TubeDude Tip-o-the-WEEK to last a lifetime.

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tubedude

tubedude

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Sorry folks, I started something everyone is interested in and fell apart at the seams. My life is bleak right now, as everyone saw in the cave, and my motivation is at an all time low.
I'm still checking out, auditioning, dreaming, making a list and checking it twice, of the gear I'm gonna buy this coming winter.
This leads me to thinking about todays subject. (Maybe this should become tip-o-the-week? ) :)

Buying gear and wasting money.... save yourself the heartache.

If you are new to this game, then you are destined to make these mistakes, even after I tell you this. The old timers will step in, I hope, and back me up on this one, too.
I have been chasing an elusive sound for 15 years.
I have bought thousands of dollars in hyped up over marketed gear thinking this was the key, the final stage in making it all sound big and fat.
I have come really close sometimes, being forced to work extra hard and extra long to try to get a big sound. Close just doesn't get it for me. For every stage of quality you step up, you want that next step. Its totally addictive and financial hell.
For every $1000 I've spent on gear in my life, I ended up selling the shit for about 20% of its new value. For the money I have spent on cheap lousy junk that doesnt cut it, I could have a rack of high end gear. No lie. A rack of Brent Averill Neves and some good EQ's.
Todays lesson is one in finance.
Don't buy ANYTHING cause it looks good (except hookers).
Don't beleive marketing hype. It is marketing, to sell stuff, to make someone else money. Plenty of products are blown up to look very good, but perform terrible. They work, though. Just not well.
Forums like this are a valuable resource. Ask before you buy. Check around. You might get some valuable answers, and save yourself alot of misery. Do this for EVERY piece you buy, even if it seems like a no-brainer.
Spend the extra $10 on the better cable. Its only $10, damnit.
Don't rush for that Behringer mixer you want so badly. Consider saving the money and getting some better quality outboard preamps. It doesnt have to be Neve, but get something better. A focusrite platinum series or a dual channel Presonus MP20 (only $500 for 2 decent class A pre's) will get you much closer to the truth than a mixer that has 48 mic pre's for $199 plus tax.
Be patient (a lesson thats KILLING me right now). If you can get the better pre's in 3 weeks, or the cheap ones now, wait. IN the long run you'll be SOOOOO much happier. Patience is a bitch though, and if you snap and make the crappy buy, I'm with ya brother... its hard sometimes.
Mics... there are plenty of tried and true mics out there in a low price bracket. If you only have one mic or are buying your 1st, don't take a chance on something you've never heard of on the advice of a GC salesman... Even though it seems like the deal of a lifetime. Come back here and ask. You'll be glad you did.
Just remind yourself that its for the good of all mankind.
See ya soon,
Paul
 
123

Good ways to learn about gear and how to make it work in your favor is by reading reading reading. The best way to learn about the pros and cons of gear is right here. If I had access to all of these forums years ago, things would be very different now.
Subscribe to a few mags... cheap way to get informed. EQ is excellent, IMO, and TapeOp is FREE. Cant beat free.
Another lesson in money well spent is TapeOp magazine.
Read the EQ forums, these forums and rec.audio.pro newsgroups. Good info there. Some names to look for... Fletcher, George Massenberg, Roger Nichols, Dan Kennedy and our own Harvey Gerst. These people know thier shit, and are all over alot of message boards.
Cheap info that saves me money later.
I like it.
 
Excellent advice TD! Couldn't have said it better....

Bruce
 
If I may, I’d just like to add that if you are brand spanking new to the world of home recording, don’t jump on the subscriptions just yet (unless it's free of course).. They typically don’t cater to beginners, and the technical jargon can be daunting to someone trying to read through the magazine.. get as much free info, here and elsewhere, before filling out that subscription card.. you will get more benefit out of those magazines if you know what the hell they are talking about..
 
tubedude said:

Todays lesson is one in finance.
Don't buy ANYTHING cause it looks good (except hookers).


Even be carefull with this. The good looking ones are usually cops.
 
123

"Even be carefull with this. The good looking ones are usually cops."

Another voice of experience. :)

Lots to learn here!
 
:D LOL :D @ the post of Senor Cactus.

spin

p.s. HR.COM is definitely the place you need to read AND post at, BEFORE you buy ANY equipment!
 
tubedude said:
.
Don't rush for that Behringer mixer you want so badly. Consider saving the money and getting some better quality outboard preamps. It doesnt have to be Neve, but get something better. A focusrite platinum series or a dual channel Presonus MP20 (only $500 for 2 decent class A pre's) will get you much closer to the truth than a mixer that has 48 mic pre's for $199 plus tax.
Paul

hey tubedude, checked it out like you said. ok the behringer doesn't have preamp outs? what exactly do the pre-out's do to the signal going into my multitrack software?(ntrack--i know,another cheepy)

or can computer software compensate up for it? it's not that i don't wanna spend the bucks, i don't have'em.i got a fixed income on disability.

i understand EQ AND COMPRESSION are major factors in a track's outcome.

what is the difference between a behringer out signal and a quailty mixer's preout signal?

thanx
 
OK

An analogy... spend 50 cents for a White Castle hamburger(does everyone have white castle in thier town?) that gives you gas and makes you regret it later, or spend $10 on the Prime Rib at the local steak house. There's your difference in quality.
If you never want to do more than make demo grade recordings, you will be fine with cheaper gear. If you want better, buy better.
I've crossed the line. Demo grade doesnt keep me content. If you can't spend it, you can't spend it. Buy whatever you have to/want to buy. Just be thoughtful when picking it out. Get the best you can for that $1.
 
Sorry TD... you won't get much at those "Dollar Stores" -- well maybe a Behringer of some sort.

:D :D

Bruce
 
Re: OK

tubedude said:
An analogy... spend 50 cents for a White Castle hamburger(does everyone have white castle in thier town?) that gives you gas and makes you regret it later, or spend $10 on the Prime Rib at the local steak house. There's your difference in quality.
If you never want to do more than make demo grade recordings, you will be fine with cheaper gear. If you want better, buy better.
I've crossed the line. Demo grade doesnt keep me content. If you can't spend it, you can't spend it. Buy whatever you have to/want to buy. Just be thoughtful when picking it out. Get the best you can for that $1.
there is another school of thought here and probably been posted till we're blue in the ass.

if ya want serious recordings, go to a studio that's already got all that gear and people that know how to use it. then as an artist,just record/produce(or co-produce) the music.

yes u can spend all that money trying for that ultimate sound.what for? unless ur gonna be a lifelong engineer and collect gear. don't know about you, but i'm a better artist than an engineer. manning the boards is hard ass work.i been on both sides.

since i'm poor,(a re-o-curring songwriter theme) my goal now is to make "great" sounding demo's that sell at my gigs.

any record company will want to re-record u anyway if u get signed.
just my 4cents
 
Well...

Considering the amp/guitar side of my "sport" has been covered for years, I see no reason not to spend a few grand on my favorite, and only, hobby. Going to a studio is nice. Getting that same sound with your own skill on your own time, well, thats nice AND satisfying. So its a tad more expensive? So what? Track a couple bands here and there for some cash. Use your stuff to do live work. Rent out your Neves. Whatever. The returns can be allright if you try hard enough. I would like to be able to support my gear habit by recording other people, and not necc. make a lving off of it. Its an equal side of my hobby. I write stuff I like, I record stuff I like. Few electronic hobbies are cheap. I'm not asking it to be, really. It makes the new stuff that much more exciting when it comes my way.
Recording, mixing and mastering is an art, also, and an extension of the art you are already creating.
Oh, and when I go see bands I like, and offer up money to buy thier shit, and it sounds like shit, they ruined it for me. Keep that in mind. I'm not the only one.
Heres my other idea. Good studio in town, $40/hour or $400 a day. Being the perfectionist, I cant get much done with less than 2 days. Every 6 months or so, you wanna record your stuff. Thats at least $1600 a year. 3 years=$4800. Hmmm, lets see...
Vintech Neve-alike $1300
Motu 1224 for 8 acceptable conveters $1100
PreSonus MP20 $500
Small Mackie board for extra pre's $400?
RNC $200
Speck ASC EQ $500
TLM 103 or something nice... $800
Thats about $4800 equivalent.
The rest of your mics and the mackie board double for live shows, so I dont even count them in the recording chain costs, really.
Now, you can record a good qulaity whenever you want, for pretty much free, in a round about way. And, you can always make some money back later selling it or recording other bands with it. :)
Damn, That was a long post.... :)
 
Compressor Help!

Thanks tubedude, that was a lot of great information! I have been hearing a lot about preamp, preamp everything. And I agree and we are working on that. But, just how important is compression? We have absolutely no compressors at all in our gear. I know a band that sounds great and they to don't use any type of compressors. I have only heard them live though so recording could make a greater difference. Anyway, what do you think about the Alesis 3630 Compressor Gate (I know the chapter 11 thing could be a problem)? But would this be worth the money as a start on fixing our compression problem? Also, this looks like a two-in-one deal. What do ya think dude?

Teresa
 
Oh, I should have said...I think I can get a new one for about $170.00 American dollars.
 
Is it possible to get a RNC without buying online? I checked out both sites and their description of the compressor was pretty much the same almost word for word. But the one Blue Bear Sound suggested was cheaper; I think it was $175.00. Anyway, thanks for the help guys!
 
FMR Audio is the manufacturer. Mercenary is an on-line retailer (a store too, in Boston) run by Fletcher (of rec.audio.pro infamy!)

His knowledge of gear is excellent and he doesn't take kindly to garbage gear - the fact that he sells the RNC says it all about the calibre of that particular piece.

Bruce
 
As soon as I can afford a compressor I'm getting the RNC. I'm taking your word for it guys. I really do appreciate your words of wisdom; that's why I like to come to this site. I spend a lot more time reading the posts than I do writing them, and I am learning little by little.

Teresa
 
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