Quote:
Originally Posted by Ty Ford
I think the thought is buy really good once. Buy not so good many times. Add up the "many times" and see how much that really is.
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Been there, done that, many times :-) I've often wondered why I did that!
But I think the answer is partly, 1) it's easier to notice the dent one big purchase makes over nickels and dimes, and 2) uncertainty that the "really good" (and expensive) thing is really what one needs. Especially when you don't have any experience with, say, recording, going out and buying a really expensive piece of gear is scary, you don't know enough to be sure you're not making a big mistake. So you'd rather make lots of little mistakes that don't hurt as much :-)
So, a couple approaches might make more sense (if I could go back in time and give my younger self some advice). 1) Buy *one* fairly budget item to gain some experience, learn from that what the shortcomings are, then get something good. Big issue with that is that you still don't know - maybe your results are crappy, is it the gear, or are you just doing it wrong? And/or 2) get some hands on experience without buying first. Borrow, rent, etc. With recording, booking a few studio sessions can be eye-opening for both process and gear.
Actually, a third suggestion is to realize that if you buy quality, and perhaps used, and it's the wrong thing, you aren't losing the full cost, because you can probably sell it for nearly what you paid for it. Whereas if you buy too cheap, you probably will never be able to unload it, so you've lost the full cost.
None of this is to recommend against the AT2020, as a budget mic, it's more than adequate for home recording...