New Gear Creates New Attitude
As an independent artist it’s hard to justify the continual investment in your gear. You tend to tell yourself that I’ll invest in gear when I reach this certain milestone. That’s logical and practical, but a lot of the time, music is neither of those things.
Ever year, I re-evaluate my choices when it comes to studio gear and I make updates… or I don’t. Those updates, change the attitude of my sound. They unlock new styles and tonalities. It’s still me, but I expand my horizons.
I’m not saying go spend money to spend money, but I am saying spend money where it makes sense if this is something you want to do even semi commercially.
Your Hardware and Software Don’t Always Grow With You
This article is geared to beginner artists. Just an FYI.
This is especially true of software, but applies to hardware as well. The best example in terms of hardware is your interface. I’m still on a Scarlett Solo Gen III. It does what I need. I have a mic input and an instrument input that operate independently and I can record in 24-bit 192,000hz. So why am I looking at a 4i4 or 18i20? Why am I considering going all the way to a rack mount system? I grew. When I started up again, I had nothing but me and the guitar I’ve had since I was 12. During the production of Color, I bought my 9th guitar. Can I still use my Scarlett as is? Sure. Am I going to, for a while, maybe. Why upgrade?
I took a time management course years ago that stuck with me. One of the points made in the class really struck a chord with me. If you have to spend 20 minutes restarting your aging printer every time you want to print something… it’s value to you decreases exponentially. Go spend the money and get your 20 minutes back.
The Scarlett Solo works just fine. But every time I want to change guitars, I have to reset gain settings and find sweet spots. I could do that, but my time is worth a lot on it’s own, outside of production. It’s more beneficial to me going forward to have dedicated inputs that stay set all the time. I use multiple guitars in each production normally, so all the swapping back and forth and re-setting costs me a good bit of production time, and it puts production quality at risk.
The same thing is true of software. There’s always a more expensive software than what you started with that streamlines your workflow. The clunkier version may work when your music is uncomplicated and production is less than 10 tracks… I started with an average of 8 tracks. Now my low end of normal is upwards of 40. Coil was 80. Clunky workflows aren’t your friend anymore, and yes, you could still make it work and put up with it… but why?
I work in production seasons. The 2025 production season starts with Color. Each year I have a budget and a plan of what I’m going to upgrade this year. This is what my production equipment and software looks like year after year from start until now.
What Does Hadley’s Arsenal Look Like in 2025?
2020
- Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen III
- AMD Phenom II Quad-Core
- 4 GB DDR3 Ram
- 500 GB HDD
- AudioTechnica AT2020
- Reaper
- Steven Slate Drums (Free Edition)
- Schecter Diamond Series Omen 6 String
- Tascam TH-02 Headphones
- Reaper Stock Plugs
2021
- Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen III
- AMD Ryzen 5
- 8 GB DDR 4 Ram
- 500 GB HDD
- AudioTechnica AT2020
- Reaper
- ToonTrack EZ Drummer 2
- Schecter Diamond Series Omen 6
- Custom Build Strat Style 6 string
- Tascam TH-02 Headphones
- iZotope Ozone 9 Elements
- iZotope Nectar 3 Elements
- iZotope Neutron 3 Elements
- iZotope Iris 2
- iZotope Trash 2
2022
- Sterling H224
- AMD Ryzen 5
- 16 GB DDR 4 Ram
- 500 GB HDD
- AudioTechnica AT2020
- Reaper
- Studio One
- ToonTrack EZ Drummer 2
- Schecter Diamond Series Omen 6
- Custom Build Strat Style 6 string
- Ibanez VC70CE Acoustic
- Epiphone Les Paul Studio
- Tascam TH-02 Headphones
- iZotope Ozone 9 Advanced
- iZotope Nectar 3 Advanced
- iZotope Neutron 3 Advanced
- Positive Grid BiasFX2 Pro
2023
- Sterling H224
- Intel Core I9 13th Gen
- 16 GB DDR 4 Ram
- 1 TB SSD
- 4 TB Expansion HDD
- AKG P-220
- Reaper
- Studio One
- ToonTrack EZ Drummer 2
- Akai Professional MPD226 Aftertouch Controller
- Schecter DIamond Series Omen 6
- Custom Build Strat Style 6 string
- Ibanez VC70CE Acoustic
- Epiphone Les Paul Studio
- PRS Mark Holcomb 7 String
- Schecter Omen Elite
- Bass made of random parts
- AKG K240 Headphones
- iZotope Ozone 9 Advanced
- iZotope Nectar 3 Advanced
- iZotope Neutron 4 Advanced
- Positive Grid BiasFX2 Pro
- Audio Assault Reamp
- iZotope RX8
- iZotope Tonal Balance Control
- iZotope Neoverb
- Waves Renaissance Complete
- Waves NX
2024
- Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen III
- Intel Core I9 13th Gen
- 32 GB DDR 4 Ram
- 1 TB SSD
- 4 TB Expansion HDD
- Rode NT1 Aussie Build
- Reaper
- Studio One
- ToonTrack EZ Drummer 2
- Akai Professional MPD226 Aftertouch Controller
- Schecter DIamond Series Omen 6
- Custom Build Strat Style 6 string
- Ibanez VC70CE Acoustic
- Epiphone Les Paul Studio
- Schecter Omen Elite
- Squire Affinity Stratocaster
- Jackson Dinky JS32Q
- Bass made of random parts
- AudioTechnica MX50X Headphones
- iZotope Ozone 9 Advanced
- iZotope Nectar 3 Advanced
- iZotope Neutron 4 Advanced
- Positive Grid BiasFX 2
- Audio Assualt Reamp
- Neural DSP Nolly X
- Amplitube 5 Full
- iZotope RX8
- iZotope Tonal Balance Control
- iZotope Neoverb
- Waves Renaissance Complete
- Waves NX
2025
- Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen III
- Intel Core I9 13th Gen
- 32 GB DDR 4 Ram
- 1 TB SSD
- 14 TB Expansion HDD
- Rode NT1 Aussie Build
- Reaper
- ToonTrack EZ Drummer 2
- Akai Professional MPD226 Aftertouch Controller
- Schecter DIamond Series Omen 6
- Custom Build Strat Style 6 string
- Ibanez VC70CE Acoustic
- Epiphone Les Paul Studio
- Schecter Omen Elite
- Squire Affinity Stratocaster
- Jackson Dinky JS32Q
- Ibanez GRG7221
- Bass made of random parts
- iZotope Ozone 9 Advanced
- iZotope Nectar 3 Advanced
- iZotope Neutron 4 Advanced
- Positive Grid BiasFX 2
- Audio Assualt Reamp
- Neural DSP Nolly X
- Neural DSP Archetype Petrucci X
- Amplitube 5 Full
- iZotope RX8
- iZotope Tonal Balance Control
- iZotope Neoverb
- Waves Renaissance Complete
- Waves NX
- IK TRacks 6
- IK SampleTank 4
- IK Syntronik 4
- IK Philharmonik 4
- IK ARC Control 3
- Davinci Resolve Studio 19
This list is still missing a lot, but it’s what I use most.
The Things That Cost Are Still In Use
The only thing I want to point out here is that the things I spent larger amounts of money on are still used today. There are new versions of it sure and I get a discount to upgrade, but the new workflows are not as efficient for me as the older ones. So I stick with what works for my production flow and schedule. There’s a billion pieces of software that could be here, but they didn’t fit my needs anymore and honestly I’ve forgotten what most of them were.
A Buying Guide for Beginners
Before you shop, consider a couple of things…
- You’re likely never going to get out of it, what you’re putting in it. Music just doesn’t make money in that way. So make sure you’re doing it because you love it.
- Make sure that everything you consider purchasing is right sized for you. You’re not gonna mic a drum kit with a Scarlett Solo. Make sure your purchase makes sense.
- Don’t settle on software. Demo the hell out of everything, and if you really plan to stick it out, and make music for fun, or even if you’re chasing the label dream… get the software that’s going to do what you need it to do, in a way that makes sense, with minimal fuss.
- Used doesn’t mean bad. I take great care of all of my gear and if I sold it, you’d be lucky to get it. Don’t shy away from used gear because it’s used.
- Used doesn’t mean good. Buy used gear from reputable dealers that offer you purchase protection of some kind. If there’s a paid protection plan… Snag it.
- Take reviews with a grain of salt. The review can be totally honest, but a piece of gear may just not be right for you. Try to get hands on with everything you plan to buy.
- Don’t be afraid to stretch your budget a bit. If you can get a major upgrade for a small step up in price… The juice is probably worth the squeeze.
- Wait… It will go on sale. It always does.
- Wait… is it need? Or is it gear lust? Give your brain time to decide, or at least make sure you figure it out within the return policy.
- Try to make sure it’s a gear problem you’re trying to solve. It always stings to hear it, but the microphone records what it hears. Sometimes the mic isn’t the problem… it’s just hearing the problem. Performance matters. Don’t just practice… Practice hard.
- With lower end gear, your untreated room is not your friend.
- With mid-range gear, your untreated room is not your friend.
- With higher end gear, your untreated room is not your friend.
- Your untreated room is more of an echo chamber problem than a full acoustic treatment problem and it doesn’t have to be an expensive fix. Cover non-carpeted floors with rugs. Moving blankets on flat surfaces. Try to record in a room that isn’t square. Irregularity is a good thing, fill your room with objects and make it yours.
- Plan… Budget. Not doing this will end up either making your afraid to spend anything on your gear, or will make you overspend like crazy when you’re not ready for that.
