HELP - Suggestions for upgrading recording equipment?

[alohachris]

Aloha DR,

With an "under a thousand dollar" budget for recording signal chain upgrades, I'd focus more on the space rather than the gear. That's a pretty thin, entry-level budget to work with for quality gear so why not get your space controlled with adequate DIY Room Treatment? It doesn't have to be expensive or permanent & is often portable. That's the biggest bang for the buck at your stage of the recording game, IMO. (not as sexy as discussing gear, but more important to you at this stage).

I suggest you put the money into treating your recording space & possibly moving up to a Zoom H6 recorder. That will give you more consistent recordings & control no matter what you move up to when you're able to be more financially committed to recording, if it gets to that.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/H6?

https://youtu.be/HJN9MazwGwM

Great music & players. And the H6 mic sounds pretty good too, huh? Could be your ticket, DR., especially if you build a few portable, 4"x2'x4' OC 703 broadband absorbers to get started w/ treatment.

Later, you can get into better mic's, new pc or Mac, DAW, interface, storage ext. HD's, great headphones & monitors, etc. - start saving & reading. The H6 gives you much of that in a small box - w/ mic's. But controlling the space is key & must be considered a priority for achieving consistency in your recordings. There have been thousands of "treatment" discussions at AGF. Use the 'Search' function. Room Treatment will even greatly improve your Zoom H-1 recordings.

PM me if you want to know how & why to do it & more useful links.

Good Luck!

alohachris

[drplayer]

Originally Posted by alohachris

Aloha DR,

With an "under a thousand dollar" budget for recording signal chain upgrades, I'd focus more on the space rather than the gear. That's a pretty thin, entry-level budget to work with for quality gear so why not get your space controlled with adequate DIY Room Treatment? It doesn't have to be expensive or permanent & is often portable. That's the biggest bang for the buck at your stage of the recording game, IMO. (not as sexy as discussing gear, but more important to you at this stage).

I suggest you put the money into treating your recording space & possibly moving up to a Zoom H6 recorder. That will give you more consistent recordings & control no matter what you move up to when you're able to be more financially committed to recording, if it gets to that.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/H6?

https://youtu.be/HJN9MazwGwM

Great music & players. And the H6 mic sounds pretty good too, huh? Could be your ticket, DR.

Later, you can get into better mic's, new pc or Mac, DAW, interface, storage ext. HD's, great headphones & monitors, etc. - start saving & reading. The H6 gives you much of that in a small box - w/ mic's. But controlling the space is key & must be considered a priority for achieving consistency in your recordings. There have been thousands of "treatment" discussions at AGF. Use the 'Search' function. Room Treatment will even greatly improve your Zoom H-1 recordings.

PM me if you want to know how & why to do it & more useful links.

Good Luck!

alohachris

Thank you very much! After reading Doug's post (and now yours) and doing a bit more research, I am definitely leaning heavily in that direction. I think all things considered it's the most logical next step for me. The mics I have (RODE NT1-A & Sennheiser e914) aren't $1K AKG's or Neumann's, but they sound nice and can be used with the H6 as well. I will need some direction with room treatment, so I'll be sure to search AGF and maybe even take you up on your offer through a PM if needed. Thanks again!

[alohachris]

Aloha DR,

PM'ed ya.

alohachris