Audio Equipment

Like most musicians, I started out as a kid with an electric guitar. Back then, I had some pretty simplistic audio equipment.

"Don't walk in front of me,I may not follow-Don't walk behind me,I may not lead-Just walk beside meand be my friend."
Author: Unknown

I was about 13 years old at the time, and had the same criteria for audio sound equipment that all 13 year olds have: the louder, the better. I had an old, blown out tube amp that could pump 100 W of pure, low fidelity, crackling noise. Having bad audio gear didn't matter back then because my guitar playing was so bad. I didn't need high quality audio recording equipment. When you are a terrible guitarist playing punk rock, having bad audio gear is actually an advantage. That way, people are less aware of your awful playing.

I actually went for a long time without updating my audio equipment much. I replaced the blown speaker coil in my amplifier, but I was still playing low fidelity sound. I thought that it made me sound more authentic, more soulful, and less produced.

"Don't walk in front of me,I may not follow-Don't walk behind me,I may not lead-Just walk beside meand be my friend."
Author: Unknown

When one of my friends a jazz music guy in a very different scene let me use his audio gear once, it really opened my mind up. I could still play rock 'n roll, but I had more options available using better audio equipment. I could play noisy of course, but I could also get precise definition and good control. It was then that I decided to invest in some new sound equipment.

There are a lot of factors that go into audio recording equipment, but basically it always comes down to one thing: analog or digital. Back then, I was using exclusively analog audio equipment. My petals, my mixer, my amplifier, and even my recording gear were all analog. Once I tried out my friend's gear, I realized the advantage of digital audio equipment. It didn't make a big difference when I was playing loud and imprecise music, but it gave me a lot more control over remixing.

Best of all, with digital equipment, you can feed the signal straight into your computer. This means that you can use your personal computer as a home recording studio, processing, remixing, and editing your signal in some very sophisticated ways. Once I tried it, I was hooked. A lot of my friends don't like the fact that I have gone digital,but they can't argue with the results. I am recording some of the best work I have ever made, and playing better than ever.

Do all the good you can,By all the means you can,In all the ways you can,In all the places you can,At all the times you can,To all the people you can,As long as ever you can.John Wesley quotes
Author: John Wesley 1703-1791