In Summary

With so many amazing things vying for new engineers’ attention, knowing what to get first is never easy. With more audio choices on the table than ever before, here Luke talks about what would have made his life easier sooner.

Going Deeper

Buyers’ Remorse

It’s sometimes said that anyone buying that supposed object of desire can regret their new acquisition when they realise that the new thing in their life isn’t quite as exciting or transformative as they hoped. Many reading this will know that well, with our industry as guilty as any other for selling the dream of that next magic bullet that’s going to make everything so much better.

With experience, it’s also possible to regret not having certain things, like those that make our work actually better or easier to do. I have a few items now that I really wish I’d had a lot sooner. OK, so some of them didn’t even exist way-back-when, but hindsight allows me to now understand how hindered I was without them.

Is sound everything? In the finished result, yes absolutely. That’s not to say that the person getting the job done needs to sacrifice having an easier time of things while getting that result. In this article I’m going to talk about the things I wish I could have got my hands on sooner. Some of them are practical, while others are purely audio-related. Whatever they are I’m just glad I have them now…

SSL UF8

You may have already read me getting all evangelical about my UF8, and there’s a reason for that. I love this thing, and it’s no exaggeration to say that I actually pity my former self before this thing arrived.

If you’re unfamiliar with the UF8, this is a programmable 8 fader control surface for the DAW of your choice. If you’re a Pro Tools user who needs a mirror image of your DAW the S1 might serve you better, but even that can’t match UF8’s layer-upon-layer of programmable macros and superior build quality.

In concert with my Console 1, the UF8 handles my everyday fader, pan and transport needs, as well as its neat Focus mouse wheel emulation for any parameter regardless of application. My QWERTY is in front of my UF8 for modifier-and-Select combos in Pro Tools.

I’d be lying if I said I had been waiting for the UF8 to come along. What is true is that a surface like an Artist Mix or FaderPort could also have helped me avoid hours in the DAW fiddling with faders and squinting at sends. What is also true is that I’m glad I never quite got round to buying either of those two. I just wish I’d had the UF8 sooner.

Sonarworks SoundID Reference

Full disclosure: not so long ago I’d been sceptical about what loudspeaker calibration software could achieve. I was confident that I knew my room in all its unedited horror, and to be fair to myself I have always been able to produce mixes that travel well. For those lucky enough to be working in a flat-sounding room, it’s not unfair to call corrective EQ a compromise compared to the right space.

That said, when I actually had the opportunity to try correction in the box I was converted straight away. In fact I was kicking myself: how could the ‘cheat’ ever be worse than trying to mix through something that wasn’t a patch on the smart antidote?

There are some practical caveats, with the biggest one being remembering when it needs to be on or off. Yes there is the systemwide app, but for things like loopback finding out where your interface taps this is virtually impossible to find out without doing test recordings. That said, helpers like the plugin version bounce reminder are a lifesaver if you’re using it in your mixer. Maybe some monitors with onboard DSP are the way to go next time…

Drawbacks aside, SoundID Reference is the gift that keeps on giving which I wish I had tried sooner. For rooms whose response looks like the approach to the Himalayas, there are two options: Go down the rabbit hole of trying to treat your way out the problem, or get SoundID Reference. You can correct the peaks in your room’s response in the box. Unfortunately you can’t do the same for the troughs. I know I should have got Sonarworks a long time ago.

K&M ST212 Overhead Mic Stand

OK, before you skip this one for being really dull, hear me out (maybe you’re already nodding appreciatively). Any mic’s voicing is meaningless without being able to keep it in position, and even more pressing is keeping them in the air and off the floor. When it comes to flying mics and mounts high up over people’s heads, both are paramount.

Even for medium height work such as drum overheads, properly engineered stands are the name of the game. If you’ve ever rigged the night before only to come in the next morning to find a stand or two buried in the drum kit you’ll know this one! I’ve tried quite a few, but even decent standard tall stands can wilt if too much is asked of them.

Getting my K&M ST212 stand with a K&M 23560 800mm bar was definitely too late a purchase. Before then my overheads were lower than I would have liked, and my choral and orchestral mics weren’t high enough to get a nice even coverage of everyone. Now I can get right up in the air to the tune of 4 metres/12 feet or so with the boom pointing upwards, and the whole thing can stoop down low enough for other things happening closer to sea level…

Is my kit heavier now? Yes. If only my younger self were around to drag it to the gig for me…

Shure Beta 91A

In case you don’t know this one, it’s Shure’s half cardioid condenser boundary kick mic. More often found on stage than in the studio, I wish I had got this thing sooner for so many reasons.

On those bigger drum tracking jobs where you want alternatives, its lack of stand makes it so much easier to place inside or in front of the drum alongside another mic. I also find that it’s really easy to get a sound quickly, that sounds totally different to an alternative. The Beta has a low mid contour switch that scoops around 500Hz if you need it (I’d prefer 250, but hey Shure know a thing or two) which helps a lot for the odd no frills live gig on little mixers.

I also love the excellent build quality (yes you can easily stand on this thing), and the replaceable parts if you do manage to pop the capsule - good luck with that. Much of the stuff I do doesn’t demand the kind of close clickiness that many styles need, and for that reason I spent too long thinking I didn’t need this mic. It turns out, like any mic I can place it to get the sound I want… Plus it’s bomb-proof and it doesn’t need a stand. What was I waiting for?

Faith Neptune Acoustic Guitar

I’m no guitarist. That said I often find myself doing a passable impression of one on the odd gig or recording. I can get better on the instrument, and the other thing I can do is make sure I’m playing or recording something that doesn’t sound like a washtub bass on helium. After enduring an old cheap Epiphone acoustic guitar for far too long, around 2020 I finally got around to buying a decent mid-range acoustic guitar.

My Faith Neptune is an unfinished mini-jumbo with a solid mahogany back, sides, and neck, plus a solid spruce top. Apparently based on Patrick James Eggle's “highly acclaimed” Saluda shape (guitarists please feel free to educate me in the comments), I find the Neptune to be well-balanced and easy to play. It records very nicely indeed which admittedly is just luck, but its sound in the room to my ears was my favourite after a marathon try-out.

I should have got this guitar a long time ago, saving me a number of recordings that weren’t as good as they could have been. It also will come in very handy for the next time recording that person with a guitar that could do with new strings, body, fingerboard, and neck…

Dishonourable Mentions

Lots of engineers can think of the gear that they really shouldn’t ever have bought. Right now this reminds me of shonky ribbon mics, cheap compressors and other processors, or even the audio plugin that promised so much and changed so little of the music.

I know that most of the delay in getting what I have now was just a matter of money and the advancement of technology in general. I think for the most part I’m still using most of the stuff I have collected over the years, and sometimes watching and waiting is going to get you the most useful tools. It’s hard to know how much something is (or isn’t) going to make things better, but I would say to my earlier self forget the toys!

What are the things you should have walked away from and the things that would have served you better? Knowing what you know now, with the pick of today’s tools what would your wiser younger self get first? Let us know in the comments.

A Word About This Article

As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.