MY OWN SONG CREATION RIG.
PART 2.
(note. over the years ive done too many serious and demo songs to list useing pg products bb/rb.
probably around 200 i would think.)

1.BACKUPS. for backups..i have an external usb startech dock that takes 2 ssd's as well as other older usb enclosures that take old ssd's and drives.
Yes, I'm paranoid about backups...lol.
In addition I keep critical backups also offsite..
my advice…think of backing up your critical songs and anything else offsite.
also ive added new m.2 tech for backups because they are so cheap in enclosures.
a note.... from my time working in tech i dont use huge storage terabyte drives.
I prefer a divide and conquer strategy…but that's me. ie multiple smalledr drives that are cheap and fast.
2..MONITORS etc. I use a couple of inexpensive powered stereo monitors.
i dont want want to get into big arguments on monitors. there are as many different opinions as there are monitor brands. it's up to the individual. but here's why i use cheap brands….
..ive used big expensive monitors in the past in big commercial studios and found sometimes the mixes didnt translate well to low end speakers and boom boxes and earbuds etc etc.
..most people in the world can't afford 5,000 dollar studio monitors. Lots of people use cheap speakers.
in summary, and i dont pretend to be a pro audio mixer…i'm just a singer/songwriter and a tech so it's a huge challenge to render a mix tthat translates well to lots of different platforms. i just do the best i can.
i also have a pair of grado headphones that i love as well as older akg's that are showing their age plus sennheiser earbuds/iem's.
3..MICROPHONES. I tend to favour condenser mics for my vocals rather than gain hungry dynamics.which makes life easier viz interfacing to low gain mic preamps in some usb interfaces that require lots of cranking for some dynamic mics.
Frankly, having used extremely expensive mics in studios down to budget mics I would say the best approach is to rent a few mics at different price levels to assess the best one for your own needs.. also there are loads of mic (and all manner of gear) shootouts on the net and you tube etc etc.
I heard a shootout the other day between a budget mic and a 3k mic. only seasoned audio engineers might notice the difference rather than the normal listener listening to your song imho.
which leads me to suggest dont overspend on gear and do your research.
The budget gear has become excellent in many cases due to market competition.
If in doubt I recommend you rent both an expensive and inexpensive piece of gear you're interested in and try both out.
i have a 90 buck tascam mic here that i sometimes use…and when i compare its recorded vocal quality to expensive mics i once used in studios it's difficult to tell the difference.
Talking of gear shootouts there are two very entertaining threads on gearspace.com.
one comparing a 5 dollar diy mic pre (actually 25 bucks including enclosure etc) to various other mic pre's. Another shootout is between the art mp costing under 100 bucks and more expensive mic pre's. Both threads are very interesting and a fun read. gearspace has also
lots of interesting forums eg computer music and low end theory.

4..INTERFACE.
My interface right now is an audient evo 4 ...
it was meant to be a stop gap el cheapo buy as tech changes so fast.
but it's really surprised. me. so far been flawless…
here is a summary of pro's and cons as it might not be for everyone looking for more features.

a..pros
..very responsive tech support i found.
..love the 2 mic preamps.
(the vocs in the songs in my signature at the bottom of this post used the evo pre's.)
..lovely ultra low latency of 4 millisecs.
..love the control screen app that comes with it with ability to switch 48 volt on or off independently for each channel. (lots of interfaces have a global switch.).
..love the gain setting feature.
..PARTICULARLY loved the ease of install of asio mclient driver. Let me explain.
if one peruses pg and other recording forums over the years there have been many posts re faffing about with driver settings in the users music app in order to get things working satisfactorily. in contrast i was blown away by the fact that i had no faffing around in biab
driver settings. no frustration at all.
After the driver install i just booted into biab and away i went. no faffing around with driver settings….
(YAHOO ! lol.)
i'm sure ive missed something but here are the cons..
b..cons.
..for someone needing lots of inputs this is not for you. check audients website if you want more.
but of course higher price products.
..only one phone out. I use an external headphone amp.
..only one stereo speaker out.
..no midi i/o.
(I use a midi kbd connected to my pc via usb.)

i'm sure ive forgotten a pro or a con….lol.
as always ymmv/try one before purchase blah blah.
overall and at its low price i really can't fault it. particularly as it has run day in/out flawlessly.
(note ive made a number suggestions to audient re added features but of course that would result in higher price. if a user wants more i would suggest looking at the highly respected audient id range. see other recording forums and the net and you tube to read why many pro's like the id range eg gearspace.com)
I keep an open mind as new interfaces come out…eg the sterling h224 for its crazy low price. let's face it..most interfaces these days whether cheap or expensive sound very good. the rme interfaces are of course 'top dogs' but i really cant justify buying such.
(some might think me nuts but i enjoy seeing how much i can wring out of el cheapo gear....lol.)

more to come as i think of it.

happiness.

om

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 03/29/24 08:30 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)