Such is the ever expanding market for Studio gear there are relatively speaking fewer bargains for choice gear around - and the companies which sell this type of gear ( and stay in business) tend to sell more on service and support rather than price - but there are some good choices around . . .
Tascams digital all in one mixer was slighty sneered at when it was first released ( jack of all trades stuff etc), but such is the move towards truly mobile and compact recording gear based upon laptops they have found favour recently following a rapid drop in price, and the ability to copy Mackie Hui and Control software. I have had mine for four months and a while I have used it for the digital studio work that I plan to install after Easter - I have used it for a couple of live recordings into a digital recorder and been hugely impressed with the quality and ergonomics. For a more unbiased review see what Sound and Sound had to say here . Now of course the real ace in the pack is a recent price drop to less than £500 from suppliers such as Andertons in Guildford see here .
Also around at the bargain prices at the moment are Samson Resolv 80A
speakers which after several years of trying different combinations I am currently using both as my main project studion monitors, but also [a slightly hernia inducing] reference speakers for other recording use. Having 8" main speakers they can certainly pack a hefty bass punch, ( the neigbours and well as the family need to be out if you want to test them in a domestic context) but they also retain a good balance at lower volumes which is just as important for home use. Several registered Samson dealers seem to be doing deals on them at the moment including Dolphin at a £199 see here for details and you will pay a premium for postage cos of the weight.
While you can do a lot with digital software EQ, I personally still maintain that there is nothing quite like having the physical feel of EQ. ART make superb eq units and I used a pair of 452s in a monitor chain for three years without a mumble of complaint but there is much more that they can do in the recording or mixing chain - and Boomerang have these wonderful units at the give away price of £145 see here for details - and the site is a slow loader so be patient.
Lastly another case of " how do they do it for the money" from the German-Chinese collabaration known as Behringer (and we are assurred it is not slave labour) who have produced FCA 202 Firewire Interface for the frankly staggering price of £59 - having seen and heard one over the weekend the quality and facilities are simply staggering - see more details through GAK here
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