Avoiding Gear Acquisition Syndrome: When To Upgrade Recording Gear

[articles]

After you've got all the prerequisite gear to make recordings, the need to upgrade mics, preamps, compressors, plugins, monitors, computers, and just about anything else you can think of tends to consume you. This article will discuss when to upgrade and why.

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[Electriclight]

Thank you for a coherent, well-written article.

Have you ever wondered who writes all the gear reviews in magazines, catalogs etc. ? They are all written in the same style: I plugged it in and since I just happened to be working on Beethoven's 5th... blah, blah, blah... exactly what this project needed.

I really think there's one guy in a basement in Omaha, who gets a list of gear and churns out articles by the dozen!

[bilco]

"However, what if that one piece of gear is the magic piece to the puzzle that really does dramatically improve my recordings and allows me to justify higher rates?"

The gnawing question that gets me every time.........

What if.....

I am looking at API preamps, but I know in my heart of hearts the room is still untreated and it won't help me write a new song.......

Thanks for the article,
bilco

[brandondrury]

I am looking at API preamps, but I know in my heart of hearts the room is still untreated and it won't help me write a new song.......

You already know the answer to your knawing question then.

If it bugs you that bad, order some APIs from Mercenary Audio and then send them back if they don't change your life.

Brandon

[bilco]

I found the thread to the preamp shootout you did. I will download it and listen to the files later.

Out of curiousity, have you ever used the FMR RNP? If so, was the difference between the RNP and API very remarkable? Or, was it just the last 10% difference syndrome you were talking about in another thread?

I probably will NOT end up getting anything as upscale as an API and I may well sell the RNP. I hear a very slight difference between it and the Mbox or Digi002 mic preamps, but it is not an "AHA!" kind of difference. It just sounds....... different....... That may well be just the limits of my baked hearing. Even though the RNP has a lot more headroom than the Mbox, I haven't really run into an issue with using the Mbox for my mics, including the SM7b. It works okay for the DI too.

I am strictly using my gear for song demos and a homegrown singer/songwriter CD project with a target audience of folk radio stations and house concerts, and for recording any demo or CD projects my musician buddies want to do in exchange for playing on my sessions. I have no intention of ever starting up a project studio to earn $.

The API would have to be remarkably better sounding for me to justify that kind of expense, but I am curious....... of course then there are the converters in the Digi gear....... one more reason to leave my Toyota Corolla of autio gear stock instead of trying to hot rod it......

The more I think about it, the more it seems like I should just work with the gear I have and post mixes to get feedback.

I need to work with what I already have. It is just easier to buy more gear, my last addiction...... cheaper than my other addictions were, but not by much!!

bilco

[brandondrury]

If so, was the difference between the RNP and API very remarkable?

I don't think the difference between a Mackie and an API is "remarkable". Not in my current situation. I've not heard the RNP, but I wouldn't expect it to be "remarkably" better than the Mackie either. Again, post a mix up on Recording Reviews and I'll let you know if preamps are you weakest link. It has happened once before.

I hear a very slight difference between it and the Mbox or Digi002 mic preamps, but it is not an "AHA!" kind of difference. It just sounds....... different....... That may well be just the limits of my baked hearing.

Don't discredit your own hearing. Maybe it's not what it used to be, but if you couldn't hear, you'd be doing crossword puzzles. Not recording music. If you can't hear a noticeable difference, there is no noticeable difference. Bottom line. If you aren't capable of deciding that, you aren't capable of adjusting volume faders either. Most of us feel like we must hear this enormous difference between gear because that's what the big boys do. Forget about that.

The more I think about it, the more it seems like I should just work with the gear I have and post mixes to get feedback.

I 100% recommend this path.

Brandon


Brandon