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Author Topic: BRAND boutique paranoya  (Read 3068 times)

Alécio Costa - Brazil

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BRAND boutique paranoya
« on: March 20, 2005, 04:34:26 PM »

Hi
I dunno if you guys still face this situation but once or twice a year I fall into this "problem":
"professional top producers/engineers" who look at your stuff and the first thing they want is some brand  boutique stuff. Seems most do not read magazines or never enter a pro chat.
Here at the south of Brazil generally are these brands:

Neumann - no other mic brand is worth of their talents  (!!)
Lexicon - ...
Eventide -...
Manley -...
Focusrite -...
Genelec -...

Nice weekend
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Alécio Costa Studio
High-end Mastering, Music Production
http://www.aleciocosta.com

Listen to my album at:
http://www.audiostreet.net/aleciocosta

MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/aleciocostamasterizacao

j.hall

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2005, 08:02:09 AM »

i've totally stopped making excuses for my equipment.  i run a private mix room.  the gear in it is stuff i like and use, and i'd like to think i get good results with it.

i'd love to have racks full of the boutique stuff, but that just isn't in the cards right now.  if someone wants to see my gear list before they book me, then they are coming to me for all the wrong reasons.

why not blow off the gear list request and hand them a CD of stuff you've recorded at your place?
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Fletcher

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2005, 08:11:46 AM »

You have run smack dab into the face of the "sheep factor"... and while things like AT 4050's aren't genius by any stretch of the imagination... neither are U-87Ai's so their lust for a familiar name is based upon "street myth" / "urban legend".

There isn't a whole lot you can do about this phenomenon besides teaching your visiting clientele the difference between good product with a name, and good product without a name... or the different tones and textures you can create with "non-sheep name" brands.

Have an "open house party" where you invite some of the outside hot shots to come over for a little get together where you do listening shootouts between the "name" and "non-name" equipment so they can hear that you have great stuff while they're not under pressure from a client... in other words, they can hear that the stuff without the 'sheep factor' attached to it is every bit as good, maybe even better than the "name" stuff so they can feel comfortable using it during one of their sessions.

One of the other things to mention to them is that you are in contact with engineers all over the world, and that you heard about _____, or just tried _____ and was impressed, etc... but I wouldn't mention it while these guys are trying to work, I'd recommend mentioning it during some off hour event...

Best of luck.
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CN Fletcher

mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33
We are selling emotions, there are no emotions in a grid


"Recording engineers are an arrogant bunch.  
If you've spent most of your life with a few thousand dollars worth of musicians in the studio, making a decision every second and a half... and you and  they are going to have to live with it for the rest of your lives, you'll get pretty arrogant too.  It takes a certain amount of balls to do that... something around three"
Malcolm Chisholm

Fibes

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2005, 11:35:23 AM »

The only thing I ever get asked anymore is whether or not I use Pro-Tools. My usual (long) response varies, but I have yet to lose one job over the definative NO.



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Fibes
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Norwood

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2005, 02:12:57 PM »

Fibes wrote on Mon, 21 March 2005 08:35

The only thing I ever get asked anymore is whether or not I use Pro-Tools. My usual (long) response varies, but I have yet to lose one job over the definative NO.






Ditto that, I hate having to explain it though, it just sounds like I'm making excuses for my gear, even though I'd take DP4.5 over PTLE everyday.  Maybe I'll get an MBox so I don't have to explain myself so much.
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Michael Norwood
Wood Bros. Productions

Alécio Costa - Brazil

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2005, 08:02:06 PM »

thanks guys. Yes, Hall, I sent them some CDs.. and were  better than what they had done with their "dream team" mostly.
Fortunately, this hardly happens, only when someone with a "name" happens to be around.
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Alécio Costa Studio
High-end Mastering, Music Production
http://www.aleciocosta.com

Listen to my album at:
http://www.audiostreet.net/aleciocosta

MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/aleciocostamasterizacao

j.hall

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2005, 07:40:58 AM »

it's one of those things you can't seem to get around.

advancing your career means rubbing elbows (or attempting to) with people working "above you".  not always, but most of the time we are wanting to continue to work "up" on the food chain.

it seems impossible to do make those steps when you can't seem to break into the franternity type environment of that group.

how did those guys get there in the first place.  maybe it's like the free masons, you have to learn the secret handshake first, and that takes years to learn.

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Bob Olhsson

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2005, 08:59:26 AM »

j.hall wrote on Fri, 25 March 2005 06:40

...how did those guys get there in the first place.  maybe it's like the free masons, you have to learn the secret handshake first, and that takes years to learn.
What I've found most of us have in common is that we started recording REALLY young. A huge proportion of us worked on our first nationally released recording while we were still a teen-ager. When opportunity strikes, we always turn first to our friends who we can trust to not screw things up.

The whole basis for advancement in show business is really trust. Being "for real" is what counts with the required skills more or less being taken for granted. I think most of us naturally trust younger people, at least until some problem turns up, and we are a bit more skeptical of older people unless they are a known quantity.

Carrying this a step further, most people whould rather not be dealing with more than one unknown factor. If we aren't pretty well known, something we worked on, the gear or the studio had better be.

Fig

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2005, 12:44:10 PM »

I like this question,

First I want to admit that, yes, I have purchased particular pieces for my facility so that I would have a ______ around in case so-and-so insisted.  These devices run from mics, to pres, speakers, etc. -- even guitar pedals.

However, when I get the typical: "what do you mean you don't have a __________?"

I usually respond with a "have you heard the_______?"  If they have not, that's where we start.  More times than not, they can dig it and then later they actually insist on it.

Folks that demand their own brands should carry their own brands.  That's what those fancy Anvil briefcases are for anyway, right?

Yes, good question indeed.

Thom "Fig" Fiegle

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The easiest thing to do is the thing most easily forgotten.

j.hall

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2005, 02:33:27 PM »

Fig wrote on Fri, 25 March 2005 11:44


Folks that demand their own brands should carry their own brands.  That's what those fancy Anvil briefcases are for anyway, right?



that's interesting......cause when i was free-lance i had two road cases that came with me and my monitors, and a trunk full of odds and ends.

when i produced a record at CRC, the engineers there all have their own private racks....and these are the staff guys.

if you want it that bad, BUY IT!!!
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Phil

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2005, 03:54:15 PM »

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Phil Nelson

Alécio Costa - Brazil

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2005, 09:00:24 PM »

I am pretty impressed with opinions here. Exactly what we all think here at the south of Brazil also.
J. hall, I am 35, have close to 10 years working in this area.
As much as you have done, appeared on tv, newspaper, word of mouth positively spread on the block, seems this wanna bee producers and "talents" think you have to have a wall full of Golden and platinum discs to show you are good.
And I see so much crap around with big names behind?
As you did, I am also changing my working approach. I prefer to produce, record, mix, master, perform in my own private space.
Ok many guys here make a living and are pretty satisfied and excell in what they do, but I realy hate to be or fell just like a fader pilot.
Very interesting the handshake thing. Rolling Eyes
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Alécio Costa Studio
High-end Mastering, Music Production
http://www.aleciocosta.com

Listen to my album at:
http://www.audiostreet.net/aleciocosta

MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/aleciocostamasterizacao

brandondrury

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2005, 12:58:35 AM »

A band I'm working with is doing half their project here in Missouri and the half at Berklee.  I got the gig because "I have the mics" as the drummer put it.

That's funny.  I used a $299 MXL on the singer over some of my bigger named mics.

Brandon

j.hall

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2005, 09:32:19 AM »

having my own private mix room sort of takes away the name brand issue (for now at least).  people know that it's my little "workshop" to mix their record.  they hear my work and don't really say anything about gear.

you like the work i do in my room, or you don't, either way, the gear doesn't matter much as i'm the one using it, and if i had a rack full of boutique stuff, i'm still the one using it.

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Alécio Costa - Brazil

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Re: BRAND boutique paranoya
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2005, 11:38:58 AM »

exactly
BTw... seems brazilian number 1 studio in Rio is having some problems keeping doors opened.
sad...
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Alécio Costa Studio
High-end Mastering, Music Production
http://www.aleciocosta.com

Listen to my album at:
http://www.audiostreet.net/aleciocosta

MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/aleciocostamasterizacao
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