How to save money when making audio purchases?

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 10:54 pm

Doublehelix wrote:

Make purchases that are investments!!! Don't buy twice!!!

buy good, cry once! Buy bad, cry twice!

Sammyg

Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 12:13 pm

Doublehelix wrote:

Make purchases that are investments!!! Don't buy twice!!!

That's the best advice anyone could give! you'll be much happier with a pair of 1073 then you would be if you had 10 Aphex mic pres...

Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 12:28 pm

Have Friends in the business

Work for discounted rates in exchange for studio time from great musicians.
Share equipment, time, talent, expertise, ears.

Work together to make 2 great projects rather than individually to make 2 mediocre ones cheaply.

Be willing to "lower your standards" and do work strictly for $ to help pay for the new stuff.

Phil

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 10:54 am

I've found that making my own cable saves tons of money - even if I use the good stuff.

Buying prepackaged cables at GC is a big rip. You have to get good at soldering, but that's a great skill to have anyway.

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:07 pm

idiophone wrote:

I've found that making my own cable saves tons of money - even if I use the good stuff.

Buying prepackaged cables at GC is a big rip. You have to get good at soldering, but that's a great skill to have anyway.

i have to agree, i've been making my own mic cables lately with mogami and neutrik connectors and i'v been saving a lot. i also am starting to build my own snakes and such.

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:24 am

Well, for people in my position... that is someone who is new to "profiting" off recording...
DAY JOB.
I drive a bus during the day. I took out a loan and bought a system that will stand the test of time (the analog gear and mics anyway) and pay it off like a car payment along with my PARTNER THAT I CAN TRUST...
believe it or not... we're making a killing. Just bought an old Midas desk (with Sowter xformers) with last months "profits."

DON'T BE ABOVE A DAY JOB IF YOU'RE NEW TO THE GAME!

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:44 am

I forgot to mention 2 things:

1. Drive a shitty car.
2. Don't have a family (unless your wife is a lawyer or something)

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 3:08 pm

Ask for discounts- many times they will give them to ya- if you don't ask you'll never get'em

Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:19 pm

dancetheirdance wrote:

idiophone wrote:

I've found that making my own cable saves tons of money - even if I use the good stuff.

Buying prepackaged cables at GC is a big rip. You have to get good at soldering, but that's a great skill to have anyway.

i have to agree, i've been making my own mic cables lately with mogami and neutrik connectors and i'v been saving a lot. i also am starting to build my own snakes and such.

where can i order the magoni cable from? And of course the neutrik ends also?
I already know how to soder
that would save me a pile of $$$$$!!!!!

Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2004 1:38 pm

www.markertek.com

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:23 am

It's hard to find the right deal on equipment you need to have work done, but recentely I've managed to do it with success, I don't know if this is going to hold up for other people (and you'll understand why) but here I go: the first thing I did was to buy direct from a dealer there in the US (I'm from Italy): I was searching for the best deal on an Eventide Eclipse, and after spreading the word around on this and several other forums I've been approached by an authorized Eventide dealer that claimed he could beat any deal I'd found, ad that was true; after a serie of e-mails and a phone call I've managed to have it packged, insured and sent to me in 3 days, and I saved something like $1000 on the price I would have payed for it here in Italy (on the lower price I've been able to find), custom duties and shipping included. That's been a real eye-opener for me, plus the Euro/Dollar change is really positive now for this type of operations, I've always been afraid of customs, lost shipping and things like that, but a couple of years ago I started purchasing gear from a German dealer that has good prices and that wiped away my fear of purchasing overseas.

Now, for that kind of purchases (it's obvious that's not convenient for every piece of gear, like ordinary mics or cables) I'm definitely shopping in the US (as long as the change stays like this) or in countries the gear I want to buy comes from (e.g. the Focusrite ISA428 is coming from England, great saving on that too, sometimes the more expensive shipping is worth the money saved on the item's price), for the rest I agree with the "buy once be happy from day one" idea, and I try to save by doing myself all of the things I can (wiring cables and patchbays, I did tons when I was an assistant so I'm quite proficient at that, building studio furniture, doing mainteinance...), then it's saving by avoiding superfluous expenses.

Cheers

L.G.

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2004 10:24 am

Waiting patiently for the right price, right situation is probably the best way to go, whenever it's practical, be it gear for remotes, or studio supplies.

I too don't have every piece of gear I'd like from Argosy, etc to round out my space, and I've purchased a few things to do it myself. There are occasionally good pieces of furniture (office stuff, mainly) at places like Staples, office max, etc. that can fit the bill; just a matter of timing. I have an "office" area that's full of Office Max Specials. "Printer-World" (as we call the area with three printers, for CD lables, invoices, letters, etc.) is actually two side by side paper storage cabinets with shelving in the top (3x3 spaces, big enough for 8x11 sheets) and two doors in the front hide the ugly stuff in storage below. They were onsale for $29.99 each. They hide an ugly wall, hold up all three printers, and I can store all the crap inside of 'em.

Same with CDs and other media; I've got CD-sized shelving now with "cubbies" for each clients projects, and they're easily indentifiable as well. Looks nice too; keeps clutter to a minimum.

One other stupid-silly cheap piece of gear I've found at these places is a collapsible roll-cart/basket with a handle that sells for $19.99. These things are usually hidden in the back, near the briefcases, plastic milkcrate substitutes and rubbermaid hampers. They're black, usually displayed all folded up in cardboard, and at first glance look like a large milkcrate on tilt-back wheels. They also have a collapsible handle that can pull out to hip height, making the whole thing easy to tilt back and roll away....like from a van to a gig at a remote.

Granted, they're fairly cheap plastic (we've trashed at least two already), but for $20, you can't beat it for a cool looking, easy to use cable bin or odds'n'ends holder at remotes. (Way-better than stolen milkcrates from 7-11. Wink

Another silly little item (for remote recordings) is a $20 collapsilbe table they sell at places like Bed Bath & Beyond (at least here in the East Coast). It's made by a company called Versalite, marketed by a company in CA called NorthPole. It's designed for tailgaters, campers, and other outdoor "fun" stuff, but you can't beat having a pair for gear at remote recordings and such. It's dull-grey color, and folds up into a small duffel bag (included) that you can sling over your shoulder when toting gear into a venue. I have several of them, and while I am usually able to get good tables, etc. on most remotes, it's a life-saver when there aren't any. (Beats setting up on chairs or a road case that you might have to open in the middle of a gig.. Wink

They're pretty sturdy too, and two of them side by side will handle a lot of stuff.

For a great deal on mics, I'd suggest trying out the Studio Projects C-4's. For about $300, you get a nice pair of mics that ship with two capsules each: Omni and cardioid, pluse two mic holders in a nice sturdy gig-box. They sound very good (Ok, they're not DMPs or Neumanns), and for the money....sheeesh....how can you lose?

Here's another related question: Where do you buy you recording supplies/media? Do you have a favorite vendor/brand? If so, who is it, and why?

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2004 10:31 pm

If you're European,
BUY FROM GERMANY!!!

Those of us based in Europe have always paid more money for gear than our US friends. However, since the introduction of the euro, and of course the removal of borders and customs between EU member states, it would appear that the sort of competition in what is now one single massive market seems to be driving prices down. As far as I can see, Germany is the place to look for real bargains. Musik-service and Musicians Gear have great prices. Turnkey in the UK are now price-matching equipment from anywhere in the EU, but their inventory isn't particularly impressive.

Hopefully the days of trying to smuggle American or Middle-Eastern purchases through customs are drawing to an end!

John Stafford

PS On a visit to California, I once bought a motherboard for a new PC for half the price I would have paid over here. On opening the box I was a little dismayed to see "Made in Ireland" stamped on it!

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2004 10:39 pm

I forgot to mention that Digital Village in the UK has great prices on the AT 4033. I think it's even cheaper than US prices, but I don't which version. Yet the AT 4060 is more expensive than the Neumann's U-87 and M147! Strange but true!

John Stafford

Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:37 am

Mic prices (New, that is) seem to be fairly stable and uniform here in the Northeastern part of the US. I tend to find the same $ (within a dollar or two) between the big players (Sam Ash, GC, Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, etc.) Once in a while, B&H might have a better deal, but it's rare. So that brings it down to: customer service, shipping, (or picking it up in person) time waiting for delivery, and tech service should it go bad. (Shipping again, vs. walk-ins)

I've found over the years that a little personal interaction goes a long way in the long run, for purchases of things more involved than a cable or mic stand. For the really important stuff (mic's, processors, speakers, amps, boards, etc.) it's best to have a rep you know and trust, someone you can complain effectively to, and someone who'll keep you informed when there's a deal or new shipment of that goodie you've GOTTA have.

Remember that the better salespeople (vs. the fly-by-night crooks) are there to help you long-term; they want to see you back again and again, so the smart ones wont rip you for a few bucks short-term gain. Do your homework with the going rates for something, and usually your local rep can beat it by a few bucks, or at least do you a good turn on the whole purchase some other way.

I try not to waste my dealer's time until I'm ready to buy, but I DO let him know when I'm just poking around, as well. (Saves hurting his feelings if he doens't close a sale that day...) But the time I'd spend chasing a "deal" around via catalogs, online sales, and ebay are sometimes (and I say SOMETIMES) better spent just having a good working relationship with a sales person in one of the more reputable places. (I frequently use B&H in NYC and Medley Music in Ardmore PA, for example....never EVER been burned by either one...)

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