So now help me spend $3,000...

[MarkGenero]

Okay, okay, so I realized from the posts tha my $1,000 spending spree wasn't going to get me where I wanted, so I sold some things and now have $3,000 to spend. To recap,I want to upgrade my hom recording studio with as "professional" a front end as I can afford. Here's my setup:

Digi 001 on a fast computer
Neumann TLM-103 mic
Focusrite Platinum voicemaster (mic pre/comp)
Lexicon PCM 91 reverb

I have good instruments:
Taylor 713 CE acoustic guitar
Korg N1 synth and JV 1010 module

My style is folk/country light ballads, and I use the mic mostly for vocals and acoustic guitar. I use Acid for my drums and run the synth direct to the Digi. I'm a solo act and happy to record my mic tracks in mono, so I'mnot inclined to spend my money on more than one mic or a stereo mic pre/comp at this time. My computer's in my home office and for my "recording booth" I run mic cable to the spare bedroom with heavy curtains and blankets on the walls. I've been able to get decent sound so far. I'm focusing on the front end because with the help of the previous posters it seems that this is the weakest link in my overall musical chain: specifically the voicemaster and Digi a/d converters, and where the money would be best spent on upgrades. I'm pretty happy with the TLM-103 as an all around mic, and like the Alesis monitors and love the Lexi. So my thinking at the moment is to upgrade the mic pre/compressor and the a/d converters. I believe a tube mic pre might be best to warm up my TLM-103. (agree?) My current strategy is:

Avalon 737 sp mono mic pre/comp ($2000)
Lucid 9624 a/d converter ($800)

OR

Manley 60 db 301 mono mic pre ($1500)
RNC ($200)
Lucid 9624 a/d converter ($800)

Any other suggestions in this price range? Also open to hearing if you think this is the best way to spend my $3,000.

Thank for your help,
Mark

[dkrausz]

My consulting fee is only $1000.00 [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Kamurah]

Mark,

I vote for your first option listed. I think you would be very happy with the Avalon / Lucid combo, and this would give you a couple bucks left over to buy high quality cables for the units.

ML...whaddya think? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

cheers

[M Lawrence]

great river MP-2-NV "Mercenary Edition"($2000)-
2 channels of neve-style (1073 to be specific) mic-pres (perhaps you might want to track guitar & vocals at same time, or mic your acoustic with 2 mics?) the "merc" edition is only $200 more, but you get inserts(for the rnc, or a speck/asc, which is a very vintagey sounding 4-band/para eg that only costs $550 for the balanced version!), a gain on the output, and and a proper led for level matching. this pre has neve warmth for days, and cleans up very nicely as well, but if you gotta have 1 mic pre, this'd be the one you'd want. and it's much quieter than a tube pre. http://www.mercenaryaudio.com/greatrivelmp.html
lucid ad2496 ($750)
fmr rnc ($180)

as an alternative to the g.river, if you have to have tubes, here's another alternative to the 2 you asked about:

DW FEARN VT-1 Vacuum Tube Microphone Preamplifier ($2000) http://www.mercenaryaudio.com/vt1vactubmic.html


good luck,

ml

[M Lawrence]

i meant eq, not eg. doh!

ml

[M Lawrence]

sorry, i just noticed the keys you listed. the great river will also give you 2 amazing instrument di's for giving your synth sounds more analog warmth. and that fat neve bottom!


ml