Investing in gear

[john lamb]

I need to spend some money to buy some gear, and I'd love to get some recommendations

I'm looking for a reasonably cheap, yet powerful and small PA .... speakers+mixer+amp
I already have a Yamaha powered mixer that works fine for smaller rooms. I need something that will work for outside venues

Also, recording. I'm looking for a reasonably good sounding mic set up that I can run into Audacity. I already have a D6 and a D1 and a D2, and SM57s, so condensers is really what I'm asking about . These will be for home recording, mostly for adding on to video.

Any advice would be appreciated!

[chris perra]

Whats your budget?

For condensers if you can afford it Neuman Km 184's are amazing..

All the companies nowdays have some kind of decent self powered rig.

It really depends on the budget and how many inputs and much power you need.
I use a Yamaha powered mixer..EMX 512... 500W a side for the mains and monitors. With a set of Yorkville E10's as speakers..and 2 self powered 12 inch Yamaha subs
I can play almost any venue with that up to 200 people or so.. with a small 4 piece band.. not miking the drums...


The cheapest I've seen that are decent is a Peavy rig that is a sub and two mains for 1000 bucks Canadian.. just for the speakers..

[Brad Schlueter]

If those Neuman's are out of your league $-wise Michael Joly does modifications of cheap mics to sound like the KM 184.

http://www.oktavamodshop.com/index.php? ... g7hs1cpmb5

There are lots of great cheaper options too. Go to Gearwire or some of the pro audio forums and you'll find lots of expert advice.

[john lamb]

I'm hoping to get it all under $2k ... so the Octavas are probably a bit pricey

[Brad Schlueter]

You can get a pair of decent small diaphram condensors like the AT2021 or Cascade M139 for well under $200 that can work surprisingly well. They can work both as overheads for recording or a close mics for you HH or ride live.