Your Top Ten Pieces of Recording Studio Gear

[@?,*???&?]

Have at it. Let's see the lists. Most of these are gonna varied, but think about what you have and let us know what your imperative items are. What are the things you could not live without where you are currently working!

[littlesongs]

What are the things you could not live without where you are currently working!

1. Thumb
2. Finger
3. Finger
4. Finger
5. Finger
6. Thumb
7. Finger
8. Finger
9. Finger
10. Finger

Totally indispensable.

[@?,*???&?]

What are the things you could not live without where you are currently working!

1. Thumb
2. Finger
3. Finger
4. Finger
5. Finger
6. Thumb
7. Finger
8. Finger
9. Finger
10. Finger

Totally indispensable.

I see a lot of redundancy here. Surely you could subsist with just 4 of these. In case you missed the question- which you did, what are the top 10 most important pieces of equipment in the place where you're working?

[littlesongs]

What are the things you could not live without where you are currently working!

By golly, I did misunderstand the original question.

1. Skeletal system
2. Respiratory system
3. Nervous system
4. Muscular system
5. Lymphatic system
6. Integumentary system
7. Circulatory system
8. Digestive system
9. Endocrine system
10. Excretory system

The reproductive system is unnecessary, but it gets packed along anyway.

[cgarges]

Okay, I'll bite because I love this kind of shit. I assume we're talking about recording studio equipment, so I'll steer clear of instruments, a good night's rest, a good band, my education and stuff like that.

These probably aren't in any real particular order except that my number one choice is really my number one choice.

1. B&W 805 Matrix speakers
These things tell me the sort of stuff that my ears need to hear to make a mix translate well. They're not the right speakers for everyone, but by God they're the right speakers for me. Once I got these things, my mixes improved by leaps and bounds because I was hearing what I needed to hear to let me know what I needed to fix.

2. Sontec MEP-250EX equalizers
I got my first MEP-250EX maybe eight or nine years ago. Again, major improvement in the clarity and the sound of the top end of my mixes when I started experimenting with strapping this EQ across the stereo buss. Since then I've just become addicted to the way the top end sounds on those things, so I bought another one and use them in some capacity on almost every session I do. They're not always stuck across the stereo buss these days, but they're there when I need them to be and they work great.

3. Telefunken V72 preamps
These things just have the sound. To me, they're what a classic tube preamp should sound like. They can be hi-fi when they need to be and they can get nasty really quickly. These things can be useful on so many sources and sound just absurdly good when they're really the right thing. I can't imagine not having these around.

4. Coles 4038 ribbon mics
I got my matched pair about two years ago and I can't stop using them. I'll use them on anything. If there's something that's not great about them, you can easily EQ them to sound great. Not that I do, but there aren't many mics you can say that about. These things just instantly have a type of sound that my ears really love to hear, so they've made making records a while lot easier for me since I got them.

5. GML 8900 compressor
This thing gets used on so many sources, it's ridiculous. I really do think that I could make an awesome sounding record if I had nothing but this compressor to use on everything. It can be far more transparent than any other dynamic device that I have, but it can also get super-aggressive in it's compression characteristic. The sound is crystal clear and clean, with virtually noiseless amplifers in the circuit. If I need more character, I can always plug something else in before or after it, but it's nice to have the option of dynamic control without any other changes to the sound source.

6. Shure KSM141 condenser mic
One of the best-sounding condenser mics ever made. Beautiful top end and a full, flat-sounding character without any weird peakiness or harsh qualities. This is a crazy good mic on any kind of acoustic string instruments.

7. Crown GLM100 omni lavalier mic
I don't use these every day, but when I use them, they're real life-savers. I have a few favorite specific uses for them and I can't imagine making the kind of records where those techniques are helpful without those mics.

8. Oktava MC012 condenser mic
My love for these mics is well-documented. I own ten of them and it's common for me to be using eight of them at a time during a full-band tracking session. They get used in some capacity almost every day and I have a lot of nice small diaphragm condenser mics available.

9. Electric Audio Mid Side Matrix
A well-built box that also gets used on almost every session that I do.

10. iZ RADAR 24 with Nyquist converters
I love recording and mixing on these devices. They sound great, they don't crash, and editing is easy on them. Again, it's a sound I like to hear. The only other digital recording device that's been anywhere near as pleasing to my ears is the Pacific Microsonics System.

There are probably others (Federal compressor, Effectron III, Klark Teknik DN-780, etc.), but those come to mind first, so that's got to be some kind of indicator that the list is fairly accurate.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Ryan Silva]

1. BAE 1023
- Ends up on 90% of overdubs, and kick EQ on mix

2. AKG 414 buls (pair)
- Had these before most of my gear, never got boring, not once.

3. Retro Sta-Level
- Great for Bass in the mix, love tracking a strumed acoustic guitar through it.

4. API 3124
- Snare, heavy guitar, wicked awesome on the triangle, tambo, and banjo

5. Shure KSM141 (pair)
- Go to snare mic for rock, acoustic, and clean electric guitar.

6. Stereo Disstresor
- Um everything!

7. Beyerdynamic m160
- Upright Bass, banjo, small guitar amps

8. SPL Transient Designer
- Kick, snare, room mics

9. Toft ATB16 v2
- Keeps me out of the box, version 2. no problems.

10. Drawmer 1968
- Acoustic (picked) Bass

Alternate - Purple MC77 (too new to say)

[Nick Sevilla]

Is this a GearWhore list? I love these.

Let's see:

1.- Pro Tools HD.
2.- One pair of good speakers.
3.- One pair or good LDC microphones.
4.- One good LDC tube micorphone.
5.- One pair of good dynamic microphones.
6.- One good pair of SDC condenser micorphones.
7.- 8 good sounding mic preamplifiers.
8.- One good sounding DI for bass or electric guitar.
9.- A producer that knows how to produce well.
10.- My Coffee maker. It makes regular, and expresso / latte as well.

Cheers

[T-rex]

I don't know if I have ten but jn no particular order. . .

1. SCA N72 - I love this pre. Snare does not sound right to me unless recorded through this. Works amazingly well on everything and can be nice and clean to thick and compressed.

2. Germanium Pre - guitars, vox, anything - except ribbons.

3.Ghost - Sure I would love to have a Trident or even a coveted Neve or API, unfortunately not in my budget. I love this desk. I mix everything through it and it makes my job way easier than mixing with a mouse.

4. Mnats 1176's - Yeah I built em, and they sound super great to me on pretty much everything. Can't see mixing or tracking without these.

5. Drip Opto4 (La2a) - See above.

6. Drawmer 1968 - Really, every time I take this off the mix buss I miss it too much. Tons of people own these due to the price point, but still under rated in my opinion.

7. TC M2000 - Great reverb. Every time I think I have an awesome sounding reverb plug in, I compare it to the TC and the TC wins.

8. Alesis Microlimiter - Whatever, it still sounds fkn great. I honestly can't think of a rock mix where there wasn't a little bit of this snuck under the normal drum buss.

Chris, I would love a pair of V72's. That's the only pre's I really still want to try.
That and a pair of API 550A or 550B's for tracking and the mix buss would fill out my top ten.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Jeez, my list pales compared to some of the ones above. Almost everything I love falls into the weird and wonderful file.

1) - Pro Tools. HD, TDM, Mix, LE, M-Powered, I don't care. I work freelance at a bunch of studios and love that I can start in one room, overdub somewhere else, mix somewhere else with no issues. Much easier than when I used to drag my Tascam 38 around.

2) - a pair of modded Oktava 219s. I know there are better mics out there but I still come back to these every session. Even when I'm at a studio with a great mic locker the 219s get used somewhere. They're dark and wildly unmatched but I love them as OH and stereo room mics.

3) - Urei LA3A. It's on vocals for 80% of the mixes I do. Love it.

4) - Tascam 122MKIII cassette deck. It gets used on every mix as a slap back delay. It gets grainy and fuzz (in a great way) when driven hard and gets you in the ballpark of that Sun records slap back sound.

5) - Gates Solid Statesman Limiter. It's a one trick pony that wants to make everything louder than everything else. It's magic on lead guitar and piano and is also really great on rock vocals.

6) - Alesis Micro Limiter (me too). It's not a rock mix unless the ML is smashing something in the drums. OHs, room mics, parallel on the drum buss. I wish I had another one.

7) - Chamber Reverb. (Urei Graph EQ, Altec power amp, Auratone, room, mic or mics) I set one up for almost every mix. At my own place there's a bathroom and stairwell that I always use. My mixes got 100% better as soon as i started doing this.

8) - Home brew Plate Reverb. I made it myself a few years ago with parts from Lowes. It's no EMT but it still sounds better than 99% of digital boxes I've ever used. It's even better when pre-delayed with my worble-y sounding Watkins Copi-Cat.

9) - McCurdy 6 channel broadcast mixer (modded for direct outs). I have one at my place and there's a matching unit at another studio I work out of. They were made in the 60's for CBC radio. Transformers & germanium transistors. They sound amazing on drums, guitars, bass............just about everything really. Thick is the word that comes to mind.

10) Auratones. I have 2 pairs and find them very useful. I start most mixes in mono on the Auratones, then switch to stereo, then switch to the mains. They reveal mid-range problems instantly. I use the other pair when I set up reverb chambers (see above). Their eq curve is perfect for use in a chamber.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

P.S.
11) - a roll of tape and a sharpie.

[@?,*???&?]

Is this a GearWhore list? I love these.

Let's see:

1.- Pro Tools HD.
2.- One pair of good speakers.
3.- One pair or good LDC microphones.
4.- One good LDC tube micorphone.
5.- One pair of good dynamic microphones.
6.- One good pair of SDC condenser micorphones.
7.- 8 good sounding mic preamplifiers.
8.- One good sounding DI for bass or electric guitar.
9.- A producer that knows how to produce well.
10.- My Coffee maker. It makes regular, and expresso / latte as well.

Cheers

Nick, you missed it. This thread asks about YOUR specific TOP 10 pieces of gear you use every day- please list by exact model that you have and/or utilize most.

[@?,*???&?]

Jeez, my list pales compared to some of the ones above. Almost everything I love falls into the weird and wonderful file.

Hey man, don't feel embarassed about that. That's part of why I asked about it. I want to see the Top 10 pieces of gear TapeOppers are relying on in their own studio situations.

[tonewoods]

5) - Gates Solid Statesman Limiter. It's a one trick pony that wants to make everything louder than everything else. It's magic on lead guitar and piano and is also really great on rock vocals..

Thanks for that....!
I think I'll drag mine out again...

1: RCA44BX
2: RCA BA6A
3: Distressor
4: Alesis Fusion loaded with the Pinder 'Tron/Chamberlin samples
5: Gates Sta-Level
6: Altec 1567a Pre
7: A single track Revox reel-to-reel. I use it like a stompbox.
8: Rode NT4 Stereo mic.
9: A WWII Chaplin's portable pump organ
10: A Magnatone Troubadour 213 guitar amp...

[fuzz]

1.) 1073 - May not have a rack of 8, but in OD land it amounts to the same thing and I can't imagine the snr track without it anymore. Nice to use the line ins on mixdowns for some things.

2.) LA3A - the pair I have is always in use. Either limiting drum or other rm mics or compressing the gtrs on a mix. Sometimes a cool vibe on vox with other comps combined. I can't even spare them for a couple days to mod my limit/comp switch to the front!

3.) Sony C-37p - a pair i got from a radio station years back were the best mics i owned for a long while. They are outstanding on gtr cabs, toms, our b15, misc perc, and etc.

4.) DBX 160X - Not subtle at all, but this box can work on tons of stuff and they're cheap! I tend to prefer the mass makes over the MIJ makes, but the verdit may still be out.

5.) NS10s - Because I never tire of explaining to the clients "what happened to the bass."

6.) Presto 41U - I found one and I'll never let it go. The only box I've ever owned (and very few I've ever heard) that is truly that rare magic.

7.) Tech 21 "Boost DLA" - weirdly became a go to for slap/verb/delay/ in a mix. With the exaggerated flutter it makes stuff feel loose and vibey, but I don't think I've ever had it up enough that someone could detect it.

8.) Shure DY45g - If anyone proclaims the 57 then I suggest finding one of these. A much nicer top than a 57, no overkill bottom like a 201, just what right in a swiss army kinda way. Plus annoying amphenol connector which when removed may be the "mod" Allen Sides claims to have done to the Ocean Way stock, cause really what else is there inside?

9.) Studer A800 - Mine is a MKii transformer version w/ MkIII upgrades. What can I say... I actually want to turn our parts machine into a 2"16trk cause our current 2" 24trk deck never needs parts! The first time a younger client sees the machine go into rewind they always smile, but generally not as much as after hearing the drums off the repro head

10.) ELAM 251 - I had to list it. I guess I was crazy a little while back when I caved and bought the two I was initially gonna help a buddy broker, but it is true, they sound so fucking good on everything... its unreal. One is an AKG badge with a little C12 supply and it is particularly is special. I now understand while a few years back at studio g, Joel just left his u47 up all day... cymbal crescendo overdub, vox (obviously), FOK, etc. Anyway I get it now.

[cgarges]

6.) Presto 41U - I found one and I'll never let it go. The only box I've ever owned (and very few I've ever heard) that is truly that rare magic.

Is this one of the mono disc lathe limiters?

10.) ELAM 251 - I had to list it. I guess I was crazy a little while back when I caved and bought the two I was initially gonna help a buddy broker, but it is true, they sound so fucking good on everything... its unreal. One is an AKG badge with a little C12 supply and it is particularly is special. I now understand while a few years back at studio g, Joel just left his u47 up all day... cymbal crescendo overdub, vox (obviously), FOK, etc. Anyway I get it now.

So jealous! You have a pair of those things? Damn!

How about you, Jeff? Do you have a pair of 251s? I sure as hell don't. Wish I did, though.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC