C
capnreverb
New member
Actually, RickW and Xstatic make some great points that reach for a larger discusion. I will use myself as an example. I record a lot of music and have put out a lot of music, mostly on my small label, but others places as well. I have gotten some great reviews, and a few bad ones. I really enjoy recording music, but I can not subsist on my label sales. A lot of music that I play/record and am interested in is a bit out there and experimental, so, is never going to bring a lot of money. A few of my titles have sold 3-400 copies or so.
so,
Am I a profesional? And what does that mean?
I recorded my first bands cd on a crappy 4track with some cheap mics and very little experience. It got great reviews in Magnet and Alternative Press. None of them mentioned the production quality. When I hear that first cd now all I can hear is tape hiss. But, obviously there was something quality about it, or it would of been panned or not reviewed at all. I believe since that first cd i have gotten much better at recording. If I let myself be limited by what I could afford to buy, believing that only high end German mics do the trick, I would have never even tried. I wish I had the $ for Schoeps, Royer, U47/57/87's, but I don't, so I use what I have. And, according to the reviews I have gotten, I seem to be doing OK with my at4033's, at3025's and GT61's.
This site has been such a godsend for me in terms of learning about what to buy. Where else could I go to read such heated discusions about SDC's, which mic preamp under $500 is the best, and mic placements etc.
I like the fact that PMI guys come in here and talk about their products. I agree that it would be cool if behringer, rode, audio technica, etc. guys would come here and talk about their products. One of the reasons why I bought a matched pair of c4's last week was because of two reasons. One is that most folks on this board think they are a good value for their price. I was gonna buy the Oktava's, but this boards frowning on QC made me weary of guitar centers offering. They might be better mics, and someday I hope to find out, but for now, the C4's are my choice. The other factor in my purchase was the fact that PMI comes here and discusses their products. I feel like alan will listen to my problems if I had one (whats with the plastic threading on the c4 shockmounts? that aint gonna last!).
A lot of records I really enjoy did not have the benefit of super amazing production value. I wish Rudy Van Gelder recorded the whole ESP catalogue, but he didnt, so a lot of those Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, and Frank Wright lp's sound kind of thin and muddy, but they are amazing. Those Sun Ra Saturn Lps sound like they were recorded with the most meager of equipment, and they are amazing. That is, the music, not the production. A lot of 80's hardcore and punk was recorded under less than ideal conditions, but they still sound immediate and great.
A studio project mic might not be a u87, but if you've got something to say, and others want to hear it, its a great fricken tool. A lot of those early Sun/Atlantic records have crappy production qualities by todays standards, but they still sound great. Ray Charles and Carl Perkins still sound great. A lot of those Chess 78's that I have are not HiFi, but they sound just great. I have no idea what mic Blind Willie Johnson used in the 20's, but my 78 of Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground gives me fricken goosebumps, crackle and lofi and all.
I would agree that someone who has not used a certain mic should offer no opinion what so ever on that mic. Nady has a bad rep, but I would never talk crap about any of their products because I have never used them. That should be the golden rule of this mic forum. Unless you have used a mic in said discussion, don't comment on it. To comment on the worth/quality on a product you have never used is worse than spam.
I will got off my long winded soapbox now.
so,
Am I a profesional? And what does that mean?
I recorded my first bands cd on a crappy 4track with some cheap mics and very little experience. It got great reviews in Magnet and Alternative Press. None of them mentioned the production quality. When I hear that first cd now all I can hear is tape hiss. But, obviously there was something quality about it, or it would of been panned or not reviewed at all. I believe since that first cd i have gotten much better at recording. If I let myself be limited by what I could afford to buy, believing that only high end German mics do the trick, I would have never even tried. I wish I had the $ for Schoeps, Royer, U47/57/87's, but I don't, so I use what I have. And, according to the reviews I have gotten, I seem to be doing OK with my at4033's, at3025's and GT61's.
This site has been such a godsend for me in terms of learning about what to buy. Where else could I go to read such heated discusions about SDC's, which mic preamp under $500 is the best, and mic placements etc.
I like the fact that PMI guys come in here and talk about their products. I agree that it would be cool if behringer, rode, audio technica, etc. guys would come here and talk about their products. One of the reasons why I bought a matched pair of c4's last week was because of two reasons. One is that most folks on this board think they are a good value for their price. I was gonna buy the Oktava's, but this boards frowning on QC made me weary of guitar centers offering. They might be better mics, and someday I hope to find out, but for now, the C4's are my choice. The other factor in my purchase was the fact that PMI comes here and discusses their products. I feel like alan will listen to my problems if I had one (whats with the plastic threading on the c4 shockmounts? that aint gonna last!).
A lot of records I really enjoy did not have the benefit of super amazing production value. I wish Rudy Van Gelder recorded the whole ESP catalogue, but he didnt, so a lot of those Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, and Frank Wright lp's sound kind of thin and muddy, but they are amazing. Those Sun Ra Saturn Lps sound like they were recorded with the most meager of equipment, and they are amazing. That is, the music, not the production. A lot of 80's hardcore and punk was recorded under less than ideal conditions, but they still sound immediate and great.
A studio project mic might not be a u87, but if you've got something to say, and others want to hear it, its a great fricken tool. A lot of those early Sun/Atlantic records have crappy production qualities by todays standards, but they still sound great. Ray Charles and Carl Perkins still sound great. A lot of those Chess 78's that I have are not HiFi, but they sound just great. I have no idea what mic Blind Willie Johnson used in the 20's, but my 78 of Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground gives me fricken goosebumps, crackle and lofi and all.
I would agree that someone who has not used a certain mic should offer no opinion what so ever on that mic. Nady has a bad rep, but I would never talk crap about any of their products because I have never used them. That should be the golden rule of this mic forum. Unless you have used a mic in said discussion, don't comment on it. To comment on the worth/quality on a product you have never used is worse than spam.
I will got off my long winded soapbox now.
