What is the most important piece of gear in your studio? (06-15-01)

[Unregistered]

My Korby Audio FET condenser, which beats every microphone I've ever tried and is often compared to the Neumann U47 but costs $1200 instead of $5,000.

Second, and just as important, is the SPL Stereo Vitalizer (not the Vitalizer Jack or Tube Vitalizer). Running a whole mix through it (or individual insts / vocals) is exactly like washing a dirty window you didn't know was dirty. It is a wonderful machine. I ran a friend's CD through it (a Grammy nominee) and he looked at me and said, "Where in the world was this thing when I was recording?" Take it out of the signal path and you feel like looking for the person who just took the life out of your recording. There is no eq, exciter, or enhancer I've used that comes within a league of it.

[Unregistered]

Hands down, it's my DAW equipped with a Yamaha DS2416 .. the 02R mixer on a card. I use Cubase VST to automate every function of my mixing, including the dedicated EQ and compression on all 24 channels. I've heard people brag about how many plug-ins they can run at once on their DAW.. I ask them what they use mainly, and they say EQ, compression, and reverb. I can do all of that on 16 tracks at once without even touching my computer's processor. The EQ, compression, and reverb on it sound better than any of the plug-ins I have (with the possible exception of the waves bundle), and it's got 2 built-in effects processors, so I can use one for EQ and the other for odd sound-effects, chorus or delay. Every track I produce is mixed on this card, and everything I record goes through it. It's the cornerstone of my studio. The signal routing flexability is amazing, too. I have a lot of software synths and other software sound tools, and I never run out of channels for playback or recording, the DS2416 and Cubase VST make it all easy.

- eric

[Unregistered]

I would pick my ProTools MixPlus system with all the plugins, but my clients would probably say my 1897 Steinway B. Vocalists love the Lawson L47MP too.

[Unregistered]

shotglass

[Unregistered]

Well, i could say something as clever as some of the other folks, like my butt, or my fingers, or my mom...whatever, i'm over that.

My computer is by far the most used, and useful tool in my little home setup, with a good sound card and multitrack software.

But that's not really helpful to anyone reading this, so i'll list the three last major toys..

* condensor mic, makes a massive difference over dynamics, so much more bright and insanely more detail...my number one item for recording.

* POD2, lots of stuff to play with there, and especially sweet since it's quiet-friendly.

* RNC(Really Nice Compressor), makes recording with the mic much more of a joy, since you have don't have to worry nearly as much about breaking that digital barrier that destroys your recording... RNC is cheap and literally transparent. You can see it working, but you can't hear it...very nice.

That's my two cents, hope it helps!

- Dave Noisy
www.mp3.com/noisy

[curtom]

ProTools TDM, Waves Gold Bundle and my XV - 5080 are the cornerstones of my studio.

CIII

[Ernest828]

Without a doubt my Avalon VT 737 SP is the best 2 grand
I`ve ever spent. Its not only my favorite piece but the best
looking and most versatile. Of course I love my DAW and
D8b but the Avalon is so pretty.

[xxFT13xx]

this really is a tossup....

id love to say my Nord Lead 1 keyboard..but im gonna have to say my DAW with all my programs (logic audio platinum, sound forge 5, acid pro 3, all my VSTis and VST/DX plugins etc etc). Without it, id be lost.

-Sin
http://zwap.to/ft13

[Jayfior]

Microphones. I used direct devices for years for electric guitars. Direct inputing on guitars sucks. However a great mic is king on everything. If I was forced to sell everything and keep only one item it would be my Neumannu87.

[austinmusicmatt]

My Mac G4 Cube is the heart of my studio. It's what keeps everything jiving. Then i suspect that my MOTU 828 and Studio Projects C3 will also play an enormous role of importance once they get here. Woohooo!!! Only 2 more days for the FedEx guys to pay me a visit! It sucks to wait. Well that's my 2 cents. bye

[guitarjoe]

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[xstatic]

Two indispensible items in my studio.

1) The console. Everything touches the console somewhere. In and out. Having a good desk with beautiful preamps and EQ's lets me pull all the old dynamics out of the closet because now an sm57 even sounds cleaner and clearer than a cheap condensor.

2) The Playstation 2. Ever had to do those mixes where each of the 5 band members wants something different that completely contradicts what the guy before them wanted? Hook em up to a playstation 2. It keeps them out of your hair for hours and when you do need them they put their input in real quick and then get back to the TV instead of hawking over your shoulder and trying to further tell you what they want using terms that mean something totally different.

Prior to the Playstation 2 my number 2 would probably have been Marlboro Menthols. Cigarettes always give me that 4 minute break away from the band and to myself. Its amazing the things that musicians on the clock understand. If I just said that I wanted a break for 5 minutes and just sat there they would bitch about being on the clock etc... etc... But tell them I need to go have a smoke, noone even thinks about it and just accepts it

Of course the DAW is pretty important as well, and my isolated AC ground is also very important, but i had to pick just a couple so I would be able to type quick enough to go have a smoke

[JOHNRGARLAND]

L1 maximizer from waves, when I bypass this plug in to hear the difference, like day and night. Love the wave plug ins.

[Halogen Sky]

Yes the Shure KSM44 is everything everyone says it is. I can hear a relatively silent sedan more than two blocks away while I'm indoors running it thru an Aphex 207 pre and Senn HD600 Phones...Absolutely bizzare.
My Favorite peice of equip is my Roland VS 1824CD,
But my most IMPORTANT Must be a toss up between the Behringer DEQ 2496 Mastering processor ( used mainly for nailing ANY guitar sound AFTER the main effects chain)/or my Sennhieser HD600 headphones... Hard to say... I'm just in one room...

[AVDork3000]

My most important piece of gear you ask?

My wallet which I have hidden in my studio