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Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 4:13 pm
by Larry Mal
So, take a look at something like this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -interface
It's a good sounding unit in and of itself, the four built in preamps are very good at this price range.
But, and here's the good part, it's got capabilities for added flexibility as you go forward. It has four inputs in the back that you can add any other microphone preamp you want to. Someone above mentioned the ISA One preamp, and I own one, and you could take that better preamp and run it into the Clarett device, at which point the Clarett only handles the conversion.
Or you could add a
Black Lion Auteur preamp if you wanted something a little colored, or a
UAD Solo if you preferred that down the road.
The point is, it's expandable. So you have a perfectly good and usable unit right now with four inputs, and you can buy other preamps and add those to it as well when you learn what you are looking for and when the budget permits.
And then when you need to record a band down the road, you would be able to add another 8 inputs with the ADAT protocol and the
Clarett 8Pre.
So if you get one of those units now, then you have four to work with, you can add another four inputs from other preamps as you go, and you can add still another 8 inputs via ADAT if you need that.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:00 pm
by hillerheilman
Larry Mal wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 4:13 pm
So, take a look at something like this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -interface
It's a good sounding unit in and of itself, the four built in preamps are very good at this price range.
But, and here's the good part, it's got capabilities for added flexibility as you go forward. It has four inputs in the back that you can add any other microphone preamp you want to. Someone above mentioned the ISA One preamp, and I own one, and you could take that better preamp and run it into the Clarett device, at which point the Clarett only handles the conversion.
Or you could add a
Black Lion Auteur preamp if you wanted something a little colored, or a
UAD Solo if you preferred that down the road.
The point is, it's expandable. So you have a perfectly good and usable unit right now with four inputs, and you can buy other preamps and add those to it as well when you learn what you are looking for and when the budget permits.
And then when you need to record a band down the road, you would be able to add another 8 inputs with the ADAT protocol and the
Clarett 8Pre.
So if you get one of those units now, then you have four to work with, you can add another four inputs from other preamps as you go, and you can add still another 8 inputs via ADAT if you need that.
looks as though this is exactly what I’m looking for then. Thanks Larry. Thanks everyone for the advice. I’ll be sure to post some clips when I eventually get everything set up.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:01 pm
by Dok
Larry Mal wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 4:13 pm
So, take a look at something like this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -interface
It's a good sounding unit in and of itself, the four built in preamps are very good at this price range.
But, and here's the good part, it's got capabilities for added flexibility as you go forward. It has four inputs in the back that you can add any other microphone preamp you want to. Someone above mentioned the ISA One preamp, and I own one, and you could take that better preamp and run it into the Clarett device, at which point the Clarett only handles the conversion.
+1. I would have KILLED to have something as good as the Clarett when I started making recordings back in the 90s.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:20 pm
by hillerheilman
Dok wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:01 pm
Larry Mal wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 4:13 pm
So, take a look at something like this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -interface
It's a good sounding unit in and of itself, the four built in preamps are very good at this price range.
But, and here's the good part, it's got capabilities for added flexibility as you go forward. It has four inputs in the back that you can add any other microphone preamp you want to. Someone above mentioned the ISA One preamp, and I own one, and you could take that better preamp and run it into the Clarett device, at which point the Clarett only handles the conversion.
+1. I would have KILLED to have something as good as the Clarett when I started making recordings back in the 90s.
Looks like the stars have aligned. I’m about to pick one up at an eBay auction for ~$250
update: the eBay gods frowned on me and I got wayyy outbid last second
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 6:21 pm
by Larry Mal
I bought a used one for a little over $300. You'll find one.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 9:14 pm
by øøøøøøø
The most basic setup now is enough for you to get started. You'll quickly find out whether or not you need more. I tend to advise against purchasing too many things before you've really gotten started.
When i was first getting started about 15 years ago, I researched like crazy. I asked tons of questions on internet fora, and got tons of well-meaning advice. On the strength of that advice, I saved and bought quite a few things... five or six microphones, an interface, some outboard preamps, some outboard compressors, a patch bay, etc. All inexpensive but highly-recommended stuff.
I ended up selling about half of it later, because I'd bought things that I didn't end up using. So I'd advise to start as basic as possible.
Most inexpensive interfaces are okay. The Focusrite is totally fine. Others are also totally fine. Later on, if you want something fancier, you can get something fancier. For now, start with the basics.
The most-affordable interface now (and its onboard preamps) will almost certainly sound better than the Digi 002 I paid almost $2k for thirteen years ago. things on the low end are getting better all the time. It's a great time to be getting started recording.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 5:20 am
by Larry Mal
Did you do the Black Lion preamp mod on your 002, Brad? I thought about it, and man, I would really chuckle at myself had I spent that kind of money modding that thing.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 5:36 am
by øøøøøøø
Ha, not a chance. Even at that young age, I had a sense that throwing a bunch of money at a prosumer interface was probably not likely to gain me proportionate future returns
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 7:11 am
by Larry Mal
Just curious. I never actually got a 002, because even then, Digidesign's miserly ways with artificial track counts kept me away from Pro Tools. I love Pro Tools at the HD level, but other than keeping a rudimentary version around in case someone sends me a Pro Tools project, I never used it on my own.
But it was common wisdom for a while there to mod those things.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:59 pm
by Dok
p.s. since we're talking about microphones, nice review in the new TapeOp, Brad! I'm interested in how that TF51 stacks up to the old AR51, which got a pretty glowing review in TapeOp back when it came out. Anyway, back to the rabbit hole...
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:12 pm
by Larry Mal
Wait a second, because this is relevant because I was going to recommend to the OP that a subscription to TapeOp be sourced because you can read interviews with producers about precisely what microphones they use on acoustic guitars on specific tracks.
So let's make that real by getting a link to TapeOp and a producer we all know well? Where is Brad's article?
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:15 pm
by Dok
https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/134/tf5 ... icrophone/
p.s. TapeOP is FREE even for the print edition! It's fucking amazing!
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:20 pm
by Larry Mal
Actually, I think they changed that- as I was looking for an article to post here, I had to re-up my subscription, and it seems that now you have to pay for the print but you get the digital for free.
I should pay for the print, though. Thanks for the article.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:22 pm
by Dok
I don't think so?
https://tapeop.com/subscriptions/
Free
Subscription
FREE OF CHARGE, FOREVER.
One year (six issues) of Tape Op delivered digitally to your inbox, and a good old paper magazine to your physical mailbox if you live in the U.S.
Re: Acoustic guitar recording advice needed.
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:22 pm
by Larry Mal
Perhaps I misunderstood.