some wise words for those starting out

[trebles]

taken from a post on rec.audio.pro without permission from authour

Matt LaporaMatt > wrote:
ML| If you had 20,000 dollars to spend on studio equipment (no instruments)
ML| including editing equipment and mics, where would you start and what would
ML| you buy? Which editing software?

Software?end quote

Let's start over.


Spend the first $2500 on a very basic setup that you can either
resell for almost the same price or you will want to keep indefinitely.
Mabye a nice selection of different mics that are relatively good
values and inexpensive to leave room for the other stuff you need.
Here's a rough WAG at what that might could be (very arbitrarily):

1 used Shure SM-57 mic
1 Marshall MXL 603 mic
1 Marshall MXL V-67 mic
1 Beyerdynamic M-88 mic (used if possible)
1 Audio Technica ATM-25 mic
1 Electrovoice C635a mic (used if possible)
1 homemade pop-filter made with embroidery hoop and hose
8 standard mic cables 20'

1 used Mackie 1604vlz mixer
1 pair Sony MDR-V600 headphones
1 modern 4-track analog cassette recorder (hmm... model?)
1 FMR Audio RNC compressor
1 used Alex effects unit
12 patch cables
2 TRS <-> RCA cables so you can play stuff through your stereo

Experiment for about 100 hours or so, however long that takes you. Use
your stereo in addition to the headphones to monitor. Spend your next
$100 on some good books about how to do this stuff. Read them, then
spend another 50 or so hours experimenting.

Then spend the next $2400 on real studio time and an experienced engineer
to record your first few songs or projects, whatever fits the money.

Then decide how to spend the remaining $15000. You might choose any of
the following:

Combine that money with what you can recover by selling most of the
above items to buy more real studio time, because it is a more effective
use of your money. In other words, you learned that it is much better
to pay for professionals with great equipment to help you create the
kind of quality recordings you want than to waste that money on low-end
gear that you still won't have the skill to operate well.

Spend $10000 on building or treating your mixdown environment or
recording environment (get the room right) and to buy some low-end
but adequate monitors to match your room. Then you still have
$5000 to spend on upgrading a few pieces of gear. With that, you
could buy a low-end PC-based DAW and decent 2-channel mic preamp.
Maybe.

Pay for on-going time with a real engineer in a real studio in order
to learn the trade. How much? You could learn a *lot* by spending
just a third of the remaining amount. If you are any good at it,
they might even start paying you to help. If you aren't, then it's
a good thing you didn't waste all your money on studio gear that you
won't be able to use anyway. But in any case, at this point, you'll
have a much better idea of what to do with whatever money is left
over.

You might ask, why not just do one of those things to start? That's a
good question. But you're already bent on buying some gear and recording,
so it's best to start small and try to buy stuff that fits a tight budget
but still doesn't suck too much ("good values"). You can learn a lot by
playing around with a few mics and a 4 track. There's no point in spending
$20000 on stuff you won't know how to use. As you learn by making do with
lesser gear, you'll get a much better picture of what you might really need
to upgrade and what is actually just fine the way it is. Or whether you
really were wrong in assuming that this was something you wanted to do.

My only really serious point here is that I think it would be unwise to
spend $20000 off the bat, especially based on little more than advice from
strangers you gathered on a newsgroup. My apologies if you already have
a lot of experience. I certainly don't. :-)

But then, some folks once scammed me out of about that much money, and
despite the SEC lawyers getting a ruling against them, they have no assets
left and/or they've fled the country, and I'll never recover a cent. So
I definitely know what it is like to lose that much money. It pains me to
see someone about to do something potentially so regretable.

And I am not an audio professional, so you certainly shouldn't listen to
*my* advice. :-)

--
Keith W. Blackwell
wrote:[/QUOTE]

ive been reading alot of late at rec.audio.pro and alot ive read there makes alot of sense just wanted to post this here for new people who were all confused just as i was and are wondering alot about what gear they may need some good food for thought above

[eternalmuzik]

lol why did u put "used" next to some items,... i'd fuckin go crazy with $20,000 and still have some left over,....you just got to know how to spend your money wisely,....

[TexRoadkill]

My only tips would be never trust a whore who says she doesnt want money and never do business with a christian or a mormon.

[Guernica]

...... oh..... and never take a toke after somebody with sores around their mouth........ .....unless youre into that kinda thing...

[trebles]

eternalmuzik

this wasnt my post but someone elses i just quoted what they said and the reason some pieces were labeled as try to get them second hand was so the person could save money on the upfront cost of the item as for example a beyer m88 new is not so cheap for a beginer to just go out and secure

the only item he listed to get second hand i kind of wondered about was the sm57 as these go for what ever you can get them for and thats new or secondhand

a good example was i recently purchased two sm57,s as new of a guy for 35usd each which is 70 dollars in my money down here in australia and thats not bad at all anyone selling these mics has to be crazy you can always use them for something.

i'd fuckin go crazy with $20,000 and still have some left

sorry but i dont see eye to eye here on this one

you just got to know how to spend your money wisely,....

this i agree with that was the whole point of posting this info as just an example not an absolute be all and end all

just another flavour to consider thats all take from it anything that assists you in your quest for whatever it is you seek some sound advice for new people trying to make sound decisions this is all


TexRoadkill

My only tips would be never trust a whore who says she doesnt want money and never do business with a christian or a mormon.

Mixing religon and anything is a foul mix indeed just look at the state of the world affairs considering religon and politics and these people are the so called educated ones. hmmmm

Guernica

...... oh..... and never take a toke after somebody with sores around their mouth........ .....unless youre into that kinda thing...

ummmm i dont think i,ll go there Guernica

and for the rest of you who read this and learnt something hope it was all of some benifit to you all