or maybe I am more like moses here to deliver from the slavery and myth that prosumer gear performs "as well as gear that costs 10x as much" maybe I am an anarchist at heart that wishes to deliver you from the orgy between advertisers, trade magazine reviewers and well known engineers who constantly endorse sometimes questionable gear. you think there are no kickbacks and backroom deals? think again. sure a lot of prosumer gear is usable, but not great. This also opens the can of worms that you need to know how to use your gear and the combination of lack of knowledge combined with the illusion that you have professional quality equipment only leads to frustration and poor recordings. Now as a learning tool it is all fine, but don't be fooled you'll get professional results. for example I recorded a classical pianist and trumpet player doing modern 20th century "classical" concertos and sonatas a few days ago. Beleive me a mxl mic and rode nt5's through an RNP into a DAW with a MOTU setup will not work for a professional quality album suitable for national release. I repeat It will not, regardless of your skill. Passable, maybe....but something worth putting your name on? nope. And don' even get me going on the recent explosion of shitty project studios that cut into the business prosfessional studios. Very few of them put out quality products which hurt the studio business in general, i.e. it leads to the vicious cylce of musicians being frustrated with a crappy recording they got at a "studio" so they decide they can do it better and all of the sudden they are instant engineers. then the cyle starts over. now slater run along and learn how to use a compressor, if you asks nicely nubaphonic may tell you how.