This thread begs the questions: what's your workflow like? Are you familiar with the mics in your original post on your sources? Have you considerd going the console route for tracking and monitoring? I would up the ante on monitors and phones. I don't own one but from what I've seen & heard the Axe FX II is astonishing. With that budget you can end up with an awesome project studio that suits your needs or a bunch of stuff that's killer but might not work well for your situation. Just thinkin' , uh  dreaming ))))))))))))))))) out loud.

Rocky

Here's an interface for you:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cakewalk-VS700R-VS700-R-VS-700-R-/271112953082?pt=US_Computer_Recording_Interfaces&hash=item3f1f975cfa

They don't come up for sale used very often.  Mic pres are NICE on it.  Good compression built in as well.

I checked out the Axe FX II, it gets allot of good reviews. Any other thoughts on audio interfaces? 

LA-610 pre/comp  - skip this and get a Neve based preamp. The reason I say this is because once you plug into the LA2A below, you will have all the warmth you need. I would suggest a Portico 5012 or actual Neve or a clone of a Neve 1073.

LA2A comp - Yes, I have one. It is time saver on getting a top notch track.

1176 - Yes, have one of these too and it's a must for drum tracking and guitar tracking also for emphatic vocalists.

API The Channel Strip pre/comp/eq - Yes, it's the other primary color for tracking for things like snare, and rock vocals.

Shure sm7 - maybe depends on the vocalist. I have one and it gets used for loud singers but that's about it.

Neumann TLM 49 - Ok, not for all vocalists, moving to an AR51, U87 might make you happier. I have one and it needs a good transformer in line to get a decent vocal. This mic into the 5012 into an LA2A has been my best vocal chain sound. I long for a U87.

sE Electronics Reflexion Filter - works great but doesn't reduce ceiling bounce which in a small room is an issue.

The interface recommendation from me is the Lynx Aurora 16. Add a Dangerous 2 buss and you have an ITB and killer OTB solution for hybrid mixing.

Another recommendation would be the following:
Master buss compressor for mixing (SSL clone or Portico 5043)
stereo EQ for the master buss. Great River or a pair of Portico 5033. A bunch of 500 series options as well.

bigboi


Here's an interface for you:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cakewalk-VS700R-VS700-R-VS-700-R-/271112953082?pt=US_Computer_Recording_Interfaces&hash=item3f1f975cfa

They don't come up for sale used very often.  Mic pres are NICE on it.  Good compression built in as well.

I thought there were grumblings from owners of these due to very very slow response to issues and things like that.  I would suggest reading the Cakewalk Forum set up for owners of these.  I think that I recall from cruising through there once that there were some unhappy folks there.  Worth checking out prior to bidding on one.


I had considered one, but ended up deciding not to at the time, as my divorce ripped the financial heart out of my body.


Bob Bone

+1 to what Middleman said. If you do decide for a Neve type pre I've loved my Great River pre's....mine are 500 format but they make stand-alone's as well. In fact, U87 into Great River into a TLA-100 (Summit Audio version of an LA-2A) is pretty fantastic for a lot of voice types.


BTW, you keep hearing folks suggest Lynx for a reason 


Dean

Middleman


LA-610 pre/comp  - skip this and get a Neve based preamp. The reason I say this is because once you plug into the LA2A below, you will have all the warmth you need. I would suggest a Portico 5012 or actual Neve or a clone of a Neve 1073.

LA2A comp - Yes, I have one. It is time saver on getting a top notch track.

1176 - Yes, have one of these too and it's a must for drum tracking and guitar tracking also for emphatic vocalists.

API The Channel Strip pre/comp/eq - Yes, it's the other primary color for tracking for things like snare, and rock vocals.

Shure sm7 - maybe depends on the vocalist. I have one and it gets used for loud singers but that's about it.

Neumann TLM 49 - Ok, not for all vocalists, moving to an AR51, U87 might make you happier. I have one and it needs a good transformer in line to get a decent vocal. This mic into the 5012 into an LA2A has been my best vocal chain sound. I long for a U87.

sE Electronics Reflexion Filter - works great but doesn't reduce ceiling bounce which in a small room is an issue.

The interface reccomendation from me is the Lynx Aurora 16. Add a Dangerous 2 buss and you have an ITB and killer OTB solution for hybrid mixing.

Another reccomendation would be the following:
Master buss compressor for mixing (SSL clone or Portico 5043)
stereo EQ for the master buss. Great River or a pair of Portico 5033. A bunch of 500 series options as well.

 A lot of great suggestions. I just wanted to give a thumbs up to an RME audio interface. Personally, I use the RME Multiface II w/PCIe card into the computer, and I'm able to not only get good A/D D/A conversions, I really love the Cuemix and their ASIO direct monitoring aspect. I'm able to monitor instruments BEFORE they reach the computer, and can have individualized stereo mixes for several musicians simultaneously. And some of the newer models, like the RME UCX have efx built into the monitoring so a singer, for example, can expressively sing while "hearing" reverb, but the actual vocal is going to disk dry, allowing for later reverb/delay choices while mixing. So, we're talking about, basically, NO latency while monitoring. Most interfaces have this ability ONLY with their headphone out, but RME (and MOTU also, I believe) have this capability with ALL of their outputs. $30,000 is a lot of money, but it can easily be spent ... and wasted. I suggest going through your entire recording signal chain, and only buying, and replacing,with the best for each part, (one excellent pre instead of two mediocre mic-pres), and be the most picky with your audio converter, your mics, monitors, and your mic pres. Most other aspects can be handled via software. And, I'm not sure if I'd buy anything made by Avid, but that's just me. They always seem to be more sizzle than steak to my ears. Have fun, and just remember, you can only spend that money ONCE ...

 I'm sorry that my previous post had no "apparent" paragraphs, but they all went away when I posted ... what am I doing wrong?

Ok guys narrowing it down. Here's where I stand..

Rackmount PC :  Studiocat
UAD Quad Flex
Sonar X1
Neumann U 87 Ai Set Z
Lynx Aurora 16
 Lynx AES16e 
Gefell M950 stereo pair (primarily for acoustic guitars)
Blue Microphones Kiwi
Portico 5012 preamp 
LA2A comp 
1176 comp 
API The Channel Strip pre/comp/eq  
Shure sm7 
SE Electronics Reflexion Filter 
Kemper profiling amp 
YAMAHA MSP7 STUDIO MONITOR 800.00

3 Pair Fostex T50RP headphones 
Going to continue using my Mackie Control Pro, I'm also researching the Dangerous 2 buss

That puts me in at around 30,000 new
Any other thoughts from anyone?

That's some nice gear, but a couple of changes I'd make:

1. You don't have a matching pair of preamps which means your nice matched pair of M950's (which are phenomenal mics BTW) don't have matching pre's to plug in to.

2. I would imagine (don't know for sure) that the Kiwi and the 87 likely occupy a similar sonic space. I'd think about dropping either the kiwi or the 87 and using that cash to add a matching pre and maybe upgrade the monitors. If it was me I'd keep the 87...it's a real standard and I use mine all the time...

One more thing....if you can demo any of this gear before buying you really should. I've used the gear I'm suggesting (and a whole bunch of gear that I'm not suggesting  ) but really the only opinion that matters is yours after you use it and hear it.

Dean


EDIT: one more thing: If you go with the AES16e/Aurora 16 know that it is VERY flexible...you can route and live monitor any combination of inputs to any combination of outputs, but it's not for the faint of heart. It's big and can be daunting. Expect to read docs and spend some time with it.