nemo wrote on Sat, 29 May 2004 20:47 |
I'm glad i'm not missing out on anything without owning any fancy mastering gear.
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Be careful not to infer things that weren't said. The "finalizer" pretty much rules "fancy gear" out of the topic. Excellent gear actually does make a positive difference, but it's far from the only thing. I think several points were being made. First, there are many criteria to be satisfied, outboard being only one. Second, there are other steps that may be of more value to you in the near term, especially if the current budget doesn't allow for a better signal path. Third, having a Ferrari with no wheels in rush hour traffic in L.A. is not going to help you beat a Ford Escort. One piece of the best gear you can buy will not make up for a multitude of other limitations.
All that being said, you can still accomplish quite a lot, and the experience you gain will allow to to appreciate and take advantage of the differences in the better gear, room, and monitors once you obtain them. Work on improving the room and monitoring as much as is possible, and gain experience using some good plugs on your DAW until better outboard is a possibility. Add new pieces of quality gear as time and money allows, remembering that AD/DA conversion on the priority list too - not just things with lots of knobs. It's a journey, so don't be afraid to spend a little time at each step of the way, and remember to enjoy yourself.