In some sort of order of importance … Remember … your sound is as good as the weakest link in the audio chain.
Excellent Microphone + Excellent PreAmp + Room Treatment + Excellent Monitors + Excellent Converters = Great Sound / Recording !!!
Below pictures are of the equipment that we have owned / tested at some point of time. It also shows our recording room treatment.
1 – Excellent Microphone
Neuman M149, Rode K2, Shure SM32, AKG C414 XLII, NU47, Miktek CV4 etc.
2 – Excellent Preamps – Do not use mixers while recording Qiraat. All you need is one good microphone, one excellent premap and a decent A/D converter. We have seen people buy expensive 24 channel mixing boards because they have good builtin preamps. Instead buy one preamp from the list below and you will see a drastic improvement in your recordings.
Even Midas builtin preamps cannot match a dedicated preamp. A dedicated preamp is made as a preamp only and that is all its sole purpose. In a mixing board you have hundreds of parts and premap is just one of them. Mixer manufacturers cut corners a lot to make the board more economical and the first place they cut corners are builtin preamps.
We would personally like to put preamps in number 1 spot as a good preamp can bring the best out of any microphone. A bad preamp can make the best microphones sound crappy.
Transparent Preamps
Rane (MS1S)
Avalon (M5)
Good
Joemeek ThreeQ
Rolls MP222
Golden Age Projects Pre-73
FMR Audio (RNP)
Black Lion (Aetuer, B12A)
Daking (Mic Pre One)
Better
True Systems (P-Solo)
Focusrite (IsaOne)
Ashly Mixer Preamps
SoundDevices (USB Pre2)
Blue Microphones (Robbie)
John Hardy (M1 / M1 Personal)
GML preamps (8300, 8304)
Forssell (SMP-2)
Manley Mono MicPre
Best
Gordon Preamps
Martech (MSS-10)
Buzz Audio (MA-2.2)
Grace M101 Avalon (VT 737 SP)
Transparent to Colored Preamps (transformer or tube based)
Good
Summit Audio (2BA-221)
ART (Pro Channel, Tube MP series, Tube PAC, Pro MPA II etc)
Focusrite (Scarlett & Saffire series)
Studio Projects VTB1
ART Tube PAC
ART Voice Channel
Dave Hill Designs (Europa I)
Better
Universal Audio (Solo 610, 710 twinfinity)
Chameleopn labs (7602 MK II)
Chandler Limited Germanium
Rupert Neve Designs (Portico)
Great River (ME-1NV)
Vintech (X73i)
API Channel Strip
Best
Millennia (HV-3C)
Focusrite Liquid Channel
Universal Audio (LA 610 MK II)
Chandler
Trident
Tube Tech
Emperical labs (EL-9 Mike-E)
NPNG (DMP-2NW)
DW Fearn VT1
Thermionic Culture (Earlybird, Rooster)
Crane Song Flamingo
A Designs (Pacifica)
3 – Room Treatment
4 – Excellent Monitors
5 – Excellent Converters
Still have to add text here. Coming soon InshaAllah.