Here is a thought I didn’t include in the first post by the same name.
I Can’t Record These Songs Without X Bit Of Gear
Years ago I heard a passing comment from someone which was the saddest thing I’d heard. It went something along the lines of, “I can’t record these songs until I get a vintage tape machine”. Now unless you’re creating an instrument out of the tape machine I can’t see any good reason why you can’t record your songs without one.
Vintage/antiquated audio gear often has a mythos surrounding it. I’m not trying to dissuade anyone from buying expensive vintage gear but I will tell you about the Significant Objects Experiment.
Overpriced Junk?
In 2009, Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn, bought 200 items for roughly $1.25 each from flea markets and thrift stores. They then sold the items on eBay for over $8,000. How? They had 200 writers create stories about the objects for their item descriptions on eBay. Basically, the stories about the items increased their perceived value by around 2,700% or 27 times more than what they were purchased for.
Would it be fair to suggest that sometimes the history (story) of a particular piece of audio gear and the pedigree of the artists who used the equipment inflate the perceived value of the gear and its importance in the music making process?
Would those artists still be able to create infamous songs if they had been using different pieces of gear?
The Takeaway: Don’t wait to record something if you have the equipment to do it now. Be aware of the power of story and don’t let it empty your wallet/purse when purchasing equipment. We’re buying tools to create with, not overpriced antiquities.
Postscript: Don’t hear me wrong, I own expensive antique gear and it definitely has a desirable sound. This post is about thinking about your creativity/process and how the gear you DON’T own shouldn’t stifle the recording process. It’s also about placing emphasis on the things that really matter, well written songs performed well, recorded well, mixed and mastered professionally and then released well so people know about your music.
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