Furthermore, what you think is high end isn't really high end, it's just stuff.

A high end setup would have you spending $30-40k on monitors and interface and D/A conversion before you've spent anything on actually making a noise.

There are two things you should concentrate your money on first, and that's your monitoring setup (including the room you're working in) and workflow. Everything else is garnish.

As for Nexus, it's a waste of money whatever amount of money you have. It's really very, very overpriced and if you have something like a Virus (which is a good call as it covers both excellent soundsource and 'toy' status) you'll have basically the same kind of sounds anyway. And considering a Virus costs less than an expanded Nexus anyway.....

Virus also acts as a very nice keyboard/midi controller but I'd go for the 61 key version for obvious reasons.

Interface choice could be Apogee, RME or maybe even the UAD Apollo, the latter would give you UAD plugin capability if you desired.

Waves Mercury is a good call too. There are a lot of very good tools in there and if you wait until it's on sale (usually a couple of times a year) and go to Waves Universe instead of direct from Waves you'll be amazed at how cheaply it can be bought these days.

Get some room treatment. Go over to GIK and start reading up.

Monitors are a personal choice, but remember your ears are years away from 'hearing' how to mix. There's no shortcut to this and musician skills are irrelevant and non transferable to mixing skills for the most part. K&H, Event Opals, PMC or PSI are all good relatively high choices. Find a store where you can go and listen to them.

The Avid MC controllers aren't necessary, but buy them by all means as they'll look cool. Which we all know is important, no really.

One really important thing I've learned is to not go mad on plugins. It's totally counter productive. In addition to that Waves bundle it's probably worth adding the Spectrasonics plugins (Omnisphere/RMX/Trilian) and NI Komplete. With that you WILL have everything you'll ever need, and any additions may be for specific tools and perhaps an extra flavour here and there.

With a setup like that you have more than enough tools to create, mix and master a track that could potentially hit teh top of teh chartz. If that's what you want.

Don't sniff at the talent comments though. Consider yourself a novice and you'll pick it up a lot faster. Being a musician and having a wizard for a mate won't make your journey any faster. I know this because I was the same as you when I started.

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That is a worthwhile thread. Seems to cover the topic and is interesting and a great help

thanks.

V.

Thanks tehlord, evolve and deillon!

Hardly sniffing at the talent comments I think I made it pretty clear that my call it conventional music training stands for close on nothing and I also underplayed my current abilities on Logic as I know iam around some pretty experienced cats here!

I understand your high end comment 100% so let me rephrase and call it "high end minimalist" if that makes any sense? 4-6 inch monitor range, single desktop, minimal room overhauls but the best of the best within that realm?

Also please can someone expand on the avid comments? I don't care if they not essential I care that they are potentially amazing tools for logic?

With the comments put forward computer unit and potential mm vsl slave setup aside how does this sound:

Avid Artist Control
Avid Artist Mix
Access Virus TI2 Polar
KRK VXT4 Monitors
Sony MDR7520 Headphones
Apogee Quartet
Logic 9
Waves Mercury
Spectrasonics combo of choice (not familiar with it)

How does that look? Anything essential missing and anything else that should certainly die like nexus?

Thanks

replace quartet with rme UC. THe quartet is overpriced. Either get the duet 2 or the ensemble.

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But price aside is the Quartet a good unit?

Is the Duet2 capable enough with the proposed setup can add a breakout box at a later stage I needed?

The ensemble is choice number 1 but with the unit being discontinued and my country of origin iam going to have to get lucky with the distributor!

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by TradeMark Thanks tehlord, evolve and deillon! Hardly sniffing at the talent comments I think I made it pretty clear that my call it conventional music training stands for close on nothing and I also underplayed my current abilities on Logic as I know iam around some pretty experienced cats here! I understand your high end comment 100% so let me rephrase and call it "high end minimalist" if that makes any sense? 4-6 inch monitor range, single desktop, minimal room overhauls but the best of the best within that realm? Also please can someone expand on the avid comments? I don't care if they not essential I care that they are potentially amazing tools for logic? With the comments put forward computer unit and potential mm vsl slave setup aside how does this sound: Avid Artist Control Avid Artist Mix Access Virus TI2 Polar KRK VXT4 Monitors Sony MDR7520 Headphones Apogee Quartet Logic 9 Waves Mercury Spectrasonics combo of choice (not familiar with it) How does that look? Anything essential missing and anything else that should certainly die like nexus? Thanks

Spend more money on monitors, you might as well do it now. And 4" is too small.

Take a look at something like PMC TB2SA-2, Event Opal or Focal Twin 6BE. And get some room treatment in as well or you'll just be pissing in the wind when you're trying to mix.

+1 on the quartet, get a UCX or Ensemble instead. Or if you're not going to be recording live instruments just get an Apogee duet as it's more than enough.

Start off with the MC Control and add the mix later if you think you need it. I bet you don't. When it comes to faders you're either going to use just one, or want 24 or more so the addition of a mix is just waste of money at this point.

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seriously all that and you're gonna go with krk vxt4's?! definitely take tehlord's advice: get a pair like the focals and get proper acoustic treatment. this will contribute far more to the final output of your music than say your avid controllers

also, from what i've heard, the avid controllers and almost everything in the same category seems to just muck up work flow for most people.

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Understood on the monitors trying to skimp on footprint... With regards to the acoustic treatment and footprint maybe some bacround will help, how do I say this without sounding like Hannibal Lecter! My house is glass... Super minimalist, very open, passaged pretty much the only door is the front one brilliant f*cking acoustic environment...

I have a single spot that my soundie has focused on as the only real place to work with, its like a view overhang inlet, basically a glass jot-off from one of the rooms a single cube of glass with up, front, left, right and down view all through glass, back end completely open onto call it a man cave... Now that cube is being padded up on all ends and the station is being set up in there. I can't stress enough the need for a small footprint. An open ended studio isn't ideal but no matter where I place that's the situation iam in. Get a custom desk for free as a favor so that will help with fully utilizing every inch of space as its customized to my kit. Guess I could up to the krk vtx6'" monitors? What you think?

And thanks for feedback on Avid gear... Alot of the threads I have seen on people complaining about workflow are people who didn't learn on them and then are shocked when they all of a sudden switch to a rather complex and fiddly hard control unit! Anyones workflow would also be reduced. Anyone with 1st hand experience on the Avid capabilities in Logic and how much of a POTENTIAL asset it could be IF utilized to its full.

Sent an email to the local Apogee rep RE Ensemble... Lets hope!

Thanks again for all the great advice!

Use headphones then.

Why the obsession with KRK monitors as well? You've been given some excellent alternatives that aren't KRK's (which are far from being the best you could buy even in VXT form). If you want something that's small and looks cool then get some SE Munro Eggs. They'll still sound like crap in a shiny little untreated box though. But I'd still ditch the monitor idea and use headphones.

And get good insurance. If I saw all that gear behind just glass you would find it gone in about 22 seconds.

And whether the Avid stuff works in Logic to it's full potential is really up to you. It's a semi open system with customisable configurations and macros.

I think you need to do some reading up on acoustics, monitoring and why they're important as I don't think you want to hear what people are telling you at the moment. Having all the cool gear in a cool space isn't the recipe for a cool sound. With the funds you hint at having, I'd MAKE a space that worked even if it ruined the Feng Shui.

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Tehlord you quite funny man...

I intend to use headphones a good amount of time thus the Sony's in the shoppping cart.

Anyway, I mentioned those monitors as those are the only ones I have had a store visit with + my mate uses rokits and swears by them. Take your word that there are better options which I will visit in person as I think this is best!

The room IS being treated as stated in my previous post it is just an open ended cube which isn't ideal but is definitely workable with good treatment from what I've been told. The shiny little box isnt visible to any sort of public and it won't be so "see thru" period once the padding is up.

No I do want to hear it trust me, that's why I posted! Iam just stressing footprint as much as I can to you guys... I can't ruin the Feng Shui there is literally no other feasible place with the layout of my house, plus the setup will compliment the Feng Shui... Now we talking alterations may as well build a pro studio out back? Ha ha now that's a bit much for a "noob".

You can't go wrong with these bad boys!

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