Not Getting Ahead Of Yourself/The Price You Pay

[DeadlySurfer]

Hey guys,

So I have a problem. I'm the type of guy who always wants the best equiptment you can get. I saved up for a Fender Twin Reverb RI (Which I love), I'm not saying this to brag, just as an indication.

But the problem is with recording, it seems 10,000 times more expensive for all of the components than a simple guitar rig. How do you guys justify buying equiptment for home use? Are those $1000 monitors really going to have much effect in your half treated room etc?

I'm not trying to insult anyone, I'm genuinely interested in what people have to say. I find it odd almost how as home recordists we take on so much of a mountain of tasks that are usually done by teams, backed by large studios.

I'm asking this because I don't feel like I'm there yet to start mixing fully. I'm more playing around with recording for now, having fun, checking things out before I get too serious. I did a part of a music tech course, and I read a bit, so I have a basic knowladge. That being said, my total cost so far for equiptment has to be around £800, maybe a little more. Which is pretty scary, the costs seem to add up, "Just need one more mic, maybe a new preamp would make my mixes warmer" etc.

Anyway, leave opinions if you can. I'll add a poll to see how much pay for equiptment. Note:The poll is aimed at home recordists who don't sell their records commercially, so basically the bedroom hero.

 

[CrowsofFritz]

I'm over 1,000 (I think that's about $2,000?) easy. I have all this stuff because I love recording and mixing. I know many people who put so much money into their cars. What you asked in this thread is sorta like me asking my friends, "If you put so much money into your car, why aren't you racing professionally?"

 

[Bobbsy]

Well, I'll dive in here and try to start off a discussion.

There are a couple of things (possibly slightly contradictory) which should come into play.

First, it's always good to consider the future when buying gear and purchase things that can be building blocks to an expanded system. If, as you say, you're the kind of person who always wants the best equipment, you know in your heart that you'll never be happy with that $30 knock off of an SM57 rather that a proper mic. That being the case, the $30 mic is a waste of money and a real SM57 is the better buy. The same applies to everything else--interfaces, monitors, headphones, etc.

Second (and slightly contradictory) it's also worth considering how well individual items match the rest of the system. A $2000 pre amp between a $50 mic and a $50 interface isn't suddenly going to transform your system into a professional studio. You're better off with a decent mid-range mic plugged directly into a decent quality mid-range interface. The same applies to your example of the $1000 monitors. If you're using them to monitor the output of a Skype headset mic, all they will do is help you hear how bad the mic is a bit more easily.

Having said that, you don't need to spend thousands on gear if all you want to do is record your guitar playing. A single decent mic on a short stand in front of your Fender, plugged into an M Audio (or A.N.Other) interface will do all you need. The time to think about changes and upgrades is after you've recorded enough to listen to your tracks and think "I'd rather it sounded more this way" then buy a different mic to get that sound.

Monitors? Watch eBay for some second hand audiophile hifi speakers and an amp of suitable power. That'll likely be better for your needs than either the cheapest entry level "monitors" or super expensive Genelecs or something.

I'll end by saying that all the most expensive gear in the world won't do much for your recordings until you take the time to gain the necessary skills to use it. Since you can start gaining those skills with a single mic and a decent interface, start that way and add things as you need them rather than assume you have to lay out a fortune to start with. I ticked "$1000+" on your poll but I've been doing sound for almost 40 years and doing it at home for 20+. I certainly didn't start off spending it all at once...it's taken the whole 20 years to build up my collection!

 

[kidkage]

I remember years ago I dreamed of one day in 10 years having enough money to buy a Twin Reverb and a pair of nice 70s les paul customs...
6 years later I've spent enough to buy multiple twin reverbs and les paul customs... and i still don't have either

I'm 100% with what Bobbsy said.

I'm going to put myself in the shoes of someone in an "idk if I really care about this stuff" position:
Resale value is also a rather important factor:
Ex: I buy 6 behringer pedals for $30 each over time. They take a beating, fall apart, etc. So I try to sell them. I'll probably be lucky if I get $30 for all of them in a bundle.
vs. I buy a nice, quality Electro-Harmonix pedal (that wont take a beating or fall apart since it's quality) for $100. Keep the box in storage, if I ever want to sell it (which I probably won't since it's nice... and im a gear hoarder) I would have no problem getting about $80 for it. Yeah, I'd still be taking a loss. BUT not as big of a loss as I would be taking on the Behringers.

 

[JimmyS1969]

Must spread for Bobbsy....wait, that didn't come across well. Neither did that...deep breath.....

Well said B.

 

[Guitargodgt]

Man, if I don't inlude instruments and only included stuff that is used for recording (software and hardware) I'm still in well over $2k, probably more around 4 or 5 and I consider my setup pretty modest. Actually, come to think of it I have more than $1k in just mics so the $2k thing probably is being a little low as well.

Add the room treatment, amps, guitars, basses, cabs, etc... and I'm probably over 8.

I've never totaled it up though would be interesting...


Actually it's funny you brought this thread up because I finally am starting to just be content with what I have recording wise. I'm starting to want things that would actually benefit the process more like a quality drum set and room for said drum set.

But to answer your question directly from my own experiences, yes buying decent stuff makes a huge difference for example:

I went from using Audix F15 mics to RE200 mics, the difference is like cleaning a dirty mirror for your reflection. Same with some other upgrades like ditching the rest of that fusion set for some more 57s and higher end audix mics. Good mics go a long way, not as far as having a decent source to put them on (and the twin verb you have is a good example of an excellent source). I've certainly gotten plenty of bang for my buck on cheaper stuff like headphones (the HD202s have lasted me 4 years so far!) and mic stands (I still have the on stage stand that I bought when I started recording, I'm not rough on my stuff by a long shot and it's still in great shape).

 

[bouldersoundguy]

I think I broke the thousand mark by 1995. The DA-88 was something like 3k.

 

[DeadlySurfer]

Great to hear all your thoughts guys! @CrowsOfFritz, that's a damn good point. I don't know why, but with guitar/audio type of thing, I always see it as not being what you can afford but rather what you deserve, if that makes sense. Then again, I always tend to put myself down, which leads to me having a monthly downer where I feel I've watsted all my money on x or y.

Bobbsy, I'd love to see your collection if you've got new and old stuff in there. There's something about building a collection over that amount of time that just makes me smile, like a massive jigsaw finally put together (Until GAS strikes and you need to get something else....!)

 

[Bobbsy]

Bobbsy, I'd love to see your collection if you've got new and old stuff in there. There's something about building a collection over that amount of time that just makes me smile, like a massive jigsaw finally put together (Until GAS strikes and you need to get something else....!)

Well, without doubt the oldest things I still use are my main monitor speakers (Rogers Studio 1) which were originally purchased in 1982, did 9 years in a TV studio control room where I worked, then I purchased them (for £20) from the company when we moved to new facilities in 1991. My biggest gear regret is selling the LS3/5A monitors I bought at the same time--I thought I should cut back before moving to Aus. Big mistake...I miss them daily. A few of my mics (my original AKG451EBs and a couple of SM58s) are a similar age.

My newest purchases are more mics--a couple of SE2200a condensers, one about 3 years old and the newest one about 8 or 9 months ago. GAS is kicking in and I'm drooling over some more mics--but that'll have to wait until the exchange rate improves and my pension (paid in UK pesos) is worth a bit more when converted to Aussie dollars.

...and the rest was all purchased between those dates and has (mostly) travelled halfway round the world with me.

 

[Track Rat]

I'm WAY over $1000. WAY over. Hell, when I got my Tascam 238, that alone was $1200 and that was in the mid 80's. And that was just a cassette 8 track not including a mixer. It's a bit more than a hobby to me. But if I was into fishing, a Bass boat and a trailor would be 5 figures so it's just the cost of doing business.

 

[suprstar]

Basically what Guitargodgt said - Between DAWs, interfaces, mics, and monitors, way over a grand, probably 3. Add drums, guitars, amps, keyboards, etc. you can add a zero to that number and be in the right ballpark. Actually, I've probably spent a grand just on cables! IDK how you could be on the bottom couple option of the poll, unless your studio consists of a usb mic and a cracked daw, or a handhelp pocket recorder or something.

 

[grimtraveller]

Many of the people that record at home have been doing so for a number of years and given that most of us did not start out with high end gear and have progressed as time has gone by {in gear if not actual practice ! }, even some 5 figure sums {10,000 for eg} are not as large as they seem when you first look at them. Even el Cheapo gear adds up over a 15-20 year period. I consider myself at the bottom of the rung in terms of mixing skill and recording talent in comparison to much of what I hear {it's different when it comes to actual songs because I like my songs} and I don't have any fancy stuff. I don't think I have one piece of gear that has made anyone here say "Ooooh !". I'm master el budget cheapo with my unknown guitars, my no name acoustic bass guitar, my university project built bass bought on ebay, my phased out long ago standalone DAWs with SCSI back up options, my 8 track portastudio that few these days would want, let alone buy, my discontinued flat~lites drum kit that all fits in 2 carryable bags and a small arsenal of bits here and there.
But even here at the subterraneanly low end of the scale, over the last 21 years I've spent easilly in excess of £10,000. Yeah, I've done lots of wheeler dealing and exchanging and at one point I had a Hammond organ and a Fender Rhodes electric piano and believe me, I am in no way attached to any of this stuff or even remotely extravagant. Cheaper than a bike with one wheel. And no tyre on it. I've bought stuff and not opened it for three years.
But I use everything I have until it dies {which has so rarely happened} or until I feel I need to move level because said piece of kit no longer suffices on it's own or in conjunction.
My point really is that GAS is one thing, but spending money on gear to pursue a hobby is another and over the years, unless one does have GAS and/or doesn't use what one has bought, the amount spent is actually quite low.
It sort of reminds me of the amount of time, if you lived to be 80 and had 8 hours sleep a night, that you'd have spent asleep in your lifetime. It adds up to something like ten years !

 

[somegeezer]

I spent £700 on my computer alone, which was about $1000 then. So I pretty much already went over your top poll answer there. Then £300 on the interface, £100 on a mic, couple new hard drives, £100. £50 to double my RAM. Then you put in the price for the actual instruments and stuff. £1500 worth of bass amp, couple cheapish basses [about £400-500 together], £100 acoustic guitar, £100 electric. £130 keyboard. Those instruments are the cheapest of the cheap too. Just thinking about the £3000 upgrade to a Warwick bass and probably a couple grand for an 8 string guitar, plus the £2000 or so for the guitar amp I'm gonna have to put out eventually...
That's all after getting the room treated and ready to actually make decent recordings.
It's an expensive hobby to have, but completely worth it, if you know exactly what you want from it.

 

[guitaristic]

Yeah dude, not even counting my computer or instruments....I've easily spent two grand. And I'm only 20....I'd be amazed to see what some of these other guys who have been at it waaay longer than me have spent!!

Basically what I try to do is find the balance point in gear where I can get the most bang for my buck! Research gear, ask experienced people who have the gear you're looking at. and test it out at a store if you can!

It's very easy to get into that Gear Acquisition Syndrome mode where you're just like... "I just need this ONE more thing!" But ultimately if at some point you don't stop doing that and learn to fully utilize the gear you actually have, you will always be chasing that "one more thing!"

 

[GazEcc]

Mac £1200+/-
Mics €600
Monitors €650
Interface €350
Most expensive instrument €850
Outbound gear €500 +/-

 

[Brenton]

I'm above the 1000 mark from the computer and interface. :-( Who knows how much I have spend on my software?

I'm sure that a few have spent quite a bit of change on their entire setup including instruments. I've spent close 10,000 on keyboards alone. I should have stuck with that soundblaster live 5.1 card.

 

[Guelph_Guy]

Yikes, I hit 1000.00 in the first week... I just itemized all of the equipment in my "one room home studio" for insurance reasons and I had to get a "rider" on my home insurance policy as they would not insure the house due to the additional gear....!!

Well they would insure the house but not the studio room....(

anyhow it was all good, but I suffer from extreme GAS.....


cheers
RJ

 

[Kodiak Attack]

I'm just starting out, and like you, am also a musician who loves top tier equipment. That being said, I've been trying to come up with a "budget" start-up kit for recording and have realized....even that is going to push into the $1000 range. In a few years when I want to step up a few tiers with my studio equipment, I can only imagine what I'll be dishing out.

Cheers to empty wallets fellas.

 

[JimmyS1969]

I am way over $10,000 at this point. Not even sure I want to add it all up........

 

[Capt Hair]

I feel like I'm way over 10k with everything, including instruments.