It is common to hear from new studio owners who are having problems getting a good sound. They often ask if their problems will be solved by upgrading their equipment. A new stand-alone mic-pre, a summing mixer, or perhaps better A to D converters?
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| Do we really need all this? |
We all love new gear but the harsh truth is that for most of us, it is our decision making processes that we need to improve. We can always get better at using the gear we already own. Almost all modern studio devices are capable of amazing results, if they are used well. Of course this doesn't stop the marketing departments of hardware manufacturers from trying to get us to buy their latest device. But do we really need it?
Here's 5 things our studios can definitely do without.
Cable tester
Perhaps there is a legitimate need for cable testers in live sound reinforcement but in forty years of running studios we have never felt the need to have one to hand. Leads rarely break and when they do it's easy to test them by plugging them into an alternative device.
Graphic eq
Graphic EQ is next to useless for creative equalisation tasks and only really useful to correct the response of monitors in a studio control room once it has been analysed by a professional. Chances are we'll do more damage than good if we try to use one, so we can safely dump them. Besides, most of us monitor close up in the near field.
Acoustic treatment
Controversial? Perhaps not. It is true that standing waves and flutter echoes can spoil the balance of frequencies at different locations in a room, but if we always monitor in the near field (close to the monitors where the direct sound dominates) these affects will usually be inaudible. If we want to deaden the sound reaching a microphone, we can hang a few duvets around the performer.
If we really want to create a consistent frequency response in a room then it's time to call in the architects, designers and builders. We'll need deep pockets.
DI box
Unless we are one of the rare breed who's audio interface or mic pre doesn't feature a hi-Z direct injection input, we don't need a DI box. On the other hand, a re-amping box can be useful.
Expensive speaker cable
Any reasonably heavy wire will do. Do NOT listen to hi-if salesman rabbiting on about "the skin effect" or the "oxygen free" properties of audiophile grade cabling. They're salesmen. Enough said.
Thanks for watching and listening
FairFax
