Home Studio

[Spivonious]

Hey guys, I'm trying to set up a very basic home studio for as little money as possible.

Here's what I have so far:
Shure SM57
M-Audio Audio Buddy 2-channel mike pre

It's going into the X-Fi Platinum in my computer. I can do low-latency 24/96 recording with it, so I'm not interested in an "audio interface" or another soundcard.

I'm currently using my Logitech Z-2300 2.1 speakers. They're more suited towards gaming and movies, so I'm finding it hard to get a good sounding mix.

I see this package on MF. Are the M-Audio ProStudio 3 speakers any good? I know they're not going to be a huge improvement, but I'm just looking for something a little more balanced that won't color the sound as much as my Z-2300. Plus I've been looking for some condensor mikes to play around with and these seem to give good bang for the buck.

Any comments? Remember the room is untreated and it will only ever be for very amateur recordings.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-MAudio-Studio-Pro-3-Monitor-MXL-990991-Mic-Package-?sku=476487

[Hellbat]

I listened to a bunch of monitors last year when I decided to hook up some to my PC through a mixing board with my toneport and other stuff (mp3 players, xbox 360, etc.) and the m-audios were okay. I preferred the Yamaha, KRK, and Mackie models myself. I know JBL just introducted a bunch of new near field monitors in sub/sattelite packages as well.

If i was looking for best inexpensive I would probably buck up a little extra and go for the Yamaha stuff. The KRK I found to be the best sound for the dollar. The mackie stuff I listened to sounded the best but it was a higher end model and was premium $$$.

I got the Rokit 5, G2 series...

http://www.krksys.com/product_rokit.php

[Spivonious]

Ouch, Yamahas and Rokit 5s are $300/pair. I was hoping to get out with a pair for under $200.

The package I linked is $170 including two mic stands, two XLR cables, and two condensor mikes.

With that in mind, are the m-audios acceptable or do you think they wouldn't be much improvement over my current setup? I realize I'm not going to get stellar mid-range response with 3 1/4" drivers, but my current setup is 1 1/2" drivers with no tweeters.

[Endrik]

Not good... can't even imagine how much those mikes suck.

Condenser microphones aren't very cheap. Those which are cheap aren't real microphones. They are utter garbage.
The best pang for a buck would be Russian made Oktava MK012.

As far as the monitors go. Check Yamaha MSP series (like MSP3). You may also find Tannoy Reveal with a reasonable price.
Of course you can get those old used studio classics Yamaha NS10's. Bad sounding but industry standard, "If your mix sounds good on the NS-10s, it'll sound good on anything"