Advice on Preamp, Compressor, and AD Converter

[ixnys]

Alright I finally came to the point where Digi001's pre's and AD/DA converters weren't delivering the sound I needed. So I purchased some gear which was quite expensive. I wanted to get some info from you guys about the gear I purchased and if you think it's right for what I'm doing.

New Gear:
-Avalon AD2022 Dual Mono Mic Pre
-Empirical Labs EL8SX Compressor (2)
-Apogee PSX100SE
-B.L.U.E. Bottle Tube Condensor Mic

I'm still debating whether or not to get the HD3 system. At the moment I haven't needed all the extra tracks. Maybe some occational limits to how many plugs I could use at times, but I heard the HD systems can't use the TDM plugins at the moment anyways.

This is what I use my recording rig for: Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar, Bass, vocals, and possibly a drum set in the future. I thought having a stereo mic pre would be important for micing acoustic guitar with two different mics and micing one or two guitar cabinets simultaneously.

For vocals I chose a really expensive mic which has versility if you buy the extra capsules, yet they cost $700 a piece. Maybe I'd be better off with a mic like the Nuemann ML49. Someone even told me Audio Technica made a good mic that would be cheaper.

So here are some of my questions:
1. Is the Avalon 2022 a good choice for what I'm doing? Is stereo that important? I thought it was, but people have been telling me it really isn't that important when micing electric guitar. In the same price range ($2,727) would I be better off going for a single pre amp?

2. How are the Distressor EL8SX stereo compressors? Anything better than them around the price range ($2,887)?

3. I know the Apogee PSX100SE is a great AD/DA Converter but I've heard that the AD/DA Converters of the new Digidesign 192 HD system interface are even better. Is that so?

4. Should I stick with a versatile yet expensive mic like the B.L.U.E. Bottle Tube Condensor Mic (their highest end model $4,293)? So many mics sound different on different people? Is there another mic such as the Neumann or Audio Technica that might be better equipped for what I'm doing (guitar&vox)?

I know recording gear is all very subjective. I bought this gear but I have 30 days to try it out and decide if I still want it. After all, how can you tell what something sounds like if you don't test it out for yourself? I would have to say that my tracks sound unbelievably better, but I wanted to know if there were some other choices that might be smarter/cost effective in getting a "better" sound. So any imput on this gear or what professional studios are using would be helpful.

[Mark Haliday]

I don't know the mic you are speaking of (apart from the ads I have seen), but if you record in 24 bit/48 kHz, I believe you have the tools to record great sound. The rest is up to you ! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

BTW, If you are intending to mix your LE productions on TDM systems later, don't go in the red and leave a few dBs headroom when recording (ie not record full scale)
The reason is that when the session is opened on a TDM system some peak clipping that were inaudible on LE don't sound good on TDM.

good work

[Ricco]

I am using the 2022 and the PSX 100 SE with a M149 Neuman mic and I am very happy with the results. The 001 is my interface with LE software. You can do better than $2700 for the 2022. I was able to purchase the PSX SE for under 3K. I have been told that the new tdm systems are almost as good as the apogee SE and some say they are just as good as the apogee SE, but I have not heard that they are better.

[tlester]

Did you buy based on price or by listening? Did you listen to this gear before purchasing? Do YOU like the sound of this gear? If so, you made a good purchase. If not, then you didn't.

Expensive doesn't always mean better. It IS subjective.

Also, stereo or mono mic'd guitar is up to what YOU want. Sometimes I mic a guitar in stereo and sometimes in mono. It depends on what I'm going for and my mood at the moment.

You have adequate gear to make a great recording. Now, you just have to refine your skills and make one!

Good luck.
-t

[Purple power]

Originally posted by ixnys:
I know the Apogee PSX100SE is a great AD/DA Converter but I've heard that the AD/DA Converters of the new Digidesign 192 HD system interface are even better. Is that so?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">No.