My thoughts on expensive hardware

Discussion in 'Soundgear' started by Kate Middleton, Apr 13, 2024.

  1. zpaces

    zpaces Producer

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2016
    Messages:
    240
    Likes Received:
    129
    Probably the worst excuse to justify your cheap hardware.
    But hey, if you just wanted to make yourself feel better... no prob!
     
  2. Kingvrage

    Kingvrage Kapellmeister

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2016
    Messages:
    202
    Likes Received:
    72
    Location:
    nowhere
    I have a friend that has spent much more than I have on gear. He has a nice set of Genelec monitors, a nice desk, etc.

    I notice the difference.

    But I'm still using my Behringer truths and I'm still happy. I mix differently than he does, he went to school for it and I did not.

    The quality is definitely there but what you want and what satisfies you is still a factor.

    Some of the most mind blowing music was recorded yesteryear and they didn't have all the toys we do now.

    Should that stop us? Absolutely not.

    I may not ever own any Genelec monitors myself but I'll definitely always send my friend stems just to see what he can do.

    While I don't have all the expensive gear, I did put a substantial amount of money into my guitars, amp & fx modeler and my PC.

    And that's how I guess I get away with cheaping out elsewhere.

    But then again I've heard music that grabs me and won't let go and it was made using what some of us might dismiss as garbage equipment.

    Maybe one day in the future what we see as overpriced for little improvement will become the affordable new norm.
     
  3. saccamano

    saccamano Rock Star

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2023
    Messages:
    904
    Likes Received:
    345
    Location:
    uranus
    When you got the $$$ anything is possible I guess. If they aren't spending the $$$ on walls of guitars and basses they might be spending it on drugs and hookers... Who's to say they don't do both? I dunno. Obviously their 3 walls of instruments must do something for them - inspiration, or esthete-ish snobbery maybe? Who knows... One good well balanced and electro-acoustically correct room/monitor system is quite enough for me to get the job done... For others maybe more...
     
  4. Kate Middleton

    Kate Middleton Kapellmeister

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2024
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    52
    Location:
    Kengsington Palace
    just BECAUSE i live in a palace that MAKES me a BETTER woman?
    just because you eat at the most expensive reastaurant it makes the food best?
     
  5. Stevie Dude

    Stevie Dude Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2020
    Messages:
    2,205
    Likes Received:
    1,932
    Location:
    Near Nyquist
    anyone that want to get into their studio need to sign an NDA before entering and cannot really share the details inside, people can only mention stuff roughly. anyway, I already mentioned my point about their priority. Also about monitoring, 2 sets of studio monitors that totally different from each other + 1 hifi commercial grade is the minimum for me, but yeah whatever works.

    random video
     
  6. BlackHawk

    BlackHawk Producer

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2021
    Messages:
    210
    Likes Received:
    107
    Exactly. Most of the time if not always there is a reason why an item was "rare" back then. Guess why ... I have seen "Original Vintage WEM CopyCat" for 500,- € ... That thing is not worth 5,- € because it's useless. I want to be paid if I take one ... there is Wavesfactory Echo or GSI Watkat. As an example.
     
  7. clone

    clone Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2021
    Messages:
    6,175
    Likes Received:
    2,652
    There are not that many reasons. One is that they were too expensive for most people to have purchased, so low sales. The other is low production numbers from the manufacturer. This often occurs at the same time as reason 1. Something hand made or custom made will be both of them. Another one, is that the units were junk/bad build quality when they were made. This usually accounts for units that are rare, but no-one will use them. The reason they didn't break like the others, is because they weren't being used in the first place. Pre-1950 you have one other dent in the supply chains, like Telefunken and Neumann.
     
  8. Obineg

    Obineg Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2020
    Messages:
    709
    Likes Received:
    249
    yep.

    while the clueness which lies in the original post is somehow funny, it is also not completely wrong (nobody is only wrong!) to note that more expensive is not automatically "better" - and last but not least, not neccessarily required by anyone only because some advertisement says so.

    sure, if you are an industry professional you can not replace your $5000 kyma system or your $7000 harmonizer with a used quadraverb for $25 - but you also do no need the former if you are a hobbyist who prefers to work ITB on 8-track arrangements.

    and even if you are rich, it can still be clever and reasoned and responsible to not consume anything you see, and only the best of it, and in masses.

    just dont combine mda plug-ins with m-audio converters and krk speakers and call it "mastering", that wont work, not even if you have the skills. you do need to hear what you do. :)
     
  9. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2019
    Messages:
    4,209
    Likes Received:
    4,193
    Location:
    Somewhere Over The Rainbow
    Nope. A Ferrari is only 27.652 times better...do the math!:)
     
  10. Obineg

    Obineg Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2020
    Messages:
    709
    Likes Received:
    249
    in a corvette 7 ZR1 you know ferraris and porsches only from the rearview mirror, but it is less than half the price.

    and it can still be wise to use the bike to buy milk.

    no, what do i do, we should not talk about cars. they cannot process audio.
     
  11. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2019
    Messages:
    4,209
    Likes Received:
    4,193
    Location:
    Somewhere Over The Rainbow
    Your statement is absolutely not true. The sound of a Ferrari is calculated, created and done so consciously. That roaring tone is 100% created, tuned and even patented.

    "Ferraris are distinguished by the unique sound of their famed roar. The Ferrari engine start sound is an expression of pure joy borne from world-class engineering, the result of decades of engineering refinement to produce a throaty rumble connecting the driver to their car. Ferrari engine sounds are unique, both on the road and on the F1 track, and that’s by design".

    https://www.continentalautosports.com/ferrari-information/ferrari-engine-sounds/
     
  12. Obineg

    Obineg Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2020
    Messages:
    709
    Likes Received:
    249
    damn, so i need to add one to my studio?

    or sell the corvette?

    how would i get a ferrari through my balcony door?
     
  13. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2019
    Messages:
    4,209
    Likes Received:
    4,193
    Location:
    Somewhere Over The Rainbow
    Buy the Ferrari, take it apart, move the bits inside and put it back together again there. I'd be willing to help if you have a really good pizza place in your neighborhood!
     
  14. Obineg

    Obineg Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2020
    Messages:
    709
    Likes Received:
    249
    sounds easy peasy. i´ve done the same with my challenger spaceship and two church organs for my toilet.
     
  15. triggerflipper

    triggerflipper Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2021
    Messages:
    1,181
    Likes Received:
    703
    Location:
    trump tower
    It's like weed these days.
    Does West coast weed taste better than the cheap brick weed that came to Europe in old gasoline containers?

    For sure.

    Does it get me higher?

    For sure.

    Is a gram of WC weed really worth double what I'd pay for a gram of Ketamine with an extra XTC pill thrown in?

    Fuck no.

    It's pretty much same with music gear.

    Can I smoke cheap brick weed all day and still never reach the high promised by WC weed?

    I mean, Idk, I don't smoke weed, why are you asking me?
     
  16. FrankWhite23

    FrankWhite23 Producer

    Joined:
    May 1, 2019
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    122
    I'm one of those people that if I'm gonna do something I'm gonna do it right.. if I'm spending over $500 for a hardware synth I want it to be exactly what I want, not a copy, not a knockoff, I have room for about 4 full sized analog synths and 10 - 20 -30 years down the line I know my moog, prophet, and any other high end gear I get will still be there and if something needs fixed it will actually be worth it for me to do so.. not knocking behringer because I believe everyone should be able to own hardware if they want but do I think people will actually be able to sell them in the future if the keyboard is creeky and the knobs are busted.. maybe.. but doubtful, my gear will be a nice present to my daughter when I die and I'll be leaving her instructions on how to sell them if she is not into music herself.
     
  17. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2019
    Messages:
    4,209
    Likes Received:
    4,193
    Location:
    Somewhere Over The Rainbow
    Whenever I smoke West Coast weed I struggle to use West Coast Synthesizers...I can't differentiate all the little knobs and sliders because I'm too fucked up and just stick to subtractive East Coast synths with presets.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2024
    • Funny Funny x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • List
  18. Garamondo Furbish

    Garamondo Furbish Rock Star

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2023
    Messages:
    1,084
    Likes Received:
    479
    Location:
    North America
    i went with the "black secret' by Mooer the company that sounds like a cross between a cow and a cat.
    I'm not a fuzz fanatic, only own 2 fuzz pedals, but it works for me...

    and yeah the whole point of consumer society is to get you to buy more (consume)
    nothing you ever own will be good enough. you must buy more, its a treadmill meant to consume all your money, time and peace of mind.

    if you don't know who the sucker is at a poker game, its probably you.

    too much equipment will own you and you will spend all your time getting it to work together and figuring out how to use it and not very much if any time actually creating music.

    a good sparse setup that you understand, can manipulate quickly for results and enjoy working with
    is far better than a shit ton of gear collecting dust and frustrating you and acting as an impedement to actual creativitity. it becomes a barrier between you and the muse.

    I'd like to have neumann u-87, but for as much as I record vocals, and with all the filter and manipulation tools available for a 75$ dollar mic. it would be pointless for me to spend the money.

    Hardware should be reliable and produce the same results every time, and easy to manipulate, but all that doesn't need to be expensive.

    just me. everybody gets GAS and wants to buy more stuff. and everybody wants to show off so the treadmill goes on

    I've found my niche gear, that I'm happy with and get great results. so for me my shopping days are over and I can instead spend my times making music. which is sort of what I wanted to do all along before i discovered engineering for myself when i record me performing.
     
  19. Garamondo Furbish

    Garamondo Furbish Rock Star

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2023
    Messages:
    1,084
    Likes Received:
    479
    Location:
    North America
    yeah Arturia puts a sticker on their keyboards that mention "beware the Buchla", its next to the sticker that says "no weed on the plastic please" and has the canabis leaf with the strike through symbol on it.
     
  20. Garamondo Furbish

    Garamondo Furbish Rock Star

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2023
    Messages:
    1,084
    Likes Received:
    479
    Location:
    North America
    in my experience most women prefer "Joysticks"..
     
Loading...
Similar Threads - thoughts expensive hardware Forum Date
Thoughts about SpaceX Starlink Internet Service ? Computer Hardware Apr 14, 2024
Tonex Software - Thoughts Software Mar 30, 2024
Thoughts on Neutron 4? Software Mar 1, 2024
Any Digital DJ Tips viewers here? Anyone else with same thoughts on recent content? general discussion Feb 13, 2024
Thoughts on headphone calibration and room simulation plugins Studio Feb 9, 2024
Loading...