What's your DAW recording rig? Are there any plugins you swear by? Do you mix in the box, or do you have outboard gear?

[nightlight]

I have two rigs, one Windows based and the other on a Mac. The Windows one is portable, whereas the Mac just stays home.

1) The Windows rig is an MSI Vector that has a Core Ultra 9 processor and 32GB of RAM. I like the fact that it can be upgraded with more RAM by myself, and I can also add another SSD if I need more than 1TB of space that's already in it, though I'm currently using SSDs to store my Steam and GOG games as well as content for plugins like Superior Drummer and Halion 7 that require a lot of space.

I have an Apogee Duet 3 as an interface, it's pretty spartan when it comes to inputs and outputs - doesn't even have midi connectors - but the converters are good and it has a software preamp of sorts, which is very handy while recording guitars. I use Nuendo 14 on this rig as my DAW of choice. I don't have any monitors for this rig, which is intended to be portable, though I have thought of getting a pair of small Kali monitors so that I can mix better than with headphones.

2) The home rig is a Mac Studio that has an M4 Max chip with 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores. The sad part is that they've stopped allowing users to add more RAM like you could with the old iMac I had, which I upgraded to 64GB for far cheaper than Apple would have charged if I got it done out of the factory. I just use a 4TB SSD to store everything that isn't critical, while I have my DAWs loaded onto the inbuilt storage.

The interface for this rig is an old Apollo 8p with two UAD Octo satellites, which gives me a lot of flexibility when it comes to mixing and mastering large projects. I also have an RME Fireface 800 that has been ticking since 2007. I hook it up using optical SPDIF cables so that I can get more inputs (the RME preamps are super transparent) and outputs. My monitors are Eve Audio SC208s

As far as plugins, I'm pretty much invested in the UAD ecosystem, having bought pretty much all of Universal Audio's own offerings. Been wondering if I should spend another $99 to upgrade to Ultimate 14, but cash is really tight at the moment. I also have Izotope Ozone 11 (which I pretty much use for EQing or AI mastering, what a joke) and Neutron (which is just a waste because I never use it, anyone have good experiences with it?)

I have zero outboard gear, unfortunately. I've always pondered over getting something for my mastering chain, but given how p*ss poor my recordings are, I think it's actually better with my limited skills to have the ability not to commit to anything and to go back and redo things when I figure something out.

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

I have a fortin cali plugin that I make presets for each guitar on. It is really good for silent practice and composing songs. It records really well, but I find that uninspiring.

I use reaper. I run a k2 into my interface when I am actually recording, but have never done any post. I mostly try not to overload the signal with volume so i also bought an inline pad.

 

[Kordoba]

I don't do much recording anymore, but I've used the same setup for years. An old laptop with Ableton Live and a Roland interface. For recording plug-ins, I use the ones included with Ableton. For guitar, either Mercurrial or a distortion box into the Nadir ir loader.

 

[dstroud]

I got a computer from PC Server Parts - a refurb built for Pro Tools - really affordable and has worked flawlessly for the last year. I use a Focusrite Scarlett 18i16 interface. Main outboard pieces are a BAE DMP 1073 preamp for tracking guitars and vox. I also use a Emperical Labs Distressor for compressing vox going into the box. I have an IK Multimedia bundle that has some awesome plugins and I have a UA subscription to a bunch of plugins. If something doesn’t sound good with all that, then it’s definitely my fault lolol Mixing is all in the box

 

[Airwave]

I don't have near the gear that I use to (still doing sessions) but here's my little setup. I've gone from Studer and Ampex ATR's, Neve, SSL, LA2A, API etc.
and a ton of outboard gear. I do use tube mic preamps, RME UCX II interface, control surface, FabFilter, Waves, UA, iZotope, SSL and many more...

 

[nightlight]

I don't have near the gear that I use to (still doing sessions) but here's my little setup. I've gone from Studer and Ampex ATR's, Neve, SSL, LA2A, API etc.
and a ton of outboard gear. I do use tube mic preamps, RME UCX II interface, control surface, FabFilter, Waves, UA, iZotope, SSL and many more...
View attachment 434577View attachment 434578View attachment 434579
View attachment 434581
View attachment 434582

That's a nice room. How do you mic up your amps given that they're inside your "control room" space? I find that the most tricky part in the rented and small apartments I stay in.

 

[gibson5413]

I use a Blackstar Polar 2 as my audio interface into nTrack (my DAW). For guitars, I use my Kemper or STL Tones AmpHub.

 

[rsm]

My go-to guitar plug-in is PolyChromeDSP McRocklin Suite, so good that I built a guitar computer rig because of it. I purchased it as soon as I learned it was released. McRocklin did some pre-release demos, and talked about it for months before it was released. It was $99 intro price; free upgrades ever since.

I also have their Nunchuck plug-in. I also like Neural DSP, and have a few of their Archetype plugins, and their Mesa IIC+ Suite. BlueCat Audio Axiom and PatchWork.

I use Ableton Live Suite, Arturia V Collection, Omnisphere, MicroTonic that I use.

Most of these plugins have free versions, or free trial versions so you can try before you buy.

 

[Kordoba]

I use Ableton Live Suite, Arturia V Collection, Omnisphere, MicroTonic that I use.

Most of these plugins have free versions, or free trial versions so you can try before you buy.

I'm still using a free version of Ableton, Ableton Live Lite. It came as part of a bundle with an old Focusrite interface that I sold years ago.

 

[Airwave]

How do you mic up your amps given that they're inside your "control room" space?

I've been able to get great results at low levels, as good as anything with modelers or IR... I also use a Royer dBooster (little box between the mics)

 

[stratjacket]

Sounds like you have a great setup. I’ve also pondered getting hardware for years but never have.

My setup:
Apple Mac Studio M4 Max, 64G ram
Focal Trio 6 BE 8 monitors
Apollo x6 Interface
AxeFx III
My pedalboard and all amps go through a switcher-> Redseven EVO Reactive Load-> EQ pedals->Eventide H90 -> AxeFxIII (for effects) -> Mac for recording and reamping

I use Pro Tools. The main plugins I use most of the time:
Waves Ultimate
Izotope Music Production Suite
Heavyocity (I have almost all of them) samples
EastWest samples
Superior Drummer 3
Some Native Instruments
Some UAD

I do use Neutron allot. Here is the latest song I did with Neutron on almost every track:

 

[JackBootedThug]

I don’t fuck with it because I’m ignorant and lazy. But when I do I have a Behringer uphoria interface which is great… Krk rockit 8’s and reaper for the daw. Amphub from stltones was freaking fantastic but I was too ignorant to figure out how to reamp with it. Playing with it sucked because there was some…. Delay… or whatever the fuk it’s called… between my playing and the sound from the system. I’m a Gen X retired prison guard so it’s kinda hard to teach me new tricks.

 

[Airwave]

Sounds like you have a great setup. I’ve also pondered getting hardware for years but never have.

My setup:
Apple Mac Studio M4 Max, 64G ram
Focal Trio 6 BE 8 monitors
Apollo x6 Interface
AxeFx III
My pedalboard and all amps go through a switcher-> Redseven EVO Reactive Load-> EQ pedals->Eventide H90 -> AxeFxIII (for effects) -> Mac for recording and reamping

I use Pro Tools. The main plugins I use most of the time:
Waves Ultimate
Izotope Music Production Suite
Heavyocity (I have almost all of them) samples
EastWest samples
Superior Drummer 3
Some Native Instruments
Some UAD

I do use Neutron allot. Here is the latest song I did with Neutron on almost every track:

My primary system is PC, I also have an AXE-FX III but I almost never use it for recording, I like using it as part of FOH and mic'ed up cabs.
When I record anything serious I prefer tube amps and microphones, it's the best way to go, if tone is important.

 

[stratjacket]

My primary system is PC, I also have an AXE-FX III but I almost never use it for recording, I like using it as part of FOH and mic'ed up cabs.
When I record anything serious I prefer tube amps and microphones, it's the best way to go, if tone is important.

I prefer and use tube amps as well. I haven’t recorded an AxeFx amp model in years. I only use the AxeFx for time based effects and to record directly into Pro Tools as the last device in the chain. Axefx makes a great centerpiece to the studio for recording, reamping and routing.

 

[japetus]

Ux-1

 

[PurityS.L.G]

I would say you have a great setup. Sounds like you just need to go for it and make music!

I've been heavily into recording and production for just about 19 years now. Here are some pointers I can offer and you can take it or leave it where you see fit.

You do NOT need an expensive interface to make great music...PERIOD. The converters most of these units come with these days is more than sufficient enough to get "professional" recording results.

If you are going to record vocals, you'll need to spend the money here with an exceptional mic and preamp. You have an Apollo so you are covered on the unison preamp part. For any other setup, you just need a ultra quiet preamp with nice headroom and a quality mic of your choice. Same goes for recording drums, and guitar cabinets.

These days I don't bother micing up my cabs anymore. I use plugins like Neural DSP, ML Soundlab and STL Tones for my guitars. If I want to use an amp I own thats not available in the virtual world, I hook up said amp to my Fryette Powerload IR and use IR's. I get awesome results.

As for mixing, your results hinge on the treatment of the room and the familiarity of your speaker monitors. Spend what you can on sound proofing your mixing environment and buy software such as SoundID Reference to correct the rest of your room's problem areas. You can also just buy something like Slate VSX and mix on headphones but I much prefer to mix and hear my sound through an open environment.

Outboard gear is a dying and outdated luxury, much like our beloved tube amps. Sure, it adds a nice warmth and realness to the sound but its very inconvenient to use anymore and it only sounds marginally better compared to the in the box software that's made leaps and bounds in sound quality the past 10+ years. Also a quick tip for mixing; always CUT rather than boost. If you want certain frequencies to stick out, leave them be and cut the rest of the frequencies -3db or more to your liking using a shelf EQ or whatever method of your choice. You only want to add when it comes down to your master track. That's where you spice things up.

I can go on and on but if you ever want more advice, feel free to DM me. I've wasted so much fkn money over the years and it wasn't until I got private lessons from an MIT graduate back in '16 where I learned all the stuff I know now that I wish I knew when I started but I guess in hindsight I wouldn't take it back because I got to buy and experience some super cool gear in the process and learn the hard way which is still valuable experience.

 

[311boogieman]

 

[Monkey Man]

2) The home rig is a Mac Studio that has an M4 Max chip with 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores. The sad part is that they've stopped allowing users to add more RAM like you could with the old iMac I had, which I upgraded to 64GB for far cheaper than Apple would have charged if I got it done out of the factory.

They haven't "stopped allowing" users to upgrade the RAM Brother AJ; it's just that that's how it is with SOC's.

Pre-Apple Silicon, nothing was SOC, now it's all SOC's.

 

[ultimatemetalguitartones]

I have the same camera and it works great

 

[DanTravis62]

I swear by Scheps Omni channel strip

It is, by far, the best money I've ever spent on a plug-in.

Most of my recording rig is extremely basic and stripped down, but I couldn't live without Omni and Wall of sound