Recommended Gear Thread

[james90]

don't say that, I'll show you something I made for lulz with apple loops and drums that I wrote out myself!

 

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7079282 Lolololololol

 

lolololol

 

how did you make this?

 

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/125611

 

epic win

[Guest bshuker]

lolololol

 

how did you make this?

 

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/125611

 

epic win

 

lollllllllll epic win hax!

 

Nah basically I found some dodgy piano arrangement of the song as a midi which I imported into sibelius so I had a rough transcription of the chords and melody, then I wrote out my arrangement as you can hear it in sibelius.

 

After that took it into Logic for some better sounds for the synth, bass and piano, exported those tracks, then went into pro tools where I put my drum arrangement into dfhs, and got a basic (very basic at that, i did this at like 3am with cans cos i was bored and couldn't sleep) mix of my virtual instruments. Then plugged in la pod xt dialed up a beefy rhythm tone, recorded rhythm guitars (two tracks). Then dialed in a lead tone, recorded the low melody. Then added the 3rd harmony and the octave harmony. After that stuck in the arps at the end.

 

Then faffed about with the mix for a while and bounced it!

 

Took about an hour and a half i think, pissed off to bed after that. lolzz

[gunnerthekiwi]

OK guys, can anyone recommend me a decent entry-level keyboard?

 

I'm looking for something MIDI capable, connectable to a PA, preferably not too many shitty kiddy functions, decent sounding piano settings and really cheap

Fire away.

[Arcane]

I recommend the Casio Privia PX-310, you can get it for around £300. Dunno though, I've just had a quick search on Google and I think it may be discontinued. Very good though, 88 keys, hammer action, nice sounding piano sounds, a good substitute for entry-level. Great for learning, and for proper playing if you plan to do that in a live setting.

 

 

 

 

I have a question for the K&T gear people: I have some spare cash, around about £130 - what should I do:

 

a) buy a Roland/Boss RE-20 Space Echo - haven't got any pedals at the moment and am liking the sounds of this pedal.

b) buy a good microphone for the price - Rode M2/NT-1a or a S.E. Electronics SE-2200a - want a mic so I can record proper things and get used to my voice through a mic, rather than through a £10 one I got years ago

 

for tl;dr - good delay pedal or fairly good microphone for £120? Both would be useful, microphone I suppose moreso but the delay would allow me more options sound-wise on guitar.

 

Ta!

[the_man361]

sE2200a is better than rode nt1 imo

 

what matters is if your money is best spent on that or a pedal, and i cant answer that for you.. which do you want (need?) more?

[Arcane]

Thanks so far Chris. That's the thing...I don't need either of the things more than the other- the Space Echo would be nice as it would give me more sounds on guitar or piano I suppose, and I love the sound of it from demos. Might pop into my local guitar shop this week and have a go.

 

However, if the SE2200a is good enough to sound semi-professional, or well, at least, make a voice sound like a singing voice and not just an amplifier of vocals, then I'll go with that. The mic I have at the moment is shite, haha.

 

Could you tell me more about the SE2200a actually Chris, if you know anything about it? I'd probably used it to train my voice (live vocals wise) and to record- good mic for this? Am leaning towards a mic now actually, I can always get a cheapo delay.

[the_man361]

Thanks so far Chris. That's the thing...I don't need either of the things more than the other- the Space Echo would be nice as it would give me more sounds on guitar or piano I suppose, and I love the sound of it from demos. Might pop into my local guitar shop this week and have a go.

 

However, if the SE2200a is good enough to sound semi-professional, or well, at least, make a voice sound like a singing voice and not just an amplifier of vocals, then I'll go with that. The mic I have at the moment is shite, haha.

 

Could you tell me more about the SE2200a actually Chris, if you know anything about it? I'd probably used it to train my voice (live vocals wise) and to record- good mic for this? Am leaning towards a mic now actually, I can always get a cheapo delay.

 

if you want to hear the 2200a listen to the link to our myspace in my signature... all the vocals are done with a sE2200a

[jonnno]

I recommend the Casio Privia PX-310, you can get it for around £300. Dunno though, I've just had a quick search on Google and I think it may be discontinued. Very good though, 88 keys, hammer action, nice sounding piano sounds, a good substitute for entry-level. Great for learning, and for proper playing if you plan to do that in a live setting.

 

 

 

 

I have a question for the K&T gear people: I have some spare cash, around about £130 - what should I do:

 

a) buy a Roland/Boss RE-20 Space Echo - haven't got any pedals at the moment and am liking the sounds of this pedal.

b) buy a good microphone for the price - Rode M2/NT-1a or a S.E. Electronics SE-2200a - want a mic so I can record proper things and get used to my voice through a mic, rather than through a £10 one I got years ago

 

for tl;dr - good delay pedal or fairly good microphone for £120? Both would be useful, microphone I suppose moreso but the delay would allow me more options sound-wise on guitar.

 

Ta!

 

Do try out the RE20 first if you decide on it. Its an awesome pedal but it aint gonna get you any pristine sounding echoes, but its great for slaps and detuned delays - and making noise!

[haze015]

reaper is good, i like it. would use it if i didnt have cubase

 

 

i wouldnt say logic is any more confusing than anything else, its all a case of what youre used to

 

i did say i reckon i've spent more time with logic, confusing is probably the wrong way to describe it, just find cubase quicker and easier to use. if i was just doing recording and not too much audio processing, then it's fine.

 

Thanks so far Chris. That's the thing...I don't need either of the things more than the other- the Space Echo would be nice as it would give me more sounds on guitar or piano I suppose, and I love the sound of it from demos. Might pop into my local guitar shop this week and have a go.

 

However, if the SE2200a is good enough to sound semi-professional, or well, at least, make a voice sound like a singing voice and not just an amplifier of vocals, then I'll go with that. The mic I have at the moment is shite, haha.

 

Could you tell me more about the SE2200a actually Chris, if you know anything about it? I'd probably used it to train my voice (live vocals wise) and to record- good mic for this? Am leaning towards a mic now actually, I can always get a cheapo delay.

 

the RE20 is good, i'm not so into it on guitar, prefer my DMM for that, but synths and vocals

 

SE make great mics, if you just want something for vocals, then yeah, the 2200a is a decent purchase, and capable of decent recordings, just get a pop shield.

[the_man361]

what is important is what you do to the mic signal when youre recording... like, which preamp and post processing wise.. generally we treat our stuff with a fair bit of compression and eq to try and get the 'best' (read, 'most suited for the style of music') sound out of it. this also takes a lot of time to get right.. not saying that i'm anywhere near getting it right yet either.

[gunnerthekiwi]

I recommend the Casio Privia PX-310, you can get it for around £300. Dunno though, I've just had a quick search on Google and I think it may be discontinued. Very good though, 88 keys, hammer action, nice sounding piano sounds, a good substitute for entry-level. Great for learning, and for proper playing if you plan to do that in a live setting.

 

I was sort of looking for something at about a third of that price to be honest 61 keys is enough for me, I do have a proper upright piano at home, the keyboard would just be for the odd piano song live as well as for synthy fun.

[Arcane]

Thanks so much everyone. I'll have a bit moar of a think.

[Arcane]

Sorry about the double post, but another mic question:

 

My budget has now dropped to between 70-90 (fucking ebay with it's hidden costs...).

 

So, I have had a look around and found these two (for male tenor vocals): Shure SM58 or Rode M2?

 

Thanks

 

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/sm-58/1577

or

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/78454

 

(I can stretch to the M2 as I've found it cheaper elsewhere...)

 

Or is it worth saving up for another/checking ebay for another? Cheers.

[Guest bshuker]

Rode M2 could be interesting. I like that it's a condensor, that could be a cool mic.

[Rage Kitty]

avoid garageband as well

 

it's really not all its cracked up to be.

 

hows reaper either way? it's solved that weird disk problem i had with my computer, whatever that was - so i'm considering buying it..

 

It's really good

On a par with the budget Cubases you can get

 

And the plus side is that a personal non professional license is about £30 but the trial version has no disabled features and can be used after the 30 day trial period with only the minor inconvenience of having to wait 6 seconds after it's loaded

[Arcane]

Rode M2 could be interesting. I like that it's a condensor, that could be a cool mic.

 

Yeah that's what I thought Can't find any reviews for the life of me though - I think it's an extremly new product. Did see a review in a magazine on Keele campus earlier this month though so I might check it out.

 

Shall look more into the M2.

[NaZZeX]

Hey guys, I have small problem.

 

I used D'addario strings in the past because I love their bright and clear sound and intonation. However, they have been breaking on me a lot lately during my rehearsal sessions and they rust fairly quickly (after every single session) so I switched to Ernie Ball.

 

While Ernie Ball strings have never let me down, where tuning and strength of strings is concerned, I think they sound really dull compared to D'addario.

 

My guitar is a MIA 2007 Fender Stratocaster, with stock neck and middle pickups but a Hot Rails in the bridge position.

 

In September, I used D'addario 10-46's and the low E and A strings broke. I switched to D'addario 10-52's (light top heavy bottom) as I wanted a beefier tone. These lasted a while until mid October when the bass strings broke. I continued using the same brand/gauge until early November, when the high E and B strings broke.

 

So I used Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms that feel solid but give a dull tone. I've recently changed my strings so this would be my second time running using Ernie Ball.

 

So I need expert advice. Do I stick with Ernie Ball or do I go back to D'addario and risk breaking strings during rehearsals/gigs?

[tomrulez]

Try Rotosound, they never have let me down. Last time I broke a string was probably about 6 months ago and this is with 2-3 hours play a day with serious whammy abuse.

[Grinning Death]

I used to use Power slinkies, I've been trying not even slinkies recently, I think I like them even more.

 

A lot of people say Rotosound make the best strings though.

[Guest bshuker]

Hey guys, I have small problem.

 

I used D'addario strings in the past because I love their bright and clear sound and intonation. However, they have been breaking on me a lot lately during my rehearsal sessions and they rust fairly quickly (after every single session) so I switched to Ernie Ball.

 

While Ernie Ball strings have never let me down, where tuning and strength of strings is concerned, I think they sound really dull compared to D'addario.

 

My guitar is a MIA 2007 Fender Stratocaster, with stock neck and middle pickups but a Hot Rails in the bridge position.

 

In September, I used D'addario 10-46's and the low E and A strings broke. I switched to D'addario 10-52's (light top heavy bottom) as I wanted a beefier tone. These lasted a while until mid October when the bass strings broke. I continued using the same brand/gauge until early November, when the high E and B strings broke.

 

So I used Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms that feel solid but give a dull tone. I've recently changed my strings so this would be my second time running using Ernie Ball.

 

So I need expert advice. Do I stick with Ernie Ball or do I go back to D'addario and risk breaking strings during rehearsals/gigs?

 

 

If you love the way D'Addarios sound and feel, but they aren't lasting well for you (this can be from a number of reasons, have you washing your hands and wiping the strings down after etc? not a personal dig but some people have more acidic sweat which wears down strings faster), anyway, yeah, if they aren't lasting, try Elixirs. They're expensive but they have the same qualities as D'Addarios but can last much much longer (or just last a normal length if you have an issue as above)

[Phill]

To be fair you should be changing your strings every month anyway. I like ernie ball strings myself, never really found them to be dull.

[the_man361]

roto blues or hybrid slinkies never disappointed me, and they sound great too. if you're breaking lots of strings, you might have something wrong with your playing technique, might be playing too hard

[Pluginbabydoll]

Sorry about the double post, but another mic question:

 

My budget has now dropped to between 70-90 (fucking ebay with it's hidden costs...).

 

So, I have had a look around and found these two (for male tenor vocals): Shure SM58 or Rode M2?

 

Thanks

 

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/sm-58/1577

or

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/78454

 

(I can stretch to the M2 as I've found it cheaper elsewhere...)

 

Or is it worth saving up for another/checking ebay for another? Cheers.

Never tried the Rode, but I have an SM58, and it's a great mic. The vocals come out sounding nice and clear, and I've used it for recording my guitar as well with no issues. It's pretty much industry standard - atleast around here anyways. Most of the venues in Perth use these mics for live & recording. Just keep in mind that because they're popular and good, there will be a lot of other people around with that Shure sound.

[Arcane]

Thanks Alli. I was actually watching a Bloc Party live in studio thing yesterday and I noticed that Kele (the lead singer) had what looked exactly like a Shure SM58. It did sound great.

 

I've heard a lot about the mic but never actually "heard" it in action until then - properly anyway, I've probably heard it many times before, but this was the first time that I actually knew it was SM58. Quite impressed with it, yeah.

 

Thanks anyway, I've got about three mics in consideration now, with the SM58 being one of them.

[haze015]

Thanks Alli. I was actually watching a Bloc Party live in studio thing yesterday and I noticed that Kele (the lead singer) had what looked exactly like a Shure SM58. It did sound great.

 

I've heard a lot about the mic but never actually "heard" it in action until then - properly anyway, I've probably heard it many times before, but this was the first time that I actually knew it was SM58. Quite impressed with it, yeah.

 

Thanks anyway, I've got about three mics in consideration now, with the SM58 being one of them.

 

Save up the pennies and get a SM7b instead!

 

But yeah, the 58 is very common for live vocals (those abbey road things are just a live setup in a room if you're referring to that, so the 58's get used alot). Though they can be a little annoying for home recording if you don't have half decent preamps as they do need a fair whack of gain compared to a condensor (can be talking 20dB+), which isn't good for avoiding noise.