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  #1  
Old 01-08-2014, 02:14 PM
webstersp webstersp is offline
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Default Need help before I spend $$$$$

Hi, I’m asking for your help before I spend my money anywhere.
I’ve been recording for fun at home with logic and pro tools for the last 4 years.
Tracking my ideas, bring them to the band but nothing more.
Been using an m-audio fat track pro and I’ve added a focusrite 8 pre a month ago.
I want to upgrade if it can helps our demo sound a better.

I’ve bought a house last summer and decided to treated a room so we could make our
records and stop paying money for it to someone else!

I have 3000$ budget for the audio interface + mic preamp (if I really need one).
I already have a few mics and I just bought budget monitor that were recommended to me.
KRK rokit G3.
We won’t track the drums here we will track them at our rehearsal space. Since we don’t have the best acoustic room we will be using drumagog or slate trigger 2 to replace the drums sound or mix them together.

I’ve got a macbook pro and Imac 27 both with thunderbolt and no firewire…
To track bass and guitar we will be using our guitarist Axe FX and Kemper.

Since everything beside vocals will be digital would i benefit going for an rme ufx, metric halo uln-2, apollo quad etc over mid cars like focus rite saffire 56, motu 828 etc?
The a polo seems a great bang for the bucks but are the plugins that better then the ones I’m using in logic and pro tools?
And should i grab a mic preamp, the great river been recommended to me but is it possible to have an all in one audio interface?

Thanks
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  #2  
Old 01-08-2014, 02:29 PM
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dr_daw dr_daw is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

Sounds like you're going to have fun! How do you plan to track your drums? Don't forget about expandability. The good thing about say the Saffire 56 is that you get W/c, and ADAT. Is the focusrite 8 pre you have an Octopre? If so, you'd be 16 inputs off the bat!

Being able to mic and record your whole drum kit individually will open up some doors. The pres on the Saffire are fantastic, IMO. The Apollo would be a great unit, but this is the one I'd be looking at: http://www.uaudio.com/interfaces/apollo.html
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  #3  
Old 01-08-2014, 02:53 PM
webstersp webstersp is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

yes it's the octopre.
Should I get something like the motu 828x, 828mk3, saffire 56 plus a stand alone mic preamp or go with something like the apollo quad, metric halo uln-2 etc?
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  #4  
Old 01-08-2014, 02:57 PM
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Southsidemusic Southsidemusic is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

+10000000000 on the Apollo Quad and or the Apollo 16. We have both and believe me, the plugins from logic and Pro Tools stock and even Waves doesn't come close to the sound of UAD - 2 plugins! They are a bit pricey but worth every cent in spades extremely low latency, Pro Tools Mode on the UA Console with full recall, tracking with up to 55 stereo plugins is AMAZING and the emulations of 1176/LA-2A/LA3A Studer Neve SSL etc etc etc is unbeatable and anyone who say they aren't one of the best plugins in the world honestly doesn't know what they are talking about. Regarding LS56/40 etc they are "good" but nowhere close to the Apollo Preams. You can set up a whole Headphone mix inside the Apollo Quad and Apollo 16 aswell as track with 1176:s and other amazing plugin emulations with basically 0 latency.

Very important: the plugins included with any UAD system like 1176/LA2 Verb and Pultec are called "Legacy" bundle and they are NOT what I am talking about here. You need to get the real bundles of these plugins from UA and not use the "legacy" plugins included, they sound "ok" but nothing more. Just an important thing as some might think those plugins included are what UA is all about but they are FAR from that. You can get started on them but as soon as you demo the real plugins from UA you will hear the difference all day long

And Apollo 16 and Quad have GREAT PREAMPS and as you can track with any of the UAD 2 plugins you will have a SWEET sounding system with the preamps on the unit. Preferably the Apollo Quad as it has 4 SUPERIOR preamps. The Apollo 16 has 16 ins and outs but no dedicated preamp like the Apollo Quad. The ULN is alsoma good product but the Motu and Focusrite are not in the same league. Not even close. Well worth the extra hundred bucks for the Apollo Quad!

Good Luck
Christopher
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  #5  
Old 01-08-2014, 03:33 PM
webstersp webstersp is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

Thanks southsidemusic, the apollo quad was my number one choice since they now give the thunderbolt card for free right now. But I wanted to be sure about this before I spend over 2k on an audio interface.
When you buy the apollo quad, do you have some kind of rebate, voucher to buy more plugins?
Can we try this plugin before we buy them

Thanks
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  #6  
Old 01-08-2014, 05:05 PM
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dr_daw dr_daw is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

WEbstep,

Since it's the octopre, and you're willing to go for the Apollo quad, GO FOR IT! I would've gone that route, but a last, I needed 8 pres to start. I fell into the Octopre on Kijiji for a steal of a deal, as it was not originally in the business plan. Also for me, I needed the ability to track 16 ins live without relying on FOH pres and direct outs.

Lock that Octopre up to the apollo via ADAT, forget about getting an external pre and buy yourselves a sweet vintage large diaphragm tube mic for vocals, or save that cash :P

Let us know how it goes.
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  #7  
Old 01-08-2014, 05:14 PM
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Southsidemusic Southsidemusic is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

Quote:
Originally Posted by webstersp View Post
Thanks southsidemusic, the apollo quad was my number one choice since they now give the thunderbolt card for free right now. But I wanted to be sure about this before I spend over 2k on an audio interface.
When you buy the apollo quad, do you have some kind of rebate, voucher to buy more plugins?
Can we try this plugin before we buy them

Thanks

Hi

The Vouchers given away at purchase changes from time to time. We got our Apollo Quad before the Thunderbolt offer aswell and the Apollo 16 came with the card so we have T/bolt on both now. I saw they have the thunderbolt card included in their deal now so thats AWESOME! It's a 500 dollar discount and a no brainer

Also regarding plugins, ALL their plugins can be demo'd from inside the control panel for 14 days fully functional and that is great. As for the included plugins, the 1176 bundle and the LA2 teletronix bundle are legacy but the real plugin bundles are rebated half price when buying them as an owner of Apollo Quad aswell and THE BEST Pultec Bundle on earth. All three bundles are $149 each if you buy the Apollo interface. The legacy plugins works but are Old emulations and probably theor first attempt at making sweet stuff. Sound "ok" but the real deal is off the chain

So .. If ypu have the money -> hurry up and buy the Apollo Quad and save on the plugins as an UA owner. That half price comes up after you register your products so you know. These bundles are $299 and with an UA interface $149 each.

Also i believe Every new customer gets an $100 voucher for plugins when registering their product. We got that twice with our 2 interfaces and our friends got it aswell after buying the Apollo Quad with the thunderbolt option deal out now. And we always get $50 and $75 and $25 vouchers every month so all the things considered UA is a really great company and they make real pro stuff.

Best of Luck
Christopher
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#thestruggleisreal
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  #8  
Old 01-08-2014, 05:30 PM
webstersp webstersp is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

thanks!
I'm buying the apollo quad for sure!
And for mics, I'll try what I have before buying a great mic!
I'll buy a few ua plugins before!
For mics I have an sm7b, a blue spark, 2x sm57, sm 58 an sm81
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  #9  
Old 01-08-2014, 05:41 PM
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Southsidemusic Southsidemusic is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

Quote:
Originally Posted by webstersp View Post
thanks!
I'm buying the apollo quad for sure!
And for mics, I'll try what I have before buying a great mic!
I'll buy a few ua plugins before!
For mics I have an sm7b, a blue spark, 2x sm57, sm 58 an sm81
Thats a good idea, try what you have as you can use the great UA plugins in the Console included set to Pro Tools Mode and track with the best enulations on earth in realtime with zero or non noticeble latency. Imagine having like 4 tracks at the same time All with 1176/LA2/Studer/Neve/Manley on them all and still not printing until you have tracked and recorded what you want. Then just send the track setting from the UA Console into PT11 and tweek the sweet plugin chain for accuracy Very very nice! Very Nice!

You are gonna LOVE that unit! Spend the money on a few real plugins instead of a mic now and later on get a better condensor mic. The ones you have will do for now and sound really great with the preamp converters in the Apollo. They are worldclass and no wonder UA wins prices for best gear and plugins year after year.

The Apollo Quad should be double the price and still a Great unit. We have a HDX2 system in the large control room with 2X Avid HD 16/16 i/o and Apollo Quad and the Apollo 16 holds its own against that system and do sound as good or slightly better warmth and a bit of sweet colour on the preamps. Also tried the most expensive Prism AD/DA and Apollo still sounds Great at half the price

Post back when you have bought it and I can help you set it up with a few tweeks for best performance.

Good Luck
Christopher
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  #10  
Old 01-08-2014, 06:47 PM
weezamiah weezamiah is offline
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Default Re: Need help before I spend $$$$$

I purchased a quad about 8 months ago. They had the 1000 dollar voucher back then so I was able to pic the most expensive stuff back then. SSL, both tape emulations reverbs. Really racked up this holiday with the discounts. So now own most of the plugins. The unit sounds fantastic. You won't be dissapointed.
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