The sooner you realize that gear is not your problem, the sooner you can get on with making better recordings and mixes. I honestly want you to know and believe this, because it’s true. More gear is not the solution. Your current gear is not the problem. Lack of experience is the problem. But nobody wants to hear that.
I Get The Same Questions Every Day
I can preach about setting up a a studio for only $300 till I’m blue in the face, but I will continue to get the same questions from well meaning audio peeps. Questions like: “What microphone is the best for under $500?”, “Which plugin bundle do you recommend?”, “I have some gear from [insert budget brand], and I know it’s not quality so what should I upgrade to?”
Questions like these clearly illuminate a pervasive thought in the home and project recording studio world: that cheap (i.e. affordable) gear is the problem and high end gear is the solution. Nothing could be further from the truth and that’s what kills me!
Correlation Does Not Equal Causation
My wife was a psychology major in college and she would describe to me the concept that just because there is a correlation between two things does not therefore mean that one caused the other. For example, you could elect me President of The United States tomorrow and a month from now crime is at an all time low across the nation. Those two events, my being elected president and the drop in crime are correlated, but surely me being in office for one month couldn’t be the cause of such a big trend.
To put it in our context, just because you see professional mixers in nice studios using boutique equipment and expensive plugin bundles doesn’t necessarily mean that is the reason why their mixes sound legit. It’s likely do to their extensive years of training and experience. They have honed a skill, perfected a craft. But we foolishly assume one leads to the other: that expensive gear leads to better recordings.
The Opposite Is Just As True
The same could be said about the opposite illogical assumption. We look at inexpensive gear or simple studio setups and assume that because we see a correlation of a lot of people using budget gear and turning out crappy mixes (ourselves included perhaps), there must be a causation between the two. The budget gear must be causing the horrible recordings. Wrong again! All it takes is one or two examples of people using the same affordable gear and churning out label quality mixes to prove that theory false.
So we have to then come back to the big question: how do I get better tracks in my studio? Do you want the truth or just what will make you feel better about yourself? The ongoing myth is that you are only one or two upgrades away from making professional recordings in your home studio. The truth is, you are months and years away from your goal, and only if you are doing a lot of recording and mixing in the process.
There’s Good News
The bad news is like every other skill in the world, you must practice, train, and continue to learn in order to improve. The good news is it won’t cost you nearly as much money as buying a bunch of nice gear. And that’s what The Recording Revolution is here for. To help speed up that process for you and save you money in the process.
Comments
One of the best examples here is microphone placement and listening while you are recording the tracks. Most problems can and should be fixed at the recording stages and need not to wait until editing or mix down to get resolved or even looked at!
Great post!
Ok Graham,
I 100% agree with you trying to drive the fact home “Why Gear Is not Your Problem” I use a M-Audio DMP3 pre through a MBox Pro,into Protools and get an incredible sound ( I do think that a good external clock makes a huge difference). I think you should challenge some top Audio Engineers to do a shoot out. They will only be able to use what ever gear that you specify. If they are good, they should be able to record and mix a premo track.Go for it.
Dave Powell
Nice website makeup
This place looks alot better now.
Hey Graham,
Great article!!! I would have to agree that I have talked blue in the face about gear and the proper use of it. So I figure they will continue to waste money in order to find the magic bullet in gear. Meanwhile their skills never improve and they wonder why the recordings sound like garbage. And there is alot of garbage floating out there. So I resigned myself to not to waste time talking about gear and recording techniques to people that don’t see it or more like it hear it!!!
Good Post!
I think it all comes down to the level of expertise you have acquired and also how ‘well’ you know your equipment. IF you know how to use an SSL G series inside out for example, being able to chose the signal chain that should be used to get the sound you ‘ve got in your head, then you are ready to rock. Wether that’s hardware or software, if it’s decent and works properly in what you do then there’s nothing better.
As mentioned with microphones, a C12 costs about 4K right.. ? Works amazing for “vintagy” overheads, female vox, certain male vocals… but… Is it good for general use? Hm.. I doubt it.. On the other hand an AKG 414 might be more useful in long term and different projects. When you spent decent amount of money for gear it would do the job.
I do find my self looking for Neve preamps and SSL compressors for a single kick track, but at the same time I may use the standard EQ or compressors on PT or any DAW when you know it will work for what you are doing. It’s all down to the requirements … and the engineer’s knowledge (and experience) to achieve a certain sound, for a particular instrument in a particular project ;while most engineers are always experimenting to get out something new.
Great article btw, thanks for all this amazing info you provide for so long now!
[...] you’re making for someone else, then you have to elevate the music above all else. This means not focusing on the wrong things like gear, or peoples’s weird opinions. If you are spending too much time wondering what gear you need [...]
Graham – a few quotes to support your point
Q: “This record – what did you use?”
A: “I just want to strangle him. A microphone.”
- Patrick Leonard
Q: “Which plugin did you use?”
A: “Do you have an idea in the first place?”
- Diego Stocco
“People complain, ‘Oh, I don’t have that plug-in; I don’t have that thing.’
Stop complaining. Just use what you have and do something.”
- Diego Stocco
If you’re not aware of Diego, he makes songs from sand, trees, and dry cleaning machines: http://www.youtube.com/user/DSSessionVideos
Hey Graham, great site. Checked out the videos, good stuff!!! Keep it up.
[...] and the mix would still be pretty good. In fact, not any one of your recording or mixing decisions (especially the gear you use) will be what gets you the final mix you want. Rather it’s the [...]
[...] don’t like to push gear if I don’t think it’s a helpful suggestion. Heck, I don’t even believe that gear is the solution to your recording or mixing woes. But gear is what we use to capture and mix audio and some if is necessary. The trick is to navigate [...]
[...] results you will be come frustrated and disillusioned. You might even begin to assume that your gear is the problem, as it surely isn’t the mic placement’s fault. You’ve seen the pros use this [...]
That picture was just perfect for this blog hahaha…
No kidding