INSTANT CREDIT
Jul 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Robert Hanson
About a year ago, Remix examined the idea of building three project studios on some very strict budgets (“Another Bit in the Wall,” May 2003). That article covered price points from $2,000 to $10,000, and aside from a few application and computer upgrades, not a whole lot has changed in the past 14 months. So instead of rehashing old news, you're going to throw the lesser budgets out the window and just go shopping. Think about it: What kind of studio could you put together if someone just handed you a credit card with a $25,000 limit and told you to buy what you want?
Although this is a fantasy that most have entertained, your ultimate Remix studio will include a few catches. To be fair, all of the selections will be based on new equipment that's available for sale online or at a retail establishment. Second, the computer side of things will remain in the native realm; you can leave the Digidesign Pro Tools HDTM to the rock stars for now. Next, this is Remix, after all, so the studio will be built from an electronic-music perspective. Finally, everyone works and lives in different spaces, so this article will steer clear of acoustical improvements. So with all of this in mind, it's time to go shopping.
THE SOFTER SIDE
The centerpiece of this dream production rig is, of course, the main computer that houses recording and sequencing software, loop and sample editors, and myriad signal-processing and synthesis plug-ins. On the Mac side of things, the choices are always pretty clear. Without spending an absolutely obscene amount of money, you can build a custom machine with two 2GHz G5 processors, 2 GB of RAM, two 250GB ATA hard drives (one for the OS and applications and one for audio and video files) for $4,274. For the PC crowd, the options and price breaks abound. In a similar fashion to the Mac workhorse, you can design a custom Dell Dimension XPS with a 3.4GHz Pentium 4, 2 GB of RAM, an 80GB ATA/100 system drive and a 120GB ATA/100 audio/video drive for $2,589. Regardless of platform, an external FireWire hard drive is an inexpensive but necessary investment. For about $200, there are numerous 100GB or better 7,200 rpm drives out there that are designed with audio/video storage and transfer in mind. For audio-file and session backups, as well as location recording with a laptop, an external drive can be a real lifesaver.
The nest step in the chain is the primary workstation application. It's been stated before that most of the big DAWs offer competitive feature sets and are generally priced within $100 of one another. For the purpose of this article, any of the major players will fit the bill. On the Mac-only side, you have Emagic Logic Pro 6 and MOTU Digital Performer 4.1. On the PC-only front is Cakewalk Sonar 3. And boasting dual-platform support are Digidesign Pro Tools LE 6 and Steinberg Cubase SX 2.0. Obviously, the computer platform will be a major determining factor in the choice of DAWs. And with regard to Pro Tools LE, the software is always purchased as a package with the hardware, so if you take the Digi route, the software will always match the hardware (more on this later).
Although the main DAW is arguably one of the most important pieces of software, you can't overlook the need for a great writing tool, as well as some efficient soft synths and samplers. To these ends, the next piece on your shopping list is a soft-synth workstation. Three products are currently dominating this market: Propellerhead Reason 2.5, Cakewalk Project5 and Arturia Storm Studio 3. All of those soft synths include ReWire support, so you can easily slave them to your DAW. In terms of differences among them, it depends on whom you ask. Reason was the first product out of the gate, and it boasts excellent stability and a huge library of available third-party sound collections. People who came of age working with other PC-based Cakewalk titles will certainly feel familiar with Project5. And for total ease of use, Storm 3 offers a great collection of synths and a wide array of song templates to help jump-start the writing process.
All right, enough with the efficient software synths; it's time to look for some of those dreamy-sounding, analog-modeled, CPU-hogging juggernauts. On more of the instant-gratification front, some favorites are Antares Kantos, Spectrasonics Trilogy and Atmosphere, IK Multimedia Sampletank 2, Korg Legacy Bundle, Access Virus PowerCore and MOTU Mach5, to name a few. If the process of creating sounds is half the fun for you, products such as Applied Acoustics Tassman 4, Native Instruments Reaktor 4 and Absynth 2, and Arturia Moog Modular V, will allow you to create some totally bizarre sounds and, in some cases, even your own synths.
Now that you have a modern DAW, a soft-synth workstation and a handful of top-shelf software instruments, you'd think that would be enough software — well, think again. As an electronic-music connoisseur, you will most likely at some point need to tweak, stretch or even repitch some loops or vocals. Luckily, there are some great purpose-built applications for doing just that. Covering both editing and performance is the venerable Ableton Live 4, which affords great options like previewing loops at the project tempo and extensive sample-playback capabilities. Propellerhead ReCycle 2.1 is a simple and efficient means to mangle rhythms, extract grooves and repitch loops. And if you want to really fine-tune or totally retune a vocal or musical phrase, Celemony Melodyne provides a slick, step-editor-like environment for doing so.
The last course in this software feast comprises some high-end signal-processing plug-ins. The selections run the gamut from utility dynamic processors to some sound-sculpting secret weapons. First up are the DSP-accelerated items from TC Electronic and Universal Audio. TC offers both the PCI-based PowerCore Element and its beefier cousin, the PowerCore FireWire; both versions come bundled with a healthy complement of compressors, channel strips, reverbs and more. Universal Audio's UAD-1 works with the same premise, providing stunningly accurate emulations of the Teletronix LA-2A and UREI 1176 compressors, the Pultec EQ and more. Aside from the card-based products are loads of other must-have plugs. Topping the list is the Waves Transform Bundle, Antares Auto-Tune 4 and Tube, IK Multimedia Amplitude and T-Racks, and PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer, to name just a few.
COLD, HARD STEEL
It doesn't matter how much amazing software you have if your hardware isn't up to spec. For your dream machine, you're going pick up some higher-end D/A interfaces, some boutique preamps, a few choice hardware synths, a utility mixer, some control surfaces and monitors, and you're going to top it all off with an analog summing bus.
In terms of audio I/O, you have several great options at your disposal — some of which even include control surfaces. Starting things off are the Digidesign Digi 002 and 002R (sans control surface) units, which both feature dedicated mic pres, line inputs, MIDI I/O, multichannel digital I/Os, FireWire connectivity and Pro Tools LE 6. If you fancy the Digi 002 concept but want to use different software, the Tascam FW-1884 and the Yamaha 01X boast multiple mic pres, line ins, digital I/O, sync and so forth. If you prefer to have just eight ultraclean channels of I/O on separate XLR connections, the MOTU 896HD is the box for you. Finally, if you want all of the I/O with a smaller footprint, the RME Hammerfall DSP Multiface and the M-Audio FireWire 1814 pack multiple channels of analog and digital I/O and a host of other features into a half-rackspace design.
Continuing on down the signal chain, the next stop is your analog front end. If your recording aspirations are limited to being able to track some professional-sounding vocals or single instruments, a straight-ahead 1- or 2-channel preamp — like the Focusrite TwinTrack Pro, the ART DMPA Pro or the Vintech X73i — should take care of things for you nicely. If your plans include tracking drums or something more elaborate, an 8-channel preamp such as the M-Audio Octane — or something as grandiose as the TL Audio M-3 Tubetracker — is an excellent option. Nothing improves the sound of your recordings better than a clean D/A interface and a high-quality mic preamp, so keep that in mind while shopping.
With an audio interface such as the Digi 002, the Tascam FW-1884 or the Yamaha 01X, your needs for a DAW control surface are covered. But with the MOTU or RME units, it would be nice to have some tactile control of your sessions. Therefore, the Tascam US-2400 and the Mackie Control Universal both offer at least eight channel faders organized into multiple banks of eight (the Tascam includes 24 physical faders), assignable pan pots and myriad control keys that can be mapped to most DAWs. And if it's not included with the audio hardware, a 4×4 or an 8×8 USB MIDI interface from M-Audio, MOTU, Steinberg or Emagic will bring everything into sync.
On a more musical tip, your laundry list of software synths and samplers needs some type of keyboard interface. You know what a hassle it can be to use your main synth keyboard as your controller, so a few pieces that fit the bill include the M-Audio Keystation Pro 88, the Studiologic VMK-88 and the Akai MPD16. The Keystation Pro 88 and the VMK-88 both offer significant improvements on the traditional keyboard controller. Both offer improved patch memory and — wait for it — weighted keys with aftertouch, a feature that has been painfully absent from most controllers. And if playing percussion samples from a keyboard doesn't inspire your inner Public Enemy, the Akai MPD16 takes the same drum pads from the acclaimed MPC series and arranges them in a slimmed-down chassis that will work with any software synth or sampler.
Speaking of synths, you cannot have a dream studio without a few hardware pieces. A good modern hardware synth can run the gamut costwise. One current industry favorite is the Korg microKorg synth/vocoder, which comes in at just under $500. This piece can augment anyone's studio by providing some especially cool old-school-sounding arpeggio and vocoder sounds. The Access Virus C is the gold standard for gnarly-sounding analog-style synth bass and lead patches. And the new Clavia Nord Modular G2X also provides plenty of analog-style knob twisting and bite. For the totally high-dollar, true-analog sound, the Alesis Andromeda and the recently reimagined Moog Minimoog Voyager provide this in spades. And another Remix hardware favorite is the truly unique Roland V-Synth, which has the ability to freeze and distort the time and pitch characteristics of a sample. If step programming a groove box or creating grooves from sampled percussion is more your vibe, then the Akai MPC2000XL or any of the Korg Electribe models are the outboard boxes for you.
SOME ACTUAL SOUNDS
For monitoring, countless powered monitors are available in the under-$1,500 to $3,000 range. A few of the more popular models include the Mackie HR824s or the Genelec 1032As. If you feel the need for a subwoofer, Mackie offers the HRS120, which is built to match the 824s, or the Blue Sky ProDesk 2.1 system includes two satellites and a sub in one tidy package.
With regard to headphones, the past few years have boasted some significant improvements in isolation and clarity. Two of the top models include the Sennheiser HD 280 Pros and the Ultrasone HFI-650s. For your purposes, you will need at least two pairs of cans and a basic headphone amp for vocal recording sessions. A great little headphone amp is the ART Headamp, which can drive four separate sets of headphones with individual volume controls. And it might seem redundant to some, but a basic utility mixer is always a nice thing to have around. For about $200, the Mackie DFX-12, the Yamaha MG12/4 or something comparable will allow you to quickly listen to a synth in your monitors, play back a CD or MP3 player or whatever else you need to do.
The next item on the list is probably one of the more interesting products to hit the market in years. The Dangerous Music 2-Bus LT ($1,500) is an analog summing mixer that allows you to take 16 channels (or eight stereo pairs) from your workstation hardware and condense them into a stereo pair. Many consider this type of product to be the missing link between classic analog recording and current all-digital technology. Without getting too deep, the basic concept of the 2-Bus LT is, when mixing, a user will create separate stereo stems of a track — one comprising bass elements, one comprising vocals and so on. These separate stems are then bused out of the workstation and recombined within the 2-Bus, approximating the sound, spatial separation and “analog coloring” of a high-end recording console.
The final stop on your ride through gear heaven is at microphones. A particularly challenging task for anyone on any budget is picking out a good large-diaphragm condenser for vocals, because every vocalist is different. On the high end, you could spend well into the thousands on something like a Neumann U 87 or TLM 103 or a Blue Bottle. In the midprice range, the Audio-Technica AT4040, the Røde NT1 and the Shure KSM32 have all proven themselves in countless professional and project studios. For basic instrument miking, a couple of Shure SM57s can go a long way on everything from guitar cabinets to close-miked percussion.
OVERDRAWN
Well, you weren't really keeping track of how much money would actually spend on this studio, but that's not the purpose of this exercise. The intent here is to show you that even on a bloated budget, many of the essential items in dream studios are the things that many people already own. From the main DAW to something as mundane as an SM57, the tools that the pros use and the tools that everyday independent musicians use are closer than they've ever been. So, hopefully, this article has gotten you thinking about what your next purchase might be and where you might want to take your own rig in the future.
ONE TO GO, PLEASE
For most independent musicians, no matter how much money they throw into their studios gearwise, many are still forced to convert a bedroom or a den into their studio. And although that is fine for synth-based tracks, trying to record a loud vocalist or a screaming guitar amp can create some unpleasant relations with your family, roommates and that kind elderly couple upstairs who unwittingly leased you that apartment. This makes creating a second mobile rig sometimes necessary. With even an older laptop and a compact interface like the M-Audio FireWire Audiophile, the Edirol PCR-1 or the Tascam US-122, you can cut vocals or record live bass in a rehearsal space — or anywhere, really. And when at home, you can easily slave that second computer to your main rig to work as a dedicated soft-synth or sampler host.
A FULL CART
Computer ($2,500-$4,000)
Apple Mac G5 dual 2GHz (Mac)
Dell Dimension XPS P4 3.4GHz (PC)
Storage ($200)
Any 120GB FireWire/USB 2.0 hard drive
DAW ($600-$800)
Cakewalk Sonar 3 (PC only)
Digidesign Pro Tools LE 6 (Mac/PC)
Emagic Logic Pro 6 (Mac only)
MOTU Digital Performer 4 (Mac only)
Steinberg Cubase SX 2.0 (Mac/PC)
Soft-Synth Workstation ($300)
Arturia Storm 3 (Mac/PC)
Cakewalk Project5 (PC only)
Propellerhead Reason 2.5 (Mac/PC)
Soft Synths/Samplers ($300-$500)
Access Virus PowerCore (Mac/PC)
Antares Kantos (Mac/PC)
Applied Acoustics Tassman 4 (Mac/PC)
Arturia Moog Modular V (Mac/PC)
Cycling '74 Mode (Mac only)
IK Multimedia Sampletank 2 (Mac/PC)
Korg Legacy Bundle (Mac/PC)
MOTU Mach5 (Mac/PC)
Native Instruments Absynth 2, Reaktor 4 (Mac/PC)
Spectrasonics Atmosphere, Trilogy (Mac/PC)
Loop/Sample Software ($250)
Ableton Live 4 (Mac/PC)
Celemony Melodyne 2.5 (Mac/PC)
Propellerhead ReCycle 2.1 (Mac/PC)
External DSP/Native Plug-Ins and Bundles ($100-$4,000)
Antares Auto-Tune 4, Tube (Mac/PC)
IK Multimedia Amplitude, T-Racks (Mac/PC)
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer (Mac/PC)
TC Electronic PowerCore Element, PowerCore FireWire (Mac/PC)
Universal Audio UAD-1 Project, Studio Pack (Mac/PC)
Waves Diamond Bundle (Mac/PC)
Audio Hardware ($1,000-$2,500)
Digidesign Digi 002, 002R (Mac/PC)
M-Audio FireWire 1814 (Mac/PC)
MOTU 896HD (Mac/PC)
RME Hammerfall DSP Multiface (Mac/PC)
Tascam FW-1884 (Mac/PC)
Yamaha 01X (Mac/PC)
Mic Preamp/Analog Front End ($500-$3,000)
ART DMPA Pro
Focusrite TwinTrack Pro
M-Audio Octane
TL Audio M-3 Tubetracker
Vintech X73i
Control Surface/Keyboard Controller Hardware ($500-$1,500)
Akai MPD16
Mackie Control Universal
M-Audio Keystation Pro 88
Novation X-Station 25
Studio Logic VMK-88
Tascam US-2400
Utility Mixer ($200)
Mackie DFX-12
Yamaha MG12/4
Outboard Synth/Groove Box ($500-$4,000)
Access Virus C
Akai MPC2000XL
Alesis Andromeda
Clavia Nord Modular G2X
Moog Minimoog Voyager
Korg microKorg
Roland V-Synth
Monitors ($1,200-$2,000)
Blue Sky ProDesk 2.1
Genelec 1032A
Mackie HR824
Headphones ($200)
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
Ultrasone HFI-650
Large-Diaphragm Condenser Mic ($200-$2,000)
Audio-Technica AT4040
Blue Bottle
Neumann TLM 103, U 87
Røde NT1
Shure KSM32
Summing Mixer ($1,500)
Dangerous Music 2-Bus LT
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