Topic: help putting together an entry level rig

[jnorman34]

my son is a composer, and needs an inexpensive, easy to set up rig to record live small ensemble classical/chamber music, like string quartets, etc.  i would appreciate any recommendations on putting together a complete entry level set up for him.  thanks.

[Brian Skalinder]

Budget?  "Inexpensive" means different things to different people.

Open recording environment, stealth, or either depending on situation?

[jnorman34]

he will be able to place mics wherever he needs to on stage.  i was thinking of perhaps a marantz pmd 660 basic, a stand, and a pair of decent mics for ORTF.  thanks for your comments.

[intpseeker]

I have an Oade ACM (advanced concert mod) Martantz 660, and it is really a great all in one solution...but I'm beginning to give the Fostex FR2-LE some serious consideration. 24/96, xlr, phantom, and from listening to the pulls of a number of folks here who are running unmodded, it sounds pretty nice right out of the box, which means you can get one and make a decision later about having it modded.

If I was getting a rig together now, I'd check it out. 

[jlykos]

I bet that something like some used AKG 391 > ACM 660 or FR2LE would sound pretty good for not a whole lot of money.  You can get a variety of caps for the AKGs so you can experiment with different configurations and placement.  I ran the 391 / 393 for a while and they can overload with loud rock music, but you won't have that problem with what your son wants to do.