Archive for 'gear'

I have huge news to share today. For the first time ever I will be hosting a live, world wide, web event designed to help all of you frustrated home studio owners. From recording, to mixing, to where to invest money in gear, I’m covering it all. The event is called Take Back Your Studio and it’s going to be awesome.

Feeling Your Frustrations

I know what it’s like to not be getting the recordings you want. I know how it feels to spend forever mixing a song only have it fall apart, forcing you to start all over. I’ve lived the agony of money being tight and wondering whether or not one specific gear upgrade would really make a difference in the sound of my recordings.

So I know how you feel. But the truth is, it doesn’t have to be this way!
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My home studio has grown over the years as my needs (and the needs of my clients) have changed. I’ve owned and sold lots of different gear in search of the right tools to help reach my musical vision and goals. But what often gets overlooked are the few non-gear items in the studio that are just as critical to any sonic success I hope to have. You might laugh them off as overly simplistic, but you’d miss the greater point; they actually can help you make better music.

1. Legal Pad Of Paper And Pen

The best non-gear investment you can make in your studio is one of those old-school yellow legal pads of paper and a pen. I’m serious people. For the longest time I literally had nothing to write with in my studio except for a word processer on my computer. Consequently I never took any notes. Here’s the simple truth: if you have paper and pen in front of you then you’ll be more apt to write down every idea that strikes you.
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So we’re one week into the new year and some resolutions have come and gone. But one resolution we should all fight to keep this year is to get value from our gear. Whether it’s your current setup or gear you hope to purchase this year, make the commitment to squeeze every ounce of value and musical productivity out of your stuff as is humanly possible. That way your purchases can be justified and you’ll have more music to show for it.

How Much Music Did You Make With That Purchase?

So you know that shiny new piece of gear you picked up last year? Yeah that microphone, audio interface, preamp, set of monitors, computer, or plugin bundle that you simply had to have to make the music of your dreams. Well tell me this: how much music have you made with that gear? Have you made enough music to justify having it? If so, congrats! Keep up the great work and enjoy your gear. If you haven’t used that gear on at least 3 projects, then keep your wallet in your pocket and put the catalog down. You’re just getting warmed up so stop looking at other gear.
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Recording and mixing has become increasingly a software driven world. With mixing consoles and tape replaced by DAWs, outboard gear replaced by plugins, and records replaced by MP3s, everything seems to scream “software is king.”  But with all the investment I have made in software over the years, it seems to me I have gotten more value out of my hardware.

Hardware Is Backwards Compatible

Have you ever updated your DAW to the latest version only to realize that it doesn’t work with your current computer’s OS? So then you update (potentially paid) your OS only to find out some of your plugins no longer work on the new OS. Ugh!! Now you potentially have to pay for an update of those plugins that are in essence the exact same thing you’ve been using for a few years, just compatible. Yep. Been there. Done that.
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Have you noticed just how much attention is placed on plugins and other software trying to perfectly emulate their hardware counterparts? The idea is sound: try to re-create the analog world with the power of the digital domain. The best of both worlds right? But in reality it seems to me things have gotten way off track and we as studio owners fall for the marketing hype big time.

Is Older Really Better?

Generally in the modern audio world, companies are trying to emulate older vintage gear that was used before things went digital. We have emulations of compressors, EQs, reverb units, consoles, tape machines, preamps, you name it. But why do we need to emulate the older stuff? What’s wrong with the new plugins that were created from the ground up in this digital age?
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Thinking about buying some new stuff for your studio? I’ve got news for you: you probably don’t deserve it. Sound harsh? Well, maybe I’m being a bit sarcastic today, but I actually do have a helpful point to make.

More often than not, we lust after a piece of gear (hardware or software) thinking it would make our music better or at least make us feel cooler, when all the while we haven’t produced much music on our current setup to warrant the cost. Hear me out on this…

When Was The Last Project You Finished?

I’m assuming you already own some studio equipment. A computer, an audio interface, a microphone or two, etc. Have you made any music with it yet? Ok, good. When was the last project you finished? A month ago? Six months ago? Last year? Here’s a better question: how many projects have you produced with your current studio setup, ever? Five? Three? One even?!
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If you’re not getting the sound you want in your studio, chances are you need a studio reset. We always tend to think that our gear is the problem and that if we could only buy something or upgrade our studios with something more “professional” we’d be closer to what we hear in our heads. More than likely you just need to re think how you use your stuff and start from scratch. And good thing too, because it costs you nothing to do!

Tell me something about that fancy new plugin or microphone you want to buy: how well do you know your current gear? If you’re like many people, you probably have only used your current gear for one or two projects and you already want to buy something else. You’re looking for that elusive magic bullet. Instead you should be learning your gear.

Owning Does Not Equal Knowing

Here’s something to consider. Just because you own a certain piece of gear (hardware or software) doesn’t mean you really know it. Just because a certain mic preamp or plugin has been sitting in your studio for two years does not mean it has been put through its paces. And if you don’t really use your gear enough, how can you ever know what it truly is capable of?

You can’t, that’s the issue. Just simply buying a set of studio monitors doesn’t mean you will know how they sound in your room instantly. Or how they will affect your mixes after an afternoon. It takes time to learn gear, which means you really aren’t in a position to give an opinion on something unless you’ve used it enough.
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The other day I was flipping through the latest Musicians Friend catalog for 60 seconds (too much temptation) when I stumbled upon a very interesting interview with legendary guitarist, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave fame.

His Shocking Response

In the very first question they asked him how his guitar rig has changed over the past 20+ years of being a professional touring and recording musician. His answer was stunning:

I’ve had the same rig since prior to Rage Against The Machine. It’s the same [amp] head. It’s the same cabinet. The newest piece of gear that I have on my board is a pedal that I got in 1991. There’s a sense of comfort in not worrying about gear anymore, I’m [now] going to worry about trying to get sounds and music out of the gear that I have. – Tom Morello

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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!
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