Complete my studio! Mixdown deck? Headphone amp? Comps?

[noeqplease]

"Yeah, I've got Logic (which I use in a really primitive way to demo my arrangements for reference), I just don't know how to dump from 16-channel tape to my laptop. I guess going 2-channel to the laptop would be workable, but being able to take advantages of the digital editing capabilities (the one thing I like about digital) sounds really sexy. "

Then all you need is a converter that can do 8 channels at once and also lock to timecode so you don't end up taking ages to line audio tracks up after the dump.

I recommend. Firewire one from MOTU, as those already come with the ability to slave to incoming timecode very accurately.

Cheers

P.S. Logic is a very deep editor, once you learn more of it you'll be glad you have it.
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It was trying to destroy our world and leave a black hole.
http://www.nicksevilla.com/Index.html

[cjogo]

MIXDOWN :: MASTERLINK $250


HEADPHONE AMP :: BEHRINGER $50+ up


EFFECTS :: TC ELECTRONICS $75 + up


COMP :: Plenty on the market , just depends on your budget
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whatever happened to ~ just push record......

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Thanks for your recommendations. I'll let you know what I end up getting.
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Love your new bananaskin shoulderpad,
Cody C. Gaisser
www.myspace.com/codygaisser

[nick_a]

my advice?

get one of those behringer powerplays for a headphone amp. they work just fine.

i think the alesis WEDGE is a highly underrated cheap-as-dirt multifx thingy that is also just fine for what it sounds like you'd be doing. you can mangle the reverb return with eqs on your console if it sounds too hashy or shitty for your taste, but i never really had any issue like that. they are so cheap if you can find them.

also, compression wise, i'd look around on craigslist or something for a dbx 160x/xt/a/b/ whatever. i found one for around 200 bucks.

and, in terms of mixing down, if you already have logic, get some usb interface so you can mix down through your console into your computer. if, at some point, you can't stand it, and MUST edit stuff, then you can get some sort of 16-channel I/O for your logic system, but it's gonna be hella more expensive. Also, it's so much fun to mix from tape through a console! REALTIME MAN!

[getreel]

+1 on the Wedge. They sound better than have any right to for the money they can be bought for. Also have a very cool and easy to use interface for editing parameters. I love mine and I use it all the time for monitoring reverb during tracking.

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Oh yeah, I'm totally into the idea of mixing down with my console. I like to be really hands-on with knob twisting. It's been a long time since I've been able to record on my own - I've had to get engineers. Since most of the engineers I've dealt with LOATHED the idea of me touching the board, this has prevented me from mixing in the style I prefer. The thing I'm trying to figure out is how to use the digital editing in conjunction with tape sound and OUT OF BOX mixing. I'd love to record extended versions of my songs with a lot of musical embellishment and improvization, edit it down to something coherent, interesting, and focused, then mix hands-on in the dub style. Still thinking.
_________________
Love your new bananaskin shoulderpad,
Cody C. Gaisser
www.myspace.com/codygaisser

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Been checking out the wedge... seems interesting...
_________________
Love your new bananaskin shoulderpad,
Cody C. Gaisser
www.myspace.com/codygaisser

[mscottweber]

Both the Lexiocn MX200 and the TC Electronic M350 will give you reverbs, delays, modulations, etc AND I believe they will both let you use two different effects at once.

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Awesome, thanks! Oh yeah, and it was the TC Electronics site (not Lexicon's) that I was confused about whether their effects units were soley verb and solely delay. I've made sense of it now. I'm really interested in the Lexicon MX200. More research...
_________________
Love your new bananaskin shoulderpad,
Cody C. Gaisser
www.myspace.com/codygaisser

[cjogo]

[inasilentway]

For compressors, I recommend picking up an older dbx 166 to start with. They're two channels and you can find them for $80-$120 all day long. They rarely suck, often do the job quite well, and most importantly you won't "outgrow" them. The 160s are great but more expensive, stay away from the 266. RNC and RNLA are classic choices too, if you search there are plenty of threads talking about other good cheapies like Symetrix 501, various Ashlys, JBL/Urei 7110, etc.

Get a LA2A when you're rich, but in the meantime if you pick up some soldering skills you can find a plethora of great compressor designs ready to DIY for cheap. 1176, LA2A, Fairchild, 175b, SSL, etc.
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"some kinds of love, the possibilities are endless"

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Thanks everyone, I'll check all this stuff out. I'm thinking the Wedge is too cheap and too well reviewed NOT to check out. Might even leave me enough extra change to pick up a second more expensive unit as well (or invest more in a comp) until a badass spring reverb, a space echo, and an eventide drop out of the sky into my lap (fingers perma-crossed, breath certainly not held).

I'm still up in the air on the headphone amp, but that's not really that important... I can flip a coin. Looks like I'm gonna need a rack...

EDIT:

This is sort of how my signal chain is looking...

SM57s or line > Whirlwind DI > Tascam M-2600 MKII > Fostex E-16 > Back thru Tascam M-2600 MKII > [Need Comp: RNLA's?] > [Need FX: Wedge?] > [Need Converter?] > Macbook/Logic

Also on the monitoring side:
Tascam M-2600 MKII > Adcom GFA-545 > Yamaha NS10's
and
Tascam M-2600 MKII > [Need Amp] > Sennheiser HD 202's


The "needs" are slowly but surely disappearing, and it feels good. (Almost) Everyone at this forum has been very helpful and patient with my ignorance.
_________________
Love your new bananaskin shoulderpad,
Cody C. Gaisser
www.myspace.com/codygaisser