Adding Outboard Gear to Digital Setup

[Mustang Martigan]

I have a small setup in my bedroom...MacBook Pro 14" (M1 Pro) w/ UA Apollo w/ 4 pres.

I want to rent some outboard gear to record my album. I'll need a couple mics for vocals, acoustic guitar n percussion (tambos, shakers, etc).

I don't have the cash for a ton of stuff, so I'm wondering if I should go with a high end Mic Pre (with the UA plugins) or the Apollo pres, which are pretty good, and a nice hardware compressor.

Or if there's something else I overlooked that would be my best choixe

Thanks.

[losthighway]

There's probably 3-4 different answers to this, but here's my take.

Buy 1-2 utility mics, unless you think you aren't going to do this again. A versatile ldc (or sdc) and dynamic could cover all bases, vocals included. I could record most things with an AT 4000 series condenser (4033, 4047, or 4050 are different flavors but all fairly versatile), a Shure ksm 137 ( oktava users will say the same for an mk12), and a Sm7 or RE20. The value of owning mics like that is not only are they reasonably affordable/ fairly ubiquitous, is that most people don't tend to outgrow them. They're used regularly for ages.

If you're looking for a fancy sound via a really fancy signal chain I could see renting a Neumann and one of the prestigious compressors for doing vocals (la2a, 1176, etc). It would be cheaper and easier to print finished vocals through a fancy comp after they're done as opposed to recording through it.

Don't worry too much about the mic pres if your Apollo is solid (see my recent mic pre shootout for evidence).

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I'll second everything said above. If you've got an Apollo you can print vocals through a plug in comp while recording.
Spend your money on some good, versatile mics.

[digitaldrummer]

I also agree, but I will add that sometimes renting a few mics is not a bad because you can get a feel for what you do want to spend money on when you do purchase mics. of course this assumes the rental fees are reasonable. btw, even the stock UAD plugins like the 1176 and LA-2A are perfectly acceptable for tracking and mixing. sure they want you to buy more, and some are really nice, but they are good at marketing... And I would try to work with the built-in pres, especially if you have any of the Unison-enabled plugins. you probably won't get much more out of a higher end preamp, especially if this is a home/bedroom recording (i.e., in a untreated or semi-untreated environment). And I would also recommend picking up a ribbon mic (even the cheap ones <$100 can be useful for guitar amps or percussion).

and speaking of the room - what is the situation on that? You may not want super-sensitive condenser mics (that can pickup a gnats fart) in an untreated square bedroom.... Sometimes a cardioid or super-cardioid dynamic (SM57, SM7B, RE20, etc.) is much better at rejecting reflections in a room like that. So keep that in mind.

[Nick Sevilla]

Stuff to consider:

1. What do you currently have? It might work for some of what you need to record.

2. What is the style of music?

3. What are you missing? Something that you absolutely have to have in order to get the SOUND you need for your music?

Further: Always, always, always, always try to get THE SOUND from the SOURCE. Whether a guitar, amplifier, keyboard, samples, etc. This, above anything else, will get you there 99% of the time, and will render the recording chain unimportant.

K.I.S.S. rule. Don't believe you "need" something fancy, when something less will do the job.

90% of recorded electric guitars are recorded with the Shure SM57, sometimes with more mics, sometimes not. But it is ubiquitous. Do you have one?

[Snarl 12/8]

Mics.