help with new pro studio

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 1:43 pm

ok. in the process of setting up new pro studio. in a prime location strore front.

i want to incorporate mpc
2 technics 1200s
some keyboards and some real drums and bass.

i have a pc now, but also wanna get the mac pro.

i was stuck on what 8 bus mixer i should get. i need good pres to record vocals, and i want it to be quiet.

mackie? soundcraft? Tac? whats the best sounding mixer?

also interface. a/d d/a converters?

how should i go about this set up?

mostly vox will get recorded. got a lot of rappers in this town waiting to get to hear their crispy vocals over some tracks.

where do i start? oh and also nice big monitors.. which ones pump the best sound?

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 9:34 am

What's your budget?

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 9:49 am

Amazingly enough, lots of people budget $XXk for the gear, and forget to budget for cables, racks and everything else needed to hook all that gear up.

If its going to be a "pro" room you had better have great sound proofing and sound treatment; if you're in a store front you need to control bleed in and out.

What's in your mic closet?

And don't forget about the ergonomic and client comfort aspects of your facility. And the insurance, and security, and...

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 5:11 pm

Frankly, if you don't know the answers to those questions, you're not ready to open a pro studio.

If you really want to open a pro studio, you need to know what you're doing, and even then you'll most likely fail. Thousands of studios open and close every year.

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:52 pm

And 75 percent of statistics are made up on the spot Smile

I think if a pro studio* fails, especially if we could actually use thousands as a base reference, it is because the goal is not clearly defined.

But someone who has already failed may not see that at all and a flourishing studio may have a completely different view all together with. Which can turn a persons thinking towards why does the sun shine on some and not on another? I dunno, can't answer that.

My good buddy Kenny Crawford kept a pro level recording studio open in Pascagoula, MS. up until Hurricane Katrina hit a few years ago. For many years before that he stayed open recording eps', songwriters, voiceovers, etc. and it never seemed like he made a dime. Well, maybe a dime, he did keep the power on and the lease paid.

Sometimes, some-days, that is ALL you can hope for.

He never got rich from playing his music weekends with friends at local establishments or recording others. But I think Kenny had a clear goal and a clear purpose. And to that end, he didn't fail.

And you don't have to either.

* Seems that many refer to studio as simply the hoarding of equipment, so this is a distinction that requires a building to be part of the environment as well and not Mama's house.

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:44 am

I don't. I run a very small studio and I've managed to keep it open for 5 years (just about). There were occasions when I thought it was all going pear-shaped, but we managed to lurch from client to client. Bloody hard, though.

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 6:08 pm

Just giving another view of the potential possibility Tony Wink

"And you don't have to either. " was actually to the op but if you can get something out of it, use it!

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 6:30 pm

Absolutely, mate. It's been, on occasion, a real hand-to-mouth existence, but it beats the crap out of working in an office!

Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:42 pm

budget is about 5 grand maybe 6. and the purpose is for my record label. but i will record other people for the extra money.

about the failing part? i dont know failure.

im not just gonna open one up to just get by. i dont know about other ppl. but im good at what i do.

it all about the music.

i got alot of music going on in my town, and its my music thats making it so crazy. so i wanna just build the epicenter of music in my area.

when i build it , they will come just because its me.

im an artist. need production and recording. so ima do it myself.. thank for whatever help i get

Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:03 pm

That's a cool attitude. Kinda like mine except I wouldn't know shit from clay about the local scene.

Do one thing right, if you're going to call yourself a record company, make records not just CDs... That pisses me off.

Also, don't just have one guy do all your cover art and your web site, it becomes same same in about 20 seconds.

Get to know failure, that way you can see it coming and dodge.

"it all about the music."

When you're a label it's all about selling the music.
When you sell anything you first have to sell yourself...

"when i build it , they will come just because its me. "

Lol, you wont be able to give that attitude away. Use your arrogance as your strength for drive and motivation not as a tool to alienate people.

If you figure out how to crack those distributors let me know. Smile

Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:27 pm

Five or six grand will get you started but wont put you in the bigs soundwise. You're just scratching the surface at those numbers.

Its good you have a base to draw from.

How many tracks will you wan to record at a time? Give a max possible and build from there. If you're doing voices over prerecorded beats or you're making your own beats and going on to that, you might not need as many channels as you might think.

If you want quality, you need a single or even a couple of really good recording chains for the main vocals.....A lot of secondary tracks can be well done with a consoles pres.

A great console gets you more good channnels than single devices.

A great console requires maintainence. Regularly. And you're only going to get what you pay for.

Good pres, good conversion, great mics, some keys, a digital interface (if you like working the knobs), sound control in a dedicated space, wiring for the studio, AIRCONDITIONING specific for a room that needs quiet, great monitors, plasma screens for your DAW, decent outboard and programs,......

yeah, 6 large wont do the trick like you describe.

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:12 am

ok.. lets start with good vocals. and mixer.

i understand all that stuff. and i know i am just starting.

but lets not worry about the attitude. lets talk about the gear.

vocals are key. but for the production side i want to record drum set, mpc, guitar, bass, keybord. also my turntables.

i know 5 , 6grand is scratching. but i want to be able to get started soon as possible. construction will be done by the 1st, and i want to get gear in there to start recording asap.

then we can go from there.

im thinking mac pro.. mackie 24-8.. digi003..

what do you think?

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:15 pm

just got offered a soundtracs topaz 32 8 mixer... $850

should i get it?

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