Tools you cannot be without everyday.

[madcow]

Hello all..

I am about to switch some things out in the studio and would like some opinions.
I do mostly metal/hardcore bands and the occasional acoustic act....

What are the bare essentials for plug ins (eq, compressors, sound replacer etc.), tube mic pre's and microphones that you cannot be without and use everyday?

Since this could be a huge list lets narrow it down:

- 5 plugins you must have and why (if it's eq, what characteristcs. same with compressor plugs)

- The mic pre's do not have to be 3k Avalons. If you have lower end tube pre's (under 1000) what do you like about them for the money

- Drum mic's are very personal but lets see what everyone uses for thier favorites. Especially overheads.

Thanks for the time guys...

-mark

[MikeJaxx]

Hi

I´ll go first on this one.

1. Plugins
EQ : If I had to choose one it would be MCDSP Filterbank, versatile and great sounding
Comp: MCDSP Compressorbank, for the same reason
Reverb : Princeton StereoRoom for ambience and Eventide Reverb for larger spaces
Other : Cranesong Phoenix

2. MicPre
Vintage Neve 1073 (Yes, I know it´s expensive but I find it the best choice 90% of the time)
Less expensive VintageDesign M81 swedish 1081 pre clone, Sounds great under $1k Nice high end and very open sounding

3. Drum mics
Sorry if I sound like a wiseass on this one
I do have a great room so If I have a great drummer.....
RCA44BX in front of the kit. Then I add a U47 and a D112 on the kick.
441 on the side of the snare and 2 Gefell 582/UM70 as Overheads, One straight above and one 45 degrees over the floor tom
If necessary I add 421 on the toms, but most times I don´t need them.
Pretty standard I guess.
Bad drummer add hihat mic, ride mic, snr top, snr bottom, and a few more safety microphones

This can be a real cool tread!!!

Mikael Axelius
Kingsway Studio

[madcow]

Thanks Mikael...

Anyone else?

[KK Proffitt]

Thanks Mikael...

Anyone else?

Oxford EQ
Waves Diamond
TL Space
TC Electronic VSS3

I have other stuff like SoundToys, Eventide, etc., but I can do nicely with the first four. Bear in mind I also have the TC 6000 with Unwrap.

I mostly mix these days, but I do have the Prism ADA8 and that's the converter I prefer.

[ProTooler]

Here's my 4:

Vintech Dual 72
Tubetech CL-1B
Waves SSL Channel Strip
Echoboy

[Steve MacMillan]

plug-ins (I can't live without)

Waves Tune
Waves SSL
McDSP MC2000
URS 1970 comp
Sony Oxford Limiter
TL Space
Soundtoys Echoboy

STeve

[madcow]

Here's my 4:

Vintech Dual 72
Tubetech CL-1B
Waves SSL Channel Strip
Echoboy

Waves SSL channel strip or Sony Oxford EQ ?

I am looking at these both. Sound flavors between the two?

[brianjanthony]

5 Plugs?
1. Waves Tune - I use it every day. Even if tuned tracks don't make it to the final, you can use it to make guide tracks so the singers sing/scream in tune.

2. Amp Farm/Guitar Rig/Amplitube/ guitar sim. If you're doing 5-7 metal acts a week like me, you know some of their amps are going to rot. And they'll want them to sound great. A DI box and an amp sim are big helps. remember, you might have great mics and great pres. but if the amps suck, you're in trouble.

3. Drumagog. Kind of in league with amp sims. The more metal/rock bands you do, the more you realize most kids will have $400 crap kits. A great House kit doesn't help because most metal drummers feel and play better on their own kit. I use DG every day. Does this make you a bad engineer? Maybe. But when a band leaves here with a demo, I don't care squat HOW we got a good sound. I just care that is HAS a good sound. That's how we get referrals/put food on the table.

4. T-Racks. Disclaimer: most of my projects have under $2000 (many under $500) budget for track/mix/master/dupe. T-racks is the fastest way to get something at least loud and rude enough to fly in most rock/metal/rap situations. My clients leave here and go to local radio stations and put it on the air sometimes that day. So the roughs have to be loud, bright, boomy and gritty. Would I use it on an acoustic project, no. It is not a subsitute for a good mastering engineer. But most of my clients don't know/care about the differences between mixing and mastering.

5. KONTAKT or a sampler. Why? Acoustic acts benfit enormously from a little percussion and the hard bands I work with always want weird sound effects. Granted, digi's Xpand helps out now but I found myself using Kontakt for the scary noises people want. If people want Church bells to play a melody in a song, you have to have something.

[I didn't mention EQs. I have many. EQIII is fine for most things. I like my Oxford. But I use my $60 Massey just as much]


PREAMPS
API 3124 kik, snr, shells or overheads AND VOCALS (where Great River doesn't cut thru)

Focusrite ISA 428 hh, ride, rooms or overheads (the imp knob can work wonders here)

focusrite octopre for toms or snare bottom, misc extra mics

Great River or UA 610 mono room smash it mic

[I recently switched to the API and 428. It has made mixing easier and let me rely less on Drumagog. Very solid investment. API has become a go-to for everything. I used to use the octopre and a Presonus Digiax]



MICS
Beta 52. Its clicky. But you're doing heavy stuff. Clicky is good.

SM57 nothing it can't do. esp if you're just triggering

Rode NT5 or [GULP] MXL 604s for overheads. It's cymbal noise.

EV PL65s room mics. glorified and flat 57 ripoffs. I like them on my room better than oh mics

ATM25, not AT25. toms. i like them a TON better than 421s. Smaller too...

Vocal mics? I've tried $3000 mics here. Many were sent back. I make an ok living with a Blue Mouse, Gefell 70 or something, an SM7B, and some other cheap Chinese crap from Rode and MXL. Actually my most used mic is an MXL 2001 from like 99 or 2000. I've put it up against stuff recorded at some of the biggest studios in the east and my clients (and I) thought it held its own. Heresy, I know. Believe me, if I could drop $50,000 on mics I would. I have found that a good singer/screamer sounds good on anything. And a bad singer/screamer will sound bad on just about anything.


Well, now that I've put y'all to sleep

good luck!

brian

[madcow]

5 Plugs?
1. Waves Tune - I use it every day. Even if tuned tracks don't make it to the final, you can use it to make guide tracks so the singers sing/scream in tune.

2. Amp Farm/Guitar Rig/Amplitube/ guitar sim. If you're doing 5-7 metal acts a week like me, you know some of their amps are going to rot. And they'll want them to sound great. A DI box and an amp sim are big helps. remember, you might have great mics and great pres. but if the amps suck, you're in trouble.

3. Drumagog. Kind of in league with amp sims. The more metal/rock bands you do, the more you realize most kids will have $400 crap kits. A great House kit doesn't help because most metal drummers feel and play better on their own kit. I use DG every day. Does this make you a bad engineer? Maybe. But when a band leaves here with a demo, I don't care squat HOW we got a good sound. I just care that is HAS a good sound. That's how we get referrals/put food on the table.

4. T-Racks. Disclaimer: most of my projects have under $2000 (many under $500) budget for track/mix/master/dupe. T-racks is the fastest way to get something at least loud and rude enough to fly in most rock/metal/rap situations. My clients leave here and go to local radio stations and put it on the air sometimes that day. So the roughs have to be loud, bright, boomy and gritty. Would I use it on an acoustic project, no. It is not a subsitute for a good mastering engineer. But most of my clients don't know/care about the differences between mixing and mastering.

5. KONTAKT or a sampler. Why? Acoustic acts benfit enormously from a little percussion and the hard bands I work with always want weird sound effects. Granted, digi's Xpand helps out now but I found myself using Kontakt for the scary noises people want. If people want Church bells to play a melody in a song, you have to have something.

[I didn't mention EQs. I have many. EQIII is fine for most things. I like my Oxford. But I use my $60 Massey just as much]


PREAMPS
API 3124 kik, snr, shells or overheads AND VOCALS (where Great River doesn't cut thru)

Focusrite ISA 428 hh, ride, rooms or overheads (the imp knob can work wonders here)

focusrite octopre for toms or snare bottom, misc extra mics

Great River or UA 610 mono room smash it mic

[I recently switched to the API and 428. It has made mixing easier and let me rely less on Drumagog. Very solid investment. API has become a go-to for everything. I used to use the octopre and a Presonus Digiax]



MICS
Beta 52. Its clicky. But you're doing heavy stuff. Clicky is good.

SM57 nothing it can't do. esp if you're just triggering

Rode NT5 or [GULP] MXL 604s for overheads. It's cymbal noise.

EV PL65s room mics. glorified and flat 57 ripoffs. I like them on my room better than oh mics

ATM25, not AT25. toms. i like them a TON better than 421s. Smaller too...

Vocal mics? I've tried $3000 mics here. Many were sent back. I make an ok living with a Blue Mouse, Gefell 70 or something, an SM7B, and some other cheap Chinese crap from Rode and MXL. Actually my most used mic is an MXL 2001 from like 99 or 2000. I've put it up against stuff recorded at some of the biggest studios in the east and my clients (and I) thought it held its own. Heresy, I know. Believe me, if I could drop $50,000 on mics I would. I have found that a good singer/screamer sounds good on anything. And a bad singer/screamer will sound bad on just about anything.


Well, now that I've put y'all to sleep

good luck!

brian

Excellent info.. Thanks brianjanthony...

I was thinking drumagog or sound replacer. I agree 100% with the kits and kids. I am in the exact same boat as you. Same type of projects.

I am surprised you like the ATM's over the 421's though? I love my 421's...
I have been using the EQ III over the Q-10 lately also but still want to try the Oxford eq.

The last 2 projects I did we used a SM58 for the vocs, squashed pretty good Sound live. Plus the singer guys for metal/hardcore cant stop moving around when singing into a stationary mic.

[MiamiMusicMan]

sorry.....I couldn't narrow it down so here's the Top 10

1. Logic 7 (The Instruments are what Keep me going back)
2. SSL Bundle
3. Eventide Anthology
4. Access Virus TI & TDM
5. McDSP Filterbank & CompBank
6. Sony Oxford Reverb
7. Waves L1/L2/L3
8. Neuman TLM 103
9. Stylus RMX
10. Ableton Live