What are your gear prejudices? You've all got em'.

[htieksppircs]

It's irrational, it's stupid, but we've all got em. Sometimes it's based on real world experience, sometimes based on something as ridiculous as not liking a person who's an advocate of the brand, sometimes for no understandable reason whatsoever.

Here's a few of mine:

Let me predicate this by saying that most of this gear is excellent, well made, and in some cases among the best you can buy, i just don't like it.

#1 Pro Tools: Ah, the the BMW of the pro audio world. If you're you're not driving this overpriced, over-rated vehicle, your just not a member of the club. Pro tools is the industry standard. It's sounds great, works well, it's very slick and I hate it.

Genelec: So what! My ADAMs smoke 'em for half the price.

Neumann: Again overpriced and overrated. Neumann is responsible for some of the best mics of all time. And they still make some of them. I guess I just have a problem with people who refuse to stand in front of anything else. Rubs me the wrong way.

Waves Plugins: I had a Waves rep once tell me that there's Waves, and then there's everything else, nothing can compare! ...Oh Really?

Roland: This one is based on many experiences. I can't stand their operating systems. Scroll down to page 6 and Press this button while holding that one and hit this one with your chin. No thanks.

Focal speakers: One of the most arrogant pricks I ever met was a huge fan.

Behringer: I'm sure you understand.

Peavey: I should probably reconsider this one, because a lot of their gear is made in America and we need to support American manufacturing. When I was a kid their stuff was cheap crap. I think that's no longer the case. But... What's up with that logo? Maybe it was a cool design in 1974.

Martin Guitars. Martin practically invented guitars and still makes some of the finest instruments in the world. To my ear they're kind of dull, I'm a Taylor man. Then there's the headstock...too plain, lacks any kind of style at all.

Sure SM 57. How this mic got it's reputation, I'll never understand.

Steinway pianos: Some are stellar, most are only average.

Basses with 8, 12, 24 strings. Just play Bass O.K. Fender nailed it in about 1962.

Mesa double and Triple rectifiers. I love mesa Boogie amps in general, but these amps, along with Bogners are responsible for the beginning of the end of Guitar tone.

Paul Reed Smith Guitars: So What! Putting on 22 coats of polyurethane does not justify charging 10 times as much for your instruments.



O.K. What are yours? Go.

[michaels]

RNC comps. I only ever tried one unit and admittedly only for a short period of time on just a few tracks - but c'mon!! My first comp was a trakker so maybe I'm biased.

[Joram]

"If I would have a ... (expensive piece of equipment) my recordings and mixes would be much better".

[kazper]

I overlook anything with Yamaha on it.

[FeatheredSerpent]

1. Pro tools. Just because

2. Anything made by Apple. I think their products are beautifully designed, functional and innovative.

I also think that they are geared towards the 'lifestyle' crowd, which is a crowd I hate with a passion, mainly because they know nothing whatsoever about the actual products they are buying (usually), because of their proprietary philosophy, and because it's all just so poncy..

[rhodesp04]

My bias is expensive gear that is made to be based on something/replica/whatever from the past. i know a lot of the stuff is the same stuff; like an "M7" in a Wunder could sound like the original "M7," but I just can't make myself buy it.

I honestly think a big part of it is how I would have to explain the items to my mom, girlfriend, or friends: "Yeah mom, the mic was only 4 grand and it's a near replica of mic that's like ten grand" They would laugh in my face. Or "sorry babe I can't take you on a trip because i have to buy this wanna/replica microphone"

To clarify and run the risk of sounding hypocritical the only thing that I have that could semi-fall into that category are my MA5's but I think they smoke 1073's anyday so whatever haha.

[steelyfan]

Martin guitars.
Sorry, I know they make wonderful instruments, but people act like the heavens part and history follows if you strum a chord on one.

"Joe's a great player, ..........love his Martin."

"Well, I've written some great tunes, and I need to take this to the 'next level'......................time for a Martin." lol.

"I'd offer you a place to to lay your head when you come in town, but I traded my house for a MArtin guitar.......NO, you REALLY need to see it!"stike

"Martin guitars...........made from Noah's Ark's master bedroom flooring"

"Thanks to my Martin, I can now play 7th chords with my ding-a-ling"

ok...... i'm gettin carried away.

[steelyfan]

Originally Posted by FeatheredSerpent

1. Pro tools. Just because

2. Anything made by Apple. I think their products are beautifully designed, functional and innovative.

I also think that they are geared towards the 'lifestyle' crowd, which is a crowd I hate with a passion, mainly because they know nothing whatsoever about the actual products they are buying (usually), because of their proprietary philosophy, and because it's all just so poncy..

thumbsup
Hello friend, and welcome.

............"poncy"....that's a funny word, and so on target.

[FeatheredSerpent]

Originally Posted by steelyfan

thumbsup
Hello friend, and welcome.

Thank you, It's nice to be here! Poncy - great word A little unfair in this case maybe but, it is the dominant characteristic of most Apple users in my personal experience..
Definitely not across the board though, for sure.

[Kerzwhile]

Wow, Cool Topic! Lets see,

-Behringer!!!! Dont even get me started.
-Computers. YEah YEah, Im sure this is real popular here! I know its the most "powerfull" way of doing what we do, but Im just to God Damn lazy to learn a platform. I can build and fix em', just dont trust them with my music, most likely because I DONT have a Mac.!!
-TT jacks. Come on!!! Like that is saving you soooooo much room NOT using an 1/8" jack!!
-Creative Labs. For Purchasing, merging with Emu then Destroying Ensoniq!! Bastards.
-Gibson. For Destroying Oberheim and NOT allowing the man use his own F-ing name.Thats Just Rediculous!!! One of the Founding fathers of Modern synthesis cant even use HIS OWN NAME!!! And Probably the coolest Logo Ever created in this industry!! dfegadgibson fuuck
-Alesis. For Making some amazing products, Not marketing them properly, or announcing them 2 years BEFORE the release date, :cough: ADAT :cough: Andromeda, Keeping a product in the line for WELL OVER 15 years, SR-16, when you have the now "outofdatesounding" DM-5, oh, then you Come out with a Very cool and affordable product, Performance Pad, and put in the SAME SAMPLE SET as the decrepid SR-16! NOT the Very good and over due SR-18 Samples. Weird Company. I do not dislike them or their products at all they are just ass backwards sometimes. Its even worse cuz Im a dealer!
-Roland. Oh Boy, Ill keep this breif because I could go on for weeks.
1. Using a base 8 O.S. not 10
2. Making the D-70 Something TOTALLY diff. then the D-50!!! Hell, the JX-10 was 2 8p's! Why Not a Multitimbral D-50 with a PIANO!!!!!
3. Fantom!! Whats Next the Fantom H. Dont get me wrong, The "G" is a serious workhorse!! Hell, Look what Gem Godfrey of Frost* does with it!
4. How Dare you Slap the coveted JUNO name and colors on an entry level synth? The JD-800 was a worthy recipient. Even the SH-201, Maybe call it a Baby Juno, but to be put on a glorified RS-09???
5. Where is the Black AX-Synth??
6. Get that HORRIBLE clap sample OFF the Eb of all Non GM drum kits!!
7. A shift Key!! Are You Serious??? Hire some Ensoniq Guys and get a Real interface!

Im tired.

[larry b]

Presonus - Far too many extra bright blue LED's. What is the deal with blue LEDs? Why do they all have to have the candlepower of a xenon headlamp?

KRK - Yellow cones bother me. Don't eat the yellow snow tutt

Emulation devices - I'm talking about anything that emulates something else. Especially anything digital that emulates a microphone. The Focusrite Liquid Channel, Antares Mic Mod, NI Guitar Rig, etc etc. "All you gotta do is throw up your SM57 and tell this program that you want it to be a vintage U47 and presto! Now you are using a U47!" Yeah right.

Roland - Totally agree with the OP about this one. They do have some cool sounding stuff though, and always have. But seriously...some better navigation and ergonomics would really help their products out.

Cheap Chinese-built LDC's - Never....ever....sound good unless you modify them to the point that you might as well have just gone out and bought a better mic. Pointless.

M-Audio - Or as my friends and i like to call it "maudio". If you hang around the pro audio section at Guitar Center long enough, you will undoubtedly hear someone come in and ask for a maudio interface, a maudio keyboard or a set of maudio speakers. It's great fun.

CAD - I dont get this company. They make some stuff that is really great, and then they have things like the Trion 7000 Joe Satriani mic pack for like $79.99.

MXL - Will not buy it. I dont care how many miles of mogami wiring they string up inside those things. I will not buy one. Too many gold grilles, too many sub-$200 mics, too many colors and other cosmetic flourishes and not nearly enough quality.

That's it for now, but i have a bunch more i will add to this thread later on.

[mexicola]

Beta52 - I always felt like it changes tone and becomes way too smacky at high SPL's. At least a D112 stays consistent.

SM57 - I agree with the original OP. This mic is Super Mario: ok at all things, not great at anything. At least Luigi could jump high!

Digital multitrack recording - I think it has let both engineers and musicians become way too lazy. Bad sound? - replace it with samples. Tempo changes? - time align it. Out of key? - autotune it. Whatever happened to being good at what you do? Or at least with being comfortable with your shortcomings?

modern DBX compressors - would you like a side order of blandness with your high frequency rolloff?

Good companies that sell off their manufacturing to China - way to sell out your ideals and put profit margins above putting out a quality product (and supporting your local economy). I mean seriously! Joe Meek, I'm looking at you!!! (Although many others are guilty also).

People who buy anything at Guitar Center or Sam Ash - sorry, but come on...$55 for a ten foot star quad mic cable??? That alone ought to be repellent enough for anyone worth their salt to stay away from either of those stores. Not to mention all the stupid teenagers in there begging their dad for a 5 channel solid state marshall half stack with onboard digital effects...PUKE!

[mikecorwin]

1. Pro Tools - So many keyboard shortcuts to learn...so many options for you to take so you never have to worry about learning mic placement, problem solving, etc.
2. New Fender Products - Complete junk...numerous purchases in the last 5 years have had problems right off the bat, some have shipped completely damaged directly from the factory. Quality control is crap!
3. Auralex - Nothing screams "shitty lockout rehearsal studio vibe" than Auralex products. Love my GIK's!

[Mark Kaufman]

Monster.

[bitman]

I'm so low end I'll just say:

Realistic Gear - Only when necessary.

[Tonio Ruiz]

Digital multitrack recording - I think it has let both engineers and musicians become way too lazy. Bad sound? - replace it with samples. Tempo changes? - time align it. Out of key? - autotune it. Whatever happened to being good at what you do? Or at least with being comfortable with your shortcomings?

[/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more, I feel like total crap every time I NEED to do those tricks, it's like not being good for the job... and that is making us lacy

[larry b]

Originally Posted by mexicola

modern DBX compressors - would you like a side order of blandness with your high frequency rolloff?

That right there got me laughing! Ahhhh, man, so true, so true.

Originally Posted by mexicola

People who buy anything at Guitar Center or Sam Ash - sorry, but come on...$55 for a ten foot star quad mic cable??? That alone ought to be repellent enough for anyone worth their salt to stay away from either of those stores. Not to mention all the stupid teenagers in there begging their dad for a 5 channel solid state marshall half stack with onboard digital effects...PUKE!

Amen. Haven't been to a GC since April, and i've never felt better! It's like rehab, im off the drugs now. In fact, about once every two months i place a large order through Redco for raw cable and connectors and then my tech and i just build whatever we need on the spot. I love it.

Nothing beats the confusion on some kid's face when i tell him that we build all of our own cable and that we can put together something with Mogami quad-core and top-of-the-line Neutrik connectors for far less than half of the cost of the equivalent Mogami cable at Guitar Center. I swear most of the kids that come through my studio don't even realize that it's possible to make your own cables...

Here's a fun little story about Guitar Center that has no point, but i will tell it anway.

I have a good friend who worked at my local GC store for a while. I used to go in there and shoot the breeze, occasionally buy something, and always make him look about 15 things up in the computer system. My local GC (Canton, MI) sucks for pro audio stuff. They have an unbelievable guitar selection, but the pro audio department is decidedly lacking. In fact, they have a UA LA-2A in the rack in the studio room, and it's seriously gathering dust, never plugged in, and for years i have had a suspicion that it's literally the same one that they've had since i started going in there years ago. It's also about the ONLY piece of high-end recording gear in the entire store. Oh, they have an LA-610MkII as well i guess, whoop dee doo. Seriously that is it in there though. The rest is maudio, presonus and b-word gear. So anway, one day we were in there laughing about how they will never sell the LA-2A, i mean really just snickering and having a "way-too-funny" type of moment. So i asked him to get on the terminal and check to see how long they have had that specific LA-2A. He's punching in numbers for a minute, and im still chuckling and going "you're gonna love it. are you ready, youre going to be laughing..." He stops, looks up at me, big smile on his face and says "dude, this store hasn't sold a single LA-2A the entire time they've been here! The one in the studio has been here since 2002!"

It's totally a "had-to-be-there" moment, but man were we dying. And yes, i know that it's probably the location more than it would be the employee's fault, coupled with the fact that the Southfield, MI location moves TONS of higher-end gear, and they are only a half hour drive from the Canton store, but still, it's just so funny to me for some reason.

They have a term called "Gilligan" which the guys at the Canton store use for anyone who comes into pro audio and asks hours worth of questions with no intent to buy anything. That is most people that go through there in fact. They like to take you on "the three hour tour"

Ok, im done laughing at GC for now.

[Unclenny]

OK....my turn in the confessional........

Except........I don't seem to have any prejudices.

I love my Protools rig, as well as my Waves Gold bundle and my SM57's.

I love my Roland JV80, my Peavey Classic 30 and my '71 Martin D18 (Alright.....I like my little Martin/Sigma a whole lot better).

I love my Presonus HP4, my new Fender Blues Jr and Pro Jr, my Gibson SG, my computer, my Monster cables and my FMR RNLA.

I love shopping at Guitar Center! (OK....that's just comic relief)

I love Digital Multi Track Recording.....hell, I even love my Behringer mixer.....it's just so....cheap.

And I love all you guys for reminding me of just how happy and secure I am here in my humble little studio.

Me gotta go now.

[larry b]

Originally Posted by Unclenny

OK....my turn in the confessional........

Except........I don't seem to have any prejudices.

I love my Protools rig, as well as my Waves Gold bundle and my SM57's.

I love my Roland JV80, my Peavey Classic 30 and my '71 Martin D18 (Alright.....I like my little Martin/Sigma a whole lot better).

I love my Presonus HP4, my new Fender Blues Jr and Pro Jr, my Gibson SG, my computer, my Monster cables and my FMR RNLA.

I love shopping at Guitar Center! (OK....that's just comic relief)

I love Digital Multi Track Recording.....hell, I even love my Behringer mixer.....it's just so....cheap.

And I love all you guys for reminding me of just how happy and secure I am here in my humble little studio.

Me gotta go now.

It's not the size, its what you do with it that counts.

thumbsupthumbsup

[hakanai]

subwoofers in my studio - i have worked in rooms with high quality and well tuned subs and honestly it was great, but every time i start thinking about a monitor change for my room subs are quickly ruled out.

bose "PA"s - who is the evil bastard installing these, using a RTA to tune it, and then leaving me with the awful mess of making it sound humane when i am hired to mix in one of these places? Really bad, even just for podium work.

[mexicola]

Originally Posted by larry b

In fact, about once every two months i place a large order through Redco for raw cable and connectors and then my tech and i just build whatever we need on the spot. I love it.

Yeah, I build my own too with Canare L4E6S and Neutrik NC3*X connies. Roughly $8 for a ten footer in cost. For the $55 I'd pay at GC for a similar cable, that's a 600% + markup. Absolute price gouging!

[mexicola]

Originally Posted by Unclenny

OK....my turn in the confessional........

Except........I don't seem to have any prejudices.

I love my Protools rig, as well as my Waves Gold bundle and my SM57's.

I love my Roland JV80, my Peavey Classic 30 and my '71 Martin D18 (Alright.....I like my little Martin/Sigma a whole lot better).

I love my Presonus HP4, my new Fender Blues Jr and Pro Jr, my Gibson SG, my computer, my Monster cables and my FMR RNLA.

I love shopping at Guitar Center! (OK....that's just comic relief)

I love Digital Multi Track Recording.....hell, I even love my Behringer mixer.....it's just so....cheap.

And I love all you guys for reminding me of just how happy and secure I am here in my humble little studio.

Me gotta go now.

Well, obviously you love your own stuff...that's why you own it.
I don't own anything I don't like. Why would I own it if I don't like it?
You can't tell me that you've liked every single piece of gear you've ever tried out...

[sleeper1400]

Originally Posted by larry b

Presonus - Far too many extra bright blue LED's. What is the deal with blue LEDs? Why do they all have to have the candlepower of a xenon headlamp?

.

amen to that! its not just presonus either....everyone is guilty of it! around 2002 everyone decided, hey lets make all the lights blue, and BLIND people with em!

i dont get it.

[Unclenny]

Originally Posted by mexicola

Well, obviously you love your own stuff...that's why you own it.
I don't own anything I don't like. Why would I own it if I don't like it?
You can't tell me that you've liked every single piece of gear you've ever tried out...

True enough.

Truth is......I have acquired most of my stuff while stumbling my way down the path of least resistance.

I have lost my taste for Presonus preamplification products, though, as well as Boss pedals.

Now that you mention it.......what is this thing with sticking a half dozen pedals in front of a good tube amp that could be God's own gift to tone if you just TURNED THE DAMN THING UP!!!

There. I do feel much better now.

[mexicola]

Originally Posted by Unclenny

True enough.

Truth is......I have acquired most of my stuff while stumbling my way down the path of least resistance.

I have lost my taste for Presonus preamplification products, though, as well as Boss pedals.

Now that you mention it.......what is this thing with sticking a half dozen pedals in front of a good tube amp that could be God's own gift to tone if you just TURNED THE DAMN THING UP!!!

There. I do feel much better now.

Haha, YES!!! There you go!
I totally agree. There's no better way to ruin a great guitar tone than with a bunch of shitty pedals. I see it all the time at the live venue where I run sound.
On a related subject, a buddy of mine just picked up a 1960's Selmer tube head that used to belong to Troy Van Leeuwen of QOTSA. I have never in my life heard an amp that was simply pure tone like that amp! If only all amps sounded that good there'd be no market for shitty distortion pedals.

[AmongstTheLiving]

I think the musician is the worst piece of shit I've ever had to work with... Its like buying a Behringer. Sometimes you get one and its great, a lot of the time it sucks.

[AlexK]

• Yamaha NS10s - although this isn't really a prejudice - I just think they sound dreadful
• Dynaudio monitors - same as above
• Subwoofers - same again, why not just get a pair of monitors which are the right size?
• AKG microphones (not JUST the C1000)
• ProTools - why?
• Alesis Mixers - I own one, and really don't like it...
• Anything Mackie (other than the HR824)
• Anything Bose - other than the... no wait. I hate it all. Especially the 802 and the Lifestyle systems
• Overdriven guitar - WAY overdone. WAY WAY WAY overdone. Please. Do something new...
• Goddam Michael Buble
• Modern Korg Synthesizers
• Compression plugins (for anything other than De-essing). They just sound so blaaaaand (and un-musical).

God I sound so much older than I actually am...

[kafka]

I'm a sucker for anything with bakelite knobs.

[Never1]

Anything that says:

Behringer
M-Audio
Martin
Peavey
Mackie
Presonus

I strongly dislike most of those companies' products. There are a few exceptions, (I always dug the Peavey classic, and the first generation Tubefex preamp from years ago) but overall I won't even consider looking at anything with those names on the label.

[PELicanWord]

Yellow cone KRK's. They remind me of something you would buy at a flea market... Along side some Pyle gear