20k to spend

thelike5 · Post by **thelike5** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:36 pm

O.K. well this is what I honestly have my eye on (I have almost enough music making equipment)...

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.as ... 70&f=10493

http://www.ladiff.com/off_chairs_dyce_low.htm

I'd also probably pick up an Access Virus Indigo 2 as well. (It is 20,000 we are talking about)...

Maybe even my own 12" powerbook g4. They can be had for the right price these days and I kinda already want to get one before this Intel thing comes full circle....

I also have never owned my own MPC, but I probably wouldn't pull the trigger on that one...

And with some of the rest of the cash, I'd start my own limited edition vinyl only series. High grade wax, nice packaging, etc. etc.

On and on...

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:50 pm

even the best monitors in the world will sound as good as the room they are in.

i would suggest spending 10k on equipment and maybe look at 5-10k for building a more acoustically correct room and the rest on drugs.

bottha · Post by **bottha** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:12 pm

Some ideas:

Samsung Flat Panel 42" ... $1800
or
dual (or more - I have 3 and couldn't live without) monitors ... $1600
PC w/ 4GB RAM and fast HD ... $3000
Hammerfall PCI ... $800
Live 5 ... $400
Cubase (for mixing) ... $500
Reaktor ... $500
keyboard/controller ... $800
more VSTs ... $1000+
Monitors (+subwoofer) ... $2000
Desk and chair ... $1000 (could be a lot more, or a bit less)
Headphones ... $200
Mics, preamp ... $1000 (could be a lot more)
================================================
that's already around $13k

If you also do live shows or want to work mobile:
Laptop w/ 2GB RAM ... $3500
M-Audio Firewire ... $400
M-Audio Ozone ... $250
(PA System ... $2000)

I didn't look up the prices but believe that my guesses are close.
Does anyone think that this is a reasonable studio and a reasonable budget?

solovox · Post by **solovox** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:19 pm

All the prices look reasonable except Mic's and Pre-amps! Decent mikes and pre-amps are way, way more expensive. A decent Avalon, Langevin, or UA pre-amp is going to be 2-4K. Great mikes start at $700 and spiral upwards from there. It all depends.

And while we're on the subject of computer monitors...I don't get the whole flat-screen thing. I mean...yes...they look very nice. But $1000 or more for a screen? I use two 19" basic computer monitors, and it works fine. It seems to me that couple grand could be invested in better hardware/mixers/cables/mikes/efx/preamps, etc to make your actual product sound better. But that's just me.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:21 pm

bottha wrote:Some ideas:

Samsung Flat Panel 42" ... $1800
or
dual (or more - I have 3 and couldn't live without) monitors ... $1600
PC w/ 4GB RAM and fast HD ... $3000
Hammerfall PCI ... $800
Live 5 ... $400
Cubase (for mixing) ... $500
Reaktor ... $500
keyboard/controller ... $800
more VSTs ... $1000+
Monitors (+subwoofer) ... $2000
Desk and chair ... $1000 (could be a lot more, or a bit less)
Headphones ... $200
Mics, preamp ... $1000 (could be a lot more)
================================================
that's already around $13k

If you also do live shows or want to work mobile:
Laptop w/ 2GB RAM ... $3500
M-Audio Firewire ... $400
M-Audio Ozone ... $250
(PA System ... $2000)

I didn't look up the prices but believe that my guesses are close.
Does anyone think that this is a reasonable studio and a reasonable budget?

great minds think alike

but I'd hook a XBOX 360 up to that Flat panel

you'll need a nice comfy leather couch for the homies when they come over to chill

you did forget a nice mixing board - maybe the Project Mix or Mackie thing?

We're all sitting at work and home going - daaaaaammmmmnnnnn

actaully i was just talking to a co-worker about a band called CandleBox - which was supposedly from Tacoma but the rumor is they really weren't from Tacoma - I guess they put out 3 albums but the one that got lots of play was the one with the hit single "far behind"

Seattle rich in grunge rock history bands like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mad Season and Seaweed get talked about alot

a

thelike5 · Post by **thelike5** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:42 pm

djadonis206 wrote:
bottha wrote:Some ideas:

Samsung Flat Panel 42" ... $1800
or
dual (or more - I have 3 and couldn't live without) monitors ... $1600
PC w/ 4GB RAM and fast HD ... $3000
Hammerfall PCI ... $800
Live 5 ... $400
Cubase (for mixing) ... $500
Reaktor ... $500
keyboard/controller ... $800
more VSTs ... $1000+
Monitors (+subwoofer) ... $2000
Desk and chair ... $1000 (could be a lot more, or a bit less)
Headphones ... $200
Mics, preamp ... $1000 (could be a lot more)
================================================
that's already around $13k

If you also do live shows or want to work mobile:
Laptop w/ 2GB RAM ... $3500
M-Audio Firewire ... $400
M-Audio Ozone ... $250
(PA System ... $2000)

I didn't look up the prices but believe that my guesses are close.
Does anyone think that this is a reasonable studio and a reasonable budget?
great minds think alike

but I'd hook a XBOX 360 up to that Flat panel

you'll need a nice comfy leather couch for the homies when they come over to chill

you did forget a nice mixing board - maybe the Project Mix or Mackie thing?

We're all sitting at work and home going - daaaaaammmmmnnnnn

actaully i was just talking to a co-worker about a band called CandleBox - which was supposedly from Tacoma but the rumor is they really weren't from Tacoma - I guess they put out 3 albums but the one that got lots of play was the one with the hit single "far behind"

Seattle rich in grunge rock history bands like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mad Season and Seaweed get talked about alot

a

Hey Adonis, that's funny about those Grunge bands. Seattle does have a rich musical past, I plan on visting that city someday real soon... (I live in Cleveland, OH.) Candlebox was kinda like the band that jumped in and made off with all the popularity of that scene without contributing any of the hard work that established it (Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Green Magnet School, The Gits (RIP), Nirvana, A.I.C. etc. etc.)...

Oh yeah, and get a comfy couch so when you are mad bugging your friends to hear your new tracks, they got soemwhere to chill and listen (unlike my friends who I make stand!!)

We do what we have to!

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:50 pm

I'm glad you mentioned Mudhoney - duh!

and Mother Love Bone!

inis · Post by **inis** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:21 pm

sweetjesus wrote:even the best monitors in the world will sound as good as the room they are in.

i would suggest spending 10k on equipment and maybe look at 5-10k for building a more acoustically correct room and the rest on drugs.

id would agree with part of this. granted that the room would help alot, but there is a much bigger difference bwteen a horrible pair of monitors and a pro pair, vs. between pro monitors in a crappy room and a treated one. Theere are many little cheap things that can be done to help out. and for that matter, i think spending even 10K on a room would be a waste. cause if you really want to make the room claim and build the BEST possible environment for tthe monitors it will cost you WYA more than 10K.

kennerb · Post by **kennerb** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:11 pm

I'd get a chair with a higher back so you can seriously lay your head back. Save s you from having to make your way to your bed. I'd also get a bigger desk than the one you pointed out. You'll run out of space in no time.

Then I'd invest in pork rind futures. They're the big thing. You can take your massive earnings from that and buy everything that was mentioned here.

Mike Goodwin · Post by **Mike Goodwin** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:12 pm

Get good monitors, a good dual CPU PC and a killer sound card. You will need a good controller so I cant recomend anything better than the nord lead. I have been using one for years and still love it.

As for software BUY IT SLOWLY. unless you want to bing, in wich case I recomend looking inito something like Komplete from NI as you can save ALOT of cash. And to be honest there is so much that you could do with the modular and the lead alone that it is silly. If you added something like komplete with komplete care added you would have enough software to keep you in manuals for a few years. Im not kidding. Reaktor alone is enough to swamp you. I love the Reaktor and Kontakt combo. It has pretty much set me free of gear lust.

Other things to look into are the UAD DSP card and the Powercore card. I recomend that you use the PCI cards as there seems to be less problems with them. They wont tax your computer and you cant beat how they sound. Once you use the UAD compressors you will never want to use anything elts. I built my current computer arund that card if that gives you any idea.

Oh ya buy two 19" flat screens. I use three 17" and it is great for keeping the work flow flowing.

Peace.

smutek · Post by **smutek** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:02 am

If you have 20k to spend on music gear and do not know what to buy then maybe you should spend it on something else?

I just got 23k in November. Bought a new G5, a 23 inch apple monitor and paid off all of my debt.

If I had 20k more I would buy:

1. Some nice jewlery for my wife
2. Give the G5 to my wife and buy a quad with maxed out ram
3. 2 30 inch displays
4. An HDV cam
5. Final Cut Pro
6. A really nice set of monitors
7. new turntables, 3 of them
8. That new Allen and Heath mixer
9. The change (if any) would go in the bank

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:24 am

No ones mentioned the expensive Pro-Tools mix plus set-up with all the cards and shit

not that I'd go out and buy one bu no ones mentioned it

Is Pro-Tools even used anymore?

a

edit - something just occured to me - I can rewire my ableton tracks in PTLE7 and do a mix down in pro-tools - I use Reaktor as a final master so I'm good there - HOLY SHIT

duh!

I've been mixing my projects in Ableton - I'm going to try it for shits and giggles, but you need all those bomb PT plugs to really get the most out of that program...oh well it's raining in Seattle so it's not like I'm going outside

a

HD1 · Post by **HD1** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:33 am

holy shit, lost a huge post there.

Basically, acoustic treatment is (although integral to a great setup) is lower on the priorities (for now) because I am still moving around, where I'm at now is in now way where I'll be in 6 months, plus I own http://www.shurestore.com/earphones/eseries_e5c.html and great pair of sony ones I bought two years ago, but dont recall their serial and I'm away from the studio right now. They were top of the sony studio monitor range 2 years ago, so although they might not be the best, they are enough to mix with when it comes to the nitty gritty.

so whats the optimal (best/strongest/most-pig-ignorantly-mean) studio cpu to run live, or what would be the wisest purchase ? I figure a pc CPU (any recommendations for pc ?) coupled with protools 7, an apogee rosetta 800, the pci card to interface it with protools, the word sync -big ben- , uad and tc powercore, and as for a performance setup.....what would be the best lappie to go for? not best in terms of economics, best in terms of brute force. I think its good to start from the top and wittle you're way down in terms of buying-ethos. I am thinking an apogee mini-dac , a midi interface (any recommendations ? once again, starting at the top) and a http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/20 ... 2-DSP.html Metric Halo's ULN-2. I had budgeted to spend that much on either http://www.musiciansbuy.com/prod.asp?ic=R4KIT or http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop ... ct_id/7758 or http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop ... ct_id/8112 . and yes, I plan on sticking quality mics through them. So I figure by picking up the uln-2 I'm economising since I need a performance interface, and something to field record with.

so, what have the brains got to say about ultimate performance machines for studio, and for performance.?

(the reason protools is an option, is both for career aspirations and simply for the fact my main love is the sounds of synths, I intend to build up a collection of synths and 'organic'/'tangible' instruments so recording quality is the most important to me, If i bust the bank just reaching a level of quality, and a little skimpy on the quantity...thats a sacrifice I'm willing to make, as my own income after the initial splurge can accomodate the fiscal requirements for sonical aquisitions

also, I have my own ideas as it is. I just wish to compare it to what the community has to say. I'm not saying I'm clueless and wish you to tell me the thing to do....

thelike5 · Post by **thelike5** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:39 am

Man, if I were you with the money i would no doubt pick up the G5 quad processor powermac. I work with a guy in our graphics dept. that has one. It's sickening. Coupled with a nice apple cinema display, you just can't beat it.

Have you played around on a mac, or are you strictly pc? If you are then I've heard nothing but good things about the IBM machines. I've also heard wonders about the Carillion (spelling?) machines. Custom built for whatever needs you well, need.

HD1 · Post by **HD1** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:42 am

ya, the carillions and red submarine...and another one I forget. They make acoustically treated machines....so you pay 6 grand for something you could get for half the price, but just not silent. So.....I am more concerned with the force in terms of cpu.....any recording I'll do , I can do far enough away from a noiseier cpu.