Hello,

I posted this first in the "home-studio" group, but upon further
investigation, realized that that group seems a bit more like romper
room than a serious forum for audio and recording discussions, so
please forgive a "newbie" type post.

I am new to this group and am seeking recommendations on building a
gear collection for a project studio. I am currently running Logic 7.2
on a MacBook Pro. My outboard gear includes:

MOTU 828mkII interface
Audio Technica AT4033
MXLV69 Mogami (which I do not like)
Neumann Gefell MV692 (2)
SM57 (2)
Groove Tubes Brick mic pre/DI
Tannoy Reveal Active monitors

So clearly I am light on outboard eqs, pres, compressors, etc. But my
budget is somewhat limited, so I need some guidence as to which low-mid
priced gear - (FMR, Focusrite, low-end dbx, Presonus, Behringer, etc.)
actually outperforms the Logic 7.2 plug-ins. And conversely, where do
plug-ins perform adequately well compared to budget gear, such that I
should hold out for "real" equipment, (Avalon, UA, Millenia, Tube Tech,
Neve, API, etc.)

Basically, I am trying to work toward producing richer, more organic
sounding tracks by adding some good pieces of outboard gear, but want
to avoid buying "toys" (like the MXLV69, which I regret buying).

My acoustic recording is limited to mostly guitar (nylon and steel
acoustic as well as electric), small percussion, violin, clarinet, some
vocals, etc. Beyond that I am looking for outboard tools that will
help breathe life into the soft-synths and samplers in Logic,
specifically the EXS24, Sculpture, Ultrabeat, etc.

Any suggestions anyone is willing to offer would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve