NI Machine, UC-33E, Keyrig 49, Tannoy Reveals, Yamaha Mixer, Audio 8
****Just added Apple Wireless Keyboard & Magic Mouse (moved laptop onto a shelf on side)
NOW DO I HAVE GAS?! (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)
Looking to get a pair of Dynaudios BM12A for $1000 (pair), Presonus Monitor Station for $200 of GC used, and MOTU UltraLite MK3 for $400-500 or Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
Reasons for buying what Im getting:
Dynaudios = superior monitor, crazy good price 2 for 1, and I’ll use Tannoys for Secondary Monitors (A/B referencing)
Monitor Station = Take that yamaha mixer out of the situation since it colors the sound, dont need all those inputs on yamaha mixer, cleaner setup
Soundcard = Dont know if I should go with MOTU or Focusrite but basically I play every weekend twice a weekend so every time i want to produce I need to hookup my audio 8 and it gets annoying this way I can just walk in an get right to work plus more flexible with inputs & other features that audio 8 doesnt offer
Yeah you have GAS but that’s not a bad thing, I am engaging in some similar sluttery at the moment. I can justify it if it is really necessary things like monitors or sound treatment or must haves so if you need better monitors go for it. I’ll enable you.
From the looks of that pic tough you need to work on your monitor placement if you can center yourself against a wall and pull the desk out.
It made a huge difference for me setting up my area properly and I am in the process of getting GIK panels then some Focal CMS65s. Even with the Rokkits it went from unusable sounding like crap where I had them in an alcove/corner at another spot in my appt to sounding comparatively gorgeous right now just because they are placed right. The stereo image is amazing now and I can only imagine how good it will sound when i get better monitors and treatment. i didn’t really comprehend just how important placement was until I placed them right.
Ya im trying to figure out the best way to place my stuff in my room considering it is a bedroom. Im thinking of moving things around see if I can position it away from the wall and im actually centering the desk this weekend but I was watching studio rescue on youtube and he does a mirror trick which I might try to apply to my room. I was actually thinking of getting a room correction kit aswell maybe from IR I dont know how well those work though.
But do you think the items (besides the monitors) are needed I think the presonus monitor station would be a nice add and soundcard to get the best sound to my monitors.. what do you think? what soundcard do you use?
how do you know how many panels you need to get by the way?
And suprisingly I found them at B&H $1000 for the pair when I saw that I was like wow that is a really good deal.
What’s IR? And what room correction kit? If you mean a thing with a test mic and filters dont bother.
If you are getting acoustic panels go with GIK, it is hands down the best and performs way better than anything else out there for the money.
As for panels it is determined by budget and I was posting in a thread on gearslutz and the owner of GIK was giving tips (he wasn’t even pushing GIK products I was thinking of going DIY at that point and didn’t know who he was) and when I decided I wanted to go with GIK he said to fill out their form and I’ve been emailing back and forth with one of their acoustic designer to come up with the best plan within my small budget.
I’m probably going to get 2 or 4 GIK 244s and one box of 3 GIK 242s plus a couple metal stands. Possibly a monster bass trap.
As for soundcards I’m honestly not sold on needing an ultra high end card just for monitoring. I think treatment and monitors is way way more important than a sound card just for output and will make way more of a difference. That said I just realized you have an audio 8, I tried that route for production ditch it quick and just get something with balanced outs, I’m using a komplete audio 6 for now and a soundcard is low on my list to upgrade but the KA6 is great for the price.
ya I figured that either no one would respond or one or two but I feel if I posted on gearslutz it would deff get ignored
Anyways thanks Xone for clearing that up I was actually thinking of getting one of those test mic kits, forget that and Im gunna take some picture of my room tonight aswell as measurements and send that in ASAP my room is roughly 10x13 with a height of
8ft just outta curiosity how big is your room and what was your budget aswell trying to figure out whats a decent price!
and as for sound cards the KA6 is roughly between 200-300 I think Ill just save up that extra money this way I dont even have to think of upgrading it for a long time
I’d go for it if I had the money…with some caveats.
The Dynaudios are awesome. The only reason I’d hold back is that it’s just a cost…and if you don’t have adequate room treatments, any difference between them and any halfway decent monitors (which you have) is completely irrelevant. You’re already correcting for the room more than anything else, and better monitors won’t change that. If you don’t have room treatments, get them first.
The Central Station is supposed to be decent…but it’s not exactly high end. I can’t tell you whether or not it’s good enough, but a lot of people use them. I think I’d probably go with a Mackie Big Knob over it based on features unless I could afford a Dangerous Monitor-ST, which is hands-down better……and a lot more expensive. Any of them are hands-down better than your Yamaha mixer, so it’s just a matter of which price point you want to jump in at.
I’d get the sound card without question. Plugging/unplugging stuff like that is annoying as hell. Absolutely worth the money if you have it. If not, buy a cheaper sound card for your production rig. Time is worth more than the cost of a decent sound card.
Ya I contacted GIK acoustics to get some information on how I should setup panels in my room Im deff. going to get the room treated. So Im going to get that first.
I was considering the Big Knob but many say it colors the sound and everyone who I talk to say that the presonus monitor station is better since it doesnt color the sound and outlasts the big knob (some say big knob breaks often)
About the soundcard Im deff gunna scoop one up soon trying to figure what order I want to buy everything in
Damn I can’t believe the BM12As are $1000 shipped for a pair from b&h, cheapest price anybody else has them for is like $1800 a pair. I may pick them up for that price when I can.
I have no idea about the big knob but everything Mackie I have ever owned has been a flaming pile of crap with poor quality and issues that I highly regretted buying so it wouldn’t surprise me.
As for the panels, just be sure you have space for them in your small room, they sell really nice corner bass traps that are better on space but they cost a bit more, worth it if you have the money though.
That’s bullshit. I think there are some people here being interested in the production stuff as well!
I’ve never been able to test the Dynaudios you mentionned, but what I know is that lots of studios and colleges here in Germany use Mackie HR824 Mk II (seems to be some kind of a must-have) and they just sound epic! I’ll definitely go with them as soon as I got the money!
Considering your budget I should mention that they unfortunately cost $699.99 each.
But maybe you will like to have a glance at them.
AUDIO INTERFACE: Did you consider the Lexicon I·ONIX U42S? It looks quite sexy and the pre-amps are brilliants! Also available as a smaller Lexicon I·ONIX U22 version. Probably, you will know the manufacturer from it’s famous reverb gear which has been used in all kind of music (including almost every pop/rock chartbreaker) for the last 30 years!
If you don’t like the Mackie Big Knob, what about the SM Pro Audio Nano Patch Plus?
@Xonetacular - Ya I heard bad reviews about the big knob thats why Im probably gunna go with the presonus monitor station. and I contacted GIK send them pictures of my room and measurements let see what the recommend. But thanks for all your help so far! Out of the soundcards which one you think I should get MOTU UltraLite MK3 or Focusrite Saffire Pro 40?? or any other ones
@RockingClub - Im gunna look into the Mackies but right now the Dynaudios is a steal for that price they’re normally 1800-2000 and 1000 is crazy good but Im deff gunna check out the Mackies. The SM Pro Audio lacks controls for me cause I would have 2 pairs of monitors + my Harmon Kardon Soundsticks for just listening and another reference. Seems like im sold on the Presonus Station due to great reviews from people and the options are nice aswell. For the soundcard I was looking at the MOTU UltraLite MK3 or Focusrite Saffire Pro 40..Im gunna check out that Lexicon one to see how they compare to the other two if it isnt as good I rather just save another 100 to get a better soundcard. But thanks for the help aswell
To get back on topic; what problems have you guys heard about the mackie big knob? I’ve had one for about 5 or 6 years and have no real problems with it. There is one button that is slightly flaky but it just needs dust cleared; it’s hardly the result of a design flaw. I kind of stopped using it because I no longer need the different options it gives, but if you need a way to manage several different sets of speakers and inputs, it’s a really nice convenient solution. And that knob itself is like aaaaahhhhhhhh… I might hook it back up just for the fun of turning the knob again.
All monitor controllers have the potential to really color your output, potentially leading to worse mixes if you don’t learn how to translate what you hear.
Different people claim one is better than the other all the time, and I haven’t really found a way to tell a difference based on reviews. There are as many people saying “mackie is shit, buy presonus” as there are going the other way. FWIW, I haven’t heard anything bad about the Dangerous Audio stuff.
The studio I used to intern in had Dangerous Monitor STs and Big Knobs for the rooms that didn’t have analog boards if that means anything. I don’t remember seeing any Presonus gear at all except headphone amps.
Have never noticed any coloration on the Mackie but I haven’t listened for any either; it might be there but it seems pretty transparent to me. Those Dangerous Music monitors look really sweet for sure though! Of course that’s about 6-8x the price you would pay for the big knob.
I’m sure that the difference is small. That’s about where diminishing returns seems to kick in.
Personally, I’d much rather have a 2-Bus LT and a big knob or central station than a Monitor-ST for the same price. I would buy the central station over the monitor station, though……but that’s just because I hate having shit on my desktop if I can help it.
but I was watching studio rescue on youtube and he does a mirror trick which I might try to apply to my room. I was actually thinking of getting a room correction kit aswell maybe from IR I dont know how well those work though.
This is a great place to ask about production; but it’s a lousy place to find people to encourage you to stop buying gear 