help me figure out how to improve my studio, plz

[ethansnew]

yo.

my budget is gonna be $2k

The album I want to record is alot of acoustic guitar and vocals, but also bass, drums, other random stuff. I want to improve my studio in a general way, especially just from a fidelity standpoint.

My studio is pretty raw....
I have a Fostex 80 1/4" reel to reel (7 tracks work) and matching board (Fostex 420 i think its called)

for mics i have an AKG C414, a Sennheiser 441, and an Electro Harmonix figure 8 Ribbon. I had some 57s that got stolen, was figuring to buy at least 1 or 2 back.

------------
so on my limited budget....

...was thinking about getting another C414 so i could a) stereo mic the acoustic guitar or b) record vox and acoustic guitar at the same time using 2 of them. Thats a chunk of change tho.

I need to get something to give myself a clean power supply, I assume this is a good investment for fidelity.

The only preamp i have been using is the vol knob on the board...ive never really used preamps (/understood how to use them). Maybe someone could enlighten me. Is this something I should spend money on? will i need 2 of them if I am stereo micing stuff?

For bass the last one was done DI, and I am comfortable with the sound, but I couldnt really tweak it in any way. I have a Sunn bass rig now and I was thinking about micing up the speaker cabinet and getting my bass sound that way. Pro/Cons?

thanks

[norton]

Studio monitors and acoustic treatment. Wether you DIY or not. Giving yourself an accurate space to mix and accurate monitors is CRUCIAL.

If you're not mixing the project. Acoustic treatment is still going to be crucial.

If your room sounds decent, then your tracks will benefit.

Stay away from foam.

Happy hunting!

[dfuruta]

Don't worry too much about power?as long as it's not too screwed up, reasonably well designed gear should be able to cope. Until you've got everything else covered, it's not so likely that the power is the biggest problem.

It's great to have a stereo pair of mics. This opens up a lot of possibilities.

The preamp is the part of the mixer (or an external unit) that takes the microphone level signal (=rather quiet, generally) and brings it up to line level.

If you're happy with the preamps on your mixer, then stick with them! Don't upgrade something if you don't know why you're doing it. Once you feel they're holding you back, get something else.

I like miking cabinets a lot more than DIs, but it's personal taste. Either your 441 or your 414 would do great. Be careful with the ribbon on a bass cab, since the puffs of air might damage it.

Totally agree that good monitors are a great upgrade. It's hard to mix if you can't clearly hear what you're doing...

For basic acoustic treatment, it's not hard or very expensive to make your own.

[standup]

Many years ago I had the same setup, I think, fostex 8 track and 450 mixer is what I had at an early point in my recording addiction. I think it sounded pretty good. My mixer was pretty noisy. One excellent mic pre might make a big difference in the way things sound.

The speakers you're monitoring through are vastly important too, though, you can't make good decisions if you can't hear what you're recording. And treatment of the room ties in with that -- read up on fiberglass panels. They're relatively cheap. If your room sounds lousy, having great mics won't matter very much. You already have all the quality mics you need, except another 414 would give you stereo options.

That was rambling, sorry.

[Matt C.]

+1 for decent monitors and lots of room treatment.

if you have money left over after that, getting a second 414 would be cool. a great mic preamp is nice to have, but I wouldn't put it too high up on the list of priorities at this point.

this is also assuming you have adequate mix down capabilities already sorted out

[Adam Chesi]

+1 for decent monitors and lots of room treatment.

if you have money left over after that, getting a second 414 would be cool. a great mic preamp is nice to have, but I wouldn't put it too high up on the list of priorities at this point.

this is also assuming you have adequate mix down capabilities already sorted out

Make that plus two. Room treatments make a much bigger improvement than anyone ever thinks until they have a properly treated room. It's one of the few things that makes a huge difference for both the recording and the mixing process.

Monitors should be a relative no brainer, as hearing what your recording sounds like, as well as what your mix sounds like is crucial.

As for your bas sound, if you can do both (DI & mic), it will give you more definition (from the DI) and more of the sound that your rig gives you (mic). Given your low track count (which is awesome, by the way), it'll force you to make decisions going in, so get the sound you like and use it. If your sound isn't quite what you want, be sure to move the mic until it sounds good.

I think the biggest question really is, what do you like the least about your current setup?