A little tip/rant for the newer guys

[Ratel]

Denying that buying quality gear improves your sound is even more stupid than saying it does. It's true to some extent (for absolute starters and so forth), but to get from a good/advanced home producer to a professional producer you need the gear. It extends the "sweet spot" for your mix, which in turn lets you create sounds more openly and still sound good.

I'm not denying that buying quality gear improves your sound at all. (therefore i am not stupid lol) There's a reason why they are used by professionals for sure. But I stand on my opinion that it won't make or break your mixes. I'm just saying that when you're new to this whole mixing thing, buying new gear isn't what you need. You are not going to benefit from them if you don't have a clue what you're doing, if you don't know how to use them to their full potential. I've seen a lot of guys first hand who bought an axe fx who only ends up selling them cause they can't get a decent tone out of it, that's stupid. Learn your shit and save yourself some money.

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

I agree with your main point which seems to be "It's not the gear you have, but how you use it.". In my experience this seems to be the case, both recording and just playing live even, to a degree. There is some gear that just plain sucks, but you can find useful gear in the same price range that will work for you.

Case in point - the first demo i recorded was in a full recording studio (DAT at the time) It was the worst recording i've ever done. The engineer just sucked. Best recording i've done was in a converted bathroom studio at some guys house. The guy just new how to use it.

I also use a fasttrack and have started recording demos locally for people, i charge like $50 for 3 songs. They are always happy with the results. I use a laptop, pro tools SE, and some shitty mics. Now, i know i can never match top quality gear with this - just saying a good percentage is in the know how

 

[tacotiklah]

I agree with most of this to an extent, but like others have said having at least decent gear will make it easier to get you the mixes you want. The better that raw track's tone is, the less fucking around you have to do when it comes time to mix and edit. My recording process preference is pretty old school. I like miking up a half stack, hitting the record button, and letting that shit rip. Doing that on a shitty line 6 spider II amp is going to sound like a thousands asses crapping at once. You can play that guitar like you're goddamn Steve Vai, and yeah due to better technique you may even almost get a passable tone, but come time to mix, you're gonna be trying to polish a turd.
Maybe for those first few mixes you SHOULD try to find a way to try and mix shitty gear just because it will give you a real learning experience in mixing and engineering, but eventually you gotta spring for gear that's up to par. That means doing things like putting fresh strings a couple days before you try to lay down a track (as opposed to RIGHT before you do it because you want to give the strings time to stretch and even out), having a guitar with decent enough pickups, electronics, pots, etc., and a damn good mic if you are old school like I am. Yeah there will be other more advanced issues like untreated rooms, and all that. But my point is that by having decent gear it makes the rest of the process infinitely easier. Does that mean "okay I recorded with top notch gear so I'm just gonna record the instruments, throw them haphazardly together, and I'm done"? Absolutely not. You're still gonna have to learn to mix and master properly and that's a bear of a task even with the best gear. Just remember that the less you have to fix because you actually played the track cleanly and skillfully and with excellent tone, the easier your next few mixes will sound.

That said, I am a complete noob to this shit. I, like many here, am not an RIT graduate, but rather a bedroom plinker that still wants people to hear my music. Of course I want my music shown in the best light (which is why I keep working hard to learn more about the process), but you're still gonna see a million threads pop up with sub-par mixes and people asking how to fix it. That's the point.

I do agree that having good monitors and killer mixing headphones will make ALL the difference in the world with your mixes. I had to try and do a few basic ones with laptop speakers and my god it was horrible. I got the cash together and got some okay headphones and even that alone was a massive improvement. When I get paid again, I will opt for some ath-m50s to improve my mixes even more.

 

[Ratel]

I agree with most of this to an extent, but like others have said having at least decent gear will make it easier to get you the mixes you want. The better that raw track's tone is, the less fucking around you have to do when it comes time to mix and edit. My recording process preference is pretty old school. I like miking up a half stack, hitting the record button, and letting that shit rip. Doing that on a shitty line 6 spider II amp is going to sound like a thousands asses crapping at once. You can play that guitar like you're goddamn Steve Vai, and yeah due to better technique you may even almost get a passable tone, but come time to mix, you're gonna be trying to polish a turd.
Maybe for those first few mixes you SHOULD try to find a way to try and mix shitty gear just because it will give you a real learning experience in mixing and engineering, but eventually you gotta spring for gear that's up to par. That means doing things like putting fresh strings a couple days before you try to lay down a track (as opposed to RIGHT before you do it because you want to give the strings time to stretch and even out), having a guitar with decent enough pickups, electronics, pots, etc., and a damn good mic if you are old school like I am. Yeah there will be other more advanced issues like untreated rooms, and all that. But my point is that by having decent gear it makes the rest of the process infinitely easier. Does that mean "okay I recorded with top notch gear so I'm just gonna record the instruments, throw them haphazardly together, and I'm done"? Absolutely not. You're still gonna have to learn to mix and master properly and that's a bear of a task even with the best gear. Just remember that the less you have to fix because you actually played the track cleanly and skillfully and with excellent tone, the easier your next few mixes will sound.

That said, I am a complete noob to this shit. I, like many here, am not an RIT graduate, but rather a bedroom plinker that still wants people to hear my music. Of course I want my music shown in the best light (which is why I keep working hard to learn more about the process), but you're still gonna see a million threads pop up with sub-par mixes and people asking how to fix it. That's the point.

I do agree that having good monitors and killer mixing headphones will make ALL the difference in the world with your mixes. I had to try and do a few basic ones with laptop speakers and my god it was horrible. I got the cash together and got some okay headphones and even that alone was a massive improvement. When I get paid again, I will opt for some ath-m50s to improve my mixes even more.

I totally agree dude, and I'm not advocating that you should use crappy gear lol I would never use a shitty combo amp, hence why I use ampsims and impulses. Crappy =/= Cheap. I try to dial the best tone as much as I can so when it comes mixing time, all i have to do is hp and lp.

Also not against with people asking for critiques and such, we've all been there. I always try to help as much as I can Not very good at it though cause it's hard to explain things like this, I do admire people who can deliver thorough explanations

 

[Hyacinth]

Good rant! Your English seems pretty damn good, btw.

 

[Sam MJ]

Completely agree with this. And guys, he isn't saying that good gear is a bad thing just that you need to prioritize your spending and buy what will make the biggest difference.

Things like top quality mic preamps, converters and expencive mics are all amazing things but they're all secondary and should be the cherry on top to get your mixes from good to great.

There's obviously a minimum to these things, e.g. a solid interface, decent quality properly setup instruments etc. But beyond that, put your monitors and room acoustics first.
(also your knowledge and ears but knowledge is free/cheap, there are a ton of helpful videos and books you can get and ears are free, just take the time to train them )


I've underlined room acoustics because I don't think enough emphasis is made on it, I've only really just started looking into room acoustics but already the importantace of it has become painfully clear.

It's very easy to want to get a new amp/guitar/mic because they're shiny, have knobs/lights on and are exciting! Acoustics, not so much .

I've attached a graph of the frequency responce of your average, untreated small ish room and one with treatment, bass traps and first reflection points.

I take no credit for them, they're from a RealTraps video, Ethan Winer is extremely knowledgeable about acoustics and it's well worth reading the articles on his site and posts on GearSlutz .


After seeing the graphs, do you really want to spend 5-6 hundred get that shiny new interface/pre that is one or two decibels flatter?

Or spend a 2-3 hundred in rockwool, wood and a few hours to learn about and build yourself some acoutics that will improve your room by 30-40db

 

[Given To Fly]

I think the two reasons acoustic treatment is often neglected is because 1) Like you said, it doesn't have shiny knobs and lights and 2) most people on these forums are not single home owners (lets be honest, the wife doesn't want homemade bass traps taking up the corners of the guest room) with the option of turning a room into a studio; they may be single but not a home owner, or a home owner but not single. (I suspect a large number of the single home owners on these forums (at least recording forums) DO have home studios with proper acoustic treatment.)
None of this changes the fact acoustic treatment is a vital component to a home studio but it does illustrate there outside challenges to treating a room that have nothing to do with rockwool, 2x4's, and foam. Also, when you bring up acoustic treatment on knowledgable forums like Gearslutz (you need to sort through the riff raff first) there are a couple of helpful people but there are also people who basically say "Nope, your room is hopeless...it has corners and walls...nope, utterly hopeless!" For some reason there is a sense of doom and gloom around acoustic treatment that simply turns people to the gear with shiny knobs and lights. That has been my observation at least.
Lastly, as I said before I'm a proponent of high quality instruments and gear because my experience has been I was excited about it, used it more and my skills improved. I think a fair way to say it would be "you need to own gear that makes you want to use it." The more you use your gear the more you'll understand the importance of acoustic treatment.

 

[Djentliman]

i know i definitely need to learn more about acoustic treatment. To google i go!

 

[Kurkkuviipale]

@Given_To_Fly: Though, not all acoustic treatment is awful looking. Actually, I think that well clothed diffusors look extremely simple and relaxing, yet they make the room one level more diverse (visually speaking).

Not to mention the acoustic benefits... lol

CC

 

[Andromalia]

The panels in Keith Merrow home studio certainly don't look bad.
The thing is, most people don't perceive what's wrong in a room except in extreme cases because they've spent their lives in rooms and to them it sounds perfectly normal.

 

[Given To Fly]

@Given_To_Fly: Though, not all acoustic treatment is awful looking. Actually, I think that well clothed diffusors look extremely simple and relaxing, yet they make the room one level more diverse (visually speaking).

Not to mention the acoustic benefits... lol

CC

You're right, but we've all seen the kind that ONLY benefit the ears.

 

[Sam MJ]

Yeah, ones like Keith has look great in my opinion, it's a fairly standard design but you could go a step further and get patterned cloth or ones with artwork on them and hang them up like pictures .

Just as long as you're not sticking that auralex shit all over the room , that's bad for the eyes, ears and wallet!

 

[Given To Fly]

Yeah, ones like Keith has look great in my opinion, it's a fairly standard design but you could go a step further and get patterned cloth or ones with artwork on them and hang them up like pictures .

Just as long as you're not sticking that auralex shit all over the room , that's bad for the eyes, ears and wallet!

I have some fantastic Auralex right here next to me! Check Amazon every once in awhile, I bought some panels for 80% off. Otherwise, I agree, spend your money on gear.

 

[Sam MJ]

I have some fantastic Auralex right here next to me! Check Amazon every once in awhile, I bought some panels for 80% off. Otherwise, I agree, spend your money on gear.

Good thing you got them 80% off, the prices they charge are ridiculous

A little tip to get the most of them, don't mount them directly on the wall, put them off the wall the same distance they are thick, e.g. 3" put them 3" off the wall, this lets the soundwave fold back on it's self and absorb down to a lower frequency

But now I see why you complain about acoustics looking bad .

 

[Ratel]

Just get a sennheiser hd600 and get done with it

 

[pushpull7]

Yeah, I wasn't offended by it or anything (which is actually pretty easy here )

I like the mixes just fine. I like them even better that you do it on a budget and are a good musician.

However, I'm still going to be a gear ho.

 

[Given To Fly]

Good thing you got them 80% off, the prices they charge are ridiculous

A little tip to get the most of them, don't mount them directly on the wall, put them off the wall the same distance they are thick, e.g. 3" put them 3" off the wall, this lets the soundwave fold back on it's self and absorb down to a lower frequency

But now I see why you complain about acoustics looking bad .

Seriously, Amazon has some freakishly good deals sometimes.

I was thinking of getting some spacers to see if there is a difference but haven't gotten around to doing it. But my experience has taught me everything makes a difference.

 

[Given To Fly]

Just get a sennheiser hd600 and get done with it

Aren't these the $1400 headphones? I didn't spend nearly that on acoustic treatment. But either way, your idea isn't a bad one.

 

[Prime]

Is your google broke?

Sennheiser HD 600 | Sweetwater.com

 

[pushpull7]

Is your google broke?

Sennheiser HD 600 | Sweetwater.com

almost 4 times broke