How to save money when making audio purchases?

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:19 pm

midiwhale wrote:

Silly question 101,
what is B&H's url ?
many thanks.

Sorry, I should have elaborated since theres probably alot of companies named B&H. This is the one we're referring to. They run a really huge retail store in NY City (cameras, electronics, optics, audio eqpt, etc...).... but you can also order online or via mail-order.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:26 pm

Sorry, I was just playing around. Very Happy

I don;'t know why I did that cause I know you are quite intelligent. Confused

Oh well.

In that google link I gave you, the first link the search returns is the right one. It is B&H Photo Video as I see Nemesys has pointed out in his post.

Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2005 4:48 am

If you go to auctions for cheap gear, stay away from the common stuff (sm57s etc.) I've found that these get bid up to darn near the new price. Do some research and find good mics that nobody knows about. These things can be had for a song. There are other good deals out there for the same reason. For example, noise gates tend to go for reasonable prices because people think they have a good one on their compressor (they don't.)
Knowledge is your friend, look for good stuff which other people don't recognize.

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 8:40 pm

Ok first off, I have found that thier are alot of compulsive buyers out there and alot of people that get into big studio equipment that they have to part with shortly after they get it. Not to mention the huge amount of studios that have to close down because of lack of buisness. The most valuble resource I have found is www.Craigslist.org <---- it is a free classifieds voard that get quit a few hits a day. and caters to us small people not big companies, it also has a bartering and free stuff available Not to mention that I belong to the first church of ebay.
I have built and rebuilt my studio here time and time again.
Most studios are sold when people lose thier jobs have kids or get abducted by aliens (j/k)
I got a condenser mic off ebay for a 100 bucks, bought 20 cables all monster for 15 bucks

the other place thqat i go os limewire. It is a p2p software sharing program taht works. Now I am not an advicate of stealing software, I do how ever like to try full versions before I plunk down 500 bucks. -I have found that the demo versions do absolute shit for my learning experience.

so kids remember, always drink your ovaltine , check ebay ,and alwasy use craigslist.org

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 11:09 pm

can anyone answer whether or not mac is better than pc for recording?

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 11:17 pm

I have found that I have made purchases at a lower cost that later I have sold on Ebay to get better equipment. Sorry to those guys that were spanking Ebay earlier, it worked great for me. My Aardvark Q10 sold just before the Aardvark website was taken off the internet. Did they go bust?
Sometimes even with long amounts of research, the sale force had me fooled. Many specification do not always tell the whole story.
My Aardvark Q10 sold on ebay, because the drivers caused repeated crashes. I had to sell it. But if you look at the reviews and specs the Aardvark Q10 is great. Actual use proves otherwise.
The best buys I have made, have been in researching this website for actual users of studio equipment. I still had to take the views with a grain of salt and do much research, because there is still a tendency to believe our next toy is the greatest. Includes me!Buying the proper equipment in the first place is to me the greatest savings.
For oversea purchases be sure to talk to the manufacturer to figure out how you can get the equipment shipped without paying excessive duty taxes. I have made that mistake too.
Peace!
Greg Alcorn
Alcorn Studios

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 12:20 am

rolandomota wrote:

can anyone answer whether or not mac is better than pc for recording?

The Mac is much easier to configure for audio use. Save an extension set which includes nothing but those extensions needed by the audio application. That way the computer is not bothered by any other task. The Mac operating system also uses much less RAM than any Windows OS. This is important because you should operate without virtual memory.
Please do your surfing and business tasks on another computer: audio recording and editing is very selfish when it comes to processor resources.

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 2:35 pm

<<The Mac is much easier to configure for audio use. Save an extension set which includes nothing but those extensions needed by the audio application. That way the computer is not bothered by any other task. The Mac operating system also uses much less RAM than any Windows OS. This is important because you should operate without virtual memory. >>

Not entirely true, and for the most part irrelevant. You can create multiple users with WINXP as well, and run the computer without any other apps or overhead if you so choose. You can also do dual boots with WINXP machines and run only what you need for audio ONLY, disabling as much superfluous stuff in the OS to minimize CPU overhead if you really want to.

For today's faster machines and higher RAM capacity, it's largely a moot point.

It really comes down to doing your homework in your choice of platforms and apps; and what you'll feel comfortable in the end. There are no "Better" choices per se, it's really finding out what you need and how you're going to work. MIDI? Film Scores? Rock band tracking dates? Home studio environment?

Lucky for you, there's MANY choices, on either platform, and again, neither one "Works better" than the other. That's an old myth from the old days of platform wars.

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 5:10 pm

When I saw the subject line for this thread about "How to save money when making audio purchases" I thought about those times when it is better to think about spending more rather than less. Specifically, one of my biggest gripes is the decline of caring and thoughtful customer service and quality performance in America. And when I find a business whose employees look me in the eye, speak to me, and show me that they care about the service they provide… I am delighted and continue to do business with them. For example, Randy Smith, the owner/engineer who created Mesa Engineering (Mesa Boogie guitar amps) tells a lovely story in his catalog brochure about his dedication to making the best product (just as he did with his very first guitar amp) and giving his customers great service. I don’t mind paying a little extra to a business that deserves a little extra for caring. I used to think that I could not afford a Mesa Boogie guitar amp because they cost a more, but then I realized that I could not afford to not buy one, since I want to support businesses with ethical values. I am still saving up for one of those. Likewise for every dealing I have had with Wes Dooley, Gene Lawson, Doug Fearn, Nathan Eldred, Chris Keffer, Fred Forssell, Warren Dent, SafeSound, John LaGrou, and many others. I haven't made a purchase from Mercernary yet, but from the quality remarks of others who have, I plan to do so in the future. Besides, Fletcher is always very generous with his advice for me. I no longer buy into the idea of getting a good deal because it is cheaper if the business shows me that profit is all that they care about. There are many things that are so much more important then a price tag in order to be valuable. So, when I reflect on those purchases that I feel were the wisest I have made, they are not necessarily those that were the least expensive. The wisest purchases were those I made with individuals and companies that I want to support because I admire and appreciate there service, ethics and customer loyalty.
I think it is possible to make wise choices on ebay with caution. I have made some great purchases on ebay and have been burned once as well. By and large the majority of individuals selling pro audio gear on ebay were willing to provide a phone number so I could ask them questions directly, and I have done the same for those that inquired about gear I wanted to sell or trade. I have met many very nice and honest individuals on ebay that I would certainly work with again. But you really have to know how to use ebay to avoid a burn, and with proper precautions it can be rewarding.
SG

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 8:23 pm

JoeH wrote:

Not entirely true, and for the most part irrelevant. You can create multiple users with WINXP as well, and run the computer without any other apps or overhead if you so choose. You can also do dual boots with WINXP machines and run only what you need for audio ONLY, disabling as much superfluous stuff in the OS to minimize CPU overhead if you really want to.
For today's faster machines and higher RAM capacity, it's largely a moot point.

Let's see, Mac OS 9 uses 26 Meg while XP requires 228 Meg to run. And, NO version of Winduhs can run without Internet Exploder. I don't need a web browser running when I'm doing serious number crunching in an audio app.
Further, the instruction pipe on an Intel processor contains over twice as many instructions, much easier to create a jam.

Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:51 pm

captain_analogue wrote:

JoeH wrote:

Not entirely true, and for the most part irrelevant. You can create multiple users with WINXP as well, and run the computer without any other apps or overhead if you so choose. You can also do dual boots with WINXP machines and run only what you need for audio ONLY, disabling as much superfluous stuff in the OS to minimize CPU overhead if you really want to.
For today's faster machines and higher RAM capacity, it's largely a moot point.

Let's see, Mac OS 9 uses 26 Meg while XP requires 228 Meg to run. And, NO version of Winduhs can run without Internet Exploder. I don't need a web browser running when I'm doing serious number crunching in an audio app.
Further, the instruction pipe on an Intel processor contains over twice as many instructions, much easier to create a jam.

Actually - Win XP only requires 64 MB to run on your computer (check the system requirements on the box) - the reason they need explorer to run is because the gui is BASED around explorer - just like the mac has a gui....same thing...just explorer is ALSO used for web surfing (that there would be "efficiency" Wink

)

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 8:02 pm

The worst question ever

Quote:

can anyone answer whether or not mac is better than pc for recording?

To each there own..... Cool

Steven

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:06 am

JoeH wrote:

Actually - Win XP only requires 64 MB to run on your computer (check the system requirements on the box) - the reason they need explorer to run is because the gui is BASED around explorer - just like the mac has a gui....same thing...just explorer is ALSO used for web surfing (that there would be "efficiency" Wink

)

Go ahead, turn off virtual memory (a requirement of most audio recorder/editor apps) and try to restart Winduhs. I hope you know how to start in safe mode to turn virtual memory back on because your PC ain't gonna start with only 64 megs: been there, tried that.
On the PC around here Norton tells me that the system is using over 200 meg just idling (XP Professional.)
Sorry, but efficiency is using the least resources needed to accomplish a task. It is not bundling a web browser into a necessary part of your GUI.
One does not make a sports car faster or more efficient by adding doors and a back seat.

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:00 pm

Just to let you know, i have an audio pc and a seperate internet pc.....two weeks ago in my internet pc (running WinXP Pro) i blew one of the ram sticks. Once the bad memory was removed all i had left running was 64megs.....not a single problem starting up, no problem surfing the net, no problems d/l mp3's or playing streaming video......although everything took a little bit longer......but i wouldnt call the performance unacceptable.....it was quite capable at 64megs......(though i do prefer 192MB on this machine for internet.

PS its a PIII 450mhz machine

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:23 pm

Captainanalog:

If you're going to quote someone, do it correctly. You are NOT quoting me. Learn to check your posts before you make them.

As for "Who's got the faster car, OS, or Application," you're welcome to your assumptions and name calling. I left that PC vs MAC nonsense behind years ago. It's a waste of everyone's time. We're all glad you've got a MAC and you're happy with it.

Thanks for your input.

The rest of us have work to do.

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