Home Studio versus Pro Studio?

selector waxx said:
off course there is a standard for so called proffesional recordings, made by the big record companies. But they forget a few things here. Hole music scenes are build with prosumer studio's. Look at the now for 40 years rather popular genre as reggae. The hardcore jamaican reggae, wich is apreciated in the hole world works on selfbuild and/or cheap equipment, wich is used creative.

big reggae classics like "under mi sleng teng" from wayne smith produced by King Jammy's out of 85 is build on a casio sx-1 and a casio mt-40, mixed on a selfbuild 16 ch mixer and recorded on a self build 16 track 1" tape. Most of the outboard eq was selfbuild, or stolen.

the same style with the now in europe booming breakcore music (a harder crossover version of jungle mixed up with industrial that started here in gent 5 years ago), wich is mostly build in reason 2.5 on a pc or with cubase sx and synthedit synth's or reaktor (often hacked) and mixed in the software. Ppl like droon, sickboy, hextatic ao are worldfamous in the electronic underground with their stuff build on such systems.

Hardcore punk and the variation of it like crust is also a music where the underground (not the mainstream bands who did go more commercial) keeps it in consumer studio's and is already 30 years very popular over here.

idem with most 3th world music, wich is recorded in local self build lo fi studio's.
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I addressed all those things. I don't disagree with any of that. I never said anything that contradicts any of that.
 
selector waxx said:
off course there is a standard for so called proffesional recordings, made by the big record companies. But they forget a few things here. Hole musicscenes are build with prosumer studio's. Look at the now for 40 years rather popular genre as reggae. The hardcore jamaican reggae, wich is apreciated in the hole world works on selfbuild and/or cheap equipment, wich is used creative.

big reggae classics like "under mi sleng teng" from wayne smith produced by King Jammy's out of 85 is build on a casio sx-1 and a casio mt-40, mixed on a selfbuild 16 ch mixer and recorded on a self build 16 track 1" tape. Most of the outboard eq was selfbuild, or stolen.

the same style with the now in europe booming breakcore music (a harder crossover version of jungle mixed up with industrial that started here in gent 5 years ago), wich is mostly build in reason 2.5 on a pc or with cubase sx and synthedit synth's or reaktor (often hacked) and mixed in the software. Ppl like droon, sickboy, hextatic ao are worldfamous in the electronic underground with their stuff build on such systems.

Hardcore punk and the variation of it like crust is also a music where the underground (not the mainstream bands who did go more commercial) keeps it in consumer studio's and is already 30 years very popular over here.

idem with most 3th world music, wich is recorded in local self build lo fi studio's.

the weakest point in homerecording is now the convertors. Good compressors, reverbs etc are not that expensive anymore, and the software gets almost on pro level for a consumer price.

It's all about the convertors that makes the big difference. You don't need necesairaly lucid convertors to get a pro quality recording, but you need quality like rme, motu, presonus, lexicon or tascam. No sounblaster, esi, m-audio, edirol and co. But the chain is as strong as it's weakest link, so your mic's, preamps ao outboard gear, mixer and/or software need also to be quality. And last but not least, you need a right (acoustic) spot and the right skill's.

but keep also in mind that most cd players, md players, mp3 players and pc's (the music players of this time) have very bad convertors, so...
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THANK YOU.. YOU SAID IT PERFECTLY!!
 
jreed said:


THANK YOU.. YOU SAID IT PERFECTLY!!
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What?!

That is exactly what I was saying (and I believe Tim20 said it too.)

He is describing the "indistry standard" for those different genré's

There is an "industry standard" for the reggae he described... there is another "industry standard" for hardcore punk... and yet another "industry standard" for the mainstream punk, etc, etc

...and you wouldn't generally record that style of reggae to the "industry standard" of the mainstream punk.


I have been saying that from the beginning, but you must just have something against having it come from me personally, or something.


"Industry standard" does not mean "the best newest most expensive pristine perfect recording"-- "Industry standard" means the standard at which the music is produced for that genré.

If the "industry standard" for a particular genré is lo fi dirty recordings made on a 4track cassette portastudio, then that is the "industry standard" for the genré... if that is the "industry standard" for a genré, then you probably would not want to record in a big expensive high end studio (and you probably would not want to record on an Mbox, either, because that is also not the sound you are looking for.)

And if you are Mariah Carey, you don't generally want to record to the industry standard of hardcore punk.


and, most importantly for this discussion, the "industry standard" of recording quality for the genré and style of music blaccteezy is making is not Mbox level quality... that level of quality an Mbox (or other soundcard of that level) offers does not meet the industry standard for the music he is making in order to compete on a professional level.
 
I don't know about some of you guys in here, but I know my music. I started out recording on a Tascam 4track tape recorder with a radioshack mic. I think my ears have matured enough over the years to know the difference between cheap sound and prosound. OK, any genious knows that if you put 50k into your home setup, that your gonna get a better sound (hopefully). But thats not what I was asking. I have put about 10k into my home studio. And that is exactly what it is, a home studio designed mainly for producing beats and recording the average "rappers" demos. I have my on group that I am putting a cd together with, and I will only accept a certain sound. You can tell me all day that an mbox, with the "right engineer" can exceed my capabilities.I doubt it. I've been in the studio with the best of'em and I've nothing but compliments and advise. But all in all, it comes down to the same point...What sound better? If the pro basreg4 didn't sound better, than everybody would just buy mboxs and sell their SSLs for Jacob Watches and BMW's right?
 
That's what we have been saying. There is a price point for most equipment where it moves from consumer/prosumer to high end or professional if you desire to call it that.

Take for example a 300 dollar guitar and a 1000 dollar Taylor. They both are guitars, they both play the same and make the same sound, BUT the sound quality of the Taylor will floor the cheap quitar. It goes that way with everything.

As to industry standard, what is used and how it is done varies greatly across the genres.
 
Tim20 said:
That's what we have been saying. There is a price point for most equipment where it moves from consumer/prosumer to high end or professional if you desire to call it that.

Take for example a 300 dollar guitar and a 1000 dollar Taylor. They both are guitars, they both play the same and make the same sound, BUT the sound quality of the Taylor will floor the cheap quitar. It goes that way with everything.

As to industry standard, what is used and how it is done varies greatly across the genres.
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To add my 2 cents, as with all things, there are exceptions to this rule - taylors included. I, for one know that a Seagull LaPatrie has - on several occassions - sounded better than a $1000 Taylor. Call me crazy but the intonation, craftsmanship, and consistency of Seagull's are mindboggling. I've been playing guitar for 15 years and in all this time, only 2 guitars have suprised me with their cost/ performance ratio - the Seagull S6 is one of them.
 
It dosen't matter where its recorded if you know how to get the end result you will get no matter where you record it. It might take more work at the home studio. Sometimes that home studio has a grittyness (my word) or something that can't be duplictaed anywhere else
 
J2thaP said:
It dosen't matter where its recorded if you know how to get the end result you will get no matter where you record it. It might take more work at the home studio. Sometimes that home studio has a grittyness (my word) or something that can't be duplictaed anywhere else
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Your right. I recorded a song here last night for some guys, and it sounded so good. I usually record with the high pass filter on, but I didn't yesterday and it sounded hot! I guess my raeh5 doesn't have to sound so thin anyway. Im gonna track another song here and take it to get mixed and mastered with the big guys to see how it will sound after running it thru the big proccessers and the SSL. Cross ya fingers for me.
 
I do both... I have an MBOX2... I'm in the process of buying a TLM103 NUemann Mic and the M610 UA mic pre-amp... I already have a G5 and I make my beats with Reasons 3.0 and my MPC2000xl.. First I'll recorded it at home... That way I'll have an idea of what the song is going to sound like, if I like it then I take it to the next level... I always say that if you're serious about your music and you can afford it, seek that proffesional sound... and people can tell the difference between a Proffesional recording versus a Home recording...
 
Maddnoiz said:
I do both... I have an MBOX2... I'm in the process of buying a TLM103 NUemann Mic and the M610 UA mic pre-amp... I already have a G5 and I make my beats with Reasons 3.0 and my MPC2000xl.. First I'll recorded it at home... That way I'll have an idea of what the song is going to sound like, if I like it then I take it to the next level... I always say that if you're serious about your music and you can afford it, seek that proffesional sound... and people can tell the difference between a Proffesional recording versus a Home recording...
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Yo sun, thats what im sayin. I don't mind recording at home, but when its time to do the real thing, it makes all the difference in the world.
 
theres other benefits to going to a commercial studio over the gear.
many people rise to the occassion, a good vocal booth can make a world of difference and in all honesty i hear material all the time from people who genuinely believe their material sounds like Dre and yet it clearly doesnt. sometimes an external perspective can be worth the rate alone. if the engineer is good then it multiplies upwards.

that being said theres plenty commercial facilities with gear i wouldnt expect to even find at someones house and no clue what they are doing, even with many years on the clock. ive also seen people with home setups that would turn people green.
they may lack the overall quantity of a big commercial venture, but the setup they have collected for their own needs can be pretty impressive.

on the gear front itself. i always remain convinced that anyone who says high end gear doesnt make a difference or sound that much better can only either :
a) actually have some hearing impairment
b) have never actually heard it and are basing their conclusion on conjecture, hearsay, plugins or middle rate or even prosumer gear

all things being equal, ie your skills and musical/vocal ability. something done on real high end gear, neve,manley,ssl,fairman,crane song,chandler,trident,
API,daking,Calrec,Sontec,etc etc will easily sound better than both lesser hardware and plugins.

it will be easier to get results with a much better sound and also get them quicker.

the converters will also impact how well its done and something too many people dont pay enough attention too....or believe the marketing and that their audiophile will be as good as a lavry. the better they are the more you will get recorded whats actually coming out of the gear itself. unlike gear, high end converters dont have a character persay, they get clearer and more accurate.

i personally cant see why everyone isnt running converters infront of protools systems (HD) as a standard. they sound awful IMHO though plenty of recording has been done on them thats for sure. i read an interesting paper laying the blame of the lack of quality in modern music solely at the door of protools and its converters. harsh and quite impossible to prove but it did give me a laugh.
ive also heard good stuff being done on Mboxes too but have no doubt at all it would have been even better with better gear.

the horses for courses argument also doesnt hold water too much, while many genres have the image of working in low budget conditions, id wager that many actualy record in quite nice places (i know of quite a few) and all the genres listed also have one common thread. none are regarded as holding the torch with respect of audio quality.
this does make it while certainly valid, not applicable in this conversation.

if it was a dub thread all on keith hudson it would be going a totally different route in some respects thats for sure
 
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i feel like that with the right engineer you can get good sound quality with ok equipment. I feel like these big companies are trying to make it look like you have too have a 1ook studio for those results. trust me dawg, blaccteezy, i dont know where your from but your is good enough to make it. look at us in the south. a lot of our recordings are in affordable home studios not even 50k studios. i hate to bring em up but even tha franchise boyz are being succesfull and i know for a fact most of those songs are produced on fl studio and recorded on average. where its mastered at might be the biggest difference. listen to Lean wit it rock wit it . some of blaccteezy's sounds just as good. and another all of these industry standards are bull****. With a decent pc PRO TOOLS CAN NOT WITH SONAR. look at litte brother, the record on Cool Edit Pro.
 
You've gotta point. I now record at home. Using cubase se to record tracks and protools for vocals. I spent alot of money getting my s mixed, and my mixed sounded a whole lot better. Sometimes you are better than you want to believe.
 
Just a little fact about MP3's. The reason that they are so widely used is because they are 1/10 the size of wavs and easier to transfer/share/trade and have portable. And the mp3 format is designed to trick the ear (very convincing to the average ear) that all of the information is there. And with new formats coming out they will start to sound just as good and 1/100th of the size of a full wav. Now everyone continue with your rants.





mhh-mmmmmm Pro gear is better!!!!
 
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