What are your favorite bang for the buck equipment secrets
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From: malachi on 2 Apr 2008 15:22 You know what I mean, that rare piece of gear or software that is ridiculously cheap, yet performs like gear many times its price. Who can forget when TP and Pete L first raved in here about the Studio Projects C1? Or the VTB1? Or the Oktava MC012? We should start a running list of found deals like this. Here's my list: 1) Roland SRV-3030D Digital Reverb. ($175 - $300) This is a 24 bit hardware reverb unit that sounds spectacular. If you buy one, know that they come in two flavors, one without digital ins and outs (SRV-3030) and one with spdif ins and outs (SRV-3030D). The analog ins and outs sound pretty good but the digital inputs and outputs sound incredible. You can probably find one of these on eBay for about $250.00. They originally sold in 1999 for about a grand. The unit has 100 presets and 100 user defined programs, and if you can find an obsolete and very elusive 2 or 4Mb 5V smartmedia card, you can expand the program memory to 1000 user defined programs as well as your own sampled preview sounds. http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-SRV-3030D-24bit-Digital-Reverb-with-Digital-I-O_W0QQitemZ350018325970QQihZ022QQcategoryZ23790QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem 2) MCA SP1 Microphone ($39.00) Yes, you read that price correctly. No, it's not a piece of junk. But this one is qualified. It sounds ok out of the "box" (actually, it comes packaged in a blister pak), but modified with two dollars worth of better capacitors, and burned in for about 24 hours, it sounds really really nice. It's a medium diaphragm side address condenser and once modded, it's easily worth ten times the price. A pair would be great on drum OH's and it does a very honest, non-boomy job on acoustic guitar. It's also a pretty fine VO mike. Here's where I bought mine: http://www.pssl.com/Search?q=sp1&by=s&x=31&y=8 Here's how to modify it (these instructions are for an MXL 603, but it's the same circuit board): http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5156&highlight=mxl+603+mods The numbers of the capacitors you need: Digikey Part No. ECQ-V1H224JL (.22uf Metal Film Panasonic caps. You'll need two per mic.) Mouser Part No. 23PW210 (.001uf/1000pf Xicon Styroflex polystyrene cap. You'll need one per mic.) The mod is quick and easy for anyone with minimal soldiering skills. If I could do it, you can do it. After you have done the mod, hook the mic up to phantom power and let it cook for at least 24 hours, afterwards you'll notice a beautiful full bottom end, a smooth mid and high end without the strident highs you often hear in mics from the far east. 3) ART PRO VLA stereo tube compressor. I know, I know, if it has to tell you it's "pro", it ain't. And to be honest, for $200.00 new, don't expect an LA-2A. But it's a very nice, quiet, transparent compressor that will warm up the sound beautifully without a fakey vintage plugin sound. At this price you can't go wrong with at least one of these. (And don't rule it out because it's from ART. Just don't, Ok?) http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--ART212 These are my finds, how about yours? malachi
From: malachi on 2 Apr 2008 15:44 "Glennbo" <vdrumsYourHeadFromYourAss(a)cox.net> wrote in message news:Xns9A7493B2F504EBrownShoesDontMakeIt(a)207.115.33.102... > In news:b2RIj.26789$Ch6.6281(a)newssvr11.news.prodigy.net the killer robot > "malachi" <junk(a)trentes.com> grabbed the controls of the spaceship > cakewalk.audio and pressed these buttons... > >> You know what I mean, that rare piece of gear or software that is >> ridiculously cheap, yet performs like gear many times its price. > > Reaper!!! That was #4 and I forgot to include it. Yep, Reaper. malachi
From: Ricky Hunt on 2 Apr 2008 16:31 "malachi" <junk(a)trentes.com> wrote in message news:b2RIj.26789$Ch6.6281(a)newssvr11.news.prodigy.net... > You know what I mean, that rare piece of gear or software that is > ridiculously cheap, yet performs like gear many times its price. Marshall Electronics MXL-603. Beautiful little SDC. Wish I had a matched pair. M-Audio Omni i/O. Just a great all-around router/mixer with very decent preamps that sound wonderful as DI for bass guitar. Not really cheap but if you can pick up a EV PL-20 (exactly the same internally as the much higher priced RE20) just a slightly different finish, you'll have a mic that "May not always be the best out of all your choices (though many times it will) but will always be useable". That's a quote from Scott Dorsey (since I couldn't put it any better). I put the Sennheiser MD-421 in that category also. From vocal to every instrument I've never gotten a bad recording with those two mics (pretty much regardless of preamp too).
From: malachi on 2 Apr 2008 17:23 "Ricky Hunt" <rhunt22(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message news:b2SIj.49816$TT4.12325(a)attbi_s22... > "malachi" <junk(a)trentes.com> wrote in message > news:b2RIj.26789$Ch6.6281(a)newssvr11.news.prodigy.net... >> You know what I mean, that rare piece of gear or software that is >> ridiculously cheap, yet performs like gear many times its price. > > Marshall Electronics MXL-603. Beautiful little SDC. Wish I had a matched > pair. Ricky, See my original post, the MCA SP1 is basically an MXL-603 circuit with a medium diaphragm in a U87 type body. I bought a pair for $39 each and modded them for about another $12. They're fantastic! m
From: Ricky Hunt on 2 Apr 2008 19:42
"malachi" <junk(a)trentes.com> wrote in message news:2PSIj.21127$xq2.10444(a)newssvr21.news.prodigy.net... > > Ricky, > > See my original post, the MCA SP1 is basically an MXL-603 circuit with a > medium diaphragm in a U87 type body. > > I bought a pair for $39 each and modded them for about another $12. > They're fantastic! Yes. I caught that after the fact. I think I'll leave my 603 as is for now since it sounds so good (Brent at Marshall tweaked it when I sent it in so he may have done something to it but it sounds great). I'd definitely like to try the mods on the mic you mentioned though. You don't have and before/after samples do you? The ones in the article's links where dead. |