For a cheap (free) and decent reverb, download the SIR convolution reverb
http://www.knufinke.de/sir/
and then raid the impulse response archives at http://www.echochamber.ch and http://www.noisevault.com.

The result will sound much better than budget stand alone effects units.

Not to piss on yer parade: Don't waste money on gear. Go to a studio and do it right. Pay attention to what's going on so you'll know what to do when you wanna record yerselves. This is probably cheaper anyway.

If you are scrounging for recording gear, I wouldn't go outboard just yet. As much as I hate cheap plugins, a small budget like this sounds like an "in the box" type project if you're doing it in a computer. Split that outboard money between a better mic (personally I'd find a used Sennheiser 441 for $300-$400 or an Electrovoice RE-20 for the same price) and some decent A/D conversion. If you get one of those M Audio Audiophile dealies for a similarly cheap unit it will degrade the sound, and you risk getting little machine-confusing ticks tracked into the audio from poor word clock.

The Beyer M201 is a great substitute for the 57. Oktava also makes some cheap large diaphragm condensers that might do you okay if you use vocals.

The real lesson is drop this money on studio time so you get a half-decent sounding recording. With this kind of budget it seems unlikely that you'd get a recording you'd be stoked on.

Hiwatt wrote:Not to piss on yer parade: Don't waste money on gear. Go to a studio and do it right. Pay attention to what's going on so you'll know what to do when you wanna record yerselves. This is probably cheaper anyway.

I think it's completely worthwhile for a band to put together enough of a studio that they can make halfway decent recordings of their practices etc, because very often the best jams come out of nowhere and it's nice to capture them. Maybe you won't ever release the recordings, but you'll be glad to have them.

This apogee duet http://mercenary.com/apoduet.html at five bills might be slightly above your budget but it seems like a good deal for the money. A cheaper, low quality alternative would be the line 6 toneport ux2. Good luck.

you also might want to think about what your end goal is - do you want to be totally self sufficient and be a recording engineer, or just get your stuff done.

when i was a poor college kid i had 1 SM57, a cassette 4track and 3 stolen 58 rip-offs.

[old man voice] back in my day we went to studios to do the real recordings and used a single mic in a room to figure out song structures and get our shit together! [/old man voice] (in fact, i still do this today, even with a 2" machine in my house for the most part...)

but it does for sure seem like people today have so much more at their fingertips than they used to - we used to only worry about our amps and drums and guitars.... damn, worry about the songs and let someone else worry about the engineering - you're young!

best of luck!

ps i'm old... [more time on songs... ;0 ] best of luck to ya. i'm just rambling...

some folks have been really impressed w/ reaper for software, mac os users as well. i think this is a way better suggestion than cubase le. a good $40.00 spent.

link:
http://www.cockos.com/reaper/download.php

if you are limited by the processing power of your computer 24 bit 96k might be asking a lot, especially if a high track count or lots of plug ins apply...i still use 24 bit 44.1k a lot of the time. expirement with your system, the higher sampling rate, the better...but also the cpu useage/storage space is to be considered!

vocal mics = a different opinion to whom you ask. i have made vocal recordings with a shure beta 58 that suited things fine, not my recording but an exercise in application (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVPQjuDVYHk). it seems like you are trying to get as many miles per purchase so, assuming this: a shure sm7 (voice, bass guitar, electric gtr, floor tom, many horns), i would apply this to an electro voice r/e 20, and beyer m88. these are great mics that hold resale and interest. a beta 58 works as a snare mic (top) gtr cabs, many horns, bass gtr cab, room mic for 1/2 the cost or less of those mentioned above. plus it has a manageable output (good in recording in the world of digital) and a high spl.

many low cost LDC type vocal mics have a limited spl, high output, and uncomfortable high freq. response. i have found all of these as truths through practice.

a/d converters and a good clock make things, lots right. check out www.blacklionaudio.com get something they can mod when you get the scratch. you will learn a lot from it, listening.

the very least, to compliment your source, mic, cable, preamp, converter... get a good all around preamp. 2 channels if you can. you'll save loads on eq and tinkering with the track. i do not have a real good low cost suggestion that applies to everything, without a DIY buildup, regarding preamps.

the ART PRO VLA is a decent comp. find a used one, some really simple mods make it lots "better." the rnc does not handle low freq. very well in my situations...good for room mics, guitars, vocals...

use what you have! so many have made great recordings with less! god luck.

n.

I too would advise you forget about the EQ and Reverb and put that money into mic funds. EQ might seem like an necessity when you're trying to fix crappy mics, but put that money into better mics and you'll find yourself relying on EQ much less. Just use crappy plug-in's (as minimally as possible.) I would suggest a solid dynamic as well as a condenser to give you options. Overhead and kick for drums, a blend for guitar amps, selection options with vocals, etc.

A cheap but nice condenser like the CAD m179 can be had for around your budget new, and you will find uses for it as your gear list grows, rather than outgrowing it and letting it lay around. Not sure what it runs for used. The Beyer m201 can be had new or used for around what you wanted to spend on the EQ/verb. Sounds great on snare, kick, guitars, toms, and suits my voice better than any condenser I have.

I use that dbx at work, it is a fine compressor.

Also: for the price of some of the nicer dynamics listed in this thread you could get a used Cad m179 and a sm57. If faced to chose I would rather do the latter. Don't expect the 57 to sound great, but it is what it is, and built like a tank.

Hiwatt wrote:Not to piss on yer parade: Don't waste money on gear. Go to a studio and do it right. Pay attention to what's going on so you'll know what to do when you wanna record yerselves. This is probably cheaper anyway.

I was thinking this myself. If your aim is to get a good recording for your band you'll save loads of trouble just going to a studio.