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I've been using an AT4050 as my all-purpose mic for quite a while and have always enjoyed its versatility and quality. Yesterday I added an MXL V69 Mogami Edition mic to my collection, and decided to do my vocal tracking with both mics so I could A/B them directly. I was really surprised to find tha...

What's the consensus on a good budget hi hat mic? Preferences? Opinions? I'm trying to round out a good basic drum mic kit.

Would any MXL mics fit the bill for hat? I can get really good prices on MXL's so would be particularly interested if any of them could even come close.

Thx.

I'm thinking about buying an MXL V69 tube mic. It comes with its own power supply -- I've never owned a mic that came with a power supply before. I assume this means I don't need to give it phantom from my board. Do I still need a preamp or will the power supply bring it up enough in level to be abl...

Since I'm building a studio in my house, I'm already having problems because people come to the door and I can't hear the doorbell if there's music playing. What's the simplest way to set up a flashing light to alert me when the doorbell rings? I'd prefer it to be wireless, because it would be a ser...

As I'm working on getting my studio up and running, my DAW has no options for easily setting up a talkback channel (unless I want to leave it always on -- then of course I can do that). What I'd like is to set up a basic mic (58 or whatever) and connect it into a little footswitch that will let the ...

Sounds like the consensus is that the 603 could do a great job as drum overheads.

Any of the MXL mics work well for toms or kick drum?

I've come upon an opportunity to buy some MXL mics at a significant savings and was wondering if I could get some $.02 from users who've worked with them before. Worth the money? I'm looking to get a starter set of drum tracking mics. I have none right now. My budget is pretty small. I'm looking at ...

A philosophical question on compression... Theoretically all a compressor is supposed to do is play with volume. It's supposed to have a threshold point where the audio, when it passes beyond that point, is altered in dynamics resulting in a smoother, more limited dynamic range. Where did the "warmt...

I'm a budding engineer with a verb question: is it unheard of to put a global verb on an entire mix? I'm working on a smooth jazz project, one song in particular that is a little more funk/R&B tilted. I want it to have a dirtier, looser, outdoors-ier kind of sound. Right now it is too tight and stud...

I'm a big believer in making things work with what ya got. I think it's possible, although of course a better space will always help both acoustically and psychologically. Learning to mix well is a hard craft and it's totally normal to get discouraged while learning. The two best pieces of advice fo...

Hey Evan, funny to see you here. (It's DDas from MOTU-Mac.) I can't say I had a whole lot of trouble with drums or vocals in particular. More just low-mids in general. The Mackie's sound extremely rich to me, so mixing to them requires that I utilize that richness without overdoing it. It's real eas...

Please see my web site -- www.daviddas.com -- for full descriptions and pictures. MOTU 2408 Core System - $375 Roland XP30 w/Hip Hop card and Hard Case - $875 + shipping Alesis QS8.1 w/soft case - $750 + shipping add hard case (required if shipping) + $250 add Vintage Keyboard card + $75 add flash R...

I have a pair of Mackie HR824's in my studio which I'm really happy with. I've learned to mix to them so I know them well.

I've been thinking about adding a sub to enhance my bass response. Can anyone recommend a good sub for a companion to the 824's? Price is an issue, so cheaper is better.

I'm having a house built with a studio space built in. Adjacent to the studio space is a closet that I want to make into a vocal booth. So some questions: *What kind of door do I want on this? Being a closet, it'd normally have a full door, which could make the booth somewhat claustrophobic. It's no...