Affording Expensive Gear

zipline7020

New member
So right now I'm a college student at a music university, and Im trying to build my own studio to record my friends and I. Anyway I'm already maxed out in my credit hours and working a small job to help pay for food/gas. What are some ways I can afford more studio gear.

**

Specifically, and axe fx 2. Right now i use a POD HD, and I always feel dis-satisfied with what I'm getting. Most of my favorite bands use axe fx, and I feel maybe I could get closer to what Im looking for with that. I play all sorts of different styles, so just buying 1 amp wouldn't do because I use different amp sounds for different things. And it needs to be a modeler because I can't seem to find a place near the college that allows loud guitar cabs. So axe fx 2/kemper whatever, both are amazing and expensive.

and other gear, but thats the main one that comes to mind.

*side note over

So what are some ways you can recommend for someone in my position to raise the money beyond my normal job for an expensive yet seemingly crucial piece of gear? Money keeps getting tighter and harder to stow away for later, and I would like to have this before I finish my undergrad, which is in a year and a few months.
 
It really depends on your skill set. I mean, can you think of ANYTHING you are talented at that you could use to get paid? Drawing up album art for someone, maybe recording demos for bands with your current gear, designing some basic websites for bands...?

Shoot, even just mowing lawns or raking leaves and shoveling snow is a possibility. My first thought was Sweetwater credit card (that's what I use whenever I've got some new gear I'm really jonesing for), but they only have the Kemper, and personally I'd go for an Axe-FX over that. But that's just me.

Some colleges have "work study" where they pay you to do work at the college. When I was in audio school, I was able to get paid like, $15 an hour to just sit in our MIDI lab and help out students that didn't know what they were doing.
 
Hi Zipline,
You have the Pod HD? Can we assume that even though you don't like the syms' it gives you, you are getting low enough latency* through the device to play computer plugins?

If so then start trawling the internet for guitar FX freebies! Just this..Different types of effects you can use in REAPER - CockosWiki for starters. I am sure you can put up with the nagging until you can pay for it!

Then, virtually all the major DAWs have demos. This means you can have a month of Cubase, then Sonar...Samplitude Pro X, Studio One and several more.

One cost saving measure? If you don't have them already get some electronics smarts. At least learn to solder and how to make and mend audio cables.

*If perchance the latency IS too bad, flog the Pod and buy a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6!

Dave.
 
Get on over to Paypal and see how much credit you can get on Paypal credit. If your credit's been good, you might be good for a nice line of credit. Buy a good monitoring device (say, a Central Station, at least). Then, get the best monitors you can afford. The sky's the limit with monitors; spend as much as you can. (Easy for me to say!) This is assuming a lot, I know--that you can get credit--but maybe your mates can help out here. The most important thing you can do from the get-go, though, is to treat your room--that is, read up on and then start building bass traps, etc. Again, I'm assuming that you or one of your friends has a modicum of skills here (carpentry, though there are some very helpful videos out there that can be of immense help).
I've got a PODxt, and that thing is fine. Really--maybe you've convinced yourself that you need something because your favorite bands use it. Get over that. Those bands will be long gone in a few years, and their affectations as well. Just do what you want, with what you've got, for now. Start building traps . . . .
 
The best way to make a small fortune in the recording industry is to start with a large fortune and buy the gear for a studio.

Seriously, think twice (or even three times) before going into debt to buy gear unless you have a serious and realistic business plan.

Otherwise, use the best free/cheap plugins and second hand gear that you can afford without bankrupting yourself and test the waters as to what sort of business prospects you have.
 
I am with Bob. Don't get indebted, get smart.

The quality you can achieve these days with a $50 mic and a $100 interface is way better than the kit the Beatles had.

People "go on" about old analogue kit but in reality much of it was very simple electronics and "home made" (aka "in house design").

Gear such as mic stands can be and is dirt cheap. Sure, if you want a stand to last two lifetimes and 1000 Transit trips you need to pay big bucks but a 20ees Thomann stand will work just as well at home.
Dave.
 
So right now I'm a college student at a music university, and Im trying to build my own studio to record my friends and I. Anyway I'm already maxed out in my credit hours and working a small job to help pay for food/gas. What are some ways I can afford more studio gear.

**

Specifically, and axe fx 2. Right now i use a POD HD, and I always feel dis-satisfied with what I'm getting. Most of my favorite bands use axe fx, and I feel maybe I could get closer to what Im looking for with that. I play all sorts of different styles, so just buying 1 amp wouldn't do because I use different amp sounds for different things. And it needs to be a modeler because I can't seem to find a place near the college that allows loud guitar cabs. So axe fx 2/kemper whatever, both are amazing and expensive.

and other gear, but thats the main one that comes to mind.

*side note over

So what are some ways you can recommend for someone in my position to raise the money beyond my normal job for an expensive yet seemingly crucial piece of gear? Money keeps getting tighter and harder to stow away for later, and I would like to have this before I finish my undergrad, which is in a year and a few months.

You have got to be kidding me. :facepalm:

Here's how you make enough money to buy gear without going balls deep into credit debt:

Finish your education and get a friggin job. Pay for your shit outright. If you can't just buy it, save money until you can. Don't get buried in super high interest retail credit cards. Damn, dude. Ugh. :facepalm:
 
I'm with Bobbsy, ecc83, Greg_L and Mr Wrenchy on this one. To be honest, it's hard to believe this isn't the internet equivalent of a prank call.
But, giving you the benefit of the doubt, if you want to earn some extra cash and you don't fancy sensible suggestions like
Shoot, even just mowing lawns or raking leaves and shoveling snow is a possibility.
Some colleges have "work study" where they pay you to do work at the college. When I was in audio school, I was able to get paid like, $15 an hour to just sit in our MIDI lab and help out students that didn't know what they were doing
get a friggin job. Pay for your shit outright. If you can't just buy it, save money until you can
use some ingenuity. Do you really need a group of mysteriosos that you don't know to suggest ways you can make money ?
By the way, what kind of music university are you in ? Is there no way you can utilize any equipment there or through people that are there ?
 
I'm really surprised by the amount of negative feedback I'm getting by this. Because so much of the community will tell you "chuck the POD, its shit and you'll never get anywhere near good with it." or "it's harsh and a digital fad that sounds terrible."

Is it bad for me to want to improve my recordings by getting better gear, because I'm tired of people telling me they don't want to work with me because of the POD. I bought it a while back, Im tired of people turning their nose up at me, and I legitimately can't get a sound good enough for people on it. And I agree on some points, the high end gets out of control with the higher gain amps, requires a lot of eq once you get it in the DAW because so many things are this way and that, and the list goes on. whatever.

I asked because its 1 piece of gear with a lot of options that sound good and people will be happy with. Im not trying to spend 10,000 dollars on a bunch of high end amps/rack effects/whatever, just that 1. and my question was just to see if theres any way of making a few extra bucks I hadn't thought of yet. Im not trying to go years into debt for the sake of recording. Or any debt at all, I have enough of it from school.

and I could use my universities gear, but I would need to rent out the studio and rent the amps from them whenever I want to play live, and it would actually end up being more expensive due to hourly rates and all.


So no, it's not a prank call, and I'm sorry I seem to have pissed off half the people here. I just figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
 
In any case since other forums I've asked tell me the POD completely capable,

would you guys mind if I posted sounds and maybe you can help me make it sound better?
 
I don't think it's the questions about the POD that have people confused. You essentially came here and asked us to tell you how to make money to afford better gear. No way anyone here can give you an answer to that better than you can give yourself. You know your skill set, free time, job market, etc and we don't.

As for the rest of the questions about posting clips from the POD or other things, I'd say post them up. We have a great group here and as long as you give them a question they can answer, they usually will.
 
I'm really surprised by the amount of negative feedback I'm getting by this.
It's not negative. The consensus has been "don't get into debt."
Is it bad for me to want to improve my recordings by getting better gear,
Well, no, it isn't. But the thrust of your opening post was about "How can I earn money to buy the gear ?" I just happen to think that's an odd question.

I'm sorry I seem to have pissed off half the people here. I just figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
Not pissed off. It's a strange question to ask on a home recording forum. I note you've not responded to the suggestions Mr Wrenchy gave.......
 
*avoids infraction*

So if white slavery, organ trafficking or drug muling aren't your thang, there's always the slow way.... get a job, like the rest of us did.

Axe fx2? Good luck. Possibly you should work on optimising your mad recording skilz what you have first. A new toy rarely solves the problems of a recording newbie. We've all been there.
 
*avoids infraction*

So if white slavery, organ trafficking or drug muling aren't your thang, there's always the slow way.... get a job, like the rest of us did.

Axe fx2? Good luck. Possibly you should work on optimising your mad recording skilz what you have first. A new toy rarely solves the problems of a recording newbie. We've all been there.

The beauty of the AxeFx, like drum sample programs, is that you don't actually have to know how to record anything....or even work an amp. No noise, no mics, no skills, no problem!

OP, there is a way if you're determined to go the credit card route. Look for a place that has a same-as-cash credit card over a period of time. Say..... 12 months no interest. You could buy the AxeFx and PAY IT OFF IN FULL before the interest kicks in. That's an option if you qualify. Make sure you pay it off before the interest kicks in or you are fucked.
 
You're right of course--you're getting a lot of advice that you probably didn't expect. If you're really serious about music and doing it forever, it's probably far more important at this point to hone your songwriting skills and your playing skills, and that POD is just fine for that. Forget about those people who are telling you different--for Christ's sake, Andy Partridge used that thing (when it first came out!) on recordings with XTC. As far as the debt, don't go crazy--like you said, you've student loan debt already. If you really need that ax thing, work something out and get it. But after you have it, and six months later you're thinking, "Hmm, I really need that even more expensive thing . . . " , well, you just learned a good lesson. Again, those sounds and bands will almost certainly turn out to be fads . . . .
 
Pay it off in full before the interest kicks in--Pay Pal Credit works like that. That's why I suggested it, though I didn't mention that.
 
Pay it off in full before the interest kicks in--Pay Pal Credit works like that. That's why I suggested it, though I didn't mention that.

Yes, that is how I use my credit card, basically buy everything, grocery,fuel, pay bills with it then when my pension kicks in each month, pay the big chunk off, no cost incurred.
Why not use my bank debit card? Because a lot of purchases are internet and IF I get ripped they are ripping Barclaycard NOT my personal bank account.

I also had brilliant service from Bcard a couple of years ago when the purchase of some Man United tickets went T's U.

Have to watch The Wife tho'but!

Dave.
 
People don't want to work with you because of the POD? No problem. Make them use their own shit.

HA! Greg beat me to it.

If these musicians are such broke pieces of shit they can't afford their OWN MUSICIAN'S gear to record with, maybe they aren't worth recording.

They have to realize if the best they can afford is a $200 Peavey Vypyr, then their recordings will sound like shit because they're also likely to only be willing to pay $50 on a recording.

Look, if anyone is giving you crap for your gear, tell them to go to one of the big boy studios that charge $100+ an hour just for the recording space and no engineer. See what they think of that.
 
It's the faddish nature of the whole thing that gets my goat--James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem did a great interview on Sound Opinions where he really laid into the fleeting nature of all those bands that show up and then disappear into the ether.
 
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