marshall this way (i.e. rockman headphone 3.5 mm RTS out to 2 1/4" jacks a couple of resistors (forget what value they needed to be) in the leads before the jacks). Worked a treat and gave me stereo rockman through the 2 Marshalls.  Then I got a MP1.......

[darralld]

I'm using Line 6 UX1 into a Dell desktop with windows XP. I'm running my Pod XT Live into the UX1. Or I mic an amp if I want to use something else. I have a Roland electronic drum kit. Which makes doing the drums so much easier. I have several softwares. I usually use Riffworks or Audacity. I think for free the Audacity is pretty cool. Has a bunch of features.

[Zsoli]

MP-1 2.0
MP-1 2.01
MP-1 1.38
MP2

[rnolan]

Go Zsoli, it's all very blue LOL.  Hey, get a desk, plug them all in at the same time, split your input signal across them all and combine them into poweramp/speakers/direct in who hoo

[MarshallJMP]

MP-1 2.0
MP-1 2.01
MP-1 1.38
MP2

NICE!

[finstah]

Late to this one. I'll get a couple pics of my studio up this weekend.

Recording wise, I run my Axe Fx Ultra direct into a Delta 44 card into my PC (i7, 16GB, 2 250 SSD drives) using Sonar 7 and a LOT of great plugins from Chucky  :thumb-up:

I also use EZ Drummer and DFH add ons for drums. Keyboard plugs into a MidiPort 2x2 that also allows me to match each drum and keyboard track separately in Sonar.

Sound runs back thru a Rane ME-60, Hafler amp, Mackie VLZ1202 Pro out to my Event 20/20's.

All sits on this killer $2000 cherry desk that I scored for $400.


Studio was built using an 8" header and footer with staggered studs, 16"OC. 2 5/8" walls on outside with green glue between. Used industrial strength insulation (a cheaper version of the Owens Corning 7 something or another.)

Inside studs have soundproof tape > RC channel and 2 5/8" green glued sheet rock sheets. Auralex and other foam for the walls and base traps.

Getting my Red Bull fridge to hold the brews in the cave come Father's Day.

[MarshallJMP]

that seems to be a nice studio,can't wait to see some pics.