[Drew]

Originally Posted by FoxZero

Well ok, how about just under a grand for eight channels? I'm not willing set up a studio that hits the price of a nice car, I just want something decent to record an album with. My policy I don't want to buy something and regret not spending a little more to get something better. There's always something better, but I posted my limit for the time being. I am serious about recordings and I've recorded a number of other people that say I do a pretty good job with what little I have. Either way a Firepod might be a big upgrade from what I use lol.

What's the rest of your setup? The pre's in the Presonus unit are pretty good for what they are, and are at least relatively transparent. If you're going to make the decision to spend your money somewhere, you at least owe it to yourself to ask whether or not that extra $600 would be better spent on monitors, mics, or acoustic treatment of your room. This is augmented by the fact that at the end of the day what we're talking about is computer hardware, and I'll be lucky if it's not considered obsolete 3-4 years down the road.

I'm kind of a proponent of the school of thought where the fundamentals matter way more than the gear. You could give Andy Sneap a Firepod, a couple budget SDC's and a a LDC, and a stack of SM57's, and he could probably still cut a disc that wouldn't sound too out of place next to the rest of the Nevermore catalog. You could put me in his studio, and no one would ever confuse my work for his.

I don't have a strong enough background in this stuff to make this claim and have it come off as the gospel truth, but what Chris so eloquently points out is what I was trying to get at earlier on in this thread that the Firepod seems to be a good enough peice of equiptment that if you're using it and not getting good sounding results, it has more to do with the room or the guy placing the mics than it does with the AD/DA conversion and the audio fidelity of the Firepod. I.e - if I can't get a good drum sound to disc with a firepod, then spending another grand on gear won't be the difference between what I'm doing now and an absolutely stellar sound.

So, what do you have currently that you record with?

[FoxZero]

Originally Posted by JBroll

I'd say a Focusrite Saffire would be a hell of a move, and then spend the rest on a couple of mics or nice preamps...

Jeff

Damn that looks nice. Like I said I'd gladly spend a little more to get something better, and why not.


Anyways Drew, right now I'm Recording with a Yamaha MW12 USB mixer that's so far served me well and the ghetto version of Cubase that came with it (the mixer offeres a single recording channel). I have a few AT budget condensers that someone that worked in a studio highly recommended, but they're just ok, a little cold. Pretty much Everything I use is in my profile. I have a BBE MaxCom that takes tare of my compressor needs.

Well over the summer the first thing I'm buying over the summer is a new high end PC for recording and one that can play games that are more recent than 6 years ago. (I don't want to have to do anything to it for a long time). Followed by that I need a new DAW and then a new Recording Interface. Chances are I'll have my band help me out with mics and other things as it's their album too. It wouldn't be fair if I bought everything to record our album. They can stop buying drugs and alcohol for a week and help me out.

[Drew]

Eh, just get your bandmates to commit first. The nice thing about just buying them yourself, of course, is if you guys break up you get to keep them, no questions asked.

[FoxZero]

Originally Posted by Drew

Eh, just get your bandmates to commit first. The nice thing about just buying them yourself, of course, is if you guys break up you get to keep them, no questions asked.

Yeah good point. But the drummer's still buying his own mics if he wants to do his goddamn close micing, but I'll help out by picking up a few more SM57s when I can, I already have mics of the overheads and a kick. I mean seriously one of our guitarists already uses my rig, and the bassist uses my bass rig! I spoil my band. Shit nobody brings anything to band practice they just use my stuff. I'd just be nice to not have to buy something for once, I'm kinda glad they guitarist uses my rig though, he wants a Spider!

I like the sound of this Focusrite Saffire thing, hopefully I could daisy chain em. I'll probably stick with one for a while and maybe we'll use the DFHS for a while longer. After I buy that though I'm gonna ask for some money when ever I record someone, only one of my friends occasionally gives me a five

I just remembered my basement has a kickass sound whenever we play down there for fun, a lot of slapback though, probably only good for old school thrash, which hits a few of our songs so I'll have to try down there Also I'll probably buy some foam things to get more control of my room sound upstairs. I like the way it sounds but you are right I should have control over it.

[Matt Crooks]

Originally Posted by Drew

I don't have a strong enough background in this stuff to make this claim and have it come off as the gospel truth, but what Chris so eloquently points out is what I was trying to get at earlier on in this thread that the Firepod seems to be a good enough peice of equiptment that if you're using it and not getting good sounding results, it has more to do with the room or the guy placing the mics than it does with the AD/DA conversion and the audio fidelity of the Firepod. I.e - if I can't get a good drum sound to disc with a firepod, then spending another grand on gear won't be the difference between what I'm doing now and an absolutely stellar sound.

QFT.

The differences between the Firepod and the next setp up are small - they make a difference, but not enough to make a bad sounding recording magically sound good. Same with pres and mics. As long as you aren't in the bargain basement area, you have very workable gear.