Not Getting Ahead Of Yourself/The Price You Pay

[RAMI]

I can't see how anyone recording real instruments can spend less than a couple of grand. My drum kit, guitar, amp, and bass alone add up to about $3,000. Add mics, room treatment, monitors, computer, cables, stands, etc....and you're talking about $4,000-5,000 for a pretty basic set up.

 

[Guelph_Guy]

I'll just comment here:

I have 3 large metropolitan centers with a huge "recording culture" within 1 hr drive of my house.

My entire studio was purchased "used" by sourcing out stuff on craigslist or kijiji trading boards.

The only thing new in my studio is the console table and 2 end tables... the rest came used.

I recently bought an old school digital console for 1200.00 CDN (tascam TMD8000)

and will be shortly picking up a Sony DMX console for the same price ...

The point I'm trying to make is yes it's tough to pull it all together for a 1000. but with some selective shopping on the used boards and soliciting for knowledge at least you can get started and work yourself up.

I can also attest that skill plays a huge part and a good ear as well. I'm currently on another forum and one user posted up a song he had tracked and mastered with a line 6 pod xt pro.
(an older guitar processor). I was floored, it easily could surpass what I've created here with a ton more invested. his investment in hardware $250.00 for the line 6 used
and "reaper" a shareware product ($60.00). And a good mastering headset about $200.00

His computer he bought "refurbished" from a computer reseller for $155.00 he had to add a monitor for $100.00 dollars.

anyhow, he got "good value" from that solution. Because he was creating music and working and learning the tools that he had. Some of us are pretty lazy and our toolbox is full of fancy bits of software that will help take the guesswork out of it.

So his minimalist solution produced amazing results!

Just some thoughts
cheers
RJ

 

[jamesbecker]

i just bought a new computer for $700AU down from 900 + adding my midi/analog keyboard, a few condensers (the most expensive being a rode nt1a) 2 sm57s, interface, cables, software etc would probably be pushing 2 grand australian dollars.. not to mention my drum set, all my guitars and amps which would exceed $8,000 easily if not 10.. everything has been acquired over 8 or so years though so its not like i bought everything at once

 

[JimmyS1969]

The poll needs to have options in increments of $1000. Home recording does not mean lack of money. Any of us that are really into it, throw everything we have at it. I myself am amazed by how much I have put into it. $300 here, $299 there...It adds up quickly.

 

[Bobbsy]

Yup.

A quick tot up at my end suggests that my investment is around $20,000, even with much of my stuff being bought second hand--and that doesn't include the computer or any instruments.

(Worth saying that more than half of this is a single item, a Yamaha DM1000 mixer bought as a treat to myself with some of the lump some I got with my pension when I retired.)

However, although far from a profitable business, I do earn some beer money with my sound gear--and, I suspect I could have spent more over the years if my hobby was something like golfing or whatever. Green fees aren't exactly cheap and have NO resale value!

 

[JimmyS1969]

I must say, a good friend of mine invested in over $45,000 on his ProTools HD rig, and I can compete with him with my $10,000 Cubase setup. Actually, he is a bit bitter about the whole deal. We lend each other preamps on a regular basis now, though I think my investment 7 years later, has left him a bit, well.....more broke than I am..............

 

[kidkage]

I've got roughly 5,000 in guitar and bass equipment; About 2,000 in drum set equip.; and I'd say about 5,000 in everything else (computers and parts, outboard, DAW stuff, plug ins, standalones, treatment, mics, MIDI controllers, and the hidden expenses... CABLES AND STANDS )

I'm not sure if the above numbers make me feel better or worse about churning some more out for Komplete 8 Ultimate on monday. As well as a new CPU fan for my PC which I believe my recent troubles have been traced to.


To the OP, mind you that we've all spent this over years gradually rather than spend it all up front to get kicked in. 6 for me personally.
My first 2 years I was going off maybe $300 in guitars, tiny amp, and some clever wiring into a cassette recorder or digital voicenote recorder.

 

[Guitargodgt]

cracked daw, or a handhelp pocket recorder or something.

Actually, haha I wasn't even thinking about how much I have spent on plugins and software. I'm in well over $2k for that.

Software bought:

Superior 2
Music City SDX
Metal Foundry SDX
NY Vol 2 SDX
EZ drummer
Metalheads EZX
Metal Machine EZX
Steven Slate Plat 3.5
Addictive Drums
Metal AD pack
Cubase 5
Pro Tools M powered 8
BFD Eco
URS EQ and Compressors bundle
SIR 2
Some nomad factory stuff
Mellowmuse IR1a and ATA
Transient Monster
Reason 5
Trigger EX

Yeah there is more than this, but that's just off the top of my head. Some of it was bought on sale but even with sales I'm still in well over $2k for software.

 

[Hakea]

The poll needs to have options in increments of $1000. Home recording does not mean lack of money. Any of us that are really into it, throw everything we have at it.

+1.

As Jimmy suggests, it's not about how much you "need" to spend, because there's no real lower or upper limit it's really just about how much you can afford, how much value you put on increased quality, and how 'into' it all you get.

To start out, you can have a heck of a lot of fun using hand-me-down gear that you've scrounged up for next to nothing. But when you get really interested you can go upwards to any figure you like until your pockets are empty.


Just like you could spend over 60k on a single digital piano (or even millions on a rare violin) you can go to whatever sum you like on recording gear. Whether it's "worth it" depends entirely on how much you appreciate the difference. It's like buying a very basic car versus a limo or sports car - they'll all get you from A to B, but the journey might be more enjoyable in the fancy ones. And compared to people with hobbies like car racing or flying, the few grand I've spend on my music gear seems like peanuts.

I've been collecting instruments for 5-10 years now, and have easily spent over 15k. But as that covers some drums, a variety of different guitars and amps, keyboards, plus the odd 'outsider' like sax and clarinet, that's been pretty stingy buying - I could have spent that on a single item. Likewise, the 5k or so on home studio gear has bought reasonable quality for what I enjoy doing but is not even scratching the surface of a pro budget.

I'm not expecting to stop "investing" just yet.... having too much fun... and stimulating the economy is more or less a patriotic duty now isn't it??...

 

[DeadlySurfer]

The poll needs to have options in increments of $1000.

Yeah, I messed up there pretty bad. I was thinking somehow I'd find some guys that have made it using tin cans and string somewhere...

Incase anyone else replies, I think the most important question is are you happy with everything? Does it still put a smile on your face from when you first started?

 

[Track Rat]

More so than ever. A large part is the better gear of course but by far and away it's the knowledge I've gained along the way that allows me to get the result that I was aiming for.

 

[wheelema]

When all is said and done I'll have dropped about $6,000 sans treatment but for what it's worth that's for both studio recording and field sound reinforcement. The shotgun mic alone is almost $1,000.

 

[JimmyS1969]

Yeah, I messed up there pretty bad. I was thinking somehow I'd find some guys that have made it using tin cans and string somewhere...

Incase anyone else replies, I think the most important question is are you happy with everything? Does it still put a smile on your face from when you first started?

Tin cans and string worked for quite a while.

Eventually, duct tape and scissors took precedence. Then more viable products entered the equation. I still use an interface that I purchased for $200. Striving for that thing we like to call 'quality', led to throwing more money at my software and gear. I'm not even sure if it is the gear, or just experience that made things better for me. Probably a combination of both. I listen to some early stuff I have done, some sounds just horrible to me now, and some, makes me wonder why I spent so much. A huge part of getting quality sounding product, it the musicianship being recorded. Actually, it is the most important......

 

[Richard Monroe]

Hell, I've got over $1000 in *cables*! Not counting instruments, I'm well over $20,000. What the hell? I could have spent all of that on a Toyota Camry. If you drive a Corolla, a Civic or a Neon, you just saved half of that $20,000. We all spend money. The question is- what is the purpose of spending money, to survive, or to actually live? The profits from my first album (Yes- Hola! profits!!!) have paid for about half of that $20,000, after production expenses. So simply by choosing a cheaper car, I pretty much paid for the remainder. Some people water ski, some people own a small airplane, and some people record things.

My best advice for anyone interested in recording- You will *never* own all the gear you want- you just get closer over time. Don't have children. They make noise and cost too much. Cats are much cheaper. Marry a woman who is good with money, hates children, and loves music. My beloved wife made all of this possible, by saving my money. She did that for about 15 years. Back in about 2001, about a week before Christmas, she walks up to me and says, "How long have you been playing guitar, anyway?" I answer, "30 years, 12 of it for money." Her next question, "So what do you think it would cost to track, mix, and master your first album and do the first run of production?" I responded, "$20,000, plus $5,000 in high end guitars". She thinks for a second and says, "We can do that. I think you should go down to the guitar store and buy the acoustic guitar and the electric guitar you would own in a perfect world. Do it today. Try to keep it under $10,000. I love you dear, Merry Christmas".

I give my wife all my money, and I don't ask what she does with it. She also became the executive producer, handling legal, copyright, work-for-hire agreements, mechanical royalties, residuals, art direction, duplication and distribution. Did I mention I'd marry her again in a heartbeat?-Richie

 

[grimtraveller]

I was thinking somehow I'd find some guys that have made it using tin cans and string somewhere...

Nah. Well, I guess it can depend on what the "tin cans and string" are. There are a few items {a mini mic mixer, an 8 input headphone splitter, an 8 track portastudio, my 6 string Ozark electro acoustic, my Black Mamba congas, a couple of mic stands} that I've had pretty much since the beginning, 1990 at least, that I still use regularly. But things have come and gone. Truth be told, though I laughingly call myself a cheapskate, even I can see that there are different gradients when it comes to quality and even in the days when I didn't have a clue about brands and gear, once I'd used them I still knew a shitty delay pedal from a half decent one or when a wah~wah could be swapped for something else or when a keyboard was pretty shitty and I knew enough to know that a 4 track wasn't going to cut it but an 8 track would etc, etc.
There is no virtue in staying exclusively with tin cans and string. Different products and pieces of gear do different things. They're not free.

The most important question is are you happy with everything? Does it still put a smile on your face from when you first started?

More so. Of course, the frustration is multiplied tenfold too, when something goes wrong. Both can switch very quickly, though. The CD recorder that I use for direct mixdowns Kaputted on tuesday. I was pissed off, especially when it couldn't be repaired without alot of running around that makes it not cost effective. But then in the early hours of this morning, I figured out a way to get all 8 single tracks simultaneously out of my portastudio, something I've been wanting to do since 2004. I was ecstatic !
On top of that, I feel my recording of drums has way improved, my arranging has improved, I've started hitting electric guitar tones that I actually like, I quite like editing and can repair certain errors, I feel that my bass picking brings me the sounds I've chased for almost three decades, I'm getting a much better handle on VSTis when I use them, my brass sections are increasingly convincing, to my ears at least {I'm very fussy} and even though as an actual player I'm not as good as I once was, as an all rounder there's no comparison.
I love putting together songs and recording them.

 

[somegeezer]

I suspect I could have spent more over the years if my hobby was something like golfing or whatever. Green fees aren't exactly cheap and have NO resale value!

That's a great point you make there actually. It may seem like a ton of money to be putting out, but there are so many other hobbies that are going to cost you more. The whole reason this site even exists is because recording at home has become so cheap compared to the old days. You don't need to best gear to record a demo for your band and you can do pretty much the entire software side for free if needs be.

I think the most important question is are you happy with everything? Does it still put a smile on your face from when you first started?

Definitely. Worth every penny.

 

[Brenton]

I would like to keep investing in my studio so if you guys see my right kidney on ebay, check it out.

 

[Bobbsy]

I'm holding out to bid when you sell the left one....

 

[Brenton]

The left one is already gone.

 

[stevieb]

I have pretty much a minimum of home-recording equipment- a Zoom R-16 and a few mics. My plan, which was a good one, was to support my son's pro studio in New Orleans, and get free recording sessions with any band/project I am involved with. Only fly in that ointment is I failed to consider how difficult is it to get 4 or more mature adults, most or all with responsibilities to real or day jobs, to travel from Atlanta to New Orleans for a recording session- basically, has not happened ONCE, yet.

But anyway, that is my solution- but I gotta admit, it's not working out real well for me, and most people don't have that resource to draw on, anyway- so maybe it's not such a good solution, after all...