I have a 2500 Budget and am trying to build a mid level recording studio

C

chicitybeats

New member
Me and a Friend of mine are building a Recording studio and we need help on the equipment

we have a 2,500-3,000 budget and this is what we have already:

Emu 0404usb

MBOX2

M audio DMP3

Alesis MKII

Mackie MR8

Behringer Mini Amp and MIni Mon

Samson c01
Maudio Nova
Studio Projects B1

Now we are having the computer built and the space treated and thats not included in the budget, the main things we are looking at are:

Mixing Board/ Console(need a mixer with at least 32 channels)

Interface

EXT Mic Pres

Mics (recording choirs singers instruments rappers)

ALL Input is accepted thanks
 
I say $3,000 for just a semi-decent mixing board
Allen & Heath GL2400-32
32-channel Mix Console with Six Aux Sends, 7 x 4 Matrix, and Extended Headroom Preamp Design $2,500
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GL2400-32/

Yamaha MG32/14FX
32-Channel 14-Bus Analog Console with Effects and 24 Mic Pres with Phantom Power $1,300
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MG32-14FX/

Mackie Onyx 32.4
32-channel Premium Analog Mixe with 28 Onyx Preamps and 4-band Perkins EQ $2,200
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Onyx32x4/

check this list for more 32channel mixers
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=32+channel+mixer

hey I just found this
Allen & Heath ZED-R16
16-channel FireWire Mixer with 16 Microphone Preamplifiers, 4-band Parametric EQ, and MIDI Controls
it says 26 inputs...and
•Software-ready with MIDI-assignable controls
•Two FireWire ports for recording and daisy-chaining
so I would cop two of these and you'll be good

that's $4,000 I would check ebay maybe you can get two for $3,000
so you have you board and your interface all in one
no money left for specialized preamps....
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ZEDR16/
but that can come next...
 
well mainly we want to achieve that "big studio" look so we want to get a mixing board now he wants to get a behringer sx3282 and i was going to get 2 focrite octopres so i can run the sub groups from the mixer and then adat them to a m-audio profire lightpipe because he is real serious about this mixing board
 
do you absolutely need 32 inputs? are you gonna be using/ recording with them all at the same time?

if i was you id look for a good interface with mulitple inputs/outputs before i thought about a mixer.

ima tell you just like i tell all the other newbies. BUYING A MIXER IS A WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!!!!

unless you have the doe for a SSL board (which you dont) then any mixer that comes with the daw your using will but suffiecent if not excede what you can get done with a old analog board.

so i guess if you want your studio to "look cool" as opposed to "actually sound decent" then go head and knock urself out and get the mixing board ( youll be sorry later).

or you could take some decent advice and just look for a good interface as i suggested then think about some pres and mics.

but what do i know? im just a producer.
 
Don't say mid-level; it makes people laugh.

Just say this is what I have to spend, and I want the most for my money.

2500-3000 won't get much in a mid-level recording studio.

Anyway, if you are able to put your computer together, you can save some bucks there.
 
I have already had my computer built and the problem is I don't see a use for a mixer either people will come just because of the look, just like if you can create radio quality music with studio one but people want to SEE pro tools it don't make much sense to me I would rather get a m audio 2626 and a few behringer faders (bcf2000) and buy a rosetta 200 so that's 700+360+1400 = 2460 but when you trying to find a middle point between two people this is what happens......... I know he wants the LOOK but I want the quality to be right
 
yeah I say focus on a nice audio interface with mult ins and outs( with some amazing DA/AD converters built in... as the other guy said and then focus on getting some high end preamps and mics,compressors,monitors with a sub (my opinion on the sub) some good acoustic treatment...maybe even buying a lower end mic and getting it modelified so you have a unique banging mic lol...
 
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if your lookign for a cheap mix, i would say go with m-audio projectmix its quite nice and its has motorized and faders and any person that cam to my studio was always like ooooooo shit and its a sick audio interface and it fits your budget you can find em for like 999.99 and ebay prolly cheaper. i hope that helps a bit man.
 
People should want to come for your ability to make great sounding recordings and mixes .

It just seems like , eager to look good is taking priority of keen to sound good .
Cart before the horse .
 
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ive invested about 3500 into mine and its pretty decent that includes the acoustic treatment for the booth, mics, keyboard, mixer board, cables, monitors and headphones, and ill did was shop around at americanmusical.com they got great package deals i recommend to shop around there
 
I would get:

maudio profire 2626 $600
behringer bcf2000 $200
2 golden age pre 73's to give you some colored pres $600
shure sm7 $300 or OR ADK TC for main vocal mic.

I highly reccomend putting at least $750 in to sound treament. You can get premade bass traps for like $60 a pop from a company called aks acoustics I think.

If you are going to be micing drums and various instruments and need mics I suggest these:
Overheads: adk s7 or audio technica 4050 (will also double nicely on vox)
Snares, guitars: sm57
Kick, bass: shure beta 52

For monitors I would go with yamaha hs80ms or hs50ms at first and add asub when you get the $$

You can get very high quality results with a setup like this

Best of luck.
 
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I have decided to let him do what he feels with the mixer because I can't get him to get away from that, I will buy a m audio fastrack 8r and a rode nt1 myself I will let him buy the mixer and as far as acoustic treatment I will handle that. He agrees with everything I say except the mixer I know 1200 could be spent on quite a few other
things (pres, mics, and things like that) so I guess ill let him have his "look" and leave it at that
 
I would at least steer him with the mixer as it sounds like he will get the one with most bells whistles and lights .
You should make him get one that has good pres .
 
chicitybeats said:
I have decided to let him do what he feels with the mixer because I can't get him to get away from that, I will buy a m audio fastrack 8r and a rode nt1 myself I will let him buy the mixer and as far as acoustic treatment I will handle that. He agrees with everything I say except the mixer I know 1200 could be spent on quite a few other
things (pres, mics, and things like that) so I guess ill let him have his "look" and leave it at that
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If you must get a mixer, either get the allen & heath zed r16 or mackie onyx mixer which will work with protools. These are also audio interfaces.

By far your best options in this scenario IMO.
 
mmahan40 said:
If you must get a mixer, either get the allen & heath zed r16 or mackie onyx mixer which will work with protools. These are also audio interfaces.

By far your best options in this scenario IMO.
Click to expand...


Wouldn't that be for PT LE only (IE no auto time comp)?
 
Foggy said:
Wouldn't that be for PT LE only (IE no auto time comp)?
Click to expand...

I think you might mea ADC?? which stands for automatic delay compensation. Only HD systems have this, so unless you plan to shell out $5k for one you're unfortunatley SOL anyways.

The makie onyx firewire mixers run with protools mpowered which is the same as LE.
 
statixx said:
do you absolutely need 32 inputs? are you gonna be using/ recording with them all at the same time?

if i was you id look for a good interface with mulitple inputs/outputs before i thought about a mixer.

ima tell you just like i tell all the other newbies. BUYING A MIXER IS A WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!!!!

unless you have the doe for a SSL board (which you dont) then any mixer that comes with the daw your using will but suffiecent if not excede what you can get done with a old analog board.

so i guess if you want your studio to "look cool" as opposed to "actually sound decent" then go head and knock urself out and get the mixing board ( youll be sorry later).

or you could take some decent advice and just look for a good interface as i suggested then think about some pres and mics.

but what do i know? im just a producer.
Click to expand...


Mixers are NOT a waste of money. I thought the same until i started expanding my studio and ended up needing more inputs for our instruments etc etc. No we have everything routing the mixer and running back into one of our Mboxs. i don't have to unplug anything but Midi. The only thing we don't run threw the mixer is our mic.
 
I understand that but he wants the look i keep saying get the faders but he feels he needs the look, it will be in the studio but i will not use it. I have a mobile pre for my laptop, and am ordering a fasttrack pro and a 8r tomorrow im not tracking through a behringer mixer..
 
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