What's limiting YOUR recordings??

What's the weakest link in your recordings?

  • My recording chain (mics, pres, etc)

    Votes: 156 18.4%

  • My monitoring chain (monitors, phones)

    Votes: 66 7.8%

  • My room(s)

    Votes: 258 30.4%

  • My own ability

    Votes: 368 43.4%
  • Total voters
    848
Since I'm just getting back into recording after 20 years or so it's got to be me. I'm getting set up at the moment, just want to make something not too dreadful. Back in the day an 8 track was a full bore studio. But I payed lots of attention when we went to studios and how they were put together, so thankfully I've got some idea of where I'm going.
 
Interface

I need an audio interface. I'm saving for a mid-price one. I already have analog gear & I have no illusions about my ability. (or lack of) I think it's important to express original ideas.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
First, develop affordable and effective coal chimney scrubbers, and then use the profits from that to develop an advanced gender masking technology that ensures your first newborn medically tests as a male regardless of actual gender.

G.
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Or start a brothel. Man it must suck to be a teenage male over there.
 
Great question, I found a good room to record in at my friend's place who has a big house. I like all the gear I have. I think for me its 2 things equally. Effects and my ability, because when it comes to mixing, I don't have much of a clue. Maybe its really just equally everything actually I can't think of 1 thing that really stands out. I've never even experienced using a super high quality mic before, so that could be it as well, I just don't know. There are a lot of multi-thousand $ effects boxes and plugins I'd love to have, but even if I did I wouldn't know how to use them maximally, so really everything I have right now is pretty much commensurate with my current abilities.
 
I put down monitoring because I'm not that happy with it (my room is completely treated though).

But the truth is TIME. I don't have enough, and I never have enough. It sucks.
 
My own ability...moreso my own ability to motivate myself to truly work on a project before having the equipment that I'm 100% satisfied with.
 
I'm limited by inspiration, time, and energy. I have to "feel it" or the recordings will suffer. I record music to escape. If I'm pressed for time I rush things, which just doesn't work for me.
 
It's 100% my own lack of ability and knowledge. This is mostly limited by not having enough time and just not being that talented.

At the moment I'm reading Roey Izhaki's 'Mixing Audio' simply because I need that knowledge. I'm sick of adding an effect and twisting a few knobs and being happy with the sound I stumble upon. I have songs in my head and I want to be able to get that sound like I want it to be.

I'm limiting myself to electronic music, but one day I'd like to have a piano, and I really want to be able to record it. Same goes for my guitars.

I have recently bought a set of monitors, but I have no delusion that a treated room will magically grant my all the skills I need.
 
Well, I have "relatively good gear", a "bit or maybe a smidgen " of talent and a degree in electronics.

Now like so many, my time to be creative is limited. On the bright side I did manage to paint my 1 room studio and put in a ceramic tile floor.( that took several weeks. So now it's time for broadband absorbers and a cloud on the ceiling. (maybe by the end of January). but I can say right now the room sounds like hell!


cheers
RJ
 
My own ability. I can be a little dense when it comes to learning this stuff, and since a lot of it is subjective, getting 10 people to give 12 opinions doesn't make it any easier! :D
 
ALL OF THEM. But specifically I need real monitors instead of a boombox, car stereo, walkman headphones, and tiny computer speakers on my GFs laptop. Ability would be nice, but I think I can only get better if I can really hear what I'm doing. Room and gear would be nice but I have played and recorded in some wierd places and with some throw together stuff and there's always a way to make something work if I could just hear what I'm doing better when it comes back at me.
 
Really, I would have to say I am my biggest obstical. With all the amazing VST's, synths, effects and Windows/Mac work stations out there, the possibilities are endless! Although you really get what you pay for, a person can spend very little and have a very respectible system. I personally go for quality over quantity when it comes to studio gear, but I have friends that buy cheap stuff and hey, it doesn't sound all that bad...at least they are having fun with it, and I really think that's the most important part.
 
Captain Ego said:
ALL OF THEM. But specifically I need real monitors instead of a boombox, car stereo, walkman headphones, and tiny computer speakers on my GFs laptop. Ability would be nice, but I think I can only get better if I can really hear what I'm doing. Room and gear would be nice but I have played and recorded in some wierd places and with some throw together stuff and there's always a way to make something work if I could just hear what I'm doing better when it comes back at me.
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I think anyone who truely is into recording would know that all the factors will be an issue. You can ALWAYS get better equiptment, different rooms for different sounds, different effects, different everything. It is impossible to know everything about everything, so we are always going to be our own hinderance. I think it all comes down to the acknowledgement of that fact and then losing the ego and then working hard to strive the best capabilites that you are able to do and control. Often times, it's not the equiptment, room, or instruments, but its whether or not you know how to use them.
 
We're using half studio half home recording at the moment. We'd like to make the full move to home studio we just don't have the experience. Id say record as much as you can, as well as you can, but when it comes to mixing and mastering and album if you want the best results use a professional.

So that means it's really my ability, and the ability of the rest of the group, that's holding me back.
 
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