It's plain to see that not too many of us have all the money we need. We all face constraints when it comes to funding our passion, recording.
How do all of you deal with this? Where do you cut corners with your investment in audio? By now, I am pretty sure you all know my preferences but I am really interested in learning what yours are. ? I hope this topic can shed some light on the advantages and pitfalls of equipment purchasing for everyone ... Please discuss ...
Comments
"I'm surprised nobody has mentioned studying the products, plann
"I'm surprised nobody has mentioned studying the products, planning ahead,"
Yeah, studying and research of gear is almost as good as a return policy IMO. The net and user reviews are a fantastic avenue to make the right decision first time round. I have made many purchases from overseas and I've never been let down by this method, many of the units being totally new to me with no prior experience before buying.
It's not for everyone, but I highly recommend it.
I never buy on impulse unless it's off ebay and the price is right, and every single purchase represents months of passive planning (i.e, planning when there's spare time available).
Yo Albert. Is that Albert from over at G.A.S station? If so Hi! SpeckO here :) otherwise, sorry for the case of mistaken I.D :)
Good Yet Affordable I'm sorry for the post, since I'm pretty su
Good Yet Affordable
I'm sorry for the post, since I'm pretty sure that this topic is really old here, yet I'm new, this being my first post and all :-S
I just finished remodeling my studio and I got a bit carried away with the accoustics, and looks of it and sorfof forgot that my budget included the microphones, so now I'm a bit short on my microphone budget, what microphones do you recomend that are full rounded and will do a pro-rated work in the studio, yet affordable, no Neumann's or Lawsons for now.
Thanx for your replies
Got to admit I'm a lucky guy, have cought great sales, uhm.. Bra
Got to admit I'm a lucky guy, have cought great sales, uhm.. Brand New Factory Bundle 002R retail 1595, I pay 600, Avalon 737 retail 2300, me pay 1600, TLM 103 retail 1200, me pay 750, all brand new and a bunch of othr cool gear too much to mention,that i run on a Dual 2.0 G5, have a Full Production Facility, and beginning to make money.
I do work a FT job, AV Crew Resorts Casino, and have a Wife and a kid pay my rent, my car , my student loans from Full Sail :evil: , and still have money left over too keep buying gear, How I do it I dont know.
To be fair most of My major purchases were made before my wife and kid came to the picture, so I'll advise you to do the same, AND YESSS Please buy QUALITY over Price, I can stress that more then it has already.
Wish you all Success in the AUIDO WORLD!
Albert wrote: Developing a long term relationship with a dealer/
Albert wrote: Developing a long term relationship with a dealer/salesperson is great thing. I've done that, having bought most of my gear from one place for the last 20 years. Believe me, after a while your loyalty will most certainly be rewarded with great prices, and you'll have someone who will probably also be willing to give you some unbiased advice as well. The trick is to find the right person in the first place.
This is the best advice that has been given in the entire thread. Finding a dealer/ studio professional to help you with gear decisions, and pricing, etc... The advice you will get will save you more time and money in the long run.
LRosario wrote: I don't know if it was already said but: Just
LRosario wrote: I don't know if it was already said but:
Just have the band pay you in gear instead of money :D
WOW. We think alike. My first few bands I told them something like "I'll compromise, if you don't have the money to pay me, or you are uncomfortable with shelving out your hard earned cash, you can buy me some new equipment that will benefit you and the recording process, and you don't have to pay me in cash"
Alot of these bands (im friends with alot of them) really have NO money but they just want to get a demo out. So I charge em really cheap, I just told them when you give out your demo, my name better be on it ;)
If you are going to set up a DAW you could build your own instea
If you are going to set up a DAW you could build your own instead of buying a pre-built. I just priced three potential DAWs: A PC Audio Labs, an Apple Mac Pro, and a Custom Build (buying parts from Newegg.com). Here are the system specs...
Pc Audio Labs: $4155
Dual Intel Xeon 5150 dual core 2.66ghz
Supermicro Dual Xeon Motherboard
2GB DDR2-667 ECC : 4 x 512MB (Kingston)
NVIDIA Geforce 7600GS 256MB DVI/DVI
Samsung 16x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
250GB EIDE (HD 1)
250GB SATA II (HD 2)
Logitec Keyboard-Black
Logitech Optical Mouse-Black
Windows XP Professional
Lian-Li Silver Aluminum Server case
Standard Sound Level EPS (fans and 550W powersupply)
Mac Pro: $3199
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
2GB (4 x 512MB) DDR2-667
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI)
One 16x SuperDrive
250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s (HD1)
500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse - U.S. English
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Apple case (w/ fans and powersupply)
Custom Build: $2782
Dual Intel Xeon 5150 dual core 2.66ghz
Supermicro Dual Xeon Motherboard
2GB DDR2-667 ECC : 2 x 1GB (Kingston)
NVIDIA Geforce 7600GS 256MB DVI/DVI
Samsung 16x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
250GB SATA II (HD1)
250GB SATA II (HD2)
250GB SATA II (HD3)
Logitech Keyboard and Mouse
Windows XP Professional
ChenMing case
Asus 550W power supply and 2 low db fans
To be fair to PC Audio Labs, the case it was configured with had a lot more features than the Custon Build case... but for me, most of then were a little too much (like 8-12 internal HD bays) so I went with a case that was closer (feature-wise) to the Apple case.
The PC Audio Labs DAW also has less HD space. You can (obviously) always put more HD's in, but since it was alreay the most expensive setup, I left the extra 250 GBs out.
The Apple comes with more software... but for a DAW alot of it might not be used.
If you are going to custom build, just make sure to do your homework so you know that all the parts you are buying are compatible (a good place to start is the PC Audio Labs website.... they list all the parts that they put in their computers).
Great Advice! Nice way to look at things especially coming in as
Great Advice! Nice way to look at things especially coming in as a new comer and we all make the mistake of feeling like we have to keep up with the Pros.
Midlandmorgan wrote: Superb topic!
One thing right out of the chute: buy used from reputable dealers...the same ones that offer demo time, service, etc...
Another tip is to find multiple applications for purchases - example: don't buy just a vocal mic...buy a mic that works equally well on vocals, kick drums, guitar amps, whatever...
One thing I learned the hard way: don't buy the initial offering of a product...let other people buy full retail price and make their judgements, then you kinda have a baseline from which to work.
Last but certainly NOT least: don't feel the need to 'keep up with the Joneses.' A quick survey shows 96K still hasn't become the established rate in most shops...and 192K is really practically beyond the reach or need of 99.5% of us in the trenches...So what if you don't have a Liquid yet...stay out of debt by using what you have well, instead of trying to buy your way out of the audio doldrums.
My opinion only...
A good tactic that has worked for me is: 1) Do your research an
A good tactic that has worked for me is:
1) Do your research and find the lowest advertised price.
2) Take the lowest price you have found to a large retailer that guarantees to beat any advertised price (Zzounds, etc).
3) Take the new price and touch base with your reputable salesperson with whom you have developed a working relationship. See if they can further beat the price or at least match it.
If you're good, you might get a few price matchers competing for your business. I'm not exactly a master, but it does feel strange when you call your reputable salesperson and they ask where you got "THAT" price and verbally express how painful it is to match. None the less, they usually take my money (what little I have) anyway. :(
If you're time is worth anything, then searching for bargains wi
If you're time is worth anything, then searching for bargains will cost you in the long run.
Like finding a bargain on Craiglist, by the time the guy gets back to you, haggle the price, work around the seller's schedule, you could have worked and make cash.
My take, start a relationship with a GCPro account manager.
http://www.gcpro.com/account.html
I ALWAYS get rock bottom pricing!! I don't go to the counter, and hagle.
I make a phone call, I drive down to GC, I walk upstairs to my account manager's office, my item is next to his desk with the invoice taped to it. (He has my CC number on file). Last purchase: Rode NT2-A $275.00!!!!
I cant return ANYTHING including mics, which you normally can't due to health reasons. I can take an item home and test it. Last Christmas, I took home 3 of the same Ibanez Prestige guitars, and let my son try them all out, I returned the 2 I didnt like.
I get the demo item as a loaner, when he has to order, then return the demo when my order comes in.
My time is money, he saves me both!!!!
Tried and true There are some pieces of gear that are time less
Tried and true
There are some pieces of gear that are time less.
1176 compressors, Neve preamps
I still have a DBX 162 that I bought 22 years ago. It is worth more now than the day I bought it.
Renouned microphones hold their value..U87, KM84 (name your choice)
Some are just good buys. The modestly priced DBX 1066 is IMO the best product they have made. Speakers also have a long life and are one of the most critical pieces of gear in your studio...just make sure you like them.
The best way to get cheaper audio gear is to either work at a mu
The best way to get cheaper audio gear is to either work at a music store where you get a healthy discount on certain brands (hopefully good ones), or befriend someone at guitar center. If you're lucky, like I was, with this one you will actually enjoy conversing with them and value their opinion if they know what they're talking about
My process for saving $$ while developing our project studio is
My process for saving $$ while developing our project studio is to be broke to begin with.
Also part of my plan with our project studio band centers around learning how to use what little we have as best we can.
Because we have been focusing on recording ourselves and figuring out how to improve our results using only our existing gear, we have refined our recording process to creatively work with/around what could be considered limitations.
When we DO spend money on new gear, it's because we've pushed our potential beyond what our current gear can deliver. So we spend our money very wisely - which helps save $$ in the long run.
So my tip (and I am about as far from pro as anyone here could be) but my tip is to focus hard on maximizing your potential with a little as possible. If you can get respectable results with your tinker toys, imagine what you can do when Santa bestows upon you some real fun stuff!
--tz
Please help the balance of trade and buy good used gear locally
Please help the balance of trade and buy good used gear locally from a reputable shop or individual when you know it will do the job. Your grandchildren will thank you for it if you explain to them why it was important for you to do your best to keep more of your $ in the local and the country.
Or do like so many of us have done and build it yourself; live sound speaker boxes are easy!
Keeping on regardless
gb
Doublehelix wrote: Make purchases that are investments!!! Don't
Doublehelix wrote: Make purchases that are investments!!! Don't buy twice!!!
+1
Also, if you're looking on eBay for stuff, I often check around to see who has the "Or Best Offer" on things (particularly mics or studio tools, DI's, etc). Just picked up a new Beyer M88 for $300 and a new Radial Duplex for $150. Some of those dealers seem to have a fair bit of wiggle room.
Midlandmorgan wrote: Superb topic! Last but certainly NOT least
Midlandmorgan wrote: Superb topic!
Last but certainly NOT least: don't feel the need to 'keep up with the Joneses.' A quick survey shows 96K still hasn't become the established rate in most shops...and 192K is really practically beyond the reach or need of 99.5% of us in the trenches...So what if you don't have a Liquid yet...stay out of debt by using what you have well, instead of trying to buy your way out of the audio doldrums.
My opinion only...
excellent point.. I when I first started thought I had to have the best gear, and (like everyone else) eventually found, that much better results are attained with cheaper gear (software included) that you take the time the become familiar with.. than constantly jumping on whatever's new
Ex. I make much better recordings with Tracktion 2 (under $200) than I do with Sonar 7.. because im much more familiar/comfortable with tracktion
Recording Studio on the Cheap I've been using this new site cal
Recording Studio on the Cheap
I've been using this new site called http://. It's pretty cool...and mostly free. They have a membership/subscription, but most of its FREE! Lots of sounds, riffs and stuff. They say they're a music factory or something. Anyway. I've used it to lay some tunes over a couple of my videos. It might work for you.
Re: Recording Studio on the Cheap RogerDodger wrote: I've been
Re: Recording Studio on the Cheap
RogerDodger wrote: I've been using this new site called http://. It's pretty cool...and mostly free. They have a membership/subscription, but most of its FREE! Lots of sounds, riffs and stuff. They say they're a music factory or something. Anyway. I've used it to lay some tunes over a couple of my videos. It might work for you.
What does spam have to do with buying studio gear?
How to DEeal with the money factor Some ideas to look into is e
How to DEeal with the money factor
Some ideas to look into is ebay (from dealers or sealed unused items that need to be gotten rid of) I found some great stuff for example the US2400 controller by Tascam that is no longer being made but is amazing and is pretty accurate in fader moves.
Another idea is to know the best times to shop (not Chrismas time) but Black Friday and New Black Friday (Friday after chrismas). Fewer people remember the second friday or are to spent out by that time.
Another idea is have companies compete against each other on pricing. Find an item on-line and have another comapany beat the price. A lot of companies will do this.
check out Demo items and close out items. See if a slightly older item does the same thing allowing you most of the benifits.
Having the newest is not always the best being that companies still sometimes have kinks in them that were solved already in a past version.
I hope this gives you some hope to finding what your looking for!
I use Full compass Systems in Madison, WI for many reasons. Exce
I use Full compass Systems in Madison, WI for many reasons. Excellent customer service, and because of my location, anything i purchase arrives the next day. One thing i learned though, is that the prices on the website are very different than the price your assigned sales rep will quote you. Shop around online, then pick up the phone and order from a real person, not an automated checkout system. Saves money every time! Oh and while you're on the phone, ask if they have anything cool on clearance, demo, or B-stock. Never hurts.
Saving money on audio purchases start with knowing what you need
Saving money on audio purchases start with knowing what you need in the beginning. Many people tend to buy gear they dont even need or will use in the next year. Knowing how to use the gear to the fullest can go a long way and you'll save tons of money perfecting the gear you do have.
sammyg, post: 105769 wrote: RIP OFF IDEAS!! example, i've been
sammyg, post: 105769 wrote: RIP OFF IDEAS!!
example, i've been wanting to get a 2 x12 guitar enclosure for my project studio for a while and i was gonna go out and buy one.
Lucky i didnt! I recently pulled apart a boogie and marshall cab and saw how damn easy they are to make, actualy they were kinda ordinary ( the boogie was better out of the two). So, i have a mate who is a cabinet maker and has agreed to build the box at a great price, I sourced the speakers i wanted ( celestians for this application) from a mate who works in wholesale.....in music industry of course. All up, its gonna be a cheaper, great quality box.
And in the colour i want!! :Dmy point? well we sometimes fail to stop and really think about alternative ways of getting the stuff we want. You'd be suprised if you wrote down names of friends that can help you out in one way or another!
Sammyg
My uncle is a mechanic and generally good at making things. He once made me a pair of speaker stands for my PA speakers and charged me nothing. Of course they were made of metal and kind of heavy, but they did the job.
An ex girlfriend's dad made me a road case for a soundboard, I just bought the wood, just built what I asked, again kind of heavy but did the trick.
My brother's a welder. When I decided that I wanted to make a junk percussion kit for busking, he built me a metal frame to hold a water cooler bottle in the bass drum position with a thing place to attach my pedal, plus some cymbal stands, it was as much a sculpture as a functional drum kit, that believe it or not sounded not bad, I'd recorded it and it was cool. And playing on the street with that novelty I made more money than I ever made playing in clubs, I actually supported myself on it for a few years. Then when I moved to Korea to teach and missed the old bottle kit I got my cousin (son of the PA stand maker) to make me a wooden version of the water bottle bass drum kit frame that I could disassemble and put in my suitcase, again for the wonderful price of free. So all those family members who just don't share my obsession with music are still willing to help me out with their special skills, even if they look at me like I'm a nut when they do it. Now all these examples are not directly related to studios, but I'm sure someday when I save a load of money and go back to Canada I'll want to buy a house and build a little studio, and I'm sure they will be able to help me out. Hell, my dad and uncle are mechanics, brother's a welder, cousin's a woodworker, another's a machinist, and they all seem pretty able to be jack of all trades too.
In my opinion, the best option is taking your time. When a new a
In my opinion, the best option is taking your time. When a new and exciting piece of equipment comes out, don't just go grabbing it for the full price. Wait until someone who has paid a full price becomes tired of it, realizes that he doesn't use it anymore and so on. This is how I recently bought a practically new Marshall JVM410 guitar amp head for a little less than $600. Pretty cool, huh?
Ebay too is an excellent option. Also, if you see a phenomenal piece for a great price, don't be scared of borrowing money. Owing money to somebody is not the best thing in the world, but in this case it's really worth it.
eBay has definitely helped me with my audio purchases. My setup
eBay has definitely helped me with my audio purchases. My setup would've cost probably 3 or 4 times as much if it wasn't for eBay. If you know what to look for, it can really help. Researching what you're gonna buy also helps, and finding older cheaper models that may have been better is usually where I start.
You don't always have to upgrade or buy new equipment While sta
You don't always have to upgrade or buy new equipment
While starting out is always an expense, many people continue using the same equipment and software for years. That is VERY much less expensive than continually upgrading.
There's a thread at RecordProducer.com with users' experiences in the comments...
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.recordpr…"]Who's using the oldest audio software?[/]="http://www.recordpr…"]Who's using the oldest audio software?[/]
I haven’t read every page of this thread, so if this has been me
I haven’t read every page of this thread, so if this has been mentioned I apologize. In addition to all the good advice already given, I wanted to add the aspect of financial responsibility. Especially for those who don’t get a financial return from recording. For those in business, the 60, 90, 120, etc… pay off rules apply.
Buying on credit pretty much undoes most of any bargain. I know it’s necessary sometimes but if you can afford 149.95 a month to buy something on credit then why weren’t you already putting149.95 into a savings account (or cookie jar)? By prepaying the cookie jar on a regular basis, you can save a staggering amount of money in interest. For me it almost works out to a two to one payment ratio. The equipment mentioned here is of unusually high caliber and high priced for the most part, so we’re potentially talking about serious amounts of interest, if left to accumulate for the life of the loan. Having a kitty to draw from before reaching for the credit card is like getting free money. It also allows you to leap at those cash only deals on Clist.
Hey I use my credit card all the time. It just gets paid off as soon as I can. I haven’t paid interest in nearly four years while accumulating almost six hundred dollars in bonus points. Unless I’m stupid, that’s free money. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Think for a moment about the things you spend less than fifty bucks on in an average day.
Over the course of a year the numbers add up substantially. Really look to see where your money is going. The cafeteria near my work charges a 2.50 for a bottle of tea you can get for 99 cents at freakin 7-11. What’s that? Like three hundred dollars a year. In our busy, hectic lives, there’s a million assholes trying to make it convenient for you to give them your money. Save three fifty a day, have a grand in a year. (1277.50 to be exact)
End rant… olde uncle dino
Do not forget to ask for discount while purchasing..a simple thi
Do not forget to ask for discount while purchasing..a simple thing we tend to forget[="http://music4hiphop…"]
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Developing a long term relationship with a dealer/salesperson is
Developing a long term relationship with a dealer/salesperson is great thing. I've done that, having bought most of my gear from one place for the last 20 years. Believe me, after a while your loyalty will most certainly be rewarded with great prices, and you'll have someone who will probably also be willing to give you some unbiased advice as well. The trick is to find the right person in the first place.
Ebay is useful for certain things, and I have bought a *ton* of gear from eBay sellers in the past few years. However, I feel the general quality and honesty of sellers is going down, and I'm having more and more problem transactions. The feedback system is somewhat broken because few people are willing to give negative feedback, knowing that the revenge negative feedback will mess them up in return. I'm at the point with eBay where I am considering only bidding on items in my local area that I can pick up in person and pay cash for. And even then it is easy to get burned, as I know from experience as well. eBay for me is now just for items that are out of production and impossible to get new.
Nothing beats buying new from a dealer who will take care of you if there is a problem.