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Post by doubledog on Sept 21, 2024 16:25:31 GMT -6
not to be morbid (but I have been through this with my brother) - keep a detailed record of your gear with the price you paid, the replacement cost, and serial numbers (and descriptions - photos are great too). Hopefully you already have all that for insurance purposes, but if anything happens to you, your family (who may know nothing about this gear) will appreciate knowing they did not sell that $5K mic for $200 on Marketplace.
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Post by nobtwiddler on Sept 21, 2024 17:09:49 GMT -6
These old adage(s) still hold true:
#1 - You get what you pay for.
#2 - Whatever Works,
Cause none of it really matters, in the big sceme of things!
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Post by tonycamphd on Sept 21, 2024 18:14:10 GMT -6
it's still thousands for a good clean condenser mic, pre, and converter. not even chasing the past stuff. the room is way more expensive too. Room, I’d take an entry level mic, pre, comp and a killer room over a holy grail mic, pre, comp and a shot out room |
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Post by reddirt on Sept 21, 2024 18:19:34 GMT -6
A couple more adages I should have listened to.
"We didn't have much money so we bought the best."
"Buy right - buy once"
Not quite the same thing but you'll get my point - Dweezil Zappa said in an interview with Rick Beato . " Put Eddie van Halen through a crap amp , he'd still sound like Eddie Van Halen.
Cheers, Ross
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Post by drbill on Sept 21, 2024 19:05:22 GMT -6
The difference is that those other professions actually make real money. $50-200 per hour. Anyone making less than $50k a year on a $100k truck is going to have it repo'd in less than 6 months. The music "biz" is essentially dead. At least from a standard investment business perspective, and from the perspective of 20 years ago - which even then was low return on investment. At this point in time, it's an "avocation" more than a profession. I'm not trying to make an argument that any of us are smart  . I don't go on vacations and I don't buy cars, but I do buy studio crap constantly. It's easier to justify when you enjoy it too, I guess that's what I was getting at. That's totally cool. But lets not be naive - if 5% of us are earning out entire living from music, I'd fall out of my chair. Comparing our profession to a plumber or contractor is kind of silly - no? And you DID advocate stepping up our spending?  . All good if you can afford it (avocation / hobby) or your business is profitable enough that your accountant calls you up in November and tells you to start spending - or prepare to hand it over to uncle sam.... Otherwise, it's just being irresponsible - my wife told me so. LOL |
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Post by andersmv on Sept 21, 2024 19:26:38 GMT -6
I'm not trying to make an argument that any of us are smart . I don't go on vacations and I don't buy cars, but I do buy studio crap constantly. It's easier to justify when you enjoy it too, I guess that's what I was getting at. That's totally cool. But lets not be naive - if 5% of us are earning out entire living from music, I'd fall out of my chair. Comparing our profession to a plumber or contractor is kind of silly - no? And you DID advocate stepping up our spending? . All good if you can afford it (avocation / hobby) or your business is profitable enough that your accountant calls you up in November and tells you to start spending - or prepare to hand it over to uncle sam.... Otherwise, it's just being irresponsible - my wife told me so. LOL I would agree, we can’t compare ourselves to plumbers. Very different mindsets for a business (and I’m making my living 100% on music). I’m never going to make a lot of money, and I’m sure I’ll continue to have tough times ahead, as that’s the reality of this business. I’ve made my peace with that, and it’s taken me a long time to figure out how to realistically make it work. I’m also incredibly lucky, and spent most of my adult life not being able to make this work. I don’t think any of us are under any illusions 😂 |
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Post by mythundreamt on Sept 21, 2024 21:20:16 GMT -6
Hmmm I feel better thanks to this thread.
$20K mic (1959 U47 with Grosser replacement tube), $10K Fairchild 660 clone and $50K console (Wunderbar) coz I hate latency.
To make up for all this goodness though, I can’t actually sing for shit.
(Please send help.)
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Post by honkeur on Sept 22, 2024 3:17:16 GMT -6
The chase is expensive. And then, there’s an additional cost — the time spent on the chase: researching, demoing, testing, shooting-out.
Like anyone who finds themself a day older today than they were yesterday, my time becomes more and more valuable…
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Post by thehightenor on Sept 22, 2024 5:58:29 GMT -6
Hmmm I feel better thanks to this thread. $20K mic (1959 U47 with Grosser replacement tube), $10K Fairchild 660 clone and $50K console (Wunderbar) coz I hate latency. To make up for all this goodness though, I can’t actually sing for shit. (Please send help.) Simple fix. Send me your gear and I'll sing your songs for you |
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Post by thehightenor on Sept 22, 2024 6:01:06 GMT -6
A couple more adages I should have listened to. "We didn't have much money so we bought the best." "Buy right - buy once" Not quite the same thing but you'll get my point - Dweezil Zappa said in an interview with Rick Beato . " Put Eddie van Halen through a crap amp , he'd still sound like Eddie Van Halen. Cheers, Ross It's an odd thing .... We never regret our extravagances. We all regret cheeping out. My one exception - buying a beaten up second hand 1981 JV Strat for £100 - best Strat I've ever played in the last 30 years  |
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Post by sean on Sept 22, 2024 7:19:40 GMT -6
I justify my purchases because I don't have any hobbies outside of this job! I wish I had a minimalist mindset, but as the child of parent's who collected things I definitely like "stuff" too much. But what I call "the burden of processions" definitely weighs on me a bit. I need to start investing in my home and experiences over stuff.
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 22, 2024 15:29:05 GMT -6
it's still thousands for a good clean condenser mic, pre, and converter. not even chasing the past stuff. the room is way more expensive too. Room, I’d take an entry level mic, pre, comp and a killer room over a holy grail mic, pre, comp and a shot out room You know, I bet you’re right. I bet if you were in a professionally built and treated room, these things would sound a lot better. Well - mics at least. I’ve figured out in my room, there are resonances that I’ve just got to go pull out. Doesn’t matter the mic. And all this time I’ve been blaming mics for it. |
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 22, 2024 15:33:09 GMT -6
I justify my purchases because I don't have any hobbies outside of this job! I wish I had a minimalist mindset, but as the child of parent's who collected things I definitely like "stuff" too much. But what I call "the burden of processions" definitely weighs on me a bit. I need to start investing in my home and experiences over stuff. Yeah. In the past I’ve felt guilty if I’m carrying too much debt or spending too much ”too much.” I’m starting to feel less guilty. Like you said - this is my hobby. Problem is I’ve got both guitar and pro audio diseases. |
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Post by thehightenor on Sept 22, 2024 15:53:21 GMT -6
I look back now and realise my dream of being an accomplished multi-instrumentalist wasn't a cheap one.
Setting yourself up as a pro drummer/ keyboard player/ guitarist/ bassist/ vocalist .... adds up over the years.
Occasionally I put all the money spent over the last 25 years into a compound interest calculator and it's a bit shocking really,
from a financial point of view it's been a crazy pursuit.
But my wife always reminds me life is a journey not a destination and enjoying the journey is what life is really about.
I guess if money was my goal I'd gone into a completely different field of work - so I make it my goal and focus to enjoy every moment
of being a creative musician ("creative musician" that's a tautology)
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Post by drbill on Sept 22, 2024 16:03:51 GMT -6
Problem is I’ve got both guitar and pro audio diseases. Hmmmm.....Collection disease is a thing...... Mics Keyboards Outboard Gear!!!!! Guitars Off-Road Motorcycles Jeeps Gunz Amps Other random stuff I think I might be financially screwed...... LOL |
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Post by mythundreamt on Sept 22, 2024 16:29:35 GMT -6
Hmmm I feel better thanks to this thread. $20K mic (1959 U47 with Grosser replacement tube), $10K Fairchild 660 clone and $50K console (Wunderbar) coz I hate latency. To make up for all this goodness though, I can’t actually sing for shit. (Please send help.) Simple fix. Send me your gear and I'll sing your songs for you Sure!! Yes!! Wait.. what are songs? |
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 22, 2024 16:35:35 GMT -6
Problem is I’ve got both guitar and pro audio diseases. Hmmmm.....Collection disease is a thing...... Mics Keyboards Outboard Gear!!!!! Guitars Off-Road Motorcycles Jeeps Gunz Amps Other random stuff I think I might be financially screwed...... LOL Myoldcreditcarditis is a horrible calamity. |
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Post by sean on Sept 22, 2024 17:07:57 GMT -6
Problem is I’ve got both guitar and pro audio diseases. Hmmmm.....Collection disease is a thing...... Mics Keyboards Outboard Gear!!!!! Guitars Off-Road Motorcycles Jeeps Gunz Amps Other random stuff I think I might be financially screwed...... LOL Yeah I think I have 20 guitars and barely play 😆 |
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Post by ericn on Sept 22, 2024 17:19:48 GMT -6
Room, I’d take an entry level mic, pre, comp and a killer room over a holy grail mic, pre, comp and a shot out room You know, I bet you’re right. I bet if you were in a professionally built and treated room, these things would sound a lot better. Well - mics at least. I’ve figured out in my room, there are resonances that I’ve just got to go pull out. Doesn’t matter the mic. And all this time I’ve been blaming mics for it. That is the thing, in the days of old you hade great rooms with good equipment. Now because of the expense you have poor- to decent rooms full of great equipment still trying to make up for the room. |
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Post by drbill on Sept 22, 2024 17:30:39 GMT -6
Hmmmm.....Collection disease is a thing...... Mics Keyboards Outboard Gear!!!!! Guitars Off-Road Motorcycles Jeeps Gunz Amps Other random stuff I think I might be financially screwed...... LOL Yeah I think I have 20 guitars and barely play 😆 Ditto. More than 20 and likewise - I can barely play. LOL |
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Post by bossanova on Sept 22, 2024 19:07:28 GMT -6
This is why I rediscovered my love of retro-gaming. As a hobby it’s relatively cheap as long as you don’t get into buying pinball machines and/or arcade cabinets. I have a 13” CRT that I bought a few weeks ago with 3 consoles hooked up into it (the oldest is my NES from 1990), and a mini-pc that runs to the flatscreen in the same room. If I want to play something bigger, I’m happy to throw some money to one of the local arcades here. Much like audio tubes, there’s nothing like the real thing, but I also don’t want to buy it and pay for maintaining it with a dwindling supply of NOS parts.
As others have said here, unless I hit the lottery I would gladly make music with the equipment that I have and only ask for a better room. The last time I got my Serrano 87 into a decent room (my upstairs loft with temporary gobos in place) it sounded great. It’s just such a chore with time and pets and a kid to get it set up and quiet enough to record vocals. So I’m stuck with my box of a studio where it’s quiet but the acoustics are a compromise at best.
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Post by craigmorris74 on Sept 22, 2024 19:47:50 GMT -6
Pretend that you love bass fishing. Look up the price of a new Ranger bass boat. Now breathe a sigh of relief that you picked pro audio.
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Post by andersmv on Sept 22, 2024 21:31:45 GMT -6
This is why I rediscovered my love of retro-gaming. As a hobby it’s relatively cheap as long as you don’t get into buying pinball machines and/or arcade cabinets. I have a 13” CRT that I bought a few weeks ago with 3 consoles hooked up into it (the oldest is my NES from 1990), and a mini-pc that runs to the flatscreen in the same room. If I want to play something bigger, I’m happy to throw some money to one of the local arcades here. Much like audio tubes, there’s nothing like the real thing, but I also don’t want to buy it and pay for maintaining it with a dwindling supply of NOS parts. As others have said here, unless I hit the lottery I would gladly make music with the equipment that I have and only ask for a better room. The last time I got my Serrano 87 into a decent room (my upstairs loft with temporary gobos in place) it sounded great. It’s just such a chore with time and pets and a kid to get it set up and quiet enough to record vocals. So I’m stuck with my box of a studio where it’s quiet but the acoustics are a compromise at best. I was thinking of doing this in a corner in my live room. I’ve been on the lookout for a cool/old retro looking CRT console TV. I want to grab the old duck hunt game with the pistol, and then get a few controllers and Goldeneye. I figured most musicians would have fun dicking around for a few minutes on it during breaks. |
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Post by drbill on Sept 22, 2024 23:17:13 GMT -6
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Post by frans on Sept 23, 2024 1:57:54 GMT -6
I think my room is pretty nice. At least it's big, and has lots of sunlight. I just buy gear so my daughters have something to sell when i depart. I HAVE to make a few sheets (read: heavy binder) with pics and "don't sell this U67 under..." I agree that after you arrive at a certain point and are happy with your gear, gear is less of a talking point alltogether. I HAVEN'T BEEN THINKING ABOUT BUYING A NEW MIC for a while now...
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. I don't go on vacations and I don't buy cars, but I do buy studio crap constantly. It's easier to justify when you enjoy it too, I guess that's what I was getting at. 
