Can gear go bad?

J

Jackrip

New member
I have a relatively new set-up, but I havent recorded or used it in anyway for a long time. Well today I try to record and the vocals come out like complete shit.. is that normal, or did I somehow screw up my equipment by not using it for that period of time? I paid alot of money for it so I hope its still okay. :(
 
the expiration date is clearly printed on the bottom of all gear.

if your gear has'nt expired, it could be your ears, mood, different room, mic position, misalignment of the moon with pluto, etc., etc.
 
TravisinFlorida said:
the expiration date is clearly printed on the bottom of all gear.

if your gear has'nt expired, it could be your ears, mood, different room, mic position, misalignment of the moon with pluto, etc., etc.
Click to expand...

No astral body wants to align itself with Pluto now, since it's been downgraded. Nobody loves you when you're down and out. :(
 
I've find that 99% of the time people think their vocals sound like shit is because they sing like shit.
 
jonnyc said:
I've find that 99% of the time people think their vocals sound like shit is because they sing like shit.
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So true, so true.

I still can't get over the sound of my voice recorded, because I know it doesn't sound like that in my head! :o
 
Jackrip said:
I have a relatively new set-up, but I havent recorded or used it in anyway for a long time. Well today I try to record and the vocals come out like complete shit.. is that normal, or did I somehow screw up my equipment by not using it for that period of time? I paid alot of money for it so I hope its still okay. :(
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asisde from the many jokes

the title of your thread brings to mind

how old is the gear?



capacitors can go bad after a period of time

even with no use

and if one were in a key position

in your signal chain

it could degrade the sound



it's unlikely that other components

would go bad in equipment

that hasn't been powered up
 
notCardio said:
So true, so true.

I still can't get over the sound of my voice recorded, because I know it doesn't sound like that in my head! :o
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If you don't like the sound of your voice from a recording, that usually points to a poor choice in microphone. The sound through your head is a combination of direct sound and indirect sound through your skull, so it will never sound exactly like it, but with a bad choice of mic, it will sound radically different (i.e. bad).

So what kind of microphone are we talking about, and what type of voice do you have?
 
cannabis said:
asisde from the many jokes

the title of your thread brings to mind

how old is the gear?



capacitors can go bad after a period of time

even with no use

and if one were in a key position

in your signal chain

it could degrade the sound



it's unlikely that other components

would go bad in equipment

that hasn't been powered up
Click to expand...

My gear is less then a year old. The vocals were pretty clear before, and now they peak way too soon and they distort, and even with the gain on my preamp all the way up, the vocals are low. It can just be a setting thing on my compressor which is what I originally thought, but then again, I didnt change any settings from the last time I recorded, so that got me thinking.
 
You might have stored the mics unproperly...good condensers need to be airsealed and kept from moisture or the capsule will go straight to hell. :rolleyes:
 
Jackrip said:
My gear is less then a year old. The vocals were pretty clear before, and now they peak way too soon and they distort, and even with the gain on my preamp all the way up, the vocals are low. It can just be a setting thing on my compressor which is what I originally thought, but then again, I didnt change any settings from the last time I recorded, so that got me thinking.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a gain staging problem or, careful here, there's a chance you are singing into the wrong side of the mic. We've all done it once... well YOU"VE all done it once....
 
Big Kenny said:
Sounds like a gain staging problem or, careful here, there's a chance you are singing into the wrong side of the mic. We've all done it once... well YOU"VE all done it once....
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Its the right side of the mic lol...

You might have stored the mics unproperly...good condensers need to be airsealed and kept from moisture or the capsule will go straight to hell.
Click to expand...

I am fearing that, that is what I did, I didnt store it at all, it was on the mic stand the whole time... although there was no mositure involved.
 
You might check the mic cable to the microphone. It may not be making a good connection on one of the pins and you aren't getting a full signal, only half of it. That will definitely cause low output and phase problems with the signal!
 
There's moisture in the air.

If the gear is a year old it should be working fine, even with a layoff during that time. Gear doesn't really go bad like what you are worried about. Gear has to be abused or neglected in a serious way for it to cease to function properly.

You might try swapping out cables. Or just pull the cables out and then re-insert them.
 
Jackrip said:
Its the right side of the mic lol...



I am fearing that, that is what I did, I didnt store it at all, it was on the mic stand the whole time... although there was no mositure involved.
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Bingo. There IS moisture involved, more than likely. There are threads about drying out mics with a standard lightbulb. Bet this does the trick. Hope so.
 
darrin_h2000 said:
You might have stored the mics unproperly...good condensers need to be airsealed and kept from moisture or the capsule will go straight to hell. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Uhhh... I can check with some folks on this, but I don't think there is any general consensus on this as a strict requirement. It probably varies a lot, depending upon what the capsule and diaphragm materials are and how they are affected by moisture and, obviously, moisture levels where the mike is kept.

My AT 4050 is rarely off of its mike stand and it's still working great after, uh, a number of years... well, at least ten. I do keep a plastic cup over it (except when it's in use!) to keep at least some of the dust in the air from settling on it.
 
dgatwood said:
If you don't like the sound of your voice from a recording, that usually points to a poor choice in microphone.
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Or genetic parents. :(

Get the compressor out of the picture to reduce the variables to just the mic and the preamp (switch the comp off and anything else but the pre if it's a channel strip). If it still sounds bad, try another mic, or another pre (mixer channel will work). Isolate the problem.
 
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