build me a rig please

[IsaacTMeyer]

Hey,
Can someone sugest what i should buy. If i have 8,000$ and i allready have a g5 mics and snakes. All i need is a 002 rig FULLY EXPANDED. If someone could give me a couple pointers that would be very helpfull.
Thanks
Isaac T Meyer

[Naagzh]

Unless you really want a control surface, get the 002Rack. Use the money you save for some good plugs like the Waves bundle, Altiverb, Sansamp, PSP Vintage warmer, and on and on.

That brings you to about $3000.

That's about all I can recommend without knowing more about what style of music or what type of work you'll be doing.

[IsaacTMeyer]

Great, My main style is rock. not metal but more pillar, to life house. And then all your basic christian main stream music. Now as fas as me making the 002 fully expanded what should i expand it with. Thanks
Any other good plug in bundles to look into.
Thanks so much
Isaac T Meyer

[Slim Shady]

With 8 grand, I'd get an HD1, 96 I/O and the massive pack bundle. If you can find another 1.5-2 g's, go for the HD2. Why mess with the LE stuff if you can afford HD?

[IsaacTMeyer]

Well if i did Hd 1 and the 96i/o i would still need to by mic prees and all that stuff so i would be spending around 10,000. I think thats right but im not for sure. I would rather do Hd but i imagine i woudl get into the 12,000 dollar range.

[Naagzh]

For rock, I'd suggest a couple of different flavors of mic pres. A Neve clone, a tube pre, and another pre with a built-in EQ and compressor. Also, don't forget good monitors and good headphones (for you), and headphones for clients. One thing I would strongly recommend is a pair of Distressors or a Fatso, Jr.

Or, you could get into an HD rig if you can find one used. It's been a rough time lately for commercial studios, so many of them are scaling down their rigs. As long as you're shopping used gear, try to find a 192 i/o (sweet A/D conversion) and an 8-channel mic pre (for drums).

OTOH, an HD rig may be overkill if you don't have a nice room to begin with. Personally, I don't have a nice room, and the 002Rack allows me to go to a practice studio or warehouse and record drums. It's a pain, but I must say the results justify the extra work.

If you can afford a nice A/D converter (like an Apogee), then you're getting closer to pro-studio quality. You can put off the purchase of a nice A/D until your work pays for it.

Remember: crap in, crap out.

[IsaacTMeyer]

I will look into those pres thanks. Where should i look for a used hd rig they are hard to find.

[richsorr]

check the buy and sell forum of this site for used HD systems

[Papawhitehead]

Go for the 002r, nice pres, Fatso jr & put the rest into room design. After you make some cash, then upgrade converters. just my 2cents

[Bhennies]

great river mp2nv- 2150
or
universal audio 2-610- 1900
focusrite ISA428 w/ A/D converter option- 2150
digi 002rack- 1200
dynaudio bm6a- 1700 pair
waves native power pack- 300

leaves 500 dollars to build your room out with bass traps and membrane absorbers. Check around for Ethan Winer's plans- cheap and very effective (if you're handy).

personally, I'd get the great river and the isa, but some people may say "they are both neve-ish" so you may want more variety. I don't think they are very similar sounding and in fact will compliment each other very well. There's a reason why every one loves everything in the neve-arena.

this will give you 6 amazing pres, 8 channels of excellent AD conversion, 4 semi-decent pres (002), some plugs (enough to get going), and some very nice monitors.

you may want to swap around if you want outboard compression or EQ. Mic placement and room dynamics are key, as well as a GOOD SOURCE. I personally don't ever use it, even on drums, so YMMV.

My recommendation is to buy good outboard gear and tame your room first. Worry about HD later. Plenty of great music is coming out on LE rigs (and worse).