Companies I Really like:
Microphones:
1) Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics. Total class act in every way, shape, and form. Build quality/manufacturing methods are outstanding. Sonically superior to many mics costing much more. Customer service is outstanding, and they even pay attention to the aesthetic aspect through uniqueness of artistic design, which is a rare and welcomed bonus.
Grade: A+
2) Shure They just keep on pumping out classic mics. Enough said. Grade: A
3) Audio Technica Outstanding bang-for-the-buck. Not the best customer service, but not bad either. Grade: A-
Honorable mention: Studio Projects Great bang-for-the buck microphones. Outstanding customer service. Dedicated personel. Owner/spokesperson tends to be a bit of a drama queen and demonstrates overall lack of people skills. Others in the company show promise in dealing with the public more diplomatically. Poor overall PR skills bring grade down a notch-and-a-half. Grade: B+
Companies I like: Rack Gear:
1) FMR Audio Very forward-thinking owner/designer. Somewhat limited in their product offering, but outstanding sound quality for the money. Grade: A
2) Sytek Audio Owner is a very competent and dedicated designer/engineer. Mic pres and consoles continue to be regarded as some of the very best values in audio. Grade: A
3) Great River Dan Kennedy is the shit. Very helpful, honest, upstanding individual who makes great gear -- never owned any of his stuff, unfortunately, but I have dealt with the man, and he's a class act all the way. Grade: A
Honorable mention: Symetrix Highly, highly under-rated company. These guys just have very well-designed and extremely durable stuff that never sounds bad. Anything you buy with the Symetrix name on it will still be around and going strong 20 years from now, and you probably won't have to get it serviced very often in the meantime. Not always your first choice, sonically, but never a bad one, either. Grade: B+
Favorite Companies: Misc :
1) Tech 21 The only guys who can make an amp modeler that actually doesn't suck. Their DI-type guitar modelers actually sound great on a lot more than just guitars, and their Sansamp Bass Driver is the shit for bass, and is a lot more wallet-friendly than a U5. Grade: A+
2) M-audio If you're a beginner and looking to start a modest project studio or record your own stuff, M-audio makes some very serious toys . . . far superior to Behringer or most any of the other budget options I can think of off the top of my head. Sound Cards are great values, mics are great values, mic pres are outstanding values, etc. Customer service sucks the big weinie, though, which brings their grade down a small notch. Grade: A-
3) Lynx Makers of some seriously professional-sounding cards. And on PCI, no less. How the heck do they do it? Grade: A-
Honorable Mention: Mytek Not as recognized as guys like Lucid, Apogee, etc., but their A/D converters are every bit as good, and they can usually be had for much less scratch. Nothing wrong with that. Grade: B+
Microphones:
1) Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics. Total class act in every way, shape, and form. Build quality/manufacturing methods are outstanding. Sonically superior to many mics costing much more. Customer service is outstanding, and they even pay attention to the aesthetic aspect through uniqueness of artistic design, which is a rare and welcomed bonus.
Grade: A+
2) Shure They just keep on pumping out classic mics. Enough said. Grade: A
3) Audio Technica Outstanding bang-for-the-buck. Not the best customer service, but not bad either. Grade: A-
Honorable mention: Studio Projects Great bang-for-the buck microphones. Outstanding customer service. Dedicated personel. Owner/spokesperson tends to be a bit of a drama queen and demonstrates overall lack of people skills. Others in the company show promise in dealing with the public more diplomatically. Poor overall PR skills bring grade down a notch-and-a-half. Grade: B+
Companies I like: Rack Gear:
1) FMR Audio Very forward-thinking owner/designer. Somewhat limited in their product offering, but outstanding sound quality for the money. Grade: A
2) Sytek Audio Owner is a very competent and dedicated designer/engineer. Mic pres and consoles continue to be regarded as some of the very best values in audio. Grade: A
3) Great River Dan Kennedy is the shit. Very helpful, honest, upstanding individual who makes great gear -- never owned any of his stuff, unfortunately, but I have dealt with the man, and he's a class act all the way. Grade: A
Honorable mention: Symetrix Highly, highly under-rated company. These guys just have very well-designed and extremely durable stuff that never sounds bad. Anything you buy with the Symetrix name on it will still be around and going strong 20 years from now, and you probably won't have to get it serviced very often in the meantime. Not always your first choice, sonically, but never a bad one, either. Grade: B+
Favorite Companies: Misc :
1) Tech 21 The only guys who can make an amp modeler that actually doesn't suck. Their DI-type guitar modelers actually sound great on a lot more than just guitars, and their Sansamp Bass Driver is the shit for bass, and is a lot more wallet-friendly than a U5. Grade: A+
2) M-audio If you're a beginner and looking to start a modest project studio or record your own stuff, M-audio makes some very serious toys . . . far superior to Behringer or most any of the other budget options I can think of off the top of my head. Sound Cards are great values, mics are great values, mic pres are outstanding values, etc. Customer service sucks the big weinie, though, which brings their grade down a small notch. Grade: A-
3) Lynx Makers of some seriously professional-sounding cards. And on PCI, no less. How the heck do they do it? Grade: A-
Honorable Mention: Mytek Not as recognized as guys like Lucid, Apogee, etc., but their A/D converters are every bit as good, and they can usually be had for much less scratch. Nothing wrong with that. Grade: B+