Hi, i've been reading the group here for about 6 months and this is my
first post. I'm a student at Mesa Community College in mesa, az where
i'm going to be doing a couple recordings for my recording classes
there. I'm going to be recording my own band and another band. Both
are rock bands and my goal is to put out something better than some of
crap that I think local bands are paying project studios to put out
around here. Maybe its too ambitious, but our studio has the equipment
to pull it off, if I do my job well enough.

So here's my question:
I'm trying to decide what preamps to use on what instruments. I may
not have time to audition different pre's on sources as I only have 6
hours for the session. Our console is an SSL E series broadcast
console so we've got pretty decent pre's in the board. I also have
access to 2 outboard pre's. We have a pair of Daking pre's and eq's
and a pair of Millenia Media pre's. i've read up on all previous posts
on these pre's to get an idea of what to use. So far, I plan to use
the Daking pre's for kick and snare, and possibly electric guitars.
I've read that the Millenia Media is very transparent which would make
it ideal for overheads and any accoustic instruments? not too sure on
that....i dont know what to use on bass guitar or vocals?

some info on the bass and vox:

bass will be a music man bass that will be taken direct and possibly
miced through an amp. i think the best amp that i could get my hands
on is a 100 watt ampeg combo with a single 15 in it. its the basic amp
thats like $500 at GC. cant remember the number. dont know if this
will really help me out more than the direct sound.

vox will be loud aggressive male vocals. mic will most likely be a
TLM103, possibly a U89. consensus around the studio is that the TLM103
sounds much better for vocals but i've not compared them myself. i
plan to before tracking.

so, are my plans good? which pre's would you use on what? there's also
a chance that i could have access to an API 312 pre. i think thats the
right number. it's in our 2nd studio and the patch bay isnt wired up
right yet so i cant use it now but maybe i could at a later date for
vocals. the only problem is that i wont have access to the TLM103 and
will be forced to use the U89 if i go to the other studio. if the API
is a clear winner over the others for vocals this could be an option
that would also give me a little extra time to get the vocals right
since i have to do a second project in that studio anyways.

sorry for the long post. help me out guys, i know you know your ****.


thanks
jake

If you're rolling with an SSL studio, I'm assuming you've got access to
all the usual mics. Before I start spitting out suggestions, lemme
just say that just about anything you plug in, anywhere, should sound
pretty good if the band is decent and know how to play their
instruments.
I really wouldn't think it's going to matter a great deal to give
details like, "use this mic with this pre", etc unless I could hear the
band and hear them play in that room. A mic might sound one way in one
room and different in another, depending on the room.
But, since you mention "loud agressive rock vocals" I'll start out by
saying ditch the LDC mics and grab a Shure SM7. Put that into the API
pre and possibly run it through something even as basic as a dbx 160x
compressor just to knock the loudest screams down a bit. As far as the
the differences between a Millenia and Daking pre on overheads....who
cares really. I really think at this point, mic placement is going to
matter so much more, seeing how you're still learing. You didn't
mention if you're tracking all live or what, but I'd try to use that
API pre on the kick as well. Love those things on drums. Maybe use it
on the snare if you like...either way, it'll sound great on the drums.
Don't discount the SSL pres either. It's not like they're crap cause
their not rack-mounted.
You mention something about the Millenia being very clean sounding and
thinking you'll want to use it for the OH b/c of that. Remember that
you can always run your signal through an 1176 or other compressor just
for the sound. That might help out a bit if some of the other stuff is
too clinical sounding. I'm sure this is of no help as we can't
possibly know all the ins and outs of the band, room or the studio's
other gear, other than what you've mentioned.
later,
m

wrote:

As far as the
the differences between a Millenia and Daking pre on overheads....who
cares really. I really think at this point, mic placement is going to
matter so much more, seeing how you're still learing.

Well said. He forget about worrying over mic pres, use the SSL, and
concentrate on mic placement. As for turning out better product that
local project studios, wonder how many of those studios have SSL's,
Dakings, Millinniae, and so forth.

The quality of the results for him will depend on

1. the quality of the performances

2. his gain staging

3. his mic placement

4. the rest of it

But you knew all that. g

--
ha