What would you recommend for a working studio gearwise to get started with mastering for around 7-10K?

Currently:
Rosetta 800 converters
Dynaudio Air 15 monitors
1176 & LA-2A compressors
Great River EQ
PC/Nuendo

Man....
for starters - you are good!
its in your ear ah.....

once work is coming in and u see its all good i will recommend a nice multiband compressor.

for the price u asked for....i will recomend a custom made manley multiband-for analogue,
and the system6000 for digital.

enjoy,

quote:

Originally posted by harmnomix@gmail.com:
Man....
for starters - you are good!

Ehhhh, I wish that was mine.

I'll go out on a limb and say that you're going to need some dynamics (the 1176 and LA2A aren't going to help much - Well, maybe the LA2A as a mono mult for parallel work), so a STC8 or a Smart (?) might be in the cards.

I'd heartily recommend against a maul-the-band... I couldn't tell you the last time I used one, most ME's don't use them often (if at all) and to have Manley make you one would eat up more than your entire budget (as wood a TC 6000).

Wait a minute - Is that "currently" list what you currently have? Or is that what's "currently" on the list?

That's the list that's currently in the studio, which is being used for tracking, mixing.

No idea where to start. I thought it would be good to start with 1 or 2 compressors & EQ. But the same time I don't know what else I might need that I'm not aware of. Maybe some sort of CD burner, cassette deck etc? Software for burning?

dont know........
i use multi band compressors on a regular basis, with every mastering project......?\!2@#/4^7%^%

Does a Manley cost more than 10 K? I'm not sure about that.......

bottom line my friends,

good monitors, acoustics and the rest is in your ears!!!!!!

Manley doesn't make a maul-the-band. Neither does almost everybody else (no real demand for them). I'm sure they would if someone wanted one, but it'd cost a pretty penny to be sure...

A nip/tuck with MBC on occasion, sure. But if a project actually "needs" MBC for correction, I see about sending it back to the mix engineer. Band-aid for a broken leg. In any case, if he's looking at "keystone" gear, a MBC would be pretty low on the list (IMO/E).

But no doubt, monitors & acoustic treatment are paramount.

And certainly, PQ editing software (cheap - Wavelab, CD Architect, Samp. Master, etc.), a dedicated monitoring D-A (you'll need multiple sample rates more than occasionally) and that's a tricky one - Something like an Avocet kills, but you can certainly use something simple - along the lines of a Benchmark or Lavry Black.

The burner is another "cheap" upgrade - Grab a Plextor drive that will run PlexTools Professional (such as the 755UF).

I must say I agree, I work with electronic music, where the MBC is essential (final presentation is usually on a huge turbo soundsystem........in the venue),
for sure the plextor is the best cheap buy for a drive

I must also say a good word for benchmark, as I am an old fan...

OK,

Compression - STC8
CD Architect, Plextor drive
D/A - Lavry Black - I guess there will be need for another sound card & PC for analog conversion to 44/11, right? Will a new A/D be necessary too or Rosetta is good enough?

Any EQ recommendations?
Anything else?

What CDs are preferable to be used?

i use mitsui 74 min

but will like to get opinions

quote:

Originally posted by nbarts:
OK,

Compression - STC8
CD Architect, Plextor drive
D/A - Lavry Black - I guess there will be need for another sound card & PC for analog conversion to 44/11, right? Will a new A/D be necessary too or Rosetta is good enough?

Any EQ recommendations?
Anything else?

What CDs are preferable to be used?

I'm not crazy about the Rosetta, but they certainly don't suck. I'd want a more "pure" sounding monitoring converter (hence the Avocet / Benchmark / Lavry Black thought). The Great River EQ might take you a long way... Hard to say. The UAD card has a lot of horsepower also in that respect.

It really comes down to so many things in the budget... And I don't remember (maybe you mentioned) if the room is well treated. If not, I'd dump $1-2k in bass trapping right off the bat.

Perhaps the mastering EQ and compressor made by Maslec would work for you. They are not too terribly expensive. As far as a TC 6000. They can end up being a bit pricey.