40k to spend on gear. What would you buy.

  • Thread starter Thread starter IndyPhil
  • Start date Start date
Someone already mentioned, but it's worth repeating...building a studio can suck up $40k in no time, leaving you with a still unfinished studio. I'd highly recommend having a well thought out plan before writing checks for gear, computers, and acoustic treatment. It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway : First, know what you want.
 
Marshalls! Lots of em! And all the gear I couldnt afford as a kid in the 80s...
 
Jerome Allen":2he2ccgu said:
Someone already mentioned, but it's worth repeating...building a studio can suck up $40k in no time, leaving you with a still unfinished studio. I'd highly recommend having a well thought out plan before writing checks for gear, computers, and acoustic treatment. It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway : First, know what you want.

Ya that's the point of this. I'm trying to decide before I start getting it all. I will probably buy a guitar and pt100 first as I love that amp. But I'm not gona buy everything at once. I don't think I will record a live drummer or vocalist so that should simplify things. I was pretty shocked at Pete thorns recording with the apogee one on vocals.
 
IndyPhil":31ayo1tb said:
Jerome Allen":31ayo1tb said:
Someone already mentioned, but it's worth repeating...building a studio can suck up $40k in no time, leaving you with a still unfinished studio. I'd highly recommend having a well thought out plan before writing checks for gear, computers, and acoustic treatment. It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway : First, know what you want.

Ya that's the point of this. I'm trying to decide before I start getting it all. I will probably buy a guitar and pt100 first as I love that amp. But I'm not gona buy everything at once. I don't think I will record a live drummer or vocalist so that should simplify things. I was pretty shocked at Pete thorns recording with the apogee one on vocals.

I'd buy the guitar rig you want first (within a bit of reason), and then decide where you want to go with the recording side of things. You can get a very serviceable home studio done for less than what you're looking at, but seeing that you'll be dealing with multi-instrumentation as well, there will need to be some compromises.

Then you have to ask yourself if you're going to be doing your own mixing? If so, it changes things in terms of tools you may need, and the overall importance of room treatment, etc, which will cause further compromise elsewhere.
 
Buy a Fortin Natas or have him recreate the evil pumpkin for me.
C.A.A. PT-100
C.A.A OD100SE+
a whole bunch of Marshall Jubilee's
A bunch of different cabs that i've always wanted to try so that i could pick my favorite 2
a Head/rack combo case for my Jubilee's
a few Gibson Les Paul standards from the 70's and a few from 2000-2001
 
Ok, besides the penis reduction surgery, I'd put together a W/D/W rig similar to this one: (jlbaxe's rig)

IMG_1979.jpg



Also-a nice pair of combos (maybe a shiva or Electra-dyne and a Hiwatt) and run an epic pedalboard into them in stereo.


Then I'd put up a 30' x 30' garage, soundproof the shit out of it, and put some decent recording gear in.
 
The guitar and amp will be the easy part. That's really just personal preference.

For recording...the sky is the limit. Are you hoping to do some nice demos or try to get as "pro" as possible?

Mac Pro tower : I like the flexibility of 4 easily swappable hard drives and the ability to add UAD processing cards.

API Lunch box with a small assortment of mic preamps and re-amping modules. I also really like the Avalon U5 for it's flexibility and cleanliness...for a direct signal.

Nice selection of mics...Royer, Neumann, Shure, Sennheisser...for micing cabs and acoustics.

Studio monitors...I found smaller mains with a sub work best in smaller spaces like yours and mine. Right now I'm trying out the Yamaha HS50s/HS10 and they seem to be working great in this small space of mine (10'x14')

Studio treatment : make as much as possible yourself. ATS Acoustics sells 2" OC703 for $59. In my 10'x14' space, I probably used around 16 boxes to build walls and bass traps. You'll still have to buy some low-end treatment (GIK Scorpus traps) to fix low modal ringing. When all is said and done, expect to spend a few thousand on room treatment.

Because I play guitar and bass, I rely on a variety of virtual instruments for other things...drums, vocals, keys, orchestra. I also have a nice selection of plug-in effects and utilities. In all, the plug-ins can cost more than some new cars. I like BFD, Ozone, Elysia, FabFilter, UAD, Omnisphere, VSL and many others.

Because I do a lot of work at night and don't have an isolated studio, I rely on a couple of preamps (a Kemper, a Line 6 X3, and a Voodoo Valve) to do silent tracking on guitar and bass. If you don't want to go the processor route, you may need to look at a Palmer PDI03, or equivalent, to pull a signal from your amp when the neighbors are sleeping.

interfaces : I use Focusrite and a Digi003. I'd highly recommend getting something with more than just 2 ins/outs. Having optical and SPIDF ins/outs has also been a HUGE help for me here. Whatever you do...make sure the interface is compatible with the computer you choose.

If you're doing software drums yourself, look at some sort of midi trigger/controller. Korg PadKontrol is nice. But a simple Maudio Keystation 32 works for me too.

I'm sure I have at least $1000 just in cables a signal routing in my "studio." Don't forget about all that little stuff that can chew away at your wallet.

There's a lot more...but these are just a few thoughts off the top of my head.
 
Thanks for that post Jerome. The recording is something I have never done and am really looking forward to learning something new. I was not planning on making any money from from the studio. Mainly just doing projects for myself and possibly posting stuff on youtube once I was happy with it. I was kinda basing my ideas of what Pete Thorn was able to accomplish with his home studio. Not that I would be able to recreate his quality of recordings. But seeing whats possible with his level of gear and realizing any deficiencies in any recordings I do are due to my lack of skill in that department.
 
I have multiple midi connections so most interface only offer 1/1. Where as its not too much money TI get one with more. But yeah
 
buster002-1.jpg


rackfront-1.jpg


caepedalboard.jpg


bedroomrig.jpg


A couple more months and the rig will be complete w/ the Tri-Stereo Chorus. I may redo the rig, w/ a Kriz Kraft Case and have either Friedman or LA Sound Design rewire the rig to accommodate the new edition.
 
Those new UAD interfaces look fantastic. I actually plan on picking one up in the near future. I have most all of the UAD plug-ins and find them to be absolutely incredible for adding some nice color to anything. To be able to track with them (<4 ms delay) is very appealing. I do also have a handful of clean plug-ins for when I don't need to add anymore color to the sound.

I know you mentioned using Logic. I've dabbled with Logic only a little. I have been using Pro Tools for many years. Recently, though, I have been making the switch to Reaper recording software. Wheres Pro Tools, Logic, ect seem to be all about corporate profits, Reaper seems to be all about making music and giving the artist what he/she needs. I'm not calling Logic and Pro Tools "shit" products in a public forum....but if you've been in/near my studio, then you may have overheard something to that effect every time I've bought (overpriced) and downloaded their updated bugs. <---just my experience/opinion. Sure Pro Tools and Logic can be fine fine. But still, check out Reaper first.

If you haven't already. Make sure to check out the Gear Slutz forum on studio building and acoustic treatment.
 
I love the look of that apollo interface. Where would the midi thing be a problem? Sorry dumb question I am sure. Zachman that rig is insane. Thanks again Jerome I will check out that forum and learn everything I can.
 
amps
carol ann od3r
pt 100
egnater mod 100
two rock custom reverb
mojave plexi 45
mesa mark V
friedman dirty shirley
vintage fender vibrolux

fx
axe II
lexicon pcm 81
eventide h8000
tc 2290
el cap/timeline
vertex wah
quinn fuzz
lasd pedalboard

gtrs
suhr guthrie
tyler burning water
tom anderson
jeff senn strat
gibson 339


for starters
 
Back
Top