Why do I need all this equipment?

[Lt. Bob]

Hardware can be time-consuming and cumbersome by comparison. But if that's the only way to get the sound you want, what else are you gonna do?

I actually find it the otherway sometimes. For instance ..... I do all my mixing in an analog board. If I want to EQ a channel or all the channels I don't have to pull up plug-ins .... I just grab a knob. If I want to change FX#3 to a tighter room sound I just reach up and grab a knob. I never have latency ....... if you already own all that stuff, which I do, I'm not so certain there's a compelling reason to change over.
If you're just starting out then that's preobably a different matter.

 

[diggy_dude]

I actually find it the otherway sometimes. For instance ..... I do all my mixing in an analog board. If I want to EQ a channel or all the channels I don't have to pull up plug-ins .... I just grab a knob. If I want to change FX#3 to a tighter room sound I just reach up and grab a knob. I never have latency ....... if you already own all that stuff, which I do, I'm not so certain there's a compelling reason to change over.
If you're just starting out then that's preobably a different matter.

True. Youngsters today are just as comfortable with mice and menus as we are twiddling knobs. I'm trying to mitigate the translation problem for myself by setting up my control surface so I can just twiddle knobs.

 

[Lt. Bob]

True. Youngsters today are just as comfortable with mice and menus as we are twiddling knobs. I'm trying to mitigate the translation problem for myself by setting up my control surface so I can just twiddle knobs.

I prefer knobs. I've been recording for 42 years and it's gotten kinda intuitive which is always when you can do your best work. I'm fully capable of understanding all digital but why make the change?
It'd just cost me money and a certain amount of lost time.

 

[diggy_dude]

I prefer knobs. I've been recording for 42 years and it's gotten kinda intuitive which is always when you can do your best work. I'm fully capable of understanding all digital but why make the change?
It'd just cost me money and a certain amount of lost time.

Well, that's what I mean. Twisting a knob to turn up the radio, change channels on the TV, or set the timer on an oven has always been second nature. Digital controls with their lack of tactile feedback just seem wrong.

 

[Chili]

I only glanced through this thread so not sure what all the responses were... however, I pretty much keep everything in the box. I have a 2 channel mic pre with an opto-compressor, my interfaces, a guitar amp modeler and that's it. No other outboard processing gear.

Lots o' people want to use analog equipment and mix by hand on a mixing board and that is where you see all the equipment in the pics. I do everything within the DAW (Cubase). A pic of my studio would be very boring....

 

[MetroCenter]

Mixing on bad speakers in a bad room is like painting in a dark room with yellow glasses on.

Great metaphor!

For 50-60 hours a week, I'm a software developer. The last thing I want to do when I go home is use a computer to record music. For me (yes, it's personal), I much prefer connecting and using hardware to do my signal processing, to manipulating bits with a mouse.

It's not even just the difference between knobs and mice. Music is a visceral experience, it is usually created with analog instruments, and is always experienced as analog waves. So for me, it's vital to keep as much of the sound analog as possible.

Now if my music was primarily electronic/digitally synthesized, I might feel differently. But it's not.

Now I also have the luxury of being able to afford hardware (low-end as it is). Some do not. If software is the only option that fits in your budget, than it's better than nothing. But that doesn't make it ideal, at least not for me.

 

[suprstar]

Mixing on bad speakers in a bad room is like painting in a dark room with yellow glasses on.

lol it's funny cuz it's true

I'm of the school that shitty plugins are better than shitty hardware, so if you dont wanna put a lotta $$ into it, do it in the box. If you're a millionaire, unmarried, or otherwise have a lot of extra $, you can proly get the best possible sound with hardware. But plugins will get your 80% of the way there.

 

[MetroCenter]

Recording is just one aspect of the hobby, the other two aspects are songwriting and performing. How much money and energy you spend in each area should be driven by the kind of music you want to play and record, and how well you need the end product to sound.

My low-end studio, with all of what I would call "essentials", cost me around $3,000. This is divided pretty evenly into three groups: basics (recorder, mixer, speakers, headphones, cables, etc.), signal chain outboard hardware (compressor, preamps, reverb/effects, eq, etc.) and microphones (including stands and other mic accessories). I'll definitely be spending more money on acoustics going forward.

(Then again, I have another $3,000 or so invested in instruments, so I guess that tells you where my priorities are.)

If someone can record music for cheaper with a USB mic and software, and feel good about it, then they should do that.

But: if your goal is to create music that sounds like it comes from a professional studio, a USB mic running into a laptop is simply not going to cut it. No amount of post-processing, software or otherwise, can truly fix a bad recording from cheap hardware.

For me, this hobby isn't an exercise in minimalism. I'm happy with my gear and the quality of music I can record it. I think I have everything I need and want to have, for now (until GAS creeps up on me again!). That includes all the little things, including pop filters, a music stand, a patchbay and a good chair, lots of guitar pics and a few effects pedals. I don't strictly "need" all of these things, but they do all contribute to my enjoyment of home recording.