Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Young
I like to use good gear, but there are several things to keep in mind. For one, upgrading one element may not help if the rest of the chain isn't up to the same level. And two, you may or may not be able to hear the difference anyway, in many cases. Your ears are part of the total chain, and at some point the difference in specs is simply less than even the best ears can hear.
I was chatting with Joe Weed, an engineer, while recording my recent cd. Joe has the best of everything, right down to a killer studio where every room is isolated at the foundation level. In spite this at one point he told me that he had his top 10 list of what mattered in a recording. In order of importance he said the 10 things were ( doing this from memory):
1,2,3: the player
4,5,6: the instrument
7: room acoustics
8: the recording engineer
9: mics
Distant 10th place: all other gear, preamps, a/d's, recorder, etc
Doesn't mean this last stuff doesn't matter, and Joe probably has well over a hundred grand in all that last place stuff. But it puts it in perspective. Which will make more difference, a preamp, or practicing a few more hours? Probably the latter.
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+1 mostly with all of that.
Presuming that quality of the player and the instrument are accounted for then the recording space is critical. My expressed view - as a rule of thumb - is the larger the room, the better. A quiet field, or lake, or mountain - without wildlife sounds might be an ideal.
. Walls and ceilings - particularly where they come together - the corners - are the enemy! Where they exist, they have to be "treated". The best online resource I know for examples and advise is at:
http://forum.studiotips.com/
Mics and preamps do make a difference, but that difference will only be evident when used in a good recording space.