Oh, wow...
totally didn't expect all the responses, and with this kind of vibe...THANKS, guys! I appreciate all of you sharing the anecdotes.
I will say this...any drunk knows something is changing when they can't stand to swallow the booze anymore...and I'm not being flippant with the parallel there...but that's what this is like looking at all that stuff...I'm just tired of it but feel some obligation to at least break even in getting rid of it...but being rid of it is "worth" something too.
I'm going to start with the latest post and move backwards in quoting and commenting on some things some had to say...
One thing I haven't seen from any of you guys, which is a bit worrying.... is talking about your satisfaction with the sound your getting from your recordings. Is having 20 reel to reel machines really making your recordings sound any better? are you really more satisfied with your recording sound?
A reel to reel machine isn't a piece of art it's the recording quality that you get from it that makes it desirable, you guys talk like oh i want this machine and that and this and that. I base all my purchases on the desired recording quality that i want on my next project. In this situation you absolutely do not need need more than 1 mixer, 1 mixdown deck and one multitrack deck.
Chilljam I get what you are saying here...I will tell you that a big part of my process is getting the
idea from somewhere about what I want or need and then tracking that item down and then really
learning via hands-on experience if it really IS what I want or need. Burdensome, yes...means a lot of mistakes and wandering but I'm the kind of guy that has to figure things out for himself. Like I mentioned, this is what happened with drums...after the "process" I found out what I wanted in a kit and at the time nobody made it...so I learned how to make it. I love my drums; I like how they sound and look and how they work. Same thing with my digital rig...went through all SORTS of stuff...several years of trial and error and for like 5 years now I've had the same rig...its on the cusp of being obsolete now of course but it totally works for me and I know it well and have no desire to change any of it and haven't for years. I think I'm really close if not "there" with analog gear...just so happens the analog stuff takes up more space than digital so there's just heaps more volume.
So my point is that I've had to
learn what the sonic differences are and what I want/can afford and what fits and I can tell you without a doubt that I
love the sound of the MM-1000...not sure on the Soundtracs mixer yet...
love the sound of the BR-20T. So my decisions that have led me here haven't been really based on the sound, but the decisions that drive what I
know stays are very much based on the sound. In fact, I've found that my decisions for the digital rig were mostly based on flexibility and digital features for the buck...a philosophy I carried into the analog realm but as I've grown I'm finding that all I
really care about is a good sound...I've let go of so many facets I thought were "must-have's" now for the sake of the sonic performance and/or signature.
I suspect he's pinned under a pile of 388's!
Mmmmm, Jeff, Herm...a logical assumption for sure...he's lurking, and he'll be back around but I can tell you he's taking care of "life" at the moment.
If I could just shut off that voice in my head that always says "I may need that someday"
Yeah that SOB won't leave me alone either, but this thread is all about a certain threshhold I've hit and my boundaries are shifting and what that voice has to say is losing to the yearning for simplicity.
For me, all I really need is a bed, a computer, my camera, a TV, a radio, some cloths and some basic kitchen utensils. I of course have all of that 4 to 5 times over and really need to go though another purge!
Capitalism really is evil after all.
Capitalism...the catalyst for many good things, but often at the core, in some way, of discontent.
You know, there was a picture book my folks had growing up on the coffee table...something like "Fifty One-Room Houses" or something like that. OOOOOO! I just felt how I felt whenever I looked at it...here were all these artistic studio
houses...creative in their method of using the space and yet limiting in a healthy way...they were wonderful. And I love it when my wife and I go to IKEA and they have these sections of the showroom that are mock apartments or homes with labels like "living in 600 sq. ft." and such and all these great ways to organize and utilize space for dual purpose...just wonderful. And I practically wept when I toured the apartments in
Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower a number of years ago...granted there is an emotional connection there as my Dad studied at Taliesin and has always had a tremendous artistic sense whether in music or creating spaces, and my Grandmother kept up correspondence with Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, but the way the limited space was used...Ah! But I digress. Point is, you are SO right...we really NEED so little and we miss out on so much by having so much.
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Do NOT let Cory go to FREEGEEK!!! They have a STORE there and they SELL STUFF!!!
Like giving an addict the key to the pharmacy!!
Heheheh....Now THAT'S funny...I have to say though, and slap me if this is screwed up, but I think in MOST cases my purchases have been smart from a cost standpoint...no...forget that...I HAVE gotten some good deals, but there are the hidden costs of the pursuit on those around me...That (as I now see it)
insane 2200 mile trip to get the M-__...two trips up to northern Washington for gear that is now...gone...and it was THE ticket at that point. Well, I've gotten more local with my purchases and more selective...and maybe more lucrative too...A friend here on the forum, and you know who you are, has really been instrumental in helping me to develop some boundaries and self-tests when something comes-a-callin' and those tests are becoming more automatic...betcha I could go into free geek and come out empty-handed, unless there was something that was really needed and that I could afford, which is nothing right now...heheh, "don't let [me] go to free geek..." Heehee!
"Recovering" riiiiiiiiiiight...
Hey, you know, at first my reaction was "Hey, no, I AM!" Then I thought "aw he's just jokin' anyway." But on a serious note I've totally come to terms with the reality that it will take a long time before the most critical people in my life really trust that I HAVE changed...It will have to be demonstrated and that's fair enough AFAIC...my wife is at the very top of the list. Not only will she need to see long-term that the extra stuff goes away and that acquisitions have stopped or at least slowed to items that logically make sense to her (and in my mind if they DO then, and only then, can they be considered as such by me...I trust her more than myself which is wise IMO). She is, without a doubt, worth the effort. A logical purchase would be the recent acquisition of 20 NOS pancakes of 1/4" x 2500' GP9 for $30 shipped. Can't argue with that deal since I have the BR-20T and I know that will be an indespensable tool in the studio for any number of things. It will get used. And considering that the cases of GP9 came with a black Technics takeup reel that is currently on eBay (bidding is currently at $31
+ S&H with almost a day left on the auction...6 bidders and 16 watchers so far) I would call that a smart buy...I'm getting paid to take the tape, basically. And then the other recent purchase was the 3rd 234, but I knew it would be a fast-track to having the 234 project wrapped up (the other 2 decks have problems...was gonna try and make a good one out of the two but being able to dress up one that is basically already "done" is a whole lot faster) and not only that it came with a VGC RC-71 all for $30, local sale...so, again, I could easily make money on that with little effort by selling the RC-71...already have one so this makes two. That makes sense because I have a borrowed 424 which I'd like to return, like the sound and simplicity of the 234 better and have lots of tapes in that format and would enjoy still using that format for certain times and things.
Wish I was there. I would be glad to help you get your house finished.
Sheesh, Danny...you and me both. Thanks for that...it is an encouragement. I would have complete trust in your work, THAT'S for sure. Thanks for the anecdote, too. I know you have a lot of gear...spares that have been stashed. I also know you have been going through some of that and thinning. The other bit here too though is that you have done quite a bit of work for quite a number of years out of your facility and I see a distinction to that and my usage which has been very, VERY moonlight. Basically three full-length projects, an EP project and a couple demo projects in the past seven years or so...a smattering of personal stuff, which actually has been, by far, the most fun and that's the thing...I've come to realize that that is what I really want this stuff for, not to generate income, not to promote anything
I'M doing musically, but just to "paint"...to have fun, and more recently having increased hopes of it being a hub of connection and fun memories with my kids.
Regarding Deep Thoughts with Muck L. Roy...
The philosophy class, and the jar:
-- A philosophy class saw a large glass jar filled with rocks. Everyone in the class agreed that it was full.
-- The professor then added a ton of small marbles to the jar. The marbles trickled down and filled all the crevices which were not occupied between the rocks. The class agreed that the jar was still full.
-- The professor then poured sand into the jar. The sand completely inundated all the open space in the jar. The class agreed the jar was still full.
-- Then, the jar was dumped into the trash can. It was filled to the brim with only sand. But when that happened, no rocks or marbles would fit.
I've actually seen that demonstrated in a workshop discussing priorities...pretty thought-provoking for sure. I can't say I've thought about that session during these past several years but that is indeed what is happing somewhat and its true...when you put the big rocks in first (tend to the most important priorities in your life first), the little stuff fits and the big reason is that tending to the priorities first
defines what is left for the little stuff. It feels really good to do the right thing when I'm doing it and I find I'm less interested in the selfish pursuits. Trick is I'm consistently want to wander off the path and that's where having self-tests and automatic boundary triggers comes in. Remembering that I was, without realizing it, straining our marriage to a critical point makes it easier and easier to say "no". Its just not worth it.
The practicality approach:
Think of a use-case scenario for when your housing addition and recording studio are finished.
-- Within a typical year of operation, think about (realistically) what you will use, and what you won't use. Part ways with all the stuff that you will most likely not use in a year's time. Keep in mind that it's not the medium or recording method that counts, so much as the music itself. A skilled-enough musician will always sound good, even if recording to a mono wax cylinder.
-- That in mind, I'd hold on to Matilda, and either your M-____ or your Soundtracs MX large-format console.
-- Hold on to your Tascam BR-20 (if it's functioning good? yes?)
-- Between Matilda and your BR-20, you should have enough rack ears to get the job done w/ your outboard stuff (right?)
-- Hold on to a DAW of some kind for cross-compatibility. That way people that wanna get their digital mixes out into some analog outboard gear, or mixed down to the BR-20 can do so.
That's a clear way to think of it and prioritize...good litmus test for where I'm at right now.
There is no doubt that the MM-1000 stays...I love the sound, the aesthetic, and the practical aspect of being able, really, to troubleshoot and fix just about anything on it...that decision drives the front end needs as I want (not saying "need") a mixer that can handle a 16-track deck and the M-__ just can't. The Soundtracs can and there is, in spite of the sheer size of the thing, a straight-forward simplicity to the Soundtracs desk and its features compared to the M-__. The M-__ is just frickin' cool and so uniquely flexible...its really awesome, but in some respects its more than I want or need and in others, like sheer channel count, it falls short and I mean for 16-track monitoring. I may sound like I'm being picky but I don't want to have to compromise operational simplicity by patching it together and trying to make it work when monitoring and mixdowns would be a consistent mind-scramble to try and make them work. And the BR-20T, yes, its a keeper and works well. Going through it at the moment (actually will
resume going through it when the space is more condusive and the remodel project is buttoned up), but that's been driven by the fact that it runs like a charm and sounds great too. As mentioned above I have a DAW setup I really like...Yamaha 01X and i88X, Presonus Digimax FS, Windows-based PC running Cubase...it just works for me and I do enjoy working in digital for its unique benefits for sure.
I see no reason to hold on to all the old half-gutted Ampex boxes. As for the 388 - man I'd bet it's nice an juicy, but c'mon now - if you've got an MM-1000 sitting there humming away, is it really necessary?
--- If your primary use of the studio is personal and occasional friend/non-friend outsider recording, the above is awesome.
-- If you plan on using the studio as a conversion studio where all kinds of formats can come to be converted to digital formats, then that's the only reason to hold on to any other format of tape machines.
The sticky bit with the 440 stuff is that I really love how the MM-1000 sounds...440 will be the same kind of thing, and the 440C is really in nice shape and considering it came with the MM-1000 in that $300 lot, it was practically free...came with remote too...needs the complete block though which would be at least $300 in and of itself...the other ones (the stripped one and the 440B-1, no attachment there...just can't figure out how best to get rid of them). If its about sound, then what if the 440C sounds like the MM-1000? The BR-20T sounds great, but what I've heard from the MM-1000 is magical...and my drifting toward simplicity...the 440C is more simple for sure. So the jury is still out on that one. And the 388...I just really dig the 388. I'll admit it is emotional but it is a great machine too, and the practical aspect of it is media cost and operational ease...yes, the Soundtracs MX and MM-1000 will make a great pair, but using a 1"~2" machine as a
scratch-pad? Ugh...granted, the 388 is more than a scratch-pad, but there is the integrated simplicity...like, that's why I want to keep the 234 (aside from having a machine that will playback past 4-track cassette projects)...pop in a tape and go...but I like an 8-track format for most things based on sounds and textures I like to mix vs. 4-track, and I like reels. 388 has the reels and the ease. Plus mine's minty by this point, and how can you argue with a 5-year-old that loves to play with it? He loves working the transport, adjusting the faders and turning the knobs and he isn't just playing...he listens to what is happening and if that draws him and I together? Well, that's a tough one...not that we NEED a chunk of gear to draw us together...we like each other anyway but I think common interests can be the source of good fun which makes for good bonding...my time is limited with these kids...they will be grownup and gone and I selfishly want to be a necessary part of their lives for the rest of mine, so I gotta invest somehow now...that means I need to be good at being interested in the things in which they are interested, but I believe it also means sharing part of me in a way that is accessible to them...having a place with the guitars, VI controller, drums, effects processors and mixing and tracking gear freely available to them as an activity together...to be able to jam and maybe the boys and/or girls will want me to teach them something about any of it...I see that as a way to share some of me in a way that may be fun or interesting to them.
While I am no where as "ambitious" as Cory, I am also more enamoured with gear than I am either talented or motivated. I fortunately (unfortunately) have a very large home with a very large garage and shop which means I have never had space be a limit to my obsession with gear. Within the last year or two I have tried to get more realistic about what I need ( very little) vs what I have or want (way too much). This has led me to realize:
1) I am not going to be doing any serious recording. Ever. I am a LISTENER and a tinkerer.
2) No one in my family is going to want ANY of this stuff.
3) It is NOT going to be worth a fortune some day.
4) If I ever really need it, someone else will be selling it. If I dont want to pay the asking price, then I dont really need it.
So, I have been selling off stuff... probably 20 reel to reel machines, mixers, various bits and parts, etc...over the last two years of so. Yeah, I am still buying stuff (last months 440C 4 track) but absolutely NOTHING is going in storage. I have been for the most part focusing my efforts on making sure everything I have is fully functional and is set up and ready to use, and I USE it. If i do not or am just being stupid like "well I am going to use it someday" then I am trying to let it go. So I am taking care and of or restoring the few keepers and setting the rest free.
How many quarter track reel machines do I need? How many half tracks? How many mixers? How many xxxxx?
NEED....not have or want.
Its just hard to get rid of nice gear.....sigh
Well, techno...this is just a homerun here...I really have hit some hard truths in the past year...I'm NOT a professional...I won't BE a professional and I don't WANT to be a professional. "Let's face it" I says to myself..."its a HOBBY." Its a hobby that soared to obsession and addiction. Now I'm tired. Still like the stuff but I've gotta do something good with it. Music is such a personal part of me...of what's inside and if I can share that with family and friends and have fun with it and learn what's in them...then that's good...all around. Can't take it with me..."People won't remember what you said or did but they WILL remember how you made them feel."
sweetbeats,
that is scary because it's familiar.
It's a constant struggle for me to keep on top the junk that finds it way to my place.
I've stopped "rescuing" stuff that's heading for the landfill.
It's sad, but i realized that it's not my problem.
We are not museums.
stuff takes away your energy and productivity.
I've been the executor for several estates.
you realize that at the end, it's just stuff.
It's a burden for the people left behind to deal with.
If no one else want's it, it just has to go.
besides selling on ebay, craigslist, or using the 'free" section, there is something called freecycle.
there is also the organizations that will accept donations, but they are getting picky about what they take, which i understand.
there are also brokers that specialize in analog recording gear.
Why don't you just settle in on a basic setup, keep a FEW parts for backup, and get rid of the rest.
or, trade it all for a laptop and an interface.
ZING!
Yeah...I've definitely succumbed to a "rescuing" impulse...recently passed on a local M-600 for $200..."going to the dump if nobody picks it up"...that was close.
We're on freecycle...that might be a way to go...no broker is going to want the broken stuff and I don't want to waste my time fixing it up, except the M-__...dang that's a tough one...and yes I fear the burden this stuff could be to somebody else...yuuuuuuck! And you are SO RIGHT that all the stuff DOES take away our energy and productivity and ulitmately it takes US away from being present with others.
I can seriously empathize!
I grew up with a bunch of hoarders! I am a hoarder!
wish there was a 12 step program!
least i didn't have the gross kind of hoarder family that had a million cats etc....ugh!
it's taken us years to get rid of stuff after my dad died......long story but he had several buildings full of stuff...........
i bought my friends demo studio last year and planned on living in one bedroom of a small house i bought and use the rest of the house as a studio.
Well, between realizing my arms are really too screwed up to play guitar anymore i finally decided I'm done...........and the fact i may not be single in another six months! she says she can put up with all the stuff but there's no way two people can live in a 650 sq ft house and have a studio in it specially if i'm done........................
plus i have a huge record collection,reel to reel tapes, cassettes, books, have probably a double cars garage worth of various tools from various weird hobbies i've had in the past!
and this is after 4 years of at least a garage sale a year and tons of trips to the thrift stores to donate!
it's way too easy to get this way...........
and my soon to be great gal? she's got like maybe a half dozen large plastic storage containers that fit in a closet and that's it.............
fortunately she knows what she's getting into!
so, from one hoarder to another...........i'll say a prayer for ya and leave the light on at the dog house!
U can change but it does take time!
"i'm a man, and i can change, if i have to, i guess" Red Green
That quote is hilarious...and...um...a little scary...
I think its neat that your other half accepts you for who you are, and that it is driving change in you that comes from within. Man, there is just about nothing better than that in the big picture you know? That's rich...really.
Hey...is the doghouse heated? Is there power? Because, we could...hook up a...uh...nevermind.
"several buildings full of stuff..." Seriously...wowwww...
Okay, good and kind people...'nuf for now...I really think it boils down to the gutted 440 in the Russ Lang console and the 440B-1 in the Ampex roll around from an immediate perspective...and then just generally going through all the spares and thinning and consolidating...like, I don't need the entire spare 388 you know? That could be consolidated into a box of spare parts...plenty of Ampex spares that could be sold off...maybe I could help out needy 440 owners here...and the M-__...hmmm...I have NO practical use for it...I won't either...but it has to go somewhere special you know? I really wish somebody at Tascam gave a care about the thing...I read somewhere that there is a Tascam museum in Japan but I have no way of getting in touch with folks over there...