Recording for cheap

[ChrisDrumsSSD]

I know there are threads about this, I have looked around the internet and I have run into a problem. So, I'm hoping someone here can help with it. I want to get an interface that will hold 6 or more mics and will work with a Mac. I have found a couple but they are all priced over $1,000 and I know I don't have that kind of money. Does anyone know of a cheaper way of doing this?

[trickg]

As long as you have Firewire (you said Mac, but most iMac's have two Firewire ports - mine has FW400 and FW800) then get a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40. It has 8 solid preamps. I love mine - so far the most mics I've used at once was 4 doing some basic recording with a kick, snare and two overhead mics, just to see if I could, but everything worked out fine. Street price on that is sub $500.

I'd like to add that getting up and rolling with that piece was easy - basic quick start instructions that get you going, and immediately compatible with the iMac - I just installed the Focusrite routing software, plugged it in and it worked.

Something else to consider that I think is a MAJOR plus with the Focusrite piece is the plugin suite. You get four plugins:

Gating
Compression
Reverb
Parametric EQ

I'm still kind of a recording noob, but I'm using this interface with GarageBand and the plugins were easy to install, and immediately showed up as usuable options on my dropdown menus. They can be used by themselves or stacked/doubled with the tools intrinsic to GarageBand. I liked GarageBand before and did ok recording trumpet with it, but had a heck of a time finding good settings for vocals. The Focusrite Compressor plugin is IMO the best of the plugins. (although I also really like the reverb) That was what finally gave me the ability to get a solid vocal recording, and at this point I don't record a track without it.

I think the best part about the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 is that it's a solid piece that I'll be able to use for quite a while - it will still be relevant to my efforts several years down the road. You could spend a bit more and get the Liquid 56, but the 40 will probably get you where you want to go.

[ChrisDrumsSSD]

Thanks man! HUGE help, I'll check in to that right now and see if I can possibly get a used one! Thanks again!!

[trickg]

I'm glad that helps. It's not exactly "cheap" but when a person is trying to do digital recording of that many tracks, you can only go so cheap and still get where you want to go. Again, I think that the plugins that come with this thing are golden. I ran my unit for almost a year before I got smart and installed them, and regret that I didn't do it sooner because virtually every project I undertook between the time I got that unit and when I installed the plugins could have been that much better - they made that much difference.

Best of luck finding one used - it's not a "new" product but it's fairly new and fairly well received by the amateur recording community, so you might have better luck finding a good deal on a restock rather that finding a used unit.

A friend of mine has a similar Steinberg unit that has 8 preamps, but he does all his vocals running it through a Focusrite ISA One preamp (which to my knowledge utilizes the exact same preamp as the Saffire Pro 40) so I'm not sure that he's gaining anything with the higher priced unit.

[Zeta]

I second TrickG on the Focusrite Stuff. The preamps are incredibly clean and the overall system is great. The plug ins are great, and all of your apple plugins will work with it, especially if you get reaper which adds all of the plugins automatically.

Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 is a great choice, I love mine. The most ive used is 6 mics.

[nucjd]

FYI the ISA pre (4 channel) goes for about 1500- 2000 dollars US and are transformer based. THey are very clean and transparent. I really like tracking the top snare with an ISA pre, but they are not in the saffire pro as I went to there website and checked. It looks like it is very good though for the price and in all honesty I can't see buying another unit in that price range, but no there is no isa in that unit. If it were that would be the best price unit in the world

[trickg]

Something else to consider, (another plug for the Focusrite preamps in the Saffire) is what Zeta said about how clean the preamps are. To give an example, I picked up a Shure SM7B for recording, and one of the characteristics with this mic is that it needs a lot of gain. For those not initiated, the SM7B I believe was developed as a broadcaster's microphone, similar to the ElectroVoice RE20, and it has been used on A LOT of vocals, chiefly Michael Jackson on "Thriller" and "Bad" - but the point is, it needs a lot of gain to be used to full effect, and the number given in the literature is 60db of gain.

With the Focusrite, I run the gain up most of the way around on the knob, and it stays clean, even maxed out.

[nucjd]

I use the SM7b exclusively for male rock vocals and trickg is correct and requires a ton of gain to use properly. I use a universal audio LA-610 for this mic as it is a monster tube pre that can deliver the required power and is tied to to the classic La2a designed compressor. If the those little preamps can drive that mic then that is very impressive and again a good deal.

[chafey]

i scored an alesis io 26 for 50 bones last week.