Which option do you guys recommend?

[jordanstreet]

The basic goal here is to get the best sound and tonal quality on my recordings.

Currently I have:
- Roland Cube 60
- M-Audio Delta 44 (do I need a better one for higher quality recordings?)

Planning on getting monitors possibly BX5a's not sure though.

Option A: Go with a Miced setup of my current amp and buy:
- Preamp (possibly Presonus blue tube or m-audio audio buddy)
- Shure SM57

Option B: Go directly in with a preamp for example buy:
- ADA MP-1 or other preamp (any recommendations for ~$400-$600?)
and run the output of that straight into my delta 44. I would listen through the monitors.

Option C: A Fuse of both buy:
- Mic Preamp
- Shure SM57
- ADA MP-1 or other preamp
- Some Cabinet


I know this was a lot, thanks for reading and I look forward to an awesome response

Thanks,
Jordan

[av]

The saying "you're only as strong as your weakest link" holds some water in the recording world. So you must keep this in mind when budgeting for equipment. It would be silly to buy a $2,000 microphone when your preamps and converters are not of at least near equally high standards. So let that sit in the back of your mind when deciding on what to buy.

Generally with guitar you will want to mic the amp when you can. Going DI with guitar just doesn't sound all that fantastic in a lot of cases, but it is by no means always a bad choice and has it's place. Bass however is often recorded DI.

If you're wanting to get into recording and want to expand on your home studio as money is available, i'd say go ahead and start getting your mic collection together and start experimenting with real audio recording. dont forget although SM57 is a famous mic for sounding good on so many instruments, its not the only one out there. Mics have there own sound to them and definately affect your sound.

check out this website www.TweakHeadz.com
Tweak does a great job at guiding the beginners into making their own good decisions. definately read Tweaks Guide a couple times until you fully understand it.

AV