On Being Obsessive (And A Question)

[Patch Khoard]

OK, I confess: I'm a neurotic sort of person when it comes to my audio gear. This applies to my PC recording setup as well as my stereo and home theater systems. It's not that I'm an audiophile, really. I don't even have real fancy stuff. It's just that I like to feel I'm getting the best I can get out of the equipment I've got.

That means I'm doomed to a life of stress. Any time something gets jiggled or jostled, bumped or dropped, my brain kicks into a kind of OCD mode, where I worry I now will not get the best performance from a given piece of gear. I'll listen closely, sometimes driving myself nuts wondering, "Hmm, is this is as good as it sounded yesterday?" "Was this low hum here before?" etc. I think I'm actually capable of convincing myself that stuff is suffering even when it's probably not.

It's weird, because I'm pretty laid back with everything else in life. Like, totally laid back.

I'm just curious if this trait is widespread among people like us (i.e., people who like creating and recording sounds). Do others here get neurotic like this? Or is it just some personal quirk of mine?

To wit: Last week I got home from a three-day trip and discovered I'd left my piddly little TubeMP preamp running the entire time, with a (phantom-powered) microphone attached. The preamp was hot as a mofo. I've been panicked, of course, that I've damaged the preamp or the mic. I mean, I listen and it sounds fine, I guess, but then my brain says, "Yeah, but maybe you just can't tell that it's not as good as it was."

Ugh. Tell me if you guys are like this, or do I just need to see a shrink...

 

[kojdogg]

shouldn't be a problem as long as they are both working. it could have actually helped if either the mic or pre are relatively new (components will have "burned in" a bit). the tube in the tubemp probably wore down a little bit, but that shouldn't really be an issue unless the tube has already gotten a lot of use and it's easily replaced.

 

[mshilarious]

A 12AX7 can go 5,000 hours, I wouldn't be too worried about it. The regulators in the PSU just might let go first

 

[kojdogg]

yeah those art tube mp psu's kinda blow

 

[virtualvisions]

I'm absolutely the same way. I breathed on one of my condensers once and worried for at least a year that it wasn't as good as it was before. I also dropped my shure E4s and basically convinced myself I broke them (even though they worked and sounded fine).
I also have a habit of convincing myself that something on one of my speakers isn't working as well anymore, although its usually after accidently overdriving them (so I probably have reason to believe something might have been broken or at least made worse )
Don't worry about it too much, since, your stuff will be totally fine unless you do something horrible to it (throwing a condenser on the floor in a fit of rage )

 

[chessrock]

The good news is that ... most of your equipment probably sucks to begin with, so anything you do to it might actually wind up being a net improvement.

.

 

[nddhc]

When I got my first condenser mic (a "fake" Oktava MC012) I didnt realize that without a pop filter you CANNOT talk into these things. I thought I possibly ruined the mic forever based on the loud distorted POPS I heard coming through my speakers


I just got a MOTU 8pre and even though im using it as my main computer soundcard, im afraid to leave it running as long as I do. When I wake up in the morning I turn it on and I dont usually turn it off til I go to bed at night... Hopefully this wont be a problem though

I think we all suffer from it to a certain extent

 

[superspit]

The good news is that ... most of your equipment probably sucks to begin with, so anything you do to it might actually wind up being a net improvement.

.

hehehehe!!!

as far as the rest of the responses are concerned, this guy might have already taken himself out!!!..

 

[PhilGood]

No, I think you may need to see a shrink.

Think about it. You sit there and sweat over the effect average use has on every piece of gear (some of which will give your stuff the character it needs) and are paranoid that it may be damaging it somehow and it gives you stress.

Can you imagine what you'll be like when you actually damage something for real? I mean, like an accident? You'll lose your flippin' mind when that happens!! Isn't that bad enough?

Tubes get hot. It's what they do. Don't panic!

Gear gets used, gear gets scratched, gear wears out. Fact of life.

Get a grip and enjoy making music. Worry about the future when it happens.

 

[Recording Chick]

I was paranoid about my gear, but I think it stemmed from the fear about not being able to replace it because some of it is a bit pricey. The other fear was that I didn't have gear good enough to make a good album, but I just started making music and got over it. The gear I have is the gear I have. It's all about the music being recorded on it at this point. Produce, Produce, Produce, Produce, that's all I'm concerned with now. I've completely abandoned that, I'll produce my great album when I get that Manley Vox Box & M149 mentality. It's just an excuse not to produce.

 

[Patch Khoard]

Thanks for the responses. No, I haven't taken myself out yet. And yes, most of my gear is on the... let's just say, average side.

As for this:

Can you imagine what you'll be like when you actually damage something for real? I mean, like an accident? You'll lose your flippin' mind when that happens!! Isn't that bad enough?

The weird thing is, if I really, truly broke something, it wouldn't actually freak me out as much. I mean, I'd be irritated the way anybody gets irritated about breaking something. But it wouldn't make me neurotic. I think it's the gray area -- the "oh crap, is this maybe messed up, does it perform a bit worse than before?" -- that seems more ripe for anxiety.

General point taken, however, about relaxing and enjoying!

 

[ofajen]

I do try to make sure my gear is working well, but I don't worry too much about actual use. Most of my gear is old and designed to be fixed if there is a problem. Heck, the old 3M tape decks sound great even if they're not aligned perfectly. I have some spare 3M parts in case something does have a problem. The bigger problem I have is that some of my instruments are not so great and some of my music sucks.

Now I DID recently dig out my old AKG D19s and I noticed that one of them sounded a bit off. The presence peak was so strong as to have a hint of an audible ring. I really hadn't used it as much as the other one, because of that. I pulled the windscreen off and loosened the diaphragm tension a little bit, just until it sounded better, without the ringing. Now I think I like it better than the other D19, at least on my voice.

Cheers,

Otto

 

[Robert D]

Oh, the restless nights I've spent worrying that my Tube MP doesn't sound as pristine as the day I bought it.

So, I assume you have this gear to record your music with? Take care of your gear, for sure, but realize that the biggest problem most people have with their recording gear is getting it out of the way enough to make music. That's what should worry you. How can I keep the music flowing while I'm trying to wear this engineers cap.
I have a saying, I really can't remember if I made it up or heard it somewhere, but it goes like this.....

Too much analysis leads to paralysis.

 

[ofajen]

Oh, the restless nights I've spent worrying that my Tube MP doesn't sound as pristine as the day I bought it.

So, I assume you have this gear to record your music with? Take care of your gear, for sure, but realize that the biggest problem most people have with their recording gear is getting it out of the way enough to make music. That's what should worry you. How can I keep the music flowing while I'm trying to wear this engineers cap.
I have a saying, I really can't remember if I made it up or heard it somewhere, but it goes like this.....

Too much analysis leads to paralysis.

Yeah, mostly what I do these days is play and record with one or two mikes into the MixPre and then recorded on the MicroTrack. Both are tiny and run on batteries and follow me around the studio or wherever else. The MixPre has great preamps and even has a good headphone amp section and a tape return path so I can monitor the recording right back if I want. No computer involved unless I want to load the file in and do more with it. It's a big help to me to have one button recording in a portable package. That it also sounds superb is a big bonus.

Cheers,

Otto

 

[Robert D]

Cool Otto! For the self recordist, the best setup by far is the one that keeps you being an artist first, an engineer second (as opposed to a second engineer).

 

[ofajen]

Cool Otto! For the self recordist, the best setup by far is the one that keeps you being an artist first, an engineer second (as opposed to a second engineer).

Thanks! That's the same reason I always use the Studio Traps to create a known, good recording space and the same reason I mainly reach for the SM-80s for most things: I can get a good, accurate sound that I can use without having to think too much or fuss about the recording side of things.

Cheers,

Otto