Topic: Getting Back in the Game / Best Rig For $800-$1000?

[Scooter123]

Don't even go to M-Audio.  I've gone through a handful of M-Audio Fastrack Pro I/O's, three bad ones in a month, and customer service is the worst ever.  2 hours on hold.  I hate them...........

[Big Perm]

Not to change the subject, but to address the concerns of the OP...what about The Geffell m300's > and Apogee MiniMe? This would put you just over the $1000.00. Lets say 700-800 for the mics and 500 for the MME...1200-1300 and your recordings are going to SMOKE!!!! I love the MME, I still use mine everytime I run my gear!

just a thought.......my be too much $$$ and i completely understand i am pushing it here but if you could scrape up the extra dough you would be set IMHO...only update recorder at a later date if your not totally satisfied with the laptop
adam

[sparkey]

I've owned both M300's and KM184s and personally prefer the Neumanns to the Gefells.  You should give them both a listen and decide which flavor you prefer.

Not to change the subject, but to address the concerns of the OP...what about The Geffell m300's > and Apogee MiniMe? This would put you just over the $1000.00. Lets say 700-800 for the mics and 500 for the MME...1200-1300 and your recordings are going to SMOKE!!!! I love the MME, I still use mine everytime I run my gear!

just a thought.......my be too much $$$ and i completely understand i am pushing it here but if you could scrape up the extra dough you would be set IMHO...only update recorder at a later date if your not totally satisfied with the laptop
adam

[Big Perm]

I agree, but my only concern with the Neumanns is i havent seen them in the YS for his budget.  He may have better luck on other sites ebay, gearl slutz etc.  i am just trying to put something up there that is available now or often in the YS.  just a thought...hell i ran Neumann 140's for 10 yrs before i just recently switched to schoeps
a

I've owned both M300's and KM184s and personally prefer the Neumanns to the Gefells.  You should give them both a listen and decide which flavor you prefer.

[Todd R]

 

I love seeing how we always take rig questions like this and then go way over the budget.

Sorry, not to pick on you (and really I did it as well with the 4051 suggestion), but the m300's in the YS now are $900.  $500 is a pretty low price on a MMe as well.  So that's $1400, plus another $200+ for a recorder, and at least another $100 for all the other stuff, and we've basically doubled the OP's original budget.

Realistically, if you only have $1000 to spend, you should figure that stand, clamp, t-bar, mic cables, batteries, chargers, gear bag, etc will run $100-200, figure $100 at the very low end. 

A recorder capable of running phantom mics or a recorder + preamp option will be $350-450 at the low end.  Low end options might be the Oade mod 660 in the YS now for $400, or an iRiver ($110) + mod UA-5 ($225), or a littlebox preamp ($210) + an iRiver ($110) or a used 24bit recorder like an R-09 ($200).  Give or take, figure the recorder or recorder+preamp is $400.

That leaves $500 for the mics.  At that budget, I'd jump at a used pair of ADK a51TL's if you can find them.  Otherwise, a set of the Busman BSC1 mics, or a used set of AKG 391 bluelines, or a pair of Audio-Technica AT4041's.  If you can swing just a bit more for the mics ($600, putting you at $1100 or so total), get the AT4051's, or a used pair of AKG 461's, or a pair of Peluso's.

Bottom line, if you are putting together everything from scratch, I don't see how you can cut many more corners and pay less than about $500 for everything (recorder, preamp, stand, tbar, clamps, cables, bag, batteries, etc) other than the mics.  So it seems to me that unless you can up your budget some, you probably working with ~$500 for your mics.

[sparkey]

I hear ya...I've always been in the camp of save all your sheckles and buy the nicest mics you can, followed by the cheapest preamp and bitbucket which will then be gradually upgraded.  My rig is mk41>v2>722 and it's taken me 11 years to build it.  I've had three co-owners of rigs over the years and, not that it doesn't have its challenges, that isn't a bad way to go either (twice as much rig for your money).

I agree, but my only concern with the Neumanns is i havent seen them in the YS for his budget.  He may have better luck on other sites ebay, gearl slutz etc.  i am just trying to put something up there that is available now or often in the YS.  just a thought...hell i ran Neumann 140's for 10 yrs before i just recently switched to schoeps
a

I've owned both M300's and KM184s and personally prefer the Neumanns to the Gefells.  You should give them both a listen and decide which flavor you prefer.

[Big Perm]

Todd R you are absolutely correct... i looked up the m300 and i was wrong on the price...i tend to get carried away sometimes    oh well, i agree with all of your suggestions, but it was my understanding that he was set with the laptop as his recorder so he could put more $$$ into other stuff.  I agree with the UA-5 suggestions i actually posted that earlier in the thread.  I am trying to think of a nice mic combo with the UA-5....say he takes $100 for cables/bags/mounts + $225 for UA-5 that leaves $675 for mics....maybe these (AKG CK31 / LM3L / Active Microphone Set $500 OBO)
i havent listened to recordings from these mics in years, but it might be a good jumping off point AT 4041's are on ebay for $239 a piece right now so......

[tcf]

http://www.archive.org/details/nmas2010-02-05.flac16 

Get the Violet Design Black Fingers.  Best bang for the buck, I've owned two sets and the above link is the fingers paired with the PSP2.  Dirk has these on sale right now in the OP's budget. 

Check it out,

TF

[sparkey]

I'd jump at a used pair of ADK a51TL's if you can find them. 

Excellent suggestion

[Nick's Picks]

new M-Audio Pulsar II matched pair kit:  $300
I would put these up against the Peluso (card cap), Beyer MC930s, Studio Proj. C4...and just about most other mics out there shy of the highest end from any given company.  Very under-rated, non utilized mics in our circle. 

used phantom supplying deck in the YS:  $600 (a steep average.  there are less expensive, and more, but finding something in that range should work, even if its separate preamp/hand held recorder or just a phantom supply > hand held deck).  In any case, easily done.  I'd buy that Oade Mod Marantz PCM660 in a blink.  its a very impressive sounding deck.  Yes, limited to 16bit...but who gives a shit.  you know what you're doing and know how to pull a great recording no matter how many bits of headroom you have at your disposal.
The Oade or Bussman Mod UA-5s ain't no slouch either..., and I'd pick up a Wmod version for short money and be quite happy w/the sound.

Those two items, and you're under budget.  Buy some concert tickets.
Also, go to the Archive and start listening to all these microphones we are suggesting.  you might find something you fancy. 
My first rec. was for a Studio Proj. LSD2 large diaphragm stereo mic.  Very versatile...., XY, Blumlein, M-S..., you can carve just about anything you want out of the thin air once you get to know and love the "DONKEY". 

can you solder?
go to markertek or parts express (or radio shack for that matter) and order up some cable and XLRs and/or 3.5mm plugs to make yourself).  The dayton "low noise" mic cable is excellent, and very inexpensive.  You could make a 20' pair..in techflex sleeve via Hydra Style...for maybe $20.

[jlykos]

My suggestion for this:

AKG 391 or 393: ~$400 (used)
Naiant Littlebox: ~$250 (new)
Sony PCM-M10 or Edirol R-09HR: ~250 (used)
Canare StarQuad cables: ~$50 (maybe more, maybe less; haven't priced these in a long time)
Stand, mount, clamp, windscreens: $100 (all used)
Use a backpack as a gear bag until you can get something better

You're $50 over budget.  Sorry for that.  Hopefully you can save a few bucks with some of the used gear.

[illconditioned]

My suggestion would be:
  Studio projects C4 (200-250, used, here on TS.com)
  Fostex FR2LE, 400-450, here or ebay. (*)

(*) note this deck normally retails for up to 600, but I bought here for $400.  I think some ebay sellers were the source of this originally.

If you get serious about recording, move to a set of Beyerdynamic MC930, should be around $800 new or a bit less used.

  Richard

[Big Perm]

ALL wonderful suggestions...let us know what you decide to do
adam

[it-goes-to-eleven]

A rig based around used 4061s would actually hit your budget.

I've long felt the 4061's would be the basis of my "if I sold everything" rig...  I stopped using my C4's when I got them because they blew away the C4's..  Even in bars...  I've run them open (split and j-disc) many times. They will reward thought in setup with much better recording quality.

I don't like the low end akgs much.. especially the hypers.  They're pricey for the quality.  But, again, I don't like many low end mics (especially hypers).

And regarding the r09 vs r09hr.. we have yet to hear a comp that demonstrates that the r09hr actually sounds as good as the r09.  Just saying...

[bgalizio]

And regarding the r09 vs r09hr.. we have yet to hear a comp that demonstrates that the r09hr actually sounds as good as the r09.  Just saying...

Maybe not the best comp in the world, and line-in only, but I did run this one a while back:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=104920.0;all

Source files are gone. Not sure I still have them, and I don't have the R-09 to recreate this comp.